Good morning! Today we’re diving into the world of old compact pickups, from back in the days when such things existed. They’ve both seen better days, but they both have potential to be a lot of fun for not much money.
Yesterday we looked at two slowpoke sedans, and I guess I should have known the old diesel Mercedes was going to run away with it. Probably the only race this thing has ever won, or will ever win, but I don’t begrudge it. It’s hard to say no to a rust-free, yellow, manual Mercedes that just needs a sympathetic owner.
But I’m torn on this one, actually. The 240D would be less work, but I think the Plymouth would be more rewarding. I like that mid-50s style, just before everything went crazy, and that engine looks about as complicated as my lawn tractor. I’d have to see them in person to decide. If the Plymouth is better than it looks in pictures, I’d take it – but I fear that it’s worse.
Nowadays, the term “mini-truck” usually refers to the kei-sized cabover trucks from Japan, like the Suzuki Carry and Daihatsu Hijet. But when I was younger, it meant something altogether different: compact trucks, modified with wild paint jobs, fancy wheels, and more horsepower in the stereo than in the engine. It was very similar to the custom van scene in the 70s, but with Mighty Maxes and B2000s instead of Vanduras and Econolines.
Not everybody went whole-hog with the modifications, of course; millions of people just bought these little trucks and cheerfully beat the hell out of them, with maybe a new set of wheels or a Kraco amp hanging under the dash to show they were peripherally part of the scene. These two trucks appear to be refugees of that scene, with only a few little scars to show they were there. Let’s check them out.
1972 Datsun 521 – $1,700
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Portland, OR
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs, but I don’t think it’s drivable
Datsun’s small trucks in the US market date all the way back to 1958, but it was in the late 1960s and early 70s that they really became popular. The 520 and 521 ran from 1965 to 1972, making this the final year for this style, before it was replaced by the 620. The 521 has the distinction of being the first compact truck available in the US with a true half-ton cargo rating.
It’s powered by Nissan’s L-series inline four, displacing 1.6 liters. It has a four-speed manual transmission driving a typical truck solid rear axle on leaf springs. The seller says the engine runs and the transmission is “fine,” but I don’t think the truck is ready to drive off. A photo in the ad shows the truck with the bed removed, which is nice because you can see it isn’t rusty, but I have a feeling the bed still isn’t bolted down. You’ll probably have to trailer it home and do a little work putting it back together.
The interiors of little trucks like this are nearly always trashed, and this one is no exception. It’s also pieced together from a few different vehicles, which is also not uncommon. That blue velour bench seat didn’t start out there, and I think that steering wheel is from an old Pulsar or something. It doesn’t matter; if you’re going to fix it up and customize it, you’ll rip all that out anyway, and if you just want to use it as a truck, you’ll throw a blanket over the seat and call it good.
I can’t tell if it has been painted in red primer or if that’s just the original red paint but really badly oxidized. The good news is it isn’t rusty or banged-up; with a new paint job, even a cheap DIY one, it would look pretty good. The turbine-style mag wheels are a nice period touch. There’s a cowl-induction style hood scoop you can just see in this photo. It’s silly, but it’s probably best to just leave it, unless you can find another hood.
1979 Ford Courier – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Dallesport, WA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives well, daily driven until recently
The Big Three all looked to Japanese partners for their small trucks at first, before designing their own. Ford partnered up with Mazda to bring us this little truck, the Courier. It’s essentially a Mazda B-series with a few tweaks. This one, however, is a little bit special: it features Ford’s “Free Wheeling” trim package, which consisted of stripes, a brush guard, a roll bar, special alloy wheels, and some other bits and pieces. This one has lost its alloy wheels somewhere along the way, and has shed its roll bar in favor of a toolbox, but the rest is still there.
The Courier was originally powered by a Mazda engine, but this second generation offered Ford’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder, which of course powered millions of Pintos, Mustangs, and Rangers over the years. It’s coupled to a four-speed manual, and the seller says it runs and drives well. In fact, they drove it daily for two years before replacing it with another truck recently.
True to form, the interior is a mess. One door panel is missing, and the other appears to have been painted white at some point, along with the dash. People did weird things to mini-trucks in the 80s. The seats would have originally been black and white plaid cloth, and they may still be, under all those layers of seat cover, but I doubt they’re in any acceptable condition. Better to just find a nice pair of bucket seats out of a junked Ranger or something.
It’s badly faded outside, and the stripes are still there, but they don’t look great. It rides on steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps now, shod with meaty all-terrain tires, a little silly considering it’s 2WD. It has some rust, most notably in the bottom of the front fenders, but I’ve seen a lot worse on these.
The best thing about these is that they’re both perfectly capable of being used as trucks, for hauling stuff to the dump, or picking up mulch for the garden, or whatever, not something you can do with just any old project vehicle. You could go deep and really fix them up, but I don’t see the point. These are cheap little toys that happen to be useful for Home Depot runs. Which one looks like the better deal?
Neither. I can’t see spending more than $1000 on either of these clapped-out piles.
Ford, please!
We had one as a tertiary vehicle when I was a kid, though oddly enough ours – a few years older than this one – had a 5MT rather than a 4.
There is something I noticed about the Datsun, and it comes from watching Vice Grip Garage.
Look at the second pic above: there is a new carburetor (aka fuel-make-it-happener) under the hood.
Look at the fourth picture down. See how there is a black hose coming out of the bed and disappearing down the bed gap on the passenger side?
Finally, go to the actual CL ad and look at the picture where the bed is off. What’s missing? That’s right, the fuel tank.
I’m guessing the entire fuel system was junk, so the owner pulled the old tank out and is currently feeding the engine from a gas can (possibly with a clicky-clacky) sitting in the bed.
Went with the Datsun mainly cuz I like the quad headlights.
Imagine it with four of the eyeball headlights that Torch posted yesterday.
I like them BOTH!
Voted Courier.
Prices for these vehicles in the Pacific Northwest are much lower than you would find in New England!
I pick the Datsun, imagine an RB26DETT stuffed in that engine bay like a Traci Lords film…
I opted for the Courier, but would only get into it after making sure my shots are all up to date.
Definitely a both day for me.
If I have to choose one, I’m going with the Datsun. I like that the Courier is currently drivable-ish, but that is that truck’s only advantage. The interior is a wreck and I have concerns about some of the rust. The Datsun will require some assembly, but based on the photos in the ad, I at least think I have some idea of what I would be getting into with that project. I can’t say the same for the Ford.
Don’t you miss trucks like these? They were everywhere when I was in high school. Bright yellow was a popular color. My brother’s girlfriend had a little white Datsun pick up truck with Mercedes Benz painted hubcaps in red. My husband’s family business went through several Toyota & Datsun models, each nicknamed “Stripe.” Now the smallest Chevy Colorado looks mammoth next to them. Just like in Top Gear, they’re hard to kill. In So Cal you still see them as trucks for gardeners.
YES! I miss when trucks were bright and fun. Now they’re all huge, dark, and angry.
And with stripes, various truck bed covers or tops, and maybe aftermarket rims or bigger tires, they each looked a little bit different.
Absolutely! The stripes were my favorite. We’ve really lost something without them.
Tough call, I’d take the Courier as the 2.3 has parts available for decades and getting go fast parts isn’t too hard.
Better yet, swap a T-Bird Turbo Coupe version of the ol’ Lima in there.
Throw on some SVT Mustang wheels and badges while we’re at it.
This is a why not both day for me, but forced to choose I went with the stripes.
As a “throw it together and go” project, the Datsun. Looks like a good solid truck.
As something wilder and more time consuming, the Ford. But just because I have a surplus of T-Bird Turbo Coupe parts at the moment!
Datsun! Rust-free and cheaper than the scary Ford, bolt down the bed, clean up the fuel system, change fluids, and then clean it well. Take the $500 you saved by passing on the Courier and buy new tires. I hope minitrucks make a comeback.
Throw a peanut head and dual side drafts on the datsun and make a screamer out of her. Don’t get me wrong what I’d love to do is take both and play with them bur it’ll have to be datsun first.
Datsun because it’s just a little more interesting. They are both in shitbox condition for sure.
This. I think the Datsun has more style. I wonder if a 13B and a turbo would fit?
I know this truck
I ain’t no stra- wait this is a reverse Ranger
My favorite t-shirt as a kid had a Datsun 4×4 on it. Datsun for me!
The cheaper one is also the rust free one, and the interior looks better?! Yep. Datsun all the way today! It’s just an SR20DET swap away from glory! If they were in similar condition and price I would go Courier, it is the cooler truck, but with rust, and that interior, and costing an extra $500, big nope from me.
100% where my mind went! SR20DET FTW!!!
I’m feelin’ the LUV for the Faster Courier, Amigo.
Today was definitely a both day as they would be fun to fix up and play with.
I voted Courier purely out if nostalgia. When I was a kid, my dad bought a brand new Courier, and I loved it.
So much so, I somehow became CONVINCED that it would be stolen, and I would provide the crucial information that would lead to its recovery: the license plate.
To this day, I STILL have that plate burned into my brain from probably 50 years ago: MR 7792.
Ford only for parts availability. Neither is the smarter choice.
Honestly, neither. Went with the courier because it is driveable and might get home before bursting into flames from that whack wiring job.
This was a hard choice, but the wiring tape job under the hood of the Ford made me want to deal with the Datsun instead.
Thanks for getting back to the roots of shitboxes.
Meaning real pieces of shit we’ve all cobbled together to get to work for the man who kept us down.
I chose the Datsun as that wiring in the Ford is scary.
Running and driving > potential jigsaw puzzle