EVPowers Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 A while back I signed up for this forum to glean maintenance & repair information for my friend's 1979 Datsun Sunline camper. It's similar-ish to the Toyota's and you guys (and a few other sites) were our savior when it came to trouble shooting. Unfortunately it looks like he will be selling it. He just listed it on Craigslist and I thought you guys might be interested. He put a lot into it and took a cross country adventure in it thanks to you guys. Here is his ad http://vermont.craigslist.org/rvs/5596018758.html 1979 Datsun Sunline RV - $5800 (Burlington,VT) Meet Dottie, a 1979 Datsun Sunline RV (for parts purposes etc., 1979 Nissan 620) with 89,000 miles on her. At almost 37 years old (she was born on 9/9/79) she's had a recent facelift and is ready for her next loving owner. As the third owner, I recently bought her in fall of 2015 and drove to Los Angeles, CA and back. She has a strong engine, however, at 119 cu. in, 4-cylinder engine, she doesn't have a lot of power. But she made it there and back and if you don't mind using your flashers when going up hills, you'll be fine. Plus, at only 17 feet long, she can park anywhere, perfect for boondocking! I've put a lot of care into her to get her road ready - she just passed her inspection this month. I repaired her floor pans that had some holes, installed a complete exhaust system, gave her a brake job, bled the lines and installed four new tires. This includes two ten-ply rear tires for stability as the previous owner converted her to from dual rear-wheels to single. I also installed two new rear wheels/rims. In the engine compartment, she's had two brand new batteries installed, a new 'rebuilt' starter, a 100W inverter off the coach battery to the coach interior, a recent oil change less than 200 miles ago and a new oil cap. We moved the gas intake hose as she had some sort of bottleneck previously, fixed what appeared to be evidence of leaks by tarring some of the roof and using silicone on some cracks. I also completely detailed her inside and out so she practically gleams! Inside the coach we replaced all the lighting with LED. She's had a complete paint job (except for the bathroom) to brighten her up from the 70's faux wood decor. We placed a laminate floor over the old flooring and recovered her seating, matching pillows and window valances. She has airplane seats for improved comfort, a full size memory foam mattress for better sleeping and she has the Dometic refrigerator. I never used the interior systems - the heating, water, stove, refrigerator or bathroom setup, but the previous owner indicated there were no problems, so I just took him at his word. I have refilled the propane tank and tested it using the stove, which worked fine. All the specs are included on the attached period flyer(s) which are kinda neat. I've also included lots of pics to give an idea how beautiful she looks. Even at 37 years old, she continues to turn heads and I get asked about her wherever I go. There is a huge following for these vehicles, especially as there aren't many of them left. Questions? Just ask! Thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Neat little rig. Price is kind of steep though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVPowers Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 Good to know about the pricing, I'm not really too familiar with prices on these. I know that my friend put a lot of time and effort working through things last year. Some updating. A bunch of stuff to make it officially pass inspection. Engine stuff, and I can't remember what else. It's probably a lot like owning any classic car. No matter what you put into it, you never really get it back out of it. I know he loves this little camper and is really sad to see it go. I wish I had a place to store it, because I really would like to have it for myself. It's such nicely kept example of what seems like a niche vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Could you ask your friend for more details on the rear rims and tires he bought. The info might help someone on here interested in converting fro 'foolies' on a small older Toyota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Sunline was a top of the line coach maker they were built in PA by the Amish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVPowers Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 (edited) I'll ask him about the rims. Funny that it is still in PA right now. And thanks again guys. This forum comes through with even more vintage info about this rig. I swear I dug all over the place to try to find info on the bits and pieces. I asked my friend to somehow publicly share some more of the photos as well for posterity. The info on these was scarce and if it weren't for Toyota forums like this, I'm sure I would have been left scratching my head. Some of the Toyota stuff was similar enough for us to translate over to his Sunline. Edited May 27, 2016 by EVPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quartknee Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 anyone know how to get the gas tank out? My boyfriend has one he's working on and can't figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 The chassis is either a 620 or 720 Datsun pickup. Any do it yourself repair manual (Chiltons/Haynes) for 1979 model year should have instructions for tank removal. Also good to have around for other repairs. Think of your rig as a Datsun pickup with a camper attached. Makes ordering mechanical parts much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quartknee Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Thank you! It's a 620. I've been googling for an hour 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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