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Mazda Projects \ Jcooper's 1976 Mazda b1600 ProjectJcooper's 1976 Mazda b1600 Project
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JCooper
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Hello all, new to site but figured I'd share my current Project. But first, here's a little history to why I chose this truck. 3 years ago I became involved in early to mid 1970s Japanese pickup trucks. The first truck I had was a 1972 Datsun 521. Purchased it for $300, and rescued it from a field in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I loved this truck, placed many hours into it and spent more than some would have thrown at it. After falling in love with the pickup, I located a 1976 Datsun 620 also for $300. Both pickups were cherish and restored (while keeping character) to be dependable vehicles. Eventually I had several expenses come up and I reluctantly sold them both, still a mistake I feel as I still see them cruising around town.
I came across a craigslist ad for my current project. The seller stated that this pickup had been in his family since it was bought new by his grandfather. I showed up to inspect what I would be investing my time into, and after talking price I was able to pick it up for...again...$300. (Must be something about that price.) After placing a battery in it to see if it would start at all, I was surprised when she cranked over and ran after 2 extra pumps from the throttle. I drove it up onto a trailer as the truck did not have brakes at the time and off to my house I went.
So far I have replaced all the brake cylinders, shoes, and rubber lines, replaced the cap/rotor/points/condenser, upper and lower radiator hoses, exhaust and intake gaskets, as well as valve cover gaskets. reset valve lash and timed the vehicle. I ended up buffing out the exterior to bring back more of the red color, and did find some areas of rust on the rockers that I will address in the future. Floor pans also need some serious time as the ground can be seen (and touched) in several spots, and at one time the previous owner had 'patched' the floor with a flattened Mountain Dew can and caulking.
From the most part, this is what I know knowledge-wise about the truck. Mazda had released several series of pickups, ranging from b1600, b2000, b2200 and so forth. They also released the first Rotary Pickup known as the Repu (one which my father had had in college.) Ford also worked with Mazda's baseline for the b1600 pickup and ended up changing a few things- this lead to the release of the Ford Courier (which I have seen many of.) Just looking online has shown me more of the Mazda b1600 models located in places such as the West Coast, Thailand, New Zealand, and Japan itself..so finding body parts and the such has been a challenge for me. However, I intend to restore this truck as best as I can to contribute to Mazda's pickup heritage and fellow enthusiasts.
Pictures can be seen in Gallery, my Rides section, and furthermore I hope to post some here in the Project thread. Thanks and stay tuned.
I came across a craigslist ad for my current project. The seller stated that this pickup had been in his family since it was bought new by his grandfather. I showed up to inspect what I would be investing my time into, and after talking price I was able to pick it up for...again...$300. (Must be something about that price.) After placing a battery in it to see if it would start at all, I was surprised when she cranked over and ran after 2 extra pumps from the throttle. I drove it up onto a trailer as the truck did not have brakes at the time and off to my house I went.
So far I have replaced all the brake cylinders, shoes, and rubber lines, replaced the cap/rotor/points/condenser, upper and lower radiator hoses, exhaust and intake gaskets, as well as valve cover gaskets. reset valve lash and timed the vehicle. I ended up buffing out the exterior to bring back more of the red color, and did find some areas of rust on the rockers that I will address in the future. Floor pans also need some serious time as the ground can be seen (and touched) in several spots, and at one time the previous owner had 'patched' the floor with a flattened Mountain Dew can and caulking.
From the most part, this is what I know knowledge-wise about the truck. Mazda had released several series of pickups, ranging from b1600, b2000, b2200 and so forth. They also released the first Rotary Pickup known as the Repu (one which my father had had in college.) Ford also worked with Mazda's baseline for the b1600 pickup and ended up changing a few things- this lead to the release of the Ford Courier (which I have seen many of.) Just looking online has shown me more of the Mazda b1600 models located in places such as the West Coast, Thailand, New Zealand, and Japan itself..so finding body parts and the such has been a challenge for me. However, I intend to restore this truck as best as I can to contribute to Mazda's pickup heritage and fellow enthusiasts.
Pictures can be seen in Gallery, my Rides section, and furthermore I hope to post some here in the Project thread. Thanks and stay tuned.
Post was last edited on Oct 31, 2015 09:10. This post has been edited 1
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