1975 Datsun I am looking for any information on this little vehicle

[75 datsun]

[bsedwebt]

Looks like a Chinook to me. Chinook makes good, solid, fiberglass motorhomes but overweight from the beginning on this chassis - check the CCC to see if it is overweight. Really cool vehicle - I love the look and I think gas mileage would be in the mid teens from what I remember. Toyota chassis were used on several small motorhomes for years until they pulled the ability to use their chassis because they were being built overweight and therefore they considered them unsafe. - Scamp also made a motorhome like this years ago.

[Dave Fish]

A friend has a later Chinook built on a fpFord chassis. It's 24 foot and a very nice rig.

[madjack]

...they were real nice little campers that had real world problems...one of my Mothers co-workers had one he used as both a daily driver and camper...his comment to me was, they are fantastic camper vehicles...as long as you don't have to go up hill or around a curve...because the chassis was so lite for its intended purpose, they had problems with all the underneath running gear...still be nice camper to have for short, non-mountainous camping trips........
madjack

[War Eagle]

There was one of those for sale a few years back just down the road from us. Someone had mounted an air conditioner on top, didn't seal it well enough so it leaked, let it sit out in the woods for years (I think they used it as a hunting cabin at one time), and the interior all rotted and mildewed including the cab of the pickup. What a shame....

[k corbin]

If you join this yahoo group you can learn more about it. They are focused on the mini truck campers including the vintage ones from Datsun and Toyota.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...ckcampers/info

[sean m]

Originally Posted by 75 datsun

Attachment 110020

i have one Fiberglass RV - sean m's Album: Vanguard

[John in Santa Cruz]

some of those vintage toyota and datsun truck chassis were 1.5 ton class, i've even seen dually models of the trucks, as a flatbed or as a mini class C like the Chinooks... sure, way underpowerred by modern standards, you had to use your gearbox to climb hills, often in 2nd, with any sort of load.

[Iowa Dave]

There was a nice one at the rally at St Malo in Manitoba when we were there in 2016. Maybe he will be at Winnipeg?
Iowa Dave

[stevebaz]

I had a 1972 Datsun Pick-up, my friend had a 1971 my sister had a 1972 Datsun pick-up. The drive train was as simple and as solid as it gets. The problem is the 4 banger 1600 engine size, its very small for hauling a camper around. The wind load will keep you hunting for a down hill run.

The cab of the pickup is very small by todays standards.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

There was a nice one at the rally at St Malo in Manitoba when we were there in 2016. Maybe he will be at Winnipeg?
Iowa Dave

that looks like the same rig as the OP posted.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

that looks like the same rig as the OP posted.

I kind of thought that that too but did not have the passenger side so the tire and hubcap deal on mine vs op and the decal or whatever below the chrome badge and finally my feeble brain seems to remember a calf s___ yellow and then a light brown and could not tell if it was the light. Just remembered seeing it at St Malo. Might have been separate years at St Malo too.
Iowa Dave

[Austin Big Seven]

My friend has a simialar one a 1984 Nissan 720 with aFuncraft body, we are trying to find out who made the dually rear end, anyone have an answwr?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Austin Big Seven

My friend has a simialar one a 1984 Nissan 720 with aFuncraft body, we are trying to find out who made the dually rear end, anyone have an answwr?

Is it an actual "dually"?
Many of these things are just a sort of contraption bolting two wheels together on a standard rearend.

Check for a little sheet metal tag on the rearend.
Does it have a rear cover?
If so how many bolts and what pattern?
Or does the carrier come out the front?


A lot of DANA rearends were used for custom applications on imports back in the '70s
I did see a 1973 Datsun with a Holmes wrecker body back in the day.
My Datsun PL620 had a WAY heavy suspension with 6-ply tires.

[Austin Big Seven]

Yes it definately has a dually rear end, but don't know if it was factory installed or by Funcraft who are sadly out of business. Hopefully I might get a response from another similar Funcraft owner.
Many thanks for your speedy reply.