Help! I'm considering my first Roadster purchase/project...

[New B]

Today I looked at a '68 1600. It hasn't been started/driven in over a year. Brake pedal drops right to the floor (lines are totaly dry-rotted). Body has very, very little rust, but sounds like a bunch of bondo in the right quarter panel in front of the wheel. Owner said it was hit there and a body shop repaired it. Aside from a newer soft top frame and battery he thinks the car is completely stock/original. Interior/seats/dash/etc. show thier age. Probably needs a complete restoration. How much would I be looking at to put into it? Overall what should I be looking for/aware of getting into a roadster? Any and all help is greatly appriciated.

[Victor_laury]

Seek Proffesional help. Roadster hobbists all admit a kindship to mental illness.

Now the Car, If you're ready to be a datsun Roadster hobbist, pass on the "Tired-old-ladies" and keep looking for your Fairlady. The extra money you spend on a Good car, would be quadurpled (if not more) on bringing a so so car up to snuff. Go shopping and inspect but, be prepared to walk away.

Part-out value on a roadster is about a $1,000. Spending $7 to 10 for a good driver. 12 to 14 for an older restored car. It would cost a good wrench, with lots of time to do most, if not all the labor 25 to 30. 50, if you drop it off at one of our recognized restoration shops and drive away a show winner.

[Conner]

If you are *really* interested in doing a restoration, I encourage you. Before you make that decision, be aware that it will entail a large commitment of time (in years), money (in thousands), and effort (in troubled relationships). If you are up for it, I encourage you because it is a great lot of fun, (for me) a good learning experience, and a pleasure to get one of these cars back into nice condition. Did I mention it is a lot of work?

From an economic perspective you are much better-off purchasing a previously restored car because they never sell for nearly what it costs to restore them. So it is better (economically) to be on the buying end of that equation. But if you are looking to have the experience of doing it yourself this obviously doesn't accomplish that.

If a full resto is one end of the spectrum and purchasing a restored car is the other, in between there are often people out there who will start a restoration project and then give up mid-way into it because they get tired, frustrated, run out of money (did I mention it is a lot of work?), etc. The result is a car up for sale in boxes, perhaps with a rebuilt motor, new parts already purchased, bodywork already done, or something like that. You could buy someone's liquidated project on the cheap and still have some of the experience putting the car together and save some time and money because often much of the hard and expensive work has already been done.

Or, if you are willing to look long and hard there exist out there old roadsters with low mileage that can be had for a reasonable price (typically the owners don't know what they have or are selling for sentimental rather than economic reasons). If you spend a lot of time looking you may find one that is driveable and you can enjoy it while you do one project at a time. There will be plenty of ongoing maintenance to keep it on the road.

In any case, take your time. Happy hunting. Good luck. Feel free to post here if you are thinking about buying one, because there is no shortage of opinions or people willing to help out.

[New B]

Thank you both for your input. I think the Roadster I looked at is worth the price. Just not sure if I have the time and energy to put into it. Building or rebuilding a car sounds like it would add great value and apprication to driving it. (Last project was a 76 Bronco...years ago)

If I do go forward with a roadster project, is a 68 1600 a project worth undertaking?

[67 1/2 1600]

Any roadster is worth it to me. One more back on the road is ALWAYS a plus.

Joaquin

[Conner]

Personally I went for a 2000 because it has a bit more power out of the box. An engine rebuild/parts on a 2 liter will be more expensive, though. Other than that they are pretty similar cars.
If you are taking on a restoration, the initial price of the car will most likely be a small proportion of the final resto cost, so carefully choose the car you want. A less-common car like a low-windshield roadster or a 2-liter, or a 2-liter low-windshield car will not be all that much more expensive than the more common (say, later 1600s) cars. See production numbers for the model years here: http://www.datsun.org/roadster/info/production.html
In my experience, some parts are more available/expensive for the high windshield cars and some parts are more available/expensive for the low windshield. Someone here with experience working on both may be able to better opine on if one is significantly more expensive in general.
If you are going to put 20 grand or more into a restoration, it may be worth it to spend an extra $1000 on the car up front if you get a 1967.5 2000 versus getting a cheaper and more common, say 1970 1600.
The nice thing about the restoration is that the expenditure occurs over a long period of time which allows you to avoid "sticker shock" and makes it easier to hide the level of expenditure from your significant other.

[moon runner67]

I agree with Andy. For my humble opinion and we all know what they are worth, first and formost, be true to yourself. We all see that car for what it "could" be not what it is. the real question is do you have the time, funds and tananisity to see it through the ugly time to get it from where it is to where you want it to to be? How much will your better half (if you have one) support you. I love my wife and have built a number of cars but this one has tried my releationship like no other. More because I went on a tangent and built a stroker after I told her I would just swap engines and be done.
the other thing you need to consider is that these cars are really under valued. I love my car but it will never return what i have in it. My 67 Mustang on the other hand will. When I started on my journey I decided that I wanted a "Roadster" so I made all the changes I wanted along the way, Stroked, 5-Speed, satallite radio, and the list goes on...
The only regret I have is that i bought a 67.5 without running gear and went from there. To do it again I would have built a '66 or '67 . Less issuses. I love my car but it has sat in my drive way for two years while I chased down parts and got it running. \
My recommendation buy a running car, drive it, get bit or sell it. If you get bit Buy another and do whatever you want with it.

[datsunmike]

Do yourself a big favor and buy the best car you can afford. If you can't afford a good car wait until you can. These cars are prohibitively expensive to restore now.

I've had roadsters for a long, long time and trust me.

While it's always nice to resurrect a car you'll go broke doing it.

[New B]

If I do go forward with a project there are some specifics that I would want in or out of the end project. Sorry but I'm not overly concerned with having an original car (as it seems there is no extra value in it anyway), but to have a vehicle I can go and jump in on the weekend to unwind while running twisting mountain roads at highspeed. I would like to have alot of power (to weight) and great handling with some amount of comfort (bad back ). Is the Datsun roadster a good candidate to build with this in mind. What kind of cost would I be looking at to get/build and what options are there for a rippin engine and high performance suspension, steering, etc. in the roadster?

As I have learned ($$$) from past projects on 4x4's advanced planning by listening to those who have done similar projects is invaluable.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and experience.

[dbrick]

It's a great base, you can build anything from a stock classic 1500 to an SR20 turbo beast to a poor man's Cobra. It's all there, just pick choose cut weld. I think it's the only affordable sports car that has a full steel frame, so any engine trans combo will work without destroying a unibody. Also, there is a semi-maniacal group of owners that has done just about anything to them, so whatever you try, you are likley not the first, so there is always someone to ask. Plus it's fun when people say "What is that???"

Remember, men look at cars like (some) women look at men. They see a complete wreck and say "I can fix that".

[JoeK]

Remember, men look at cars like (some) women look at men. They see a complete wreck and say "I can fix that".

That's what my wife thought, but I prove her wrong everyday!

[dbrick]

My wife says the oppisite is true also, Women pick cars by "I'll take the pretty one" regardless of the mechanics, and men pick women in a similar manner. When we got to the part about having two cars, all I got was a very dirty look