The Roadsterstein Rust Rocket build thread!!!
Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 10:24 pm
Well, to start off, I figure a little background information on me and the car is in order. I have quite the story! but it is a long story, so you can skip ahead if you wish.
My first car was a '89 300zx which my dad and I did some mild restoration work on (body work and paint, mostly, Dad is not much of a hands on guy) and that car spawned a love of Nissans. I drove that car through high school and tortured it in almost every way a teenager could. I ran it out of oil, raced it, slid it, nearly crashed through a fence, and was very hard on it in general, but it never stopped running, and ran well the whole time (didn't knock, tick or anything!). I sold the car a few years ago and it is still alive and well, as I have had several friends tell me they see it on occasion in a nearby town.
Because of that car though, I became a huge Nissan fan, and soon went about collecting anything Nissan related that I could get a hold of. One of those things was a video the history channel put out, "History of the Nissan Z." In the video, there was a brief part about the roadster. They showed a few clips of roadsters being imported, and moved on. Well, as soon as I saw that car, something stirred inside me. I thought "Wow, I had no idea Nissan made such a cool car!!! Why have I never heard of it before?!?" I swore right then, that if I ever found one, I would buy it. The roadster effectively became my dream car at that moment.
Fast forward a few years, and I was on craigslist looking at Z cars, purely out of boredom. I entered "datsun" in the search bar and hit enter. As I scrolled down the listings, something caught my eye... "1969 Datsun Roadster---$500." I was stunned! I had never seen a roadster in my life, and therefore, I assumed they were insanely rare and unobtainable! I couldnt believe I could find one at all, let alone for $500. I immediately e-mailed him, trying hard not to sound desperate. I e-mailed him 3 more times, franticly trying to get my affordable dream car. He never responded. I was crushed, thinking I had let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity get away, but at least I knew they existed! For the next 2-3 weeks, I was checking craigslist like an addict, waiting for another car to come up. Finally, two cars popped up at once, and I swore I wouldn't let another one get away. A tan '69 2000 that was only a rolling chassis with no interior, and a silver '68 1600 in Colorado Springs (about 110 miles away). I drove to see the '69 first. It was missing everything, and by now, I had done some research on parts availability so I knew how expensive it would be to replace everything. The good part was the body. It looked like someone had started to restore it but abandoned the project. It had new paint, and a very straight body. (The car had been sitting for 10 years, so I guess the paint wasn't really "new.") Since the car was missing almost everything (and when I got there I learned it also didnt have a vin plate, let alone a title,) I walked away. Time to drive to Colorado Springs I guess!
So, this is when my adventure really began. The picture of the car was very grainy, but it looked really nice, and unmolested. I talked to the owner over the phone, who was a very nice lady. She explained that the car had been at a shop for the last two years, but that it ran beautifully. She went on to tell me someone had stolen her soft top off of the car, so it had no top. The suspension was also worn out, but the car was drivable. The interior she said was in good shape other than some rips in the seat... no big deal, I expected some wear on a 40 year old car! So a friend and I decided to drive up, hoping to return by driving the car home. (Remember, it "runs well!")
I actually found the original picture from the craigslist ad:
When we got there, I was astonished... The car looked nothing like the picture! It was the same car for sure, but im betting that picture was taken 6 years before. The car had no top alright, and had been snowed in, and rained in for quite some time. The car was full of leaves, above the seats! The dash was so cracked there wasn't much left of it, however there was a broken dash cap behind the seats. the seats were definitely "torn", in fact there wasn't much foam or vinyl left on them. In fact, when you sat in them, something sharp poked you in the butt. All four tires were flat, and weeds were growing around the axles... One weed had managed to grow between the seam of the hood and the bumper, making the car look like a giant planter! It was taller that the car, too, which spoke of how long it had been there. I thought to myself, "No way does this heap run... if it starts at all, I will be surprised!" So I turned to my friend and said "If it runs as well as she says it does, I'll buy it... but there is now way thats gonna happen!" Well, I should have remembered how robust datsuns are, and when they are that abused, they will do funny things to get a good home...
After a few shots of starting fluid and jumping the battery, she fired right up! I was absolutely astonished at how well the car ran. It idled well, revved up nicely, and sounded great. (On very bad gas to boot!) It looked like I hadn't made as safe a bet as I had thought! So, we let her idle while we filled the tires with air, and took her for a spin to the gas station to give here some fresh food. As I put it in reverse and started to back out, I could hear the weeds tear free from the axles. The car hadn't moved under its own power in years, but it felt like it wanted to go. The brakes still worked, and even locked up with enough pressure. The turn signals worked, and so did the brake lights (although they did get stuck on sometimes.) The whole trip to the gas station was great. (By the way, this was only the second roadster I had ever seen... and the first was just a shell!) This was a totally new experience. I had the wind in my hair, a wonderful burping sound coming out of the tail pipe, and people were staring at my soon to be "new" old car! The car was posted for $1700, but considering the poor condition, I talked her down to $1300. When it came to signing the title, however, I learned her title was void as it had been written on already. DAMN! Well, I swore I would own a datsun come hell of high water, so like an idiot I told her I would take it for $1000, and give her $300 when she sent me the new title. (This never happened, but luckily I had a friend who could get titles, and ironically it cost me $300!)
So, my friend and I began the 100 mile trip back home in my newly acquired 1600. Only 3 miles in, we learned the headlights didnt work. We spotted an Autozone, and pulled in to buy some bulbs. After replacing the headlights, we learned a new problem... they STILL didnt work, and neither did the driving lights... so I guess the bulbs were okay, something else was wrong! Without proper tools, and running out of daylight, we bought two LED flashlights, and some duct tape... yes, I am serious... but what were we supposed to do? after a quick "installation" of our new lights, we hurried to get on the highway. Remember when I said it had no top? Well, mother nature decided to test my conviction with a nice downpour...
After 100 miles of fake headlights, no speedo, and a cold/wet... everything, we made the trip home. The motor ran like a top the whole way, and never over heated. It was actually extremely fun, as hard as that is to believe. I had a HUGE ear to ear grin the whole trip. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!
That was two years ago, and a lot has broken/been fixed since then. I will show you the whole process the car has been through since then, and will then keep this thread updated from now on... so, enjoy the ride!
My first car was a '89 300zx which my dad and I did some mild restoration work on (body work and paint, mostly, Dad is not much of a hands on guy) and that car spawned a love of Nissans. I drove that car through high school and tortured it in almost every way a teenager could. I ran it out of oil, raced it, slid it, nearly crashed through a fence, and was very hard on it in general, but it never stopped running, and ran well the whole time (didn't knock, tick or anything!). I sold the car a few years ago and it is still alive and well, as I have had several friends tell me they see it on occasion in a nearby town.
Because of that car though, I became a huge Nissan fan, and soon went about collecting anything Nissan related that I could get a hold of. One of those things was a video the history channel put out, "History of the Nissan Z." In the video, there was a brief part about the roadster. They showed a few clips of roadsters being imported, and moved on. Well, as soon as I saw that car, something stirred inside me. I thought "Wow, I had no idea Nissan made such a cool car!!! Why have I never heard of it before?!?" I swore right then, that if I ever found one, I would buy it. The roadster effectively became my dream car at that moment.
Fast forward a few years, and I was on craigslist looking at Z cars, purely out of boredom. I entered "datsun" in the search bar and hit enter. As I scrolled down the listings, something caught my eye... "1969 Datsun Roadster---$500." I was stunned! I had never seen a roadster in my life, and therefore, I assumed they were insanely rare and unobtainable! I couldnt believe I could find one at all, let alone for $500. I immediately e-mailed him, trying hard not to sound desperate. I e-mailed him 3 more times, franticly trying to get my affordable dream car. He never responded. I was crushed, thinking I had let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity get away, but at least I knew they existed! For the next 2-3 weeks, I was checking craigslist like an addict, waiting for another car to come up. Finally, two cars popped up at once, and I swore I wouldn't let another one get away. A tan '69 2000 that was only a rolling chassis with no interior, and a silver '68 1600 in Colorado Springs (about 110 miles away). I drove to see the '69 first. It was missing everything, and by now, I had done some research on parts availability so I knew how expensive it would be to replace everything. The good part was the body. It looked like someone had started to restore it but abandoned the project. It had new paint, and a very straight body. (The car had been sitting for 10 years, so I guess the paint wasn't really "new.") Since the car was missing almost everything (and when I got there I learned it also didnt have a vin plate, let alone a title,) I walked away. Time to drive to Colorado Springs I guess!
So, this is when my adventure really began. The picture of the car was very grainy, but it looked really nice, and unmolested. I talked to the owner over the phone, who was a very nice lady. She explained that the car had been at a shop for the last two years, but that it ran beautifully. She went on to tell me someone had stolen her soft top off of the car, so it had no top. The suspension was also worn out, but the car was drivable. The interior she said was in good shape other than some rips in the seat... no big deal, I expected some wear on a 40 year old car! So a friend and I decided to drive up, hoping to return by driving the car home. (Remember, it "runs well!")
I actually found the original picture from the craigslist ad:
When we got there, I was astonished... The car looked nothing like the picture! It was the same car for sure, but im betting that picture was taken 6 years before. The car had no top alright, and had been snowed in, and rained in for quite some time. The car was full of leaves, above the seats! The dash was so cracked there wasn't much left of it, however there was a broken dash cap behind the seats. the seats were definitely "torn", in fact there wasn't much foam or vinyl left on them. In fact, when you sat in them, something sharp poked you in the butt. All four tires were flat, and weeds were growing around the axles... One weed had managed to grow between the seam of the hood and the bumper, making the car look like a giant planter! It was taller that the car, too, which spoke of how long it had been there. I thought to myself, "No way does this heap run... if it starts at all, I will be surprised!" So I turned to my friend and said "If it runs as well as she says it does, I'll buy it... but there is now way thats gonna happen!" Well, I should have remembered how robust datsuns are, and when they are that abused, they will do funny things to get a good home...
After a few shots of starting fluid and jumping the battery, she fired right up! I was absolutely astonished at how well the car ran. It idled well, revved up nicely, and sounded great. (On very bad gas to boot!) It looked like I hadn't made as safe a bet as I had thought! So, we let her idle while we filled the tires with air, and took her for a spin to the gas station to give here some fresh food. As I put it in reverse and started to back out, I could hear the weeds tear free from the axles. The car hadn't moved under its own power in years, but it felt like it wanted to go. The brakes still worked, and even locked up with enough pressure. The turn signals worked, and so did the brake lights (although they did get stuck on sometimes.) The whole trip to the gas station was great. (By the way, this was only the second roadster I had ever seen... and the first was just a shell!) This was a totally new experience. I had the wind in my hair, a wonderful burping sound coming out of the tail pipe, and people were staring at my soon to be "new" old car! The car was posted for $1700, but considering the poor condition, I talked her down to $1300. When it came to signing the title, however, I learned her title was void as it had been written on already. DAMN! Well, I swore I would own a datsun come hell of high water, so like an idiot I told her I would take it for $1000, and give her $300 when she sent me the new title. (This never happened, but luckily I had a friend who could get titles, and ironically it cost me $300!)
So, my friend and I began the 100 mile trip back home in my newly acquired 1600. Only 3 miles in, we learned the headlights didnt work. We spotted an Autozone, and pulled in to buy some bulbs. After replacing the headlights, we learned a new problem... they STILL didnt work, and neither did the driving lights... so I guess the bulbs were okay, something else was wrong! Without proper tools, and running out of daylight, we bought two LED flashlights, and some duct tape... yes, I am serious... but what were we supposed to do? after a quick "installation" of our new lights, we hurried to get on the highway. Remember when I said it had no top? Well, mother nature decided to test my conviction with a nice downpour...
After 100 miles of fake headlights, no speedo, and a cold/wet... everything, we made the trip home. The motor ran like a top the whole way, and never over heated. It was actually extremely fun, as hard as that is to believe. I had a HUGE ear to ear grin the whole trip. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!
That was two years ago, and a lot has broken/been fixed since then. I will show you the whole process the car has been through since then, and will then keep this thread updated from now on... so, enjoy the ride!
