how old were you when you got your 1st roadster?

[Datsun 440]

Garth, were did you purchase your 68/2000 for your restro.I was going to buy a red 68/2000 from Edmonton.Is that the car you bought.Arnold

[Howard R]

I bought a silver '66 for $2099.00 in 1967. Had 4000 miles on it. I was 20. Drove it for 5 years thru college. I got my first job and had to have a 4 seater, so I sold it for $600. By then it was pretting much thrashed. I have pictures of it parked in front of a friends house. Last year I took a picture of my '69 srl at the exact same location. I have both pictures in my office. It is very cool to see how the background has changed in 38 years. In the background is a '64 Chevy and the tree trunk next to my car is about 10 times bigger in diameter. Of course I still look the same!

[S Allen]

Well, I am a late bloomer. I do not recall ever seeing a Datsun Roadster when I was younger. Blame it on being from the mid-west and spending most of my adult life in the service. I have owned plenty of Z's but did not buy my first roadster until age 45. That was 8 years ago. Man time flys by whether you want it to or not. It was a 1968 1600 that had been sadly abused. The whole right side looked like it had been up against an unmovable object. I got it running but never drove it because it was not licensed. I ended up parting it out (mostly to my brother for his 1968 1600) I then bought a beater 67.5 1600 from Mike Young which I spent two years and way too much money restoring and converting to a stroked 1600. I bought a 1967 1600 from San Jose that was a total basket case. I ended up parting what was left of it out. That was not enough so I bought a 1966 from Modesto-drug it home-got it running and drove if for a few years. That was my Columbo car. I was going to sell it but could not get my money out of it so I turned that one into a G production SCCA race car. A lot of fun but way too much money for me to be spending. It is still for sale but I am in no hurry. Probably should have kept it a street car. Next I picked up a 1965 with a 1600 motor out of Victorville, CA. Fixed it up and drove it for a few years. I parted it out as the body is going on my SR20DE project which I hope to get back to sooner than later. So lets see--I have a 1972 240Z, a 1967.5 stroked 1600, a 1966 SCCA log book certified G Production race car and a 1965 SR20DE project scattered about my garage. I still find myself looking for another one but the wife would literally kill me if I drug another one home. I do not think the neighbors would be too pleased either. By the way this is probably one of the best threads on this forum.

Steve

[DatsunBucky]

Let's see...bought a 1600 new in 1967... 21. I'm pushing 60 now, so I definitely qualify as "an old fart". But I digress. I drove it stock for several years, finally replacing the original tires with Pirelli Cinturatos, but I don't remember the size. I think 175-14. I discovered autocrossing in 1970 through an ad in the LA Times (we called it "slaloming" back then) and the event was at the Pomona Fairgrounds parking lot. Somewhere in there I replaced the tires with Goodyear D70-14 Polyglas tires with a red stripe. Still on the original rims. Back then we usually didn't replace something until it had worn out, not like today.

Over the next few years I "raced" the car at events, the only mod being the exhaust system and removing the windshield for that wind-in-the-face feeling.

In the next few years I replaced the suspension with the factory racing suspension and added a rear sway bar from Addco through JC Whitney. I replaced the steering wheel with an 11.5" Grant to "quicken" the steering.

I had some custom pistons made by Arias, an Isky DS99 cam, and a factory aluminum flywheel with comp clutch disc and pressure plate. 4.38 gears replaced the stock 3.89. The exhaust system consisted of the original manifold and a 12" glasspack between the X members of the frame, dumping gasses out of the muffler aimed at the cutout in the rear of the X. Still a daily driver, and was never too loud for any events. Didn't even get hasseled by the po-leece.

I got a set of used race tires from a guy in our car club (PSCC), and came into a set of steel wheels, 14x6 (I think). 22.5x8.0-14 Goodyear Blue Streak racing tires would usually last a couple of years before being replaced. I had a set of 22.5x9.0-14 tires mounted on aluminum kidney slot wheels when I sold the car. I also had a genuine BRE "Spook" that had never been mounted. I traded something or other for a fiberglas bucket seat and bought a 3" lap belt. No shoulder belt because I didn't have a roll bar.

To make a long story short, my wife and I drove just about every SCCSCC event between 1970 and 1978 when we decided we were burned out from 2-3 events every month for 8 years. The car remained licensed in Caleefornia and driven every once in a while until I moved to Utah in 1984 due to a job change. (I did a rattle can paint job, light blue with an orange stripe down the middle (to match the orange dashboard) with large white circles on the doors, with the number 200 in them and all the trim painted flat black. I was obviously going for the stealth look.)

I sold the car when we moved (sniff), and like some others here, about the only car decision I've regretted over the years. Well, that, and my '57 Chevy.

[Import_sounds-of-mid-GA]

By the way this is probably one of the best threads on this forum.

Steve

Awesome, maybe it'll keep on goin!!
I love to hear stories on datsuns. btw... Has anybody heard of bob mcqueen (in GA)? my dad said he had a roadster that was built by him,just wondering. Keep the stories coming!!

[wineguy]

Guess its my turn.
I bought my first roadster(SRL-12262) April 2004, at the young age of 29. It was a birthday present to myself, for my up and coming 30th birthday. The PO bought it, drove it 50 miles and put it into the garage for over 10 years. Said it never ran right; the timing was way retarted. I guess his wife finally bitched at him enough to get rid of it, lucky me. November 2004 SRL-525, arrived at my front door. Now a year later I have my eye on another car (67.5 1600), I will wait till after the first of the year to drag it home.

[Redtail]

Only one roadster for me - a 67.5 1600 I bought a year and a half ago at age 24. I did have a 1978 280Z when I was in high school at 17 and 18. That's way too much car for a kid in high school I'll tell you what!

[garth]

Arnold

Yes, the red roadster I purchased Dec 04 was from Edmonton. Seller lived in Calgary.

Did you know then what I did not know then but know now?!!!.

The body has considerable rust damage, previous body work was substandard and not to the original form, plus the interior needs major work. However the frame, mechanicals and running gear are easily rebuildable, plus the engine has the Solex’s, B cam and oversized oil pan.

I suspect I'll be adding at least one more roadster to my fleet before the resto is finished. Then the next project will be an engine swap.

Judging from the extensive roadster ownership legacies of Sid , Dan, Leigh, et al. I’m just starting my collection.

[Import_sounds-of-mid-GA]

i wish their were more roadsters in the Southeast... i could have a "collection" by now

[eastmedia]

Very nice thread. Great to know the stories behind the Screen Names.

Here's mine...

The girl I was dating when I was about 22 (I'm 39 now) had a yellow 68 1600 in her driveway. It wasn't running but I liked it. I bought it from her for $500, towed it down the street and for $200 more had it running. I drove it about 5 years and only had to work on it after I hit a tree. I had too many cars and a landlord that didn't appreciate them. I drove it to a dismanteler and sold it for $300.

A friend at work had a red 66 1600 that he took apart and left next to his house. I bought it for $300 and tried to put it together but knew nothing about it and eventually sold it to someone in SoCal for $300 when my second child was born about 8 years ago.

My current car 69 1600 I bought about 15 months ago for $1100 and thanks to 311s.org and the info on the net I have been able to get it running, have some fun, and meet some nice Roadster Owners.

I've got my eye on 5 other Roadsters in my area all parked and non-running and not on the list. 2-2000s, 3-1600's. So you know what's next!!!

Ron

[dbrick]

Ok, first roadster in 1984, age 19. 69 1600 for $750.00 with a rusted out header and collapsed mufflers full of rust. New header, some straight pipe, some flexpipe for the over-axle section and a 2 1/4 "straight Thrush, sweetest exhaust I ever heard, especially when the first few leaks developed and it had the perfect raspy pops on decelleration. The car came with most of a repair manual translated from Japaneese, badly, by an Englishman. Adjusted the carbs, flipped the rear shackles, (and thought I invented the modification all by my self) and drove the hell out of it. It turned 100,000 miles while driving down a city street at night with no dash lights, of course, and my girlfriend holding a flash light so we could see the odometer go to 000,000.0. Never broke down on the road, hardly had to do a thing to it. Commuted in the snow 20 miles to work on Eagle GT scrubs without much incident. Ignorance is bliss.

Up until I bought my present car 69 2000, in 2004 it was the first and only roadster I had ever seen.

Traded it in a few years later for a Suburu Brat, got $1000.00 for it and thought I made out Great! Started to miss it shortly after. Supposedly it was restored and resold about 1986.

I'm 41 now, and will be teaching my 18 year old Daughter how to drive a stick in the Roadster, as soon as the brakes work and the carbs are rebuilt and a few other things

I've had at least 35 cars over the years, these two Datsuns, and my 81 Dodge shortbed pickup(340, 4 speed, quasi-road race suspension) are the favorites.

Oh, the Dbrick is a left over from when my brother and I were kids, I,m 6'2" and he's 6'5", neither one of us could play basketball worth a damn. Became known as the Brick Brothers, as in throwing bricks.

[Datsun 440]

Garth I only had seen pictures of your car before you bought it.
I was going make a trip north to look at it. You still got a good deal on a solex car.Beleave me anything can be fixed.Are you restoring it youself.

Arnold
69-510
73-240z
67.5-2000

[excalibur]

Ok, I guess it's my turn now..

My parents bought me my first '70 1600 for my 15th birthday. Our neighbors had it sitting next door for years under a blue tarp. After a couple days of tinkering, my dad and I got it running and limped it over to my grandfathers garage to check it out. Unfortunately, it was a complete rust bucket after sitting in Southeast Alaska for 10 or more years, the door posts were solid pieces of shale, the fenders were nearly non-existent, and the interrior was shot. Long story short, it was too much of a project for me and I sold the car to a guy in town who had another 1600 for parts (at a $250 profit, I might add).

I always wanted another and a few weeks ago, my wife let me get a new one as an early college graduation present (graduation only 6 years in the making....)

So, I just bought a 1968 1600 and have been loving being able to enjoy my new "toy".

[Primm69]

My better half got his first one 20 years ago when he was 16 - and he still has it! Not going at the moment, but will be again soon.

My first was July 2005 at the age of 36 (oops, a girl shouldn't tell how old she is, right?!!) She would be up and going by now, but still needs painting, and it has rained here every one of my days off for the last month. How bad can some humidity be, right? They're just little bubbles...

Funny part is, my partner and his dad have restored and sold I think 7 or 8 311's over the past 20 years, and the one I bought was one they sold 17 years ago - she's been through 8 owners and some abuse, poor little thing, but she's come to a good home now.

[garth]

Arnold,

I hope I did not scoop the car of your dreams.

Yes, I am restoring the car myself. However I have been fortunate in my work life to be associated with a large electro-mechanical manufacturing/repair facility whose resources are available to me nights and weekends. I'll do some unskilled grunt work on the roadster and leave the machining, welding and fabricating to the specialists. Cost? Beer and hockey tickets. Eh!

This is an interesting thread with great stories.

I'd like to hear reports of the most challenging emergency repairs performed on a Roadster outside of the home garage. Some of the multi-roadster types have got to have some good stories.