Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Thanks Greg, I want to get it running then I'll go from there. Sr20 turbo swap looks good. A friend at work has a friend with a Datsun roadster & a S2000 motor swap. I have yet to see pics or the car.
Thanks, Greg

Well, I was actually looking to buy a '71-77 Celica. My first car was an '86 Celica, currently drive a '00, and I've had a good ten or so in between -- most affectionately my '88 Celica Alltrac (AWD & Turbo). But I've always wanted a 1st gen. My grandpa had a '72 Celica, but he also had a '74 260z.

As I was having a hard time finding a Celica, I also started searching for a 70's Z. Rather than individual searches for different models, I just searched for Datsun. One day, a Roadster popped up pretty close by (about 2 hours away) in Columbus, OH. I went to see it, and for the price...well, I just couldn't pass it up.

I do wish it was driveable, as I know it's harder for me to "bond" with it and have as much desire to work on it when I have no real connection to it yet. But like I said...it was hard to pass it up for the price. It's been a little over 3 months, and I haven't made a ton of progress. Still hoping to have it running by September though for a car show at church (though if it isn't, I live about 30 feet from where the cars park...I'll just push it over!)

leonhart wrote:As I was having a hard time finding a Celica, I also started searching for a 70's Z. Rather than individual searches for different models, I just searched for Datsun. One day, a Roadster popped up pretty close by (about 2 hours away) in Columbus, OH. I went to see it, and for the price...well, I just couldn't pass it up.

Funny, aside from the Celica part, that's the EXACT same way I landed mine. I was originally looking for a later model 300zx, which turned into searching for 60's 240Z's. Around here, not much exists, so I just started searching craigslist for Datsun. Before I bought my roadster, I didn't even know that Datsun roadsters existed.

Yeah, I think I had maybe seen Roadsters in passing (as in maybe mentioned online or in magazines) before, but I didn't really have any knowledge of them either. My brother went with me to check it out, and he didn't either (though we are both relatively into Japanese cars). I guess it's a combination of geography (rust ate them all, also we grew up in the foothills of Appalachia...domestics only!), and age (we aren't real young, but both still under 40) that we didn't know about them. Hopefully one day I'll be worthy of being a Roadster owner! Haha.

My dad got a 67.5 for my stepmom at some point in the late 90's. Loved riding in the car, and eventually driving it. I really started to show interest in it when I moved back to Roseville from Tucson. I found out it had a H20 block in it and it was built out as a R20...now it made sense on why it would always run hot on warmer days since it had the 1600 radiator still. When my dad and stepmom got a Porche Boxter in 2004, they put the Roadster up for sale. I tried desperately to get the cash together to buy it, but I just fell way too short.

Fast forward to 2010 and my older brother buys a project 67.5, and I am mad at him! I had been looking for years since trying to find a good low windshield Roadster. My brother starts collecting parts for it (lot of random stuff...he is not a car guy), and I told him the old roadster had a 2L in it from a forklift. I told him what to buy if he wanted to have a motor like that, but also told him of the SR swap. He bit on the R20 engine, and bought the parts. Soon he lost interest, and got too busy...and I plotted!

After my brother got on a new kick for Dodge A100 Vans, he bought 2 of them. He almost sold the Roadster for work on his van, but I helped him save a lot of money on a transmission repair on his Daily Mazda 3. In return he is letting me have the Roadster in return after I sell the extra parts I won't be using that equals the amount he paid for the Roadster in the first place.

WOOT! Score for me!

That just proves the car was meant for you from the beginning, welcome to the obscession!

I watched a whole bunch of videos on teh u toobs about body work, and that lead to watching videos on lead body work, and that lead to bead rolling custom floor pans, and that lead to....I think I am on the weird part of youtube again.

AltxF4 wrote:I watched a whole bunch of videos on teh u toobs about body work, and that lead to watching videos on lead body work, and that lead to bead rolling custom floor pans, and that lead to....I think I am on the weird part of youtube again.

Certainly ALL roadster owners have searched "body work" on YouTube...

Is there a part of Youtube that ISN"T weird?

spl310 wrote:Is there a part of Youtube that ISN"T weird?

Plan on an hour or two to minimum on Youtube. Start off looking at bodywork, end up watching water skiing squirrels and wondering how you got there. Mark just called me last night, we were trying to figure out what other car part he was selling on Ebay that got me to call him about the roadster. I wasn't searching for datsun

In the late 70's I drove a 240-Z and modified the anything that would make it go/stop or look faster,lol. I was a Datsun enthusiast in a town of 150,000 who cared not for imports. One of my customers dropped off his wifes car while driving his orange 68' SRl 2000 and I had to have it! Made my interest known and five years later he brought it to me. That would've been 1990 or so. Had it til 2010....sold it when I moved from Missouri to Cali.
I eventually realized I missed the ol' girl and searched til I found a couple of 2000's for sale in desert area. One in Lancaster and the other in Palmdale.
I knew a roadster would put a smile back in my heart!!

My name is Gregg and I bought a '68 2000.

It all started with my work internet distractions that lead me to bringatrailer.com. One day (only a few weeks ago) there was a posting for a ’70 roadster in driver condition; $7k in California. I’ve never seen this car before and the comments on BAT were, “so much fun for the $s”. I’ve never owned a convertible but I loved the lines; the hood scoop nails its vintage heritage. So a few beers and a MLK day off (while the wife was out of town) led me to a random Craig’s list search ‘Datsun Roadster’ there she was only posted 21 hours ago, BOOM, just up street a ’68 2000 that looked sweet, clean and in a garage that looked more finished than my first living room. My wife came home and I heard “NO”, but then I reminded her that months before she said that if I clean out the garage to fit another car I could put one there; I apologized for my veiled request for an exception to what we had already agreed to. I started to work, later that week she came back from book club on Thursday and asked me what I did, “cleaning the garage I responded”. Friday I went to the bank. She was spending Saturday with her friends, and she asked me what I had planned, “cleaning the garage” was my response to all of her other productive suggestions. The weather cleared Saturday (PO would not take it out of his heated garage even if the street was wet. I made the deal! I drove her home and [urgently] finished cleaning the garage. That night, my wife was tired after a long day with her friends and she headed to the garage fridge for a cold beer. I thought of retrieving one for her, but followed her instead. “Yep, I thought so” was her resigned response.

3Gs wrote:It all started with my work internet distractions that lead me to bringatrailer.com. One day (only a few weeks ago) there was a posting for a ’70 roadster in driver condition; $7k in California. I’ve never seen this car before and the comments on BAT were, “so much fun for the $s”. I’ve never owned a convertible but I loved the lines; the hood scoop nails its vintage heritage. So a few beers and a MLK day off (while the wife was out of town) led me to a random Craig’s list search ‘Datusn Roadster’ there she was only posted 21 hours ago, BOOM, just up street a ’68 2000 that looked sweet, clean and in a garage that looked more finished than my first living room. My wife came home and I heard “NO”, but then I reminded her that months before she said that if I clean out the garage to fit another car I could put one there; I apologized for my veiled request for an exception to what we had already agreed to. I started to work, later that week she came back from book club on Thursday and asked me what I did, “cleaning the garage I responded”. Friday I went to the bank. She was spending Saturday with her friends, and she asked me what I had planned, “cleaning the garage” was my response to all of her other productive suggestions. The weather cleared Saturday (PO would not take it out of his heated garage even if the street was wet. I made the deal! I drove her home and [urgently] finished cleaning the garage. That night, my wife was tired after a long day with her friends and she headed to the garage fridge for a cold beer. I thought of retrieving one for her, but followed her instead. “Yep, I thought so” was her resigned response.

Always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, as they say,lol.

Great story! Any pictures?

That is a great story. I think most of us married folks have surprised our significant other at least one time in our lives. Sounds like your surprise went well. Have fun with it,

S