Saw this shell of a car in a Midas Muffler parking lot for sale. I thought IMMEDIATELY of Ray. Heres the link to the photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2655436672495.139039.1453172068&type=1&l=8c382ec30a
That 1969 Datsun (the car’s owner obviously doesn’t know how to spell the brand name of his own car!) is essentially the same car as my brother’s late and unlamented 1967 Datsun SPL-310–bought new in 1967. The model designation was changed after a couple of years, but mechanically and in terms of appearance, it is identical to the 1967 model.
When it is described as a “project car”, that is not to be taken lightly, as these cars were more or less junk when they were new, and over the years they do not improve. As a new car, it was essentially impossible to start the engine whenever the temperature fell below 45 degrees. All of the exterior chrome was rusted in less than 1 year. The tonneau cover and the convertible top did not fit properly. It leaked rainwater over the passenger’s feet in a virtual duplication of Niagara Falls. It rattled and squeeked excessively. The paint was “chalked” after about 1 year. And, to top it all off, in order to replace the air filter on the twin side-draft carburetors, it was necessary to remove the carbs from the intake manifold, due to inadequate clearance between the air cleaner housing and the inner fender.
I have to say that it was fast for its time, and that it did handle and brake relatively well. However, these cars were never developed or designed properly, and the build quality was about the worst that I ever saw.
Something tells me that Ray is too smart to get involved with this piece of automotive junk.
Yup, that’s a “Ray” car!
Actually, for $100 it might be worth it. Beef up the undercarriage, stuff a smallblock in there, make it road legal, and you’ll scare the heck out of the neighbors!
In Japan, automobiles have a somewhat limited service life due to peculiar government safety regulations that seem to have been written by the automobile industry. There was no need for building cars for last more than 75,000 miles then. In 1969 most Japanese pickups were tricycles, many with diesel engines under the bed that required hand cranking. Subarus were smaller than VW Beetles and had 2 cycle engines. The homeland version of that Datsun roadster was a rare toy with a smaller engine than the U.S. model.The Japanese automobiles sold here have evolved a great deal since the 1960s. If not for the gasoline crisis of the 1970s Japanese imports might be as insignificant today as Yugos and Simcas.
Frankly, most of the vehicles on Asian roads today are still tiny compared to the U.S. vehicles. Actually, so are the English vehicles!
I love those little trucks they have. You can buy them here, but they’re sold for off-road use. I’ve seen two of them registered for on road use…but I have my suspicians that someone did that on the cusp of the law.
The engine is probably toast; time to resto-rod it! Think what a small block Chevy engine could do for it. Upgraded suspension, new interior, new paint; it could finally compete with an AC Cobra or Sunbeam Tiger.
You could by two Miata’s for what it would cost to put that heap on the road…
The pics are a bit unclear but it looks like the rust weevils have been dining on it and from the nose high attitude it has no motor.
My vote would also be for a Miata. Go for a care free spin instead of spending a fortune on parts and labor fixing that thing while aging 20 more years in the process.
Good eyes, OK. In Pic #5 you can look through the (missing) grill and see the ground.