CC Outtake: Datsun Li’l Hustler Pickup Still Hustling A Heavy Load

cc-302-003-1200

How many Datsun 620 pickups (1972-1979) are still earning their keep hauling heavy loads? This Li’l Hustler still knows how to live up to its name. But then they were built to last.

datsun-lil-hustler-pickup

So says the ad. And it was mostly true, as long as it stayed away from salt. Datsun made its success in the US with little pickups, and by the mid-seventies, had been at it for over a decade.

cc-302-004-1200

So let’s check pout the business end. Yes, there’s definitely a bit of a load in there; an automotive one at that.

cc-302-005-1200

Scrap clutches, discs, springs and exhausts, mostly. Heading for the scrap yard? Or?

cc-302-006-1200

Gonna’ have to row those gears a bit to keep up with traffic. In their day, these were pretty spritely little trucks, with their OHC 1800 or 2000 cc fours and slick-shifting transmissions. And it’ll still get the job done today.