new owner of SRL 311
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:31 am
hello everyone. i am a long time Nissan / Datsun fan and finally own a 1969 2000 roadster.
serial number 07634
last spring, while working down in Mountain View, AR i ran across my very first roadster. it was a beautiful car, and i fell in love with it at first sight and vowed that day to own one when i could. the owner was very kind in letting me look his car over,answering questions, offering to take me for a ride, but time didn't allow that. i lost his name and contact info, and every time i work that area, i look for his car, to let him know about the web site, and also that i found my own roadster finally.
i found my car on EBay. it wasn't my first choice. i really wanted Lou's car, and it turns out, was a much better deal. by the time i go thru this one, fixing and replacing several things not pointed out by the seller, i will have more money in this before its done than what i could have purchased Lou's car for. and all of you know how nice it was. but anyway, i do have a roadster, and i intend on making the best car i can out of it. and the wife will just have to continue looking at my old '74 260Z that i promised to finish, which is begging for a paint job.
i flew to Traverse City, Michigan and was picked up at the airport, and then taken for a short ride to a warehouse, where the seller had this car stored. he was selling off several cars in his collection, and didn't really know much about the roadster. it had been driven twice, in the two summers he had owned it, all of a hundred miles. it was purchased by him out of California and he had it shipped to him. we took it out for a drive, before i handed him a check, then i hooked up the garmin, punched home on the screen, and drove away.
the car got lots of looks on my 800 mile return trip to Arkansas. i even had a used car dealer try to buy the car from me, before i got home with it. i had stopped for gas, and ran inside to get a quart of oil. coming out i find him walking all around my car, checking it out. he tried his best to get me to tell him what i paid for it, and i just ignored him, as i added the oil. he asked several times for me to just tell him what i would take for it, and i finally told him that i had just flown to Michigan and bought it, and was driving it home.
the car made the trip fine, but i did have to add two quarts of oil on the trip. i have a rear main seal leaking, and smoke coming out of the tailpipe. i hope that putting some miles on the car will help with that. so far, i can't tell if it is any better or not. i fear that i will probably be pulling the engine and going thru it before too long.
for now i plan on changing out the distributor to the E 1 dizzy, and i hope that helps the performance. i have the solex carbs, b series cam,high pressure oil pump, and 7 quart oil pan and reading in the paperwork all of this was on the car when it was purchased new. at one time, it was raced, and then built for street driving by the original owner. the car has the locking antenna, and the key to release it. if any of you know a Jim Liles, who was a professor at Stanford, he bought the car new. and looking thru all of the paperwork that came with the car, he spent quite a bit of money having the engine balanced and rebuilt, back in 1989.
there was a black CA license plate, reading SRL 311 that also came with the car. at one time that might have been on the car. not sure if i can get away with putting that on the front but i plan on trying to. I couldn't believe it was available, but when i got online with Arkansas DMV, i found DATSUN available for personal plates and it is on the way to me.
i enjoy driving these ozark roads, and also enjoy sitting around car shows and hanging out. i wish i could say that i am good with a wrench but have to say most of the work done to my vehicles is taken care of by a good friend.
if any of you find your way to Branson, MO, i am just thirty miles south of there, and we really do have some great roads to cruise on. please send me a note, and if we can get together and do a drive, talk cars, and swap tall tales, i am all for that.
thanks to everyone who has been very kind in putting up with me as i pick your brain on questons with my car. i have been on the site for some time, and never took time to do a proper intro or post pictures of my car.
serial number 07634
last spring, while working down in Mountain View, AR i ran across my very first roadster. it was a beautiful car, and i fell in love with it at first sight and vowed that day to own one when i could. the owner was very kind in letting me look his car over,answering questions, offering to take me for a ride, but time didn't allow that. i lost his name and contact info, and every time i work that area, i look for his car, to let him know about the web site, and also that i found my own roadster finally.
i found my car on EBay. it wasn't my first choice. i really wanted Lou's car, and it turns out, was a much better deal. by the time i go thru this one, fixing and replacing several things not pointed out by the seller, i will have more money in this before its done than what i could have purchased Lou's car for. and all of you know how nice it was. but anyway, i do have a roadster, and i intend on making the best car i can out of it. and the wife will just have to continue looking at my old '74 260Z that i promised to finish, which is begging for a paint job.
i flew to Traverse City, Michigan and was picked up at the airport, and then taken for a short ride to a warehouse, where the seller had this car stored. he was selling off several cars in his collection, and didn't really know much about the roadster. it had been driven twice, in the two summers he had owned it, all of a hundred miles. it was purchased by him out of California and he had it shipped to him. we took it out for a drive, before i handed him a check, then i hooked up the garmin, punched home on the screen, and drove away.
the car got lots of looks on my 800 mile return trip to Arkansas. i even had a used car dealer try to buy the car from me, before i got home with it. i had stopped for gas, and ran inside to get a quart of oil. coming out i find him walking all around my car, checking it out. he tried his best to get me to tell him what i paid for it, and i just ignored him, as i added the oil. he asked several times for me to just tell him what i would take for it, and i finally told him that i had just flown to Michigan and bought it, and was driving it home.
the car made the trip fine, but i did have to add two quarts of oil on the trip. i have a rear main seal leaking, and smoke coming out of the tailpipe. i hope that putting some miles on the car will help with that. so far, i can't tell if it is any better or not. i fear that i will probably be pulling the engine and going thru it before too long.
for now i plan on changing out the distributor to the E 1 dizzy, and i hope that helps the performance. i have the solex carbs, b series cam,high pressure oil pump, and 7 quart oil pan and reading in the paperwork all of this was on the car when it was purchased new. at one time, it was raced, and then built for street driving by the original owner. the car has the locking antenna, and the key to release it. if any of you know a Jim Liles, who was a professor at Stanford, he bought the car new. and looking thru all of the paperwork that came with the car, he spent quite a bit of money having the engine balanced and rebuilt, back in 1989.
there was a black CA license plate, reading SRL 311 that also came with the car. at one time that might have been on the car. not sure if i can get away with putting that on the front but i plan on trying to. I couldn't believe it was available, but when i got online with Arkansas DMV, i found DATSUN available for personal plates and it is on the way to me.
i enjoy driving these ozark roads, and also enjoy sitting around car shows and hanging out. i wish i could say that i am good with a wrench but have to say most of the work done to my vehicles is taken care of by a good friend.
if any of you find your way to Branson, MO, i am just thirty miles south of there, and we really do have some great roads to cruise on. please send me a note, and if we can get together and do a drive, talk cars, and swap tall tales, i am all for that.
thanks to everyone who has been very kind in putting up with me as i pick your brain on questons with my car. i have been on the site for some time, and never took time to do a proper intro or post pictures of my car.
When I was a kid we had a collie dog whose favorite trick was to lean over the back seat of the station wagon and 
if you fed him before leaving my grandparents house. He only did it on the road leading to Batesville but he did it more than once so it must have been how crooked it was. Anyway, enjoy your car and don't be afraid to chime in on any of the discusions.
