Which 720s Came With a Z18 Engine?

[gone2long]

Folks,

I have a 1979.6, Datsun 720 pickup with a Z18 engine, and I am trying to figure out if my engine came stock with the truck and where the truck was actually manufactured.

chassis # DY 720 504 79
engine # Z18 0040 11 W

From what I have read, it seems that most 1979.6 models came with a Z20, but some (apparently made for the foreign market) came stock with a Z18.

Wondering if anyone knows out there owns a '79.6 (sometimes referred to as a 1980) Datsun with a Z18 and if you know where such a build may have been manufactured. The options are apparently the US, Thailand, and Japan.

Any assistance or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Regards to all,

G2L

[zanegrey]

if the engine number plate reads z18 then it was made with it..

[gone2long]

Originally Posted by zanegrey

if the engine number plate reads z18 then it was made with it..

... the problem is that I am in the Philippines, and many older vehicles found here have been imported as "scrap" from Japan. Local "import" companies then resell them, and often the Japanese made vehicles are in great shape, but that is not always true.

The import companies will sometimes do significant work on imports or even swap engines on them to get them running before their initial sale. Apparently, my truck was one of these "import" vehicles, so I can't be 100% sure whether or not the engine now on it is the one that actually came with the truck when manufactured.

In fact, I am dead sure that the engine has been modified after import since, if I am not mistaken, all Z series engines have dual plugs which are part of their stock emissions system - a system which has been almost totally stripped from my 720. A few, non functional parts still linger, so, perhaps a clue as to where this 720 was actually made might be whether or not the US and Japanese manufacturers used the same emissions system. Just a wild guess!

In any case, the bottom line is that getting parts for these imports is a real bear out here, so it would help me greatly to know where the vehicle/engine was actually made, thus allowing me to source the parts from the country of origin if necessary. That is one reason why I added the vehicle and body code. Do you know what the actual digits mean, and if they tell us where the truck was actually manufactured?

Once again, I appreciate your help, and I completely understand that this stuff is probably beyond the scope of most inquiries posted on the thread. However any help that anyone can offer is truly appreciated.

For everyone's reading ease, I have included my original post below.

Thanks again,

G2L
__________________________________________________ ___________

Folks,

I have a 1979.6, Datsun 720 pickup with a Z18 engine, and I am trying to figure out if my engine came stock with the truck and where the truck was actually manufactured.

chassis # DY 720 504 79
engine # Z18 0040 11 W

From what I have read, it seems that most 1979.6 models came with a Z20, but some (apparently made for the foreign market) came stock with a Z18.

Wondering if anyone knows out there owns a '79.6 (sometimes referred to as a 1980) Datsun with a Z18 and if you know where such a build may have been manufactured. The options are apparently the US, Thailand, and Japan.

Any assistance or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Regards to all,

G2L

[zanegrey]

use my email address and email me directly.. i will send you some reference sites...

[gone2long]

Originally Posted by zanegrey

use my email address and email me directly.. i will send you some reference sites...

Thanks again,

G2L

[zanegrey]

i do not think the 720 was made in the states .. your engine number has a w .. which could indicate the kyushu nissan plant ..

https://www.google.com/search?client...8a03c892074da7

[zanegrey]

this is a very informative wiki site as well...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Motors

[gone2long]

Hi again,

Thanks for the Wikipedia site. In the past, I've used Wikipedia to get lots of information on my 720 and on the Z18. I believe the key words I used to search Wikipedia were "Datsun pickup" and "Z18".

Wikipedia's Nissan engine site includes all Z series engines and all Datsun engines including the Z18, Z20, Z24, plus the the L18, L20, etc., along with the diesel sd series. Their pickup site goes all the way back to the first small truck, the 320, if I remember correctly. Good background.

Thanks for all the tips,

G2L