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The Complete Guide to Classic Datsun Cars and Trucks
1953 Nissan 480 Truck
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 The Nissan 480 replaced the Nissan 380 in May 1953, after the 380 had been in production for only seventeen months. The body and chassis of the 480 is exactly the same as the previous 380, the only differences being to the trim pieces on the outside, and more importantly to the engine.
The most noticable change to the truck is it's new grille. The previous 380 had two grille openings that contained five thin horizontal chrome bars, on the new 480 the five thin bars are replaced with three very wide full width horizontal bars. The trim piece that covers the slot on the side of the bonnet is also altered, and is now longer and incorporates a new Nissan badge at the front of the strip.
The other big change for the 480 was to the engine. The 480 featured the first new Nissan truck engine in over seventeen years with the introduction of the new 3666cc 6 cylinder 92hp Nissan NB series engine. The new engine offered a 7hp increase over the previous engine. A diesel engine was also available, which was a 4 cylinder 3832cc unit producing 90hp.
 A bus version of the Nissan 480 was also available, called the Nissan 490. The 490 was actually released three months before the truck, in February 1953.
 Later in the production run there was a change to the engine, with the introduction of the 3960cc 105hp NC series engine. The model fitted with this engine was designated the Nissan 482, and the bus was designated the Nissan 492. These vehicles were visually unchanged from the original 480 and 490 models.
 The Nissan 480 was in production from May 1953 until December 1955, when it was replaced with the more powerful Nissan 580 series.
A sales brochure for the Nissan 380
 1952 Nissan 380 Specifications
Length - 6358mm  
Width - 2160mm  
Height - 2210mm  
Wheelbase - 4000mm  
Weight - 2970kg  
Top speed - 85kph  
Transmission - 4 speed Floor change
Final Drive - 6.33:1

Engine Specifications
Model - NB  
Capacity - 3666cc  
Bore & Stroke unknown  
Power - 92bhp@3400rpm  
Torque- unknown  
Compression - unknown  
Carburettor - Hitachi Solex 40PH single throat down draught 
Engine Specifications    
Model - Diesel  
Capacity - 3832cc  
Bore & Stroke 113x140mm  
Power - 90bhp@2200rpm  
Torque- unknown  
Compression - 17.3:1
 
Model Variations
 
Nissan 480 
The Nissan 480 was the truck version.
 
Nissan 490 
The Nissan 490 was the bus version.
 
Nissan 480 Cab Chassis 
Cab/Chassis and Bonnet/Chassis versions were also available to allow customers to build their own custom bodies.
 
Nissan S480 Short Wheel Base 
A short wheel base version was also offered, which featured simngle rear wheels instead of the dual rear wheels found on the standard long wheel base model.
Nissan 482 
Later in the production run the truck was fitted with the NC series 3960cc engine, which produced 105hp at 3400rpm and 195ft/lb of torque at 1600rpm.
Nissan 492 
The bus version of the 482 fitted with the NC engine.
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