Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Hi all, thought I would stop in here after registering and provide a little introduction for myself and my daughter before beginning a thread on our new project.

I recently aquired a 65 dodge d100 stepside, that had always been on my wish list, as a family restoration project. Upon going to inspect it before purchase, my daughter (almost 13 years old) anounced that I needed to get it because it would make a cool first car and she would be driving in the next few years. Well, I didn't agree but I did buy the truck, and the comments kept rolling in from her about how she NEEDED a first car.... those with children know how this goes... About a week after this we went to a man's house to look at a possible parts truck. The truck was to far gone to be of any real use to us. However, my daughter was with me and the man mentioned he had a couple roadsters in his barn that had been there for 20+ years and a light bulb went off in my head. One was an mg midget who's body was in amazing shape but the engine had thrown a rod and had sat there hidden away for God knows how long. The other was a 69 datsun 2000 roadster. I had never seen one before and was immediately in love. My daughter felt the same way. Her eyes lit up like I would have never expected. The car body was seemingly in really good shape for the age, however the engine, transmission, and rear end had been removed. I knew exactly zero about this car so, on a whim I offered the man $400 for the car. He said it was worth more than that and I could see the defeat in my daughter's face when I told him I wasn't willing to go higher without doing some research. On the way back to the truck the man kept looking at an old corvair van full of parts and said to wait a second. He went to look in it and then came back and asked if he had the rear end would I be willing to do $500 on the car. At that point I figured, why not.

Long story short, I purchased one of the coolest cars I have ever seen for my daughter's first car.

After getting it home, I realized I had gotten myself in WAY deeper than I would have ever imagined. Not only did I realize the cost of parts for this thing are astronomically priced, but also, she was in slightly worse shape than I had originally thought. However, my daughter is in love with it and I just can't bring myself to let her down. So, I'm in it for the long haul.





As you can see in the pictures, she is dirty, to say the least The bumpers are pretty well shot, the drivers side fender is shot but he did provide an extra passenger fender in decent shape that I thought I might be able to swap for a drivers replacement, and there is some metal work needed for rust repair and dent removal. But, overall, this isn't undoable in my mind. Just way more work than I think the car is worth overall. However, she is absurdly excited about the project.

So, here we are. Now, I'm on the hunt for basically an entire drive train, would probably be easier to get all new sheet metal out front if it can be had on a 12 year old girls budget , and God knows what else I will find missing/destroyed.

The rear end that the previous owner provided wouldn't spin, so I removed the drums thinking it might be the brakes rusted and sized. As it turned out, the bad news just kept rolling in. After removing the brakes entirely it still wouldn't turn. At that point I removed the drain plug on the center and approximately 2 gallons of muddy/rusty water poured out. I pulled the axels and opened the center to find about 3 inches of rust and debris inside. Began pulling it apart and found the bearings rusted and the gear pack etched from rust at what apparently was the water line. So, apparently a rear end is still on the needs list

Anyways, hi, it appears this will be my new home for the remainder of my natural life because that's about how long I've figured it will take to do this project correctly and if you guys are religious.... send prayers... as it looks like they may be needed

Congratulations on instilling the car bug in your daughter. You scored a real steal for only $500! If you are able to do most of the work yourself, and I’m thinking you can, then you could easily put 10 to 20K in this car and still not be upside down. It looks like most all of the components are still with the car and are in restorable condition. While parts are expensive there is a pretty extensive array available from our vendors and the community itself. If you want to substantially reduce your costs along with your time you could consider using a 1600 drive train in lieu of the 2000 drive train, albeit at a substantial reduction in value. Try to find a rear end from a 1600 if you go with the 2000 engine and a 2000 rear if you use a 1600.
The community here is more than willing to share advice and tips to guide you along. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Welcome to the club! Good to see you've decided to save another from the scrap yard and gift your daughter with a neat bonding experience. These are in our very biased opinion some of the coolest cars ever made. It may seem daunting at first, but they are super easy to work on. I'm on my second build and have lots of extra parts that may come in handy. I'm sure there are plenty of other folks in the community with far more experience and parts availability willing to help out. Good luck on your build

welcome.
for a drive train, Mazda Miata is one of the easier options
the easiest would be a roadster 1600 4 speed

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! I was worried I was gonna get roasted for its rough condition

However, I think I have the drive train issue solved. Picked up another 69 2000 today with hardtop and rough body that should make for a perfect parts car. Only a few more and I'll have "enough" cars. Lol don't tell my wife I already have "enough". Maybe I'll be able to squeeze me a car out of this deal as well before its all said and done.

theunz wrote: Wed Oct 25, 2023 8:14 am If you want to substantially reduce your costs along with your time you could consider using a 1600 drive train in lieu of the 2000 drive train, albeit at a substantial reduction in value. Try to find a rear end from a 1600 if you go with the 2000 engine and a 2000 rear if you use a 1600.

Why do you recommend doing the 1600 reasr with the 2000 engine or vise versa?

The 1600 with the 4 speed benefits from the higher 3:70 gear ratio from the 2000 by reducing revs at hi-way speeds. Conversely the 2000 with the overdrive 5 speed can handle the extra “pep” from the 1600’s lower 3:90 ratio without revving to high at hi-way speeds.

sfyks870 wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2023 12:40 am
Why do you recommend doing the 1600 rear with the 2000 engine or vise versa?

it does not make a huge difference, but first gear in the 5 speed is on the high side, so the lower gearing of the 1600 rear axle make the car easier to drive without sacrificing much at freeway speeds and they are easier to find.

The first gear of the 4 speed is lower, so the higher 2000 rear axle ratio helps by lowering the rpms at freeway speeds

It’s like Nissan got the differentials backwards. Both cars are happier when they are exchanged, I have done this swap countless times for lots of people. It is definitely an upgrade for both cars. If you go into the tech wiki, I gave Steve this gear ratio calculator for tire size and gear ratio and what RPM you will see based on your tires and final drive ratio. You can change any parameters that are in blue and it will calculate speed and RPM you will end up with.
Dave

Ok... so let me make sure I have this right. I aquired another 2000 with complete drivetrain and intend to use it as a donor. So, if I'm using the 2000 engine and the 5 speed transmission, you guys recommend I swap for the 1600 diff?

Yes

10-4, thanks for the heads up. Guess I'm STILL on the hunt for a rear end

Don't fret: switching out the rear end should be a MUCH lower priority than sorting out that U20 and FS5C (or W) 71A transmission that have been sitting in unknown condition.

Jon

jhayden wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2023 8:36 pm Don't fret: switching out the rear end should be a MUCH lower priority than sorting out that U20 and FS5C (or W) 71A transmission that have been sitting in unknown condition.

Jon

Was this supposed to be optimism?

The rear end swap is not a big deal, I only mentioned it because of you not having a rear differential at all, and if you were going to have to search for one you might of well get the one that works best, but since you bought a donor car just go with what you have.