1974 Datsun Sunny 1200 UTE - Jay Leno's Garage 

Hello Everyone, This is Dominic Le. I just want to jump in and clear up the air a bit. We had made a ton of adjustment before the filming to ensure that the ride quality and performance of the truck would be great for the show. I had raised the car and adjusted the shocks to a softer setting to handle the bumpy LA roads. We tested the truck with 2 people in it and everything was great. but I believe I made the shocks a bit too soft which made the rear end dipped more than expected during boost which led to the tires rubbing and the driveshaft hitting an exhaust bracket. There will always be some type of adjustment made since it was a custom truck. That's the best part of a build, that it's always evolving. I also want to address the fact that I didn't drop any names because it was not my place to promote companies that I do not own. However, I have always been the type that will always give credit where credit is due. Yes. the front Hakotora Kit is an 09racing design. I also placed their decal right smack in the middle of Jay and I during the drive to give them the most camera time. Out of fairness, I didn't even mention my own company. It has been an honor and a dream come true to have something you built be shown to the world. When it comes down to it we just built what we like. I do it because I like the art of automotive and the friends you make during every build. if it was shown to no one or to millions, we would have built them the same way from the look to performance. To be honest the best part of the video was the rubbing and the driveshaft noise. It showed the rawness of the car and that things will happen even if you do everything to prevent it. Thank you to Jay Leno and the whole Jay Leno Garage staff for giving me and my team this great opportunity to showcase something different and fun. Thanks everyone for all the comments even if they are criticisms or praises. PS. All the rubbing and driveshaft problems are all sorted out. :)

This is (in my mind) one of the top truck builds for any period. Tastefully tuned and well-balanced performance blended with subtle styling that works well for both street and show. You can tell a lot of thought went into tying it all together. Kudos to you and your crew Dominic!

Tyre rubs and driveshaft noise considered, this is still one of the more street ready cars that Sema has to offer. They're pure show cars, finished the night before, half of them can't be driven more than 5 minutes and that's from the "professionals". Hats off to this guy for having a car that actually works in the show.

The car isn't "perfect" like so many restorations or customs. It has a appealing raw, noisy and unfinished quality, like a real rod or race car. Dominic is the kind of guy Jay should hire because he's smart, passionate and hungry. He and his buddy had a vision and pulled it off in their spare time after work. Gets my respect. (PS it's not about the tail pipe)

Ive always loved these little Datsun/Nissan trucks from the 70s and 80s, even some earlier 90s models when they are boosted with motor swaps, whether it be a sr20, rb25 or 26, or even a huge LS v8 with 800+ HP, as long as they are clean and tastefully built, they always make me smile. :)

Lmao for a second there I was like "why isn't Jay driving it" but then I remembered it's a right had drive so he actually was driving.

I like seeing Datsun restored and used. This has to be one of my favorite episodes.

when you get a good word and lots of compliments from Jay Leno, it's a masterpiece.

People keep commenting about the driveshaft and rubbing. WEREN'T YOU BUFFOONS LISTENING? "It's lowered now 8" but we usually keep it around 6" for driving" PLUS he forgot to anticipate the drive with Jay which is a huge guy and forgot to increase it. Stop trying to sound smarter than him. You're on the youtube comment section for christ sake.

Jesus this car is gorgeous, its literally perfect, except for the driveshaft, but come on this guy built it him self. He didnt go to no high end shop to do it, he did it him self and thats what building a car is about. Its not about build something everyone will like, its about building something you're proud of! Great build, wish I saw more people like this.

It's so great to showcase these home builders. I love hearing their stories and the retro Japanese cars are fantastic fun.

Wow best car in a while!

Sickest looking truck I've ever seen. Love this.

Jay taking off in space shuttle: ah, pulls nicely! Jay talking to NASA engineer: Single guy?

Probably one of the few cars Jay did not bother getting on the highway with. lol

I love it when someone makes a small car both look and perform like a beast. The Skyline parts blended in really set this thing off, great build!

This is an example of a vehicle that has been modified in nearly every way on nearly every inch, yet it still holds tightly onto the classic appearance. They took an inch or 2 out of the top of the truck bed and gave it some superb lines, especially that curve right behind the cab.

How neat is that? An awesome build you did yourself .. Get shown at SEMA,... and To have Jay Lenos blessing?? nice!!

yes! i saw this thing at sema and it instantly became one of my favorites. cool to see it get the recognition it deserves

During my college days, i had a 1970, Datsun 1200 sedan. Manual, straight 4, carburator engine. Front and rear drum brakes. It was a 4 speed. I loved that car so much, i used to repair it at home. It was a very simple car to maintain. Taught me a lot. Seeing this clip reminds me a lot. Cheers 👍🏿

I've been waiting for this. Such a unique build, absolutely love it

I'm loving the look of this SO CLEAN!!

Remembering my '72 Datsun with the 8-track tape player! Thanks for bringin' back the truckin' days!

Glad to see this car coming up in GTA 5 update

Drive shaft scrapes on the car and the rubber wears on the fenders, it looks cool but I'd say it's still a work in progress.

Gorgeous datsun looks amazing perfect mix of old and new little modern gems

Gotta love Jay and his channel. Every time he post a new video you have absolutely no clue what kind of car he will be showing off. Keep it coming Jay love what you do and how you relate to the regular joe!!!

One of my all time favorite cars on Jay Leno's Garage. It has so much character. Plus Dominic is one of the more interesting people to listen to, than many of the other owners that come through the show.

great engineering but sounds like that drive shaft is ready to explode when J pointed out. not my type of car but the beauty is the eye of the beholder

This little truck reminds me the 70s and 80s in my country, Costa Rica. All the motor heads like me back then had little pick ups: Toyotas 1000s, Datsuns 1200s and Subarus Brats. We use to modify those things with bigger carbs, Mallory or Accel ignition systems, lighter flywheels, etc. The cops were not happy with us!

I'm from Australia and I remember these Datto 1200 utes being quite common place when I was a kid. They have become quite popular again, if you can still find a good rust free one around, and look quite hot all restored and done up. My dad bought a brand new 1600 ute, (510 or 610 in the American market) which was the next model up, in the late 70's for his work ute, (he was a builder). I can understand how it would never be popular in America as you guys love your big trucks and cheap petrol to run them, but over here sadly we don't have those choices. Anyways, I think this thing looks hot as, absolutely magic, love it.

Wow! I'm comparing this in my mind's eye with my 1974 Ford(Mazda) Courier. It was a good truck, chosen over the Chevy LUV and VW pickup. Mr Le has done an outstanding job of pulling together custom bits and creating his look. Plopping that power plant in that chasis is brilliant. I read Mr Le's update and I'm not surprised he got everything sorted out. I wish him and his buddy who put all this together well!

I like the Jay appreciates these builds too most older guys would just call it junk not knowing anything about it

Great job on your build Dominic Le. I love it!

70's Japanese and the 3 boxed shaped cars are things of beauty. Wicked build, well done!

The mirrors remind me of a 1967 MBG, they had mirrors in the same place, but were adjusted with a locking screw and it took two people to adjust them. And they weren't spring mounted. Nice build by a pair of car nuts, Really nice, Thanks Jay.

Jay's a good guy, always taking the little guy under his wings!

That's a very serious engine. They are capable of 600+hp

Absolutely stunning, i could stare at this all day long. Great job!!

Big Jay, Thank you for bringing us these unique beautiful machines , I grow up watching you as a kid on late night TV. And it's very cool to see you interview these artist of machinery, really nice to learn about all the different styles , models and custom variations of automotive craftsmanship.. hope you can continue to help us car guys enjoy a great car show. Good job "Big Jay"

Im in love with that car, such a beauty

that's a sick looking truck.

Jay that's where it all started a couple friends having a vision of what car to look like or truck they did a great job I'm impressed

My younger brother purchased a brand new Datsun 1200 Sedan in 1974 when he was 18 years old. I recall being really impressed with the car at the time.

This and the rx3 are my favorite videos on your channel 👌👌👍

looks just like a ute version of the 70's nissan skyline gtr :O!

I didn’t mind the noise because it’s a great custom truck that’s the beauty of a nice build. Ever notice that when u have a new car and something goes wrong with it and you don’t want it anymore. But something u build and are very proud of it when something wrong happens you can’t wait to fix and put it on the road again. That my friend is a labor of love!

Thanks Jay! And, of course, Dominic!

i think its great what he did, its different from the usual vintage chevy and ford trucks. shame on the guys who nit pick at the little defects when this truck has so much custom work into it. remember he's not chip foose this guy isn't a car builder he has a day job and this is his hobby.

nice job Dominic !

i would love to see more and more cars like this jay,that will be so nice. Tank you jay for all your hard work to show us this amazing cars on your channel.

Man one of my favorite trucks ever! I couldn't find one so I got a 72 Datsun 620, very similar but not quite. Dnicle has done an amazing Job on this truck and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time. I love when Jay does old classic Japanese cars/trucks! Its been cool to follow Dominic's build of this from the start on Instagram to now see it on JLG

Hakotora or as mike Garrett said "Japanese el Camino"

Love the skycamino

I had one of these 'utes' with a 3.8 Buick V6....and a 5 speed..launching from 3rd gear...awesome power to weight.Great fun.

These are so nice with the skyline front and flares, perfect build

needs abit of work, but this car is beautiful.

seems like it needs a bit more setup to get rid of the tire rub and the driveshaft sound. But overall it's a really cool truck.

love this. the fact that he got his car into sema and then jay picked it up to feature. freaking awesome.

So awesome to see on the road after seeing all the pics from SEMA!

Growing up a Stern fan, I always had a dislike towards Jay Leno. But watching this Car show of his, I've really come to appreciate the guy.:S This guy's alright!

Nice

What a talented guy. What attention to detail. The car looked flawless!

Low budget custom cars like this, are good examples of creativity. If for some looks nice or not, this is purely subjective. Congratulations to Jay showing except of the creations of big companies and everyday people's jobs.

All the complaining?? Was you car, motorcycle or truck featured on Jay Leno's show? Didn't think so.

shame about the driveshaft sound

The rubbing, etc aside, I love it! Really really clean. Great build. I love the white wall Toyo's.

I have to say this is one of my favorite cars feature in Jay Leno Garage, Im not really into pickups but I have to say is absolutely beautiful, especially with the gtr front end.

Datsun 😻

Did somebody heard this car from GTA Online DLC Los Santos Turners, anyone?

Man, they were having a good time! Very nice pace to this episode.

out of all the cars i've ever owned and driven.. my Datsun 720 put the biggest smile on my face !!

Jay.....hook him up with some help with the drive shaft & tires.....c'mon man, you've got the ultimate set of tools....you can fix it.

Ending awkward...

Great video Jay, had me smiling the whole time. The builder seemed like a really nice guy, good sense of humor too.

Nice build, good to see a fresh twist on one of my favorite models the skyline.

Hakosukamino

Hakotora . datsun 1200 ute gb120 sunnytruck. 09racing nake the hakosuka skyline front end kit.

Had one 1200 Sunny with the red stripe.Great little truck!

You know, we all feel it's so unlikely that anyone from Jay's camp reads let alone acknowledges comments here, and while that very well might be and is likely the case... his channel is point blank about the underlying passion that drives us to watch his videos. Motors. Driving. Building. Experimenting. Learning about cars and their history, some of which none of us never knew even existed. I, for one couldn't express more like for more videos like this. A seemingly humble guy, building a car in his spare time, pouring passion and heart into it, and all the lot of you want to respond with is that it isn't production-ready. Driveshaft issues? hah! I ask... when is the last time you built a car here in the USA from a foreign chassis, even close to as modified as this one and it ran perfect first time out of the gate?

9:17 NO FUCKS GIVEN!

It looks like a 1972 skyline with a truck bed

BADASS! Thanks jay for showing this truck.

Never seen a carbon bed thats sick,creative and light weight. Very nice

Those exhaust tips need some work.

sick car but not liking the stretch tires and the ride height :(

That guys so pumped about his car, I love it. Interesting and intelligent guest!

I love the episodes where you bring in talented people that build their own cars like this car and the Honda s600.

Cool car! But sorry, that tailpipe looks really out of place. It simply looks horrid.

What's that badge on the grill? GT something. It would have been nice if Jay wouldn't have INTERRUPTED at the point the guy was about to explain it.

I love these kind of kids who do such good work .

I have one of these im about to restore and modify. Mines a 1985 model with A1500 in her for now. Love the front end conversion on this one. And that dash is unreal. Great job gets me exited about mine.

This car reminds me of my ex wife, it looks good but it doesn't perform very well.

the owners Instagram is DNICLE

Sweet! I have this car as backround on my comp, Love the clean look :) Nice of Jay to take a different aproach

Always loved these Sunny trucks and this one is really well done

Roadkills truck is better

This would of been cooler if he put a 3 rotor Wankel in it.

Great young talent and accomplishment to be shown at SEMA. The side profile of the truck reminds me of the Subaru Brat of the late 70's.

I love this guy, such an artist and so respectable to Mr. Jay.