SP Rides: The Li’l Hustler
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Chad Domingo
Age: 49
Occupation: Counter Sales at NAPA
Hobbies: Cars, drawing, airbrushing, freestyle BMX
Year/Make/Model: 1976 Datsun 620
Color: Factory Chrysler Red
Engine: New radiator and fan, old school horn, MSD ignition, dual throttle bodies with carbs, 1932 Ooga horn.
Exterior: Extensive bodywork, stripped and painted, HID headlights with new lenses for front and rear running lights, refreshed chrome bumper, painted grill, color-matched rear bumpers, custom chopped camper top, wiper deflectors, front lip, and House of Wheels chrome visor.
Interior: Replaced dash, Grant GT steering wheel, Autogage tachometer, Autometer & APC gauges in custom bracket, Heineken shift knob, mounted iPad, lots of switches.
Suspension: Adjustable air shock system, re-indexed pressure bars, modified leaf springs, ground for clearance.
Wheels and Tires: Lex Brodie’s Specials, Direzza DZ102 in 195/50R15.
Shout-outs: My other half and three kids; Matt from Martin Senour Paints, Junior from Exhaust Systems Hawaii, Jase from Jspec Kustoms, and Gary from JUS4KIX.
The Datsun 620 is a venerable, old school import introduced in 1972 when trucks were just called “pickups” without the fancy number additions. At the time, they were advertised as America’s No. 1-selling small pickup and sweetly marketed as “The Li’l Hustler.”
Fittingly, Chad Domingo has hustled his way on to the scene by turning the rough edges of this 1976 model into quite the eye candy.
Over the years, Domingo has owned an impressive 58 vehicles of various makes and models. His fancy has long been old school, or ever since he purchased his first 1973 Corolla wagon. But he always had an innate sense of what to do with his rides. And when he became the sole owner of this 620 following a slightly one-sided trade, he knew that this rusted bucket of a vehicle would need a ton of TLC.
Once he developed a game plan, the vehicle was stripped to nothing but bare paint in the blink of an eye. Parts were purchased and brought in, and the work to turn this vehicle into a beauty began in earnest. First, the entire floor pan was replaced and riveted. Then, the practically non-existent, rusted-out rocker panels were repaired, and the bed and tailgate were recreated from its rotten core. Essentially, Domingo was building an entirely new vehicle from almost scratch. Of course, that’s when life came knocking in the form of a pregnancy.
Surprised by his wife’s announcement that they were expecting a baby girl, Domingo remembers thinking, “Well, let’s just put this thing back together then.”
Picking up the pace, he began coating the entire vehicle in a factory-cherry red color from Chrysler. The uber-sexy paint shows off the sumptuous curves while detailing highlights such as the “bullet side” accent to great effect. A camper taken from a stock Toyota King Cab was chopped and massaged to fit, resulting in a fantastic addition to the truck’s overall look.
A one-of-a-kind chrome visor from the former House of Wheels sits atop the forward cab while refreshed head and taillights adorn the truck. The chrome grill was sanded and painted a smoky black for better blending while the chrome front bumper was re-polished to a gorgeous gleam. Every running light — including the red inner headlights, which provide a furious look to the machine — was refreshed with an LED replacement. A front lip adds more aerodynamics as well while the rear bumpers have been color-matched to the lavish exterior.
Domingo paid particular attention to the suspension, using old school grinding, chopping and re-welding to produce a very dropped look. The truck features pressure bars that have been re-indexed to further control the drop; a small c-notch was added as well. A relatively sedate air shock system was installed to help with switching between show and go. Personally, I love the look of the bargain basement cheap wheels from Lex Brodies. Although not even close to being a name brand, these wheels look absolutely amazing thanks to their unique style coated in flat black.
The engine and interior were left relatively free from modifications, but they did receive some sweet carbs for display and grunt. The interior was refreshed with a new dash from another vehicle, an older Grant steering wheel, and a new-fangled iPad installation to help with the ride’s sound and performance.
Although done in a rush, this 620 is easy on the eyes and a pleasure to look at. Domingo’s advice to car aficionados: “Build your own, appreciate your hard work, and don’t be afraid to hustle.”
