Borderline Insanity: 1978 Datsun 6X6 Pickup





























There are certain vehicles out there that are so ugly that they're cool. When one first looks over the vehicle, he or she may have to squint like George Costanza to understand what he or she is seeing. A perfect example of this is this 1978 Datsun 6x6 pickup truck, and was featured in a few off-road magazines back in the 1980s. Find it here on Facebook's Marketplace in Berryville, Arkansas, with an asking price of $4,050 and trades considered. Shout out to Jalopnik for discovering and first writing about this truck!



























Based off of a 1978 Datsun King Cab pickup, the truck was converted from a 4x4 to a 6x6 in the early 1980s. The truck was first up for sale on eBay for $25,000 back in December 2010 (Jalopnik also wrote up an article for that listing). Either a custom bed or a stock King Cab long bed was modified, featuring diamond-plate sides and a bed-mounted roll bar and spare tire. The truck features a custom 1980s paint job (which appears to have been untouched, side running board steps, western mirrors, and aluminum wheels mounted on BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires. Jalopnik believes that the truck has a true 6x6 setup, and judging from the included magazine articles I believe also that this is a true 6x6. This truck reminds me of Marty McFly's Toyota pickup on steroids, though I'm not sure even McFly could handle this truck.



































Unfortunately, the seller does not post current pictures of the engine, but the truck is powered by a modified 1976 Buick V6. Rated at 250 horsepower, the Buick V6 is backed by a five-speed manual transmission. The seller says the Buick V6 needs carburetor work, so I'm guessing the sidedraft carburetor setup shown mounted on the engine in the magazine article's picture is long gone. I would source four Weber carburetors and the correct intake for it (note: the link to the article provided is a Weber setup for a small-block Chevy), make sure that the drivetrain is in tip-top working order, and drive this truck silly, taking it off-road and fording it while crossing creeks.



































Here's another period article highlighting the truck's build and showing what it looked like back in the day. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the interior, but this is what a stock 1978 King Cab interior looks like. My guess is that the interior is either fairly close to stock or highly modified like the rest of the truck. The seller does mention that the truck has no air conditioning, so I would source an aftermarket unit from Vintage Air; Summit Racing sells complete units for a bit under $416. Overall, this is one of the most unusual mini-trucks I've ever seen, and as I write more and more about it I've found that it has grown on me. I could see either Roadkill or Dirt Every Day rocking this truck. What are your thoughts on this custom 1980s-built Datsun 6x6?
Location: Berryville, AR 72616, USA

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