Nissan Bushmaster spotted

I seen a really unique Nissan last week in north Phoenix, it was orange'ish and looked like a top of a 4runner graphed to the king cab, it had a "nissan Bushmaster" decal on the side.

I tried getting a cell phone pic but hard to do while driving a tractor trailer, I tried finding it again but no luck. I did some research and found they were custom dealer builds. anyone here own it or know more about them?

I had to google it to see what one looks like.

Silver one

I was in eating at a burger place in Flagstaff on my way to the Overland expo and spotted a silver one driving by. First time seeing one - it was different looking - cool though.

Picture stolen from the interwebnet:victory:

mcm4090 said:

I had to google it to see what one looks like.

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Same here sister.

Just looks to me like a Nissan's attempt at a Hardbody 4Runner.

CoastalDefender said:

Same here sister.

Just looks to me like a Nissan's attempt at a Hardbody 4Runner.

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Except that is the 720 body style, not the hardbody... the hardbody had a 4 runner equivelant, it was called the pathfinder!:sombrero:

Cool... I too had to Google it and only came up with 2 crummy pics of an old Muddy one in some guy's driverway... Kind of odd that they chose the X-Cab P/U over say a standard cab like the 1st Gen 4Runner... That little slit-window sure looks odd with the added body IMO. SO what are the details on these trucks??? how many were made??? WHat motor was in them??? Were there ever SFA trucks made by Nissan in the US??? I love old trucks like this, they just don't make them like this anymore (or like my 4 Runner for that matter)

I do however see on a regualr basis, a Turbo Diesel Nissan 720(???) P/U that I think is quite neat. Still IFS though, BUMMER. WHat Motor would be in these??? Is it the SD33T that they used in the IH Scout??? Or did Nissan have a smaller TD that they used in their smaller trucks. Actually to be fair, this thing is alot bigger then the following gen Hard-Body/Pathy that replaced it (also looks a fair bit stouter, more along the lines of an old Toyota in that respect) Kind of funny, I thought every truck got bigger as they got updated... Nissans wen't mid-sized, small, now big again... Toyota Just wen't Smaller, Bigger, Bigger BIGGEST!! (although the Toyota Stout was larger then the original Toyota 4x4 Mini-Truck...)

Cool find mate.

Cheers

Dave

Same size as hardbody roughly, not any bigger. The 720 is NOT a big truck. If it has a diesel, most likely it is a SD22-25. My guess is it came with the standard z22-24 depending on the year. The z24 was a great workhorse motor, IMHO just as good as the 22R coming from Toyota.

I had this long post about these, but the damn forum signed me out and I lost the post... so that will have to do, lol!

jingram said:

Same size as hardbody roughly, not any bigger. The 720 is NOT a big truck. If it has a diesel, most likely it is a SD22-25. My guess is it came with the standard z22-24 depending on the year. The z24 was a great workhorse motor, IMHO just as good as the 22R coming from Toyota.

I had this long post about these, but the damn forum signed me out and I lost the post... so that will have to do, lol!

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I guess it just looks bigger because I'm used to seeing the usual short cab short bed not extended cabs in the Hardbody style... Any good info on the 720 anywhere??? I can't seem to find much adn I had NEVER heard of the "Bushmaster" beofre this thread. Coll old trucks eh. Nice find.

Cheers

Dave

Not sure of any specific forum dedicated to the 720, but I will be the first to admit I have never looked. I know that rust was a major enemy of these guys, especially on the beds, just like the toyotas of the same vintage.

Nissan Bushmaster

I own one of these rare vehicles. I bought it about 18 months ago from my mechanic. Sorry, no pics as yet. I will try to post some later on if anyone expresses an interest.
Mine is tan and the registration form says 1985. It is a lot like a Nissan XE hardbody from the same time period. (I used to own an '86, 2wd Nissan XE Hardbody).
Mine has about 250K miles on it. It does not have the original engine in it - engine was replaced just before I bought it. It is a 4-cylinder gasoline engine.
It is as if someone took an XE and cut the back of the cab off and capped it all with a fiberglass shell so cab and bed are a single enclosed space. The fiberglass shell extends over the metal roof of the cab & looks a little weird. There is a metal liner in the inside of the roof of the fiberglass shell that does not continue down the sides of the bed. A roof rack is bolted to the top of the shell.
Instead of the little sideways fold down seats in the extended part of the cab, there is a forward-facing bench seat with a fold down back. This seat is set right about where the line between cab and bed would be. This shortens the floor area of the bed a bit.
There is a roll bar in the very back, just by the tailgate.
I don't know anything about how or why these were made and would very much like to know more. If anyone could pass on or direct me to such information, I would appreciate it.
I would be happy to answer any questions, but am not very mechanical or tech savvy.
It's a good little truck and runs great, but somebody upholstered the entire interior and did a terrible job so I have ripped all of that out.

Nice score! Please post up some pics!

Its like a 720 King Cab with rear integrated cap , á-la-'88 4Runner ...

It would be fun to find one of those, even though I'm not a fan of the looks. Personally I will stick with my Xcab and a shell. To answer questions - Rust is evil, the Z24 is a great little motor (except for the whole 8 spark plugs on a 4cyl thing) that gets over 20mpg and I think interior fit/finish and ergonomics are better than period competitors. It is almost exactly the same size as a Hardbody, Toyota, Mighty Max, or B2200 - they were all basically made for the same purpose.

Nisan Bushmaster.

Since you asked, I will post pics when I can borrow a camera. It looks like the red one, except it's tan, has a roof rack on top of the canopy, and despite the fact that I live in a temperate rainforest climate, lacks the decorative mud.
In my dreams, I can see myself in the Bushmaster, wending my way across the Australian Outback... heavy roo grill on front.. spare tires, jerry cans, and a mountain bike on top. Frida, my trusty Blue Heeler/Black Lab mix will ride shotgun.
Yes, it is sort of odd looking. I too prefer the look of the regular King Cab, but a Bushmaster is what I have.
I was out and about in the truck again today, I work for a local monthly tabloid newspaper and was distributing the latest issue in some touristy coastal towns. Several people commented on my vehicle, and I was able to show a couple of gentlemen some of the extra reinforcing inside the enclosure; visible now that I have ripped out all the moldy tweedy fabric that was spray-mounted over the entire interior (including the wheel wells).
Is it hard to find parts for something like this? I need to replace the hydraulic things that lift up the upper part of the back door as they are missing completely. (Forgive me, I don't know what they are called.) Also missing (says my mechanic) is an oval metal gasket/ring that seals the boot of the 4wd shifter to the truck body. As it is, the base of the boot is loose and pulls away at times leaving an opening from the cab down to the drive shaft. I try to keep a box or something over it so my dog doesn't step in there or so things don't fall onto the drive shaft while I'm under way. This part likely was removed during the inept reupholstering job mentioned previously.
There is no Nissan dealership in this area. I do live next door to the only wrecking yard in the county, and any time a Nissan truck comes in folks descend upon the hapless vehicle like a flock of vultures seeking parts. It is hard to find any but the most generic of parts.
Thanks for your comments. I am interested in anything I can find out about this unusual vehicle.