Reason being i have a chance to buy a 1985 nissan truck. five speed, four cylinder, not sure which one, but has eight spark plugs.. Standard cab normal bed compact size truck. The body and such is fair. The motor seems to run good and it drives pretty good. It has a 160000 miles on it. He is only asking 600 for it. He said it was getting high 20s for mpg. So i am thinking for that price i cant really go worong buying it. So anybody have any personal expierence with these?? good bad ugly??


later!! chris

 

I may be wrong, but it would seem to be one of the rotary motors. Things to look for is absolute #1 on the list, FRAME ROT! I worked an import salvage yard for a bit, and that was the biggest problem on every import truck. Killed more than a few that otherwise looked fine. They rot from the inside of the frame, so it isn't as easy to see.From the curve going up to the rear axle forward is where yo pay attention to the most. Also be aware that any parts you will need may be hard to find, and many motors and trannies only swap for a few years (bolt in... anything can be swapped in if you really want to!) Simple things like ignition resistors and such can shut you down and the only way you can find such parts is through salvage, if you can find one. Get used to the phrase "dealer item only" as you will hear it a lot, and the dealers a lot of the time will not have the parts as they were discontinued. Just fair warning. Darn things will run practically forever if you can keep the body from falling off and small parts from shutting it down.

 

I've got a polaroid picture I took of one with a broken frame. It was sitting along the road kind of bent. Just "passed" NYS Inspection too.

 

Have one running around here like that, an S-dime I believe. The bed is sitting 3 feet higher on one side than the other, they just broke out a welder and put some bubble gum on it when it broke. I try to stay away from it when I happen to be behind it I turn off somewhere.

 

I had one for 120,000 miles, then sold it. The thing was bullet proof, a really, really good vehicle. It would take a pounding, either off-road or carrying loads.

On the minus side, I had to replace head gaskets twice, but that was no big deal.
I also totaled it (semi hit me in the back and pushed me head-first into a jersey barrier) and the frame got bent into an "S"...got the frame straightened, bought back from insurance, and put another 15,000 on it. The guy I sold it to is STILL driving it.

Did start to get some body rot, but I kept patching it. All in all it was a good truck!

 

I had one that gave me good service. The only problem I had was a clutch which I changed out in a few hours. I kept a protective coating of dirt on it at all times (never washed it while I had it) and it was very reliable.
Dono

 

Mine was a 74 so not apples to apples.

One comment the dual spark plug engines I believe were called NAPZ engines. They were basically Nissans lean burn engine and needed 2 plugs to make sure the fuel mix did burn properly.

Now as far as my truck and things you might need to consider on the 85...

The radiator hoses on the older models were some kind of rubber with a fabric mesh over them. These type hoses would wear out in 25K miles almost like a coo coo clock. The engine if the 85 is similar, had a forged steel crank, good stuff and was pretty much bullet proof.

The biggest problem with my truck was accessories like alternators, carburators and such. The alternators were only good for about 50K miles. Looks a bit like a mini Delcotron and is rebuildable pretty easy. The carbs were expensive!!!. Back then they were $400 each when you could buy a full race Holley for under $200 and a factory American carb dirt cheap. Ditto upholstery items like consoles and trim pieces, expensive!!!

My Datsun taught me much about what I know on auto mechanics now, if that is any clue. Always having to fix something.

The paint is a bit thin and the body will rust once the paint lets go.

So like I said not apples to apples, but maybe some useful info here. Maybe the big tip is how many of these older trucks do you see running around in good condition?

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson