Nissan's KGC10 Skyline GT-R is the sort of stuff automotive erotica is made of. Nicknamed Hakosuka
by its fans, which somehow translates into box-Skyline, the
third-generation chassis' premium model was built around the 160hp S20
engine—a mill based off of pre-Nissan-merger Prince Motor Company's R380
Japanese Grand Prix powertrain. Today, that'd be like having a 2.4L V-8
in your four-door Civic Si.
Hakosukas meant
business and were sold void of unnecessary interior trimmings in an
effort to do more important things—shave weight and go faster. On the
track, Nissan wrapped up dozens of victories with the
race-car-turned-street car, setting precedent for what the three letters
G-T-R would come to symbolize some four decades later. Among those
things that ensured the GT-R's legacy, however, was not its ability to
haul a sheet of plywood. And yet, Hakotoras—a distinct brew made up of Datsun's Sunny truck body and the front half of a Hakosuka—abound. And for good reason.
Photo 2/26
| According to Le, bodywork seemed never ending. Here, the
bed's been completely stripped and smoothed despite the carbon-fiber
cover that'd ultimately go into place.
Little about Datsun's
compact-car-based truck body will thrill you, though, other than its
ability to fuse itself with the business end of the GT-R and the guts of
an SR-based S14. At least that's what you'll find underneath the bonnet
of Dominic Le's '74. It's companies like Japanese-based 09racing that
offer the exterior bits to make all of this happen, and that debuted the
whole conversion a couple of years back at Tokyo Auto Salon. That's
around the time Le learned of the cross-bred Datsun, and yet it'd take
him another two years to actually take on the build, just three months
shy of the '15 SEMA show he'd go on to unveil it at.
Photo 3/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Custom Carbon Fiber Bed Floor
Photo 4/26
| Much of the build's time frame consisted of bodywork.
According to Le, it took nearly two months to strip the body, fit it
with its 09racing conversion, and get the whole thing painted.
Not even owning the car that'd
ultimately show face at the annual Las Vegas trade show just a dozen
weeks this side of opening day will never make sense. Especially when
builds of similar caliber are typically devised 365 days in advance.
That's mostly because Le never planned on building the Hakotora
in the first place, let alone parking it among the Toyo Tires
Treadpass. "The truck actually belonged to a friend who was forced to
sell it," Le says. "He was in debt, and the two shops he'd taken it to
just couldn't get it done." According to Le, yes, the Hakotora qualified as one of his dream builds, but it just wasn't scheduled to happen anytime soon.
But it did. And with SEMA just
two and a half months out, as Le puts it, "Every single minute had to
be planned, and everything had to be executed efficiently and correctly
the first time around." That meant spending more than half that time on
bodywork alone, ridding the Sunny of its half-inch layer of body filler
and rust before respraying it and fitting it with a combination of
09racing components and those he'd refashion in their likeness out of
dry carbon fiber.
Photo 8/26
| Underneath the hood rests the 439hp SR20DET engine that's
been tuned by means of a special version of the S14 Silvia's ECU
obtained through Le's contacts at Nissan that's about as capable as a
standalone ECU.
No matter how appropriate an
inline-six-cylinder RB engine might seem for all of this, according to
Le, there just isn't room for any of that. Which led to the next best
thing: a 439-whp SR20DET. The SR is no bolt-in transplant, either, but
following crossmember modifications and custom-made engine and
transmission mounts, the whole thing could be easily plucked and
reinstalled the handful of times Le says were needed to make sure
everything else fit the way it ought to.
"We wanted it to look like it
came out of the NISMO factory." A couple of decades ago. That's what Le
says about the build, highlighting the Hakosuka dashboard that
was retrofitted into place across from the pair of '70s-era Autolook
seats you didn't even know existed. Here, there's simply no room for any
sort of rollcage, but Le did commission a custom harness bar from
Southern California's Design Craft Fabrication that straps him and his
passenger to the buckets by means of a couple of Takata harnesses—a
mandatory addition when considering the truck's scant, 1,800-pound curb
weight.
Photo 12/26
| Here, the Hakosuka dashboard with its Nardi steering
wheel and Marshall gauges give the illusion that all of this was meant
to be.
Underneath, Le applied his
expertise gained as co-owner of suspensions parts maker Chasing Js.
That's where the custom front coilovers were sourced along with the
necessary alignment bits and suspension members that, as he puts it,
"Make this thing handle better than a Porsche."
Despite its handling acumen
and the fact that only an estimated three Sunny pickups exist stateside,
Le says he doesn't plan on hanging on to this one. "We really just
wanted to see what we could do before moving on to the next project."
What Le's too humble to admit: is that, despite the man-hours and cash
that was dumped into the build, the Hakotora will be auctioned off to
charity sometime soon, four decades' worth of heritage and all.
Photo 16/26
| Push-button start? Why not!
Two and a Half Months to SEMA
Photo 17/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Shell
What was considered one of
SEMA's most impressive builds and something that looks like this just
three weeks out will never make sense.
Photo 18/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Engine Bay
You think an
inline-six-cylinder RB engine ought to go right here. Trouble is,
according to Le, there just isn't room. To make way for the SR2DET, the
crossmember was modified and custom mounts were fashioned.
Photo 19/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Custom Transmission Tunnel
A custom tunnel was fabricated to make way for the gearbox and custom driveshaft.
Photo 20/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Fender Clearance
Clearancing for the 09racing fenders and to make way for the Volk Racing TE37V wheels.
Dos Datsuns
'Twas only a year and a half ago (SS 9/14)
when we fell in love with Dominic's 710 510 equipped with a 2.2L
stroker, naturally aspirated SR20. Dominic, when will you stop?!
Photo 21/26
| Dominic Le's 1974 Datsun Sunny Hakotora Pickup
Photo 22/26
| Dominic Le's 1974 Datsun Sunny Hakotora Pickup
Photo 26/26
| 1974 Datsun Sunny Pickup Shift Knob
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