Datsun 1600 Roadster, what to look out for...

The car is a 1970 Datsun 1600 Roadster, 135,000 mile, owned and garaged by the same owner from 1977.

First, almost no rust can be found.  Yes I know, but the car has been living in a dry mountain garage for the last 20 years.  the car has not been driven in two years.  

I understand the drill bring a dormant car back to life, My questions are geared to what can be done to add some period additions to the car.

Can you run a 5 speed with the 1600 motor?  

Does anyone have any spares in their collection that need a new home.  That's a good start.

Thank you in advance.

David  

Yes pictures to follow.  The car is very complete.  The spare in the car is the original tire on the steel rim mounted to the trunk floor on the factory plastic trunk mat.

The correct smog pump and piping is in place and complete.  It is frozen and the fan belt is missing, but it could be rebuilt.  It goes on.  

I've owned two of them.  Little original parts are hard to find - bumpers, fenders, Keyed gas cap....great cars - what does it need?

Wheeler Dealers just did one - you're good with the 1600 and 4-speed. 

This is motivating to watch. 
 

Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuust. As with all Datsuns. I'll bet $20 I can find rust on it, EVEN after being on a rotisserie. 

Yes, a 1600 with a four speed.  And yes, I'm sure it has rust.  But it has led a sheltered life.  The current owner is all of 4' 11" and 110lbs, if that.  "Teddy" is ready for it's next chapter.

Needs?  At this point references and part locations.  The car is running a set of 14 inch aluminum kidney slot mags, with 175/ 70 14 tires.  What fits under the stock fenders? 

Rally's used to publish a 2 catalog set - an incredible reference.   I see the second catalog is missing.  Not sure if it's worth this money......but again a ton of information. 
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Roadster-SPL311-SRL311-RALLYE-Parts-Catalog-Nissan-Fairlady-240Z-/193533879929

I've got a pile of parts in my garage... not sure how nice or usable most of it is, but if you need something let me know. I do have a rollbar.

And it's delivered.  Actually more like rolled on to the trailer and resting not with the pervious owner.  Who's brother is the owner of a 2000 roadster that I will do my best to find additional information on in the future.

Again, pictures to follow.  The car has a rollbar.  The soft top is not going to work with what is going to be removed in any event.

First impressions, the car is small.  My '95 NA Miata was definitely roomer.  The car has been off the road for two years and was becoming more of a thing to put garage stuff in and on, rather than drive.  However before it's hiatus, the front end was rebuilt.  The ball joints and KYB shocks look brand new.

That may be the last thing done on the car, more to follow.

Now, the first pictures.

The car was purchased in 1977,  "Teddy" has been driven and taken car of, by someone who enjoyed driving. 

Pushed onto the street, ready to roll onto the trailer. 

The under the bonnet, engine. 

Interior.

Dude, that thing is mint and almost 100% stock.  You scored well.  All the stock items are there.   The previous owner took care of it well.  

in the front valance are two chrome buttons that pop out so you can put fog lights into the holes.  You never see those.  You should have wiring for them - look for wires wth butt splices behind the grill. 

the seat bottoms don't look right but the headrests do   The antenna pushes all the way down and locks and I think there was a 2 pronged key used to unlock it or the factory key pushed into the side to unlock   

Congrats.  

Good catch on the seats.  Again, the previous owner was tiny and light.  The seats were modified to get the driver sitting up and closer to the wheel.

Oh man that is a good one! These are the sweetest live axle sports cars ever. The 1600 is also much easier to work on (and more reliable) than the 2000. I wish I knew the answer if the 5 speed will fit the 1600, but I don't.

The 5 speed from the 2000 bolts right up, but you need the driveshaft, transmission mount, backing plate, throw out bearing (and fork) plus the 5 speed shift plate. You also need to cut the transmission tunnel. After all of that you'll hate the gearing on first, as it makes the take off slower. The 1600 is fine with the 4 speed.
 

Steve,

Thank you, information like this saves me so much grief.  I lived with a 4 speed in my 510's and I will leave this car alone.

David

Very jealous - beautiful survivor.

The bolt pattern on some Datsun engines matched some BMC patterns. You could always borrow an all synchro MGB trans with OD if you wanted a 6 speed.

wspohn said:

The bolt pattern on some Datsun engines matched some BMC patterns. You could always borrow an all synchro MGB trans with OD if you wanted a 6 speed.

Won't bolt up. The 2000 5 speed is the easiest swap and even that takes work. 

Awesome find, and thanks for those pictures.  

The attached picture gives you a reference of how small the "boot/trunk" is on this car.  Yes, the original spare.

I can report that the car is running  Some WD-40 down each cylinder after the plugs were removed and then turning it over first by hand. Then the coil wire was pulled and the starter was engaged to build oil pressure.  After first running a bit rough, it cleared up and is running very well.

Now the list of what needs to be replaced and refreshed beguines. Starting with the both ends of the clutch hydraulic system.  Driving the car is getting very close!

jr02518 said:

The attached picture gives you a reference of how small the "boot/trunk" is on this car.  Yes, the original spare.

 

That's a huge trunk!  I am used to a far more restrictive boot - on my MGA coupe I still managed to fit in 3 cases of wine (the luggage road on the trunk rack).  The trick is to get the right diameter of Armaflex closed cell pipe insulation and cut it in bottle lengths and then stuff them all in individuality wherever you can. 

Sounds like you are well on the way to getting the Datsun up and running again!

Good to see another roadster out there.  I have a running race car project 1969 Datsun 2000 that I am trying to get ready for the road/track.   Wonderful cars but prices on some part like gas caps and anything on the U20 motor seem expensive but I guess the volume of parts is limited.  My brother currently races a 1600 roadster and is is a fun and reliable engine.  
 

On the wheels are they 240z Anson wheels?   I have a set off a rust destroyed 240z but could not figure out the right standard thread lug to get given the 240 was metric?

Yes, on the rims.  4X114.3.  I would love to ask about both cars.  Any details you can share on the cars would be appreciated.

David

I had a '69 2000, looking almost exactly like the red one above other than it having sidedrafts. Great fun to drive, and that fun was more than negated by how hard it was to work on, a total PITA; the one and only time that I ever threw car parts across the yard... Back then (mid 1980s), Balboa Nissan in San Diego had a bunch of NOS, so I made frequent trips there. As I recall, you should remove your OEM front grill and lock it in a vault, as even back then they were already worth $$$. For all the other parts, I hate to imagine what they cost now.

If I bought one today, I'd put something modern in it. Some people used to put V8s in them, but even with something like four radiators (no exaggeration), overheating was an issue. Today, something like a Honda K24 or modern aluminum V6 would be far more appropriate. Obviously I'm not against modifying what is becoming a classic car...