Project Unicorn, the resurrection of 1967.5 Datsun 2000 SRL-00342

[Alvin]

*insert drool emoji here*

The paint and plated hardware really standout. Love the attention to the exhaust system!

ps the passenger side engine bay looks so clean. Will you place the battery back in OEM location? Interested in your choice/treatment.

[spriso]

ps the passenger side engine bay looks so clean. Will you place the battery back in OEM location? Interested in your choice/treatment.

Alvin,

The intent with this car is to keep things as stock (looking) as possible-- of course there will be a few things that won't be original, but typically any changes we are doing are an improvement over the last 50-years (such as the stainless exhaust), and possibly an electronic ignition as I have never been a fan of the points and condenser.

At this point I have not considered the battery-- likely will go with a original looking application.

Reasonable minds may differ.

Michael

[msampsel]

Assume you added some protection on the frame for the aluminum pan?
Pristine work of course, likely to never an engine swap in this beauty!
Maybe an electric engine in 30 years?

[spriso]

Induction

Since Project Unicorn had been sitting since the early 80s, the Mikuni Solexes on the car needed to be gone thru-- they had nearly 40 years of gas which had turned into a black sludge on them, and they needed severe attention...

Mike Malone out of NorCal was recommended to do the refresh on these, and he and I talked about what I was looking for, and what his schedule looked like... Here are some before shots:







When Mike got the carburetors, he was pleased with their overall condition "dirty is ok" he said, it is the corrosion that will be very difficult to reverse. Fortunately, this car had been in dry storage, so other than 40-years of crud, they were in decent shape.

First they went into an ultrasonic cleaner, and then were fully disassembled. Mike was great about sending me progress shots of the rebuild:







The hardware was sent out for replating, and Mike continued the rebuild using new Mikuni parts. A few weeks later, the Solex's were back at my shop and the results are spectacular:







They have been mocked up on the engine with the original velocity stacks-- we will be running the original air cleaner, but I had to see what this looked like... (still lots of things to get hooked up and finalized, but you get the idea):







One step closer....

Michael

[2mAn]

stunning...

[dynaguy]

stunning...

YUP! What he said..

[RCMike]

I know it's not correct. I don't care. I would run the horns.. That setup is beautiful.. The air cleaner would make beautiful wall art..

[Gregs672000]

OMG, what a beautiful car. Even the fuel T is the original blue. I agree, keep the horns and put foam socks over them when driven, off when show.

[JT68]

Sorry to be the voice of reason-You need a real air filter if its going to be a road car.

Definitely not trying to sell you one...just be sure to use one no matter what it is or where you get it. Airhorn socks are terrible except for catching pebbles.Unless it is going to be a garage queen, it needs an efficient filter, stacks are simply foolish on the street. (unless they are inside a real filter)

Virtually EVERY street and industrial engine uses a real air filter for good reason. Stacks are for show and racing unless you don't care how long the engine lasts. The solex cars came with a filter unit for good reason....if it didn't matter Nissan would have shipped the cars with just stacks.

[Gregs672000]

The stack covers that you see seem very questionable, but I'm not aware of any concerns about using proper foam socks (I hope), like the Ramair filters I run which fit one over both stacks. Certainly not for dirt roads, but I've noted no dirt issues with mine in 2-3 years. I'm open to feedback however! I have been told that foam is a more restrictive filter medium, so the next time on the dyno the stacks will be bare. Someday I'll resurrect my cold airbox...

[spriso]

Mega Update

Project Unicorn has been slowly progressing as I find time with all the other projects-- here is an update on recent progress:

Wiring



After a careful examination of the existing harness, it was determined that a new harness would be put into the car. There was evidence of a major meltdown near the ameter, with a not-so-great vintage repair, and I just did not want to risk anything, nor chance down wiring issues when it was easy to get the proper solution. I contacted Curtis via 311s.org, and as usual, he built us a fantastic replacement harness which fit perfectly.

The original voltage regulator had a terminal shell that was looking pretty tired, so it was replaced with a new one from Vintage Connections:



Looks much better in the car now:



The original fuse box was also pretty tired, so a new one was sourced:



And I dug in my stash and added some correct original equipment Nissan fuses as well:



Gauges

The original 67.5 2000 gauges were rebuilt by Jon Frampton preserving the original mileage of the car. These were placed in a freshened up dash, with a new dash cover installed:







The knobs and switches were refreshed and repainted:





The under dash speaker was cleaned up and refurbished:





Other trim:

The license plate trim was reinstalled with new clips from https://www.datsunrestorationproducts.com/ (JT68 on the forum):



Jim also provided us with a battery cable and tie down kit for the original group 24 battery-- that is one of the last pieces of the puzzle in the engine compartment.

In the engine compartment, more details to get this thing to completion:



A NOS kangaroo washer bag was finally sourced and installed:



And the stock 67.5 radiator was rebuilt with a new core, new braided hoses (and clamps) and reinstalled:





The carbs were finally installed (with their air box!) permanently last night, but before that could get done, I had to replace the old asbestos based heat insulation with some new adhesive backed heat reflector material:

First, make a pattern (blue painters tape works perfectly for this):



Transfer onto the adhesive backed material:



And install:



Hope you enjoyed this update-- more soon!

Michael

[Alvin]

So. Much. Eye. Candy.

[spl310]

Very cool! Where is this asbestos material available?

[spriso]

Sid,

The new adhesive heat shield material is not asbestos anymore, but a modern substitute. Here is what I used:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpe-25200l

Once installed, it increases the density of the heat shield so it won't vibrate as much either.

Michael

[tig]

This is my kind of build. Stunning. Subscribed for eternity.