Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I'm the proud, new owner of a black 1967 1600, which I bought about a month ago in Sacramento, CA. I honestly had no idea Datsun made anything like this until January, 2013, when I saw a mention of the "poor man's MG" on a website somewhere. I can't say that I agree with that description, but am quite happy that it lead me down the path to this car.

My Roadster has a lot of little issues I'll be fixing over time, but is currently running well and "looks great from 10 feet", as they say. In the month that I've owned it, I've replaced the dash pad with one made by forum member "fossil" and, because of some great info found on this forum, I'll be replacing the brake light switch this weekend. Here's to driving a car with working brake lights! Next month's work will include a new canvas top and replacing a broken choke cable. I have to admit that I don't have a whole lot of experience working on cars, but am very much looking forward to learning as much as possible about Datsun Roadster as I go. I'm sure much of that info & education will come from this fine forum.

I don't know very much about the history of my car, but was very happy to see that it is already in the forum's registry, as the listing included a few bits of useful info & hints regarding the life of my car. I'll be updating that listing in the very near future.

Away we go...

Welcome aboard. you have found a great resource, and as you say, it's good to find it in the registry. You know that at sometime an owner may have been serious about the upkeep!

krispoulin wrote:I saw a mention of the "poor man's MG" on a website somewhere. I can't say that I agree with that description, but am quite happy that it lead me down the path to this car.

Welcome
The Poor Man part kicks in when you buy the second one, then a parts car, then it needs Solex's. But the MG guys spend just as much on fire extinguishers and towing, usually in that order.

There is a posting here on how to fix the choke cable if the handle is good and only the cable bad, save some $$

Congrats and welcome. You could not have found a better vintage sports car, or a better community to learn from, play with and contribute to!

These are good cars to learn basic automotive 101 on, as the systems are generally straight forward (other than the darn electrical crap, so you learn to make friends like Curtis!). I would suggest locating a manual, reading through how the engine etc goes together and how it works, even if you will never personally dig super deep into it. I learned my basic stuff on an equally simple rig, a '73 Datsun PU, just using a Chiltons manual, buying some tools, following directions and asking questions. Have fun!

Welcome to the roadster stuff. They are great fun and a good group here to learn from.

Dale - Az

Welcome to the site everything you need is here. If you Google 1967.5 Datsun roadster V.S. 1965 MGB you will find the Roadster in that article is mind. I did not own the car when the article was written, however it was cool to find it out there. I have owned many sports cars Sprites Spitfires TR6's and I agree you need a driver car and a parts car to keep them on the road. I have found this not to true with the Datsun Roadster. My car is quite dependable and a blast to drive. I live in Sacramento where about did you get your car?
Again Welcome and enjoy the ride.

Rodney

Welcome to our world. You will find information,support,parts from a variety of sources. This is one of the best automotive forums you will find. As to the poor man's MG, the roadster came with more features, is WAY more reliable and quite easy to work on. As in a previous post - the electrics can be a pain, but in a 40+ year old car (of ANY marque) that is always the case - even if the PO hasn't 'modified' anything.
I, and many others have driven our 'poor' cars GREAT (10K in my case) distances without any problems. Just drive it, identify any issues and ASK us if you are uncertain. Check out 'carpartsmanual.com' for a detailed list of what goes where, spend some time on the tech-wiki site on 311, just to see what problems come up and how we have solved them.
We have great vendors - check the listing and many members have parts that they are willing to sell you.
With proper maintenance - and greasing those zerks, will give you many happy hours of motoring and many happy conversations with people who remember them from their youth.

Rodster wrote:Welcome to the site everything you need is here. If you Google 1967.5 Datsun roadster V.S. 1965 MGB you will find the Roadster in that article is mind. I did not own the car when the article was written, however it was cool to find it out there. I have owned many sports cars Sprites Spitfires TR6's and I agree you need a driver car and a parts car to keep them on the road. I have found this not to true with the Datsun Roadster. My car is quite dependable and a blast to drive. I live in Sacramento where about did you get your car?
Again Welcome and enjoy the ride.

Rodney

Thanks for the warm welcome!
Your replies have reinforced my satisfaction with choosing this car. Previously to owning one, I already knew that they looked great and that lead me to read a lot about them - about how well-built they are and about how relatively simple they are to work on. Your replies have backed that up and have convinced me that I've found the right place and a great bunch of knowledgeable people. Someday, hopefully sooner or later, I'll be able to give back from my experience.

I did my second bit of work on it this past weekend (new dash pad was the first), a job that started out as simply replacing the brake lamp switch. But, since it was not going to budge despite every effort I could manage, I ended up removing the T junction from the brake system in order to get enough force to unthread that switch. Of course, now I had air in the lines and this required my first brake bleed - a success. Beginner stuff, I know, but I gotta start somewhere. The best part is that I'm enjoying working on the car almost as much as I enjoy driving it.

To answer Rodney's question, I got my car in a neighborhood of Sacramento that is somewhere near Land Park. That's all I remember about the location... I had tunnel vision aimed at the Datsun in the seller's garage. The guy I bought it from is also working on a '68 or '69 2000 that's headed more toward a tricked-out racing configuration than restoration to original specs; rollbar, Cobra blue & white paint, etc.

carpartsmanual.com .. cool that's something i didn't know about either - thanks!

It just occurred to me that I never posted any pictures of my Roadster, and we all know you guys like pictures! So, here are a few from the first couple of days I owned it. I'll post more as some of my work gets completed, though it could be slow going, ie. as time and money allow.

Here's a link to my album in the members' gallery:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/gallery/menu ... bum_id=139" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Please feel free to comment and/or make suggestions. I'm open to ideas and, as stated in my original post, new to this world of old car ownership, so any & all info is appreciated.

Thanks!

That is really nicely sorted! Other than the windshield wipers, and the blue seats - I wouldn't change a thing from those shots.

Nice looking car and welcome

Welcome Kris, looks as if you have made a good choice. Thanks for posting pics.
Keep a log of your service and repairs. You may end up driving so much that you exceed the recommended intervals,,,,
Adjusting Air pressure in the tires will make a big difference in the ride and handling.

Nice car look good, its nice to buy a car and fix as you drive .Thisn web site will give all the confidence to tackel any and all repairs to your new ride .Enjoy

hi kris... i'm just passing though and saw your post...
nice little ride!
just in case no one has mentioned about les cannaday at classic datsun motorsports... look him up (in vista)...
great guy and he has wealth of knowledge about these cars.

good luck, and enjoy your ride =]
k-