-----Original Message-----
From:
bluebirds-request@bluebirds.datsun510.com [mailto:
bluebirds-request@bluebirds.datsun510.com] On Behalf Of Carter Boad
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:17 PM
To: Bluebirds (E-mail)
Subject: a little story about a 510 named dutch boy
I was on my way home from work one evening admiring an Audi S4 ahead of me. After a couple of turns at the top of my hill, I noticed that the Audi was now behind me, flashing his lights. I pull over and he pulls in behind me, gets out, walks up to the car and says "Nice wagon! You don't see too many of these around any more... Are you looking for another one?"
Duh!
"Sure, I say, always looking"
He tells me of a neglected wagon for sale out in the boonies that he drives by now and then. I hand him my card and he e-mails me cross streets a couple of days later. It takes about 2-3 weeks before I am finally able to go out and look at it. Pitch black, late evening, raining, and I'm driving around looking for this wagon... FUN! : ) I finally find it. It is parked by a shed with another neglected car on a lot next to a house. I use a flashlight and make out that it is indeed a 70-73 datsun 510 wagon, cut front bumper, awful paint job, nasty looking, flat tires, a real mess. But the gas cap! Beautiful!!!!
Now I always have a short list of people in the back of my head whom I know need this or that... The wagon had a rear end *check*, it had some hatch vents *check*, etc. etc... And there is that nice looking gas cap. So I figure what I know I can get back out of it and go knocking on the door of the house above the lot. No answer. I leave a card and figure I'll see what happens.
A few days later, I get a call from a friend. After chatting a bit, he tells me he just scored a Datsun 510 wagon. After describing the car a little I'm thinking... No... Couldn't be... Then he e-mails me a photo and Dang if it isn't that car! He was there the weekend before I showed up, made an offer, and the owner was waiting for him to show up before calling me back.
Oh well, no big loss. I didn't want the car anyway, just some of the parts for my friends.
I told him what I was going to offer for the car and the offer is still good for him if he decides he doesn't want it. He's not interested as he already had made plans to sell the car to another list member in Canada. I know the prospective buyer is looking for a driver and though this one is now on a trailer, it's no queen!!! I hadn't even considered putting it on the road... I contacted the Canada buyer to make sure we were okay with each other just in case...
Anyway, fast forward a month or two, and I get an e-mail from the owner. The Canada buyer wasn't ready to move on it yet and the current owner wants it gone. I remind him of my offer and he somehow talks me into $25 more... Oh well, sure, he is a friend and all. Two days later, the car is sitting on my lawn.
http://www.datsun510.com/photopost/show ... hoto=10486
As he was lowering the car off the trailer, he begins to tell me how little he ended up paying for the thing (gee, thanks for that) and then I notice it: The gas cap is missing!!!! He said he gave it to another dimer as a finders fee for the car. That one left me a little grumpy...
Water under the bridge anyway...
The next weekend, I was able to fully, ehem, admire the car. It is striking in its gray latex house paint (hence, the dutch boy name) over light blue auto paint over pale yellow stock color. What the heck I thought, lets see what she'll do. Everything looked to be in place, so I popped the hood (which doesn't stay up due to a broken hinge) which I ended up just removing. I take off the air filter, poor a little gas down the carb throat, and start cranking the key. Sure enough, the thing fires! I let it warm up a bit, test the brakes (pedal to the floor) and put it in gear. Ease out the clutch and off I go! I can't believe it! It actually runs and drives. This thing is nasty looking to be sure, I'm wearing gloves and my coveralls not because of the work I intended to do, but because I was afraid to touch anything on the inside of the car! When I opened the rear passenger door, half an ants nest fell to the ground, the other half still in the car intertwined in pop cans and what must have been 5000 rubber bands (one of the previous owners delivered news papers)
Anyway, up and down the road a few times and an ear to ear grin, then I pulled it into the garage and parked it. A few guys in need of parts came right away and the rear end was gone as well as some trim pieces, the gas tank, the ignition, and some other items. Already Dutch Boy had put THREE other wagons back on the road!
A couple of weeks later, I was able to start really stripping it down and finally, a couple of weeks ago, I finished unbolting the last few parts and brought out the sawzall. Here is all that was left.
http://www.datsun510.com/photopost/show ... hoto=10848
I don't have very much time to work on my 510's, and this exercise of buying a car solely to help others get their cars back on the road brought great satisfaction, but just took too much time away from the cars I should be working on. It won't happen again soon.
I have a ton of parts left, many shown here:
http://www.datsun510.com/photopost/show ... p?cat=3132
Most not pictured yet. Let me know if you are after something, I'd love to know about more cars helped by this one. A friend called me two days ago and is likely to put the engine in a non-running wagon he just picked up so that brings the number of cars back on the road to FOUR!
This car looks like it had quite a history. Good to know a little bit of it will live on... --carter
This was after I told him to leave it there and I would go find some wheels to roll it around on. After I left to find the wheels, he took it upon himself to move it with almost disasterous results! At least the owner knocked some more off the price to make it up, even thou the original price was cheap enough. Now I need to figure out what to do with this as another project is the last thing I need. Cost to purchase from yard- $100.00 Cost to save a Datsun from the chrusher-Priceless! Pic's below
This is the same yard I found my Roadster and RS Camaro at. My wife claims she hates the place, but she was the one that found the Roadster and Camaro! Anyone have a link to a forum like this for 510's?