Old School Cool:1970 Datsun 521 with Chevy 327

Small Block Chevy (SBC) swaps are all the rage these days, but they’re nothing new.  The original swaps were into 1920/1930s hot rods and usually involved Ford’s “Flathead” V8; but Chevy swaps have a history, too, as evidenced by this 1980s swap involving a tiny Datsun pickup and a Corvette 327, which is older than the truck.

While the seller says this customization was finished in the 80s, we’ll bet it started deep in the 70s, given the choices made.  Either that, or the owner was stuck in the 70s.  The good news here is that a four-speed manual was chosen, which is fairly unusual.

It’s interesting when we see period mods that are almost worth saving for their retro coolness.  In this case, no rare car was modified, so why not keep it this way?  This should be a handful to drive – a truly delightful handful.

Click for Craigslist ad
Somewhere near San Diego, CA, USA
$5,000

Air dam and lights are too much, but we like the wicked scoop

Side view reveals sun visor, five-slot mags (with spinners) and side pipes!

Off-brand OWL tires are always a plus, and we do love the tiny window louvers.

Underneath, you’ll see that the suspension was beefed up a bit.

Strangely, the nitrous bottle isn’t mentioned in the ad.

That scoop dwarfs the engine itself, but that would happen with basically any engine.

One last look…

Ad text:

1970 Datsun 521 pick up square body, old school and way cool. Wow.
Built in 1986, daily driver until 1990 when life got in the way.
Yes, smog exempt.
Please, serious inquiries only. Cash Only. No time wasters or low ballers.

1964 Chevy Corvette 327 small block, balanced, double hump camelback heads, Crane roller rockers, Holley 4 BBL carb, fender well headers. 
4 speed Chevy Saginaw transmission.

Narrowed Chrysler 8 3/4 differential with 3:91 posi traction.

Slot Mags front and rear, drum brakes all around.

Clean custom interior and exterior. Blue Plates. Title in hand.