Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I recently started working on a 1969 Datsun 2000 pre-june that was originally owned by my great Uncle Gary until it was sold to my grandfather/father over 30 years ago. Since then it has sat and rusted until recently it was gifted to me and I have begun getting excited to repair it. I was very surprised the engine started up fine with just a battery connected after sitting so long! It has been a great bonding experience between my 72 year old grandfather and I! (20yo) As well as a learning experience to understand how cars function better. This forum and the people who run it as well as post here have been extremely helpful to me and I greatly appreciate all the knowledge that is shared. I am very excited about this car and have attached a few pictures that I have from before I began work on it. I know it looks rough on the outside but all of the inside guts and components are quite solid so far! I have rebuilt all the brakes and put new tires on so it rolls easy. Currently planning to test the clutch cylinders soon as my Uncle Pat replaced them 15 years ago and left me a few spares. Any advice or help is welcomed as I will continue to use this forum for the coming weeks in my journey

I have been very happy with my Lincoln 110 MIG welder. You can get 24"x24" sheets of 20 gauge steel at various stores. Pick up a set of butt welding clamps at Harbor Freight, and a pair of sheet metal bending pliers. Eastwoods is a good source for body working supplies. There are a number of patch panels available. Be careful while welding to take a break every 2-3 hours because argon gas can be addictive.

Looks like you have a pretty good car to start with, but it will be a long row to hoe. Tackle it a piece at a time and concentrate on making it safe and reliable. After you get it running and get some time in driving it then you can decide how much work and money you want to put into aesthetics.

I’m not far from you. Urbanna Va. It can be additive if you let. You find yourself buying car after car until you have the parts you need. I ended up with four to build one.

There are a lot of great resources on 311s.org. Very helpful group. Most would say get it running and driving 1st. I didn’t. But my starting point was too far gone to drive it 1st.

Get a plan 1st and a budget you’re willing to spend. Do your research 1st on cost of parts. Plan to spend double and to take 4 times as long.

Was that hard top cut in half?

mshort07 wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:49 am I’m not far from you. Urbanna Va. It can be additive if you let. You find yourself buying car after car until you have the parts you need. I ended up with four to build one.

There are a lot of great resources on 311s.org. Very helpful group. Most would say get it running and driving 1st. I didn’t. But my starting point was too far gone to drive it 1st.

Get a plan 1st and a budget you’re willing to spend. Do your research 1st on cost of parts. Plan to spend double and to take 4 times as long.

Was that hard top cut in half?

I am unsure what happened to the hard top but we have a hard top, soft top, and a canoe cover I think is what my grandfather called it. I'm blessed to have his assistance as well as multiple replacement parts that have been stored in the attic of a garage to help keep the car original and parts cost down. Even the interior upholstery was stored outside of the car to keep it in good shape! I started with the brakes because I figured it would be safer to actually be able to stop the car haha.

SEC wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 5:55 pm

mshort07 wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:49 am I’m not far from you. Urbanna Va. It can be additive if you let. You find yourself buying car after car until you have the parts you need. I ended up with four to build one.

There are a lot of great resources on 311s.org. Very helpful group. Most would say get it running and driving 1st. I didn’t. But my starting point was too far gone to drive it 1st.

Get a plan 1st and a budget you’re willing to spend. Do your research 1st on cost of parts. Plan to spend double and to take 4 times as long.

Was that hard top cut in half?

I am unsure what happened to the hard top but we have a hard top, soft top, and a canoe cover I think is what my grandfather called it. I'm blessed to have his assistance as well as multiple replacement parts that have been stored in the attic of a garage to help keep the car original and parts cost down. Even the interior upholstery was stored outside of the car to keep it in good shape! I started with the brakes because I figured it would be safer to actually be able to stop the car haha.

The hard top I have originally was two separate pieces that met in the middle but I believe my Uncle decided to caulk them together for some reason. It was made to be two separate pieces to store easier

Welcome! Sounds like you have some good assistance and a head start on parts. Spend a lot of time in the tech wiki here, and browsing the forums. Lots to learn and there are no stupid questions. If it's been thought of, it's been discussed on this forum!

Maybe get a waterproof car cover to try to slow the rust down if it will be stored outside. Then check it over carefully to see if you have to do alot of welding as mentioned.
Good luck and have fun with the project
Linda

Linda wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:03 pm Maybe get a waterproof car cover to try to slow the rust down if it will be stored outside. Then check it over carefully to see if you have to do alot of welding as mentioned.
Good luck and have fun with the project
Linda

There is currently an old military water proof canvas tarp on top of the main body of the car and another large rubber cover over the entire vehicle now I appreciate the support! We both know how to weld and have a welder plus car lift etc. The frame is solid with a few spots rusted through on the outside but we have a sandblaster and power sanders we plan to use. My grandfather has worked on cars since the 60's so I'm lucky to have him.

notoptoy wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:15 pm Welcome! Sounds like you have some good assistance and a head start on parts. Spend a lot of time in the tech wiki here, and browsing the forums. Lots to learn and there are no stupid questions. If it's been thought of, it's been discussed on this forum!

We plan to finish the braking system this weekend and start rebuilding the master and slave cylinders! I got lucky to have a spare master cylinder but may need to get a slave rebuild kit depending on the condition of the current one.

notoptoy wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:15 pm Welcome! Sounds like you have some good assistance and a head start on parts. Spend a lot of time in the tech wiki here, and browsing the forums. Lots to learn and there are no stupid questions. If it's been thought of, it's been discussed on this forum!

Actually I do have one question. I have been debating with my grandfather over which water pump gaskets are correct as the last ones on it he made himself. Would you happen to have an image or link to show me the proper gaskets for a pre-june 1969 2000? The ones online I see are for the 7 bladed fan while I have the 4 bladed one from the start of the year. I can't determine the one between the pump and the plate and the plate to engine gaskets.

Slave cylinder from Autozone is around $20, lifetime warranty.
This is why I believe best advice is to read as much as possible for tips, tricks, parts sources and substitutions, etc.
SEARCH is your friend.
Questions are welcome but they don’t always get answered.
Sounds like your grandfather and you have some valuable skills already, so that part is covered!
Linda

Linda wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:46 pm Slave cylinder from Autozone is around $20, lifetime warranty.
This is why I believe best advice is to read as much as possible for tips, tricks, parts sources and substitutions, etc.
SEARCH is your friend.
Questions are welcome but they don’t always get answered.
Sounds like your grandfather and you have some valuable skills already, so that part is covered!
Linda

Is the slave cylinder listed under the 2000 model? I don't get any hits when I search it up. Thank you for the advice! Ive been doing a lot of note taking from the forums!

Linda wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:46 pm Slave cylinder from Autozone is around $20, lifetime warranty.
This is why I believe best advice is to read as much as possible for tips, tricks, parts sources and substitutions, etc.
SEARCH is your friend.
Questions are welcome but they don’t always get answered.
Sounds like your grandfather and you have some valuable skills already, so that part is covered!
Linda

A good number of the links I have tried to use no longer work is why I ask. The one in the parts interchange no longer works for the slave cylinder.

I’ve never heard of any differences on the water pump for any year 2000. Dean only shows one pump for 67.5-70 2000’s on his site.