1970 Datsun 1600 Roadster

Convertible

1.6L

Manual

SPL311-29342

Clear

Gasoline

This is a 1970 Datsun 1600 Roadster I spontaneously rescued from a used car lot in Cincinnati several years ago. Despite being a motor vehicle damage appraiser for an insurer for years, and thinking that I had a good handle on what existed in the world, I had somehow never come across one of these cars and had no idea that Datsun and Honda had sold small numbers of roadsters in the US in the 1960's. So you could say I mainly bought this car for the "educational value". According to the internet, and nominally confirmed by some stickers on the car, this vehicle was owned by a professor at George Mason University in Virginia from new until about 2010, at which point is was sold to a guy in North Carolina who did a some motor and suspension work on it. His original eBay ad copy is floating around online if you google the VIN. After that I found some history on the car possibly having spent some time in Georgia before ending up in the hands of the used car lot dealer (as his personal toy) in Cincinnati, whereupon I come into possession of it. Being more of a body repair expert rather than a mechanic, I handed it off to a real-live professional mechanic with the instruction to "make this so I won't die from some horrible worn-out mechanical bit". The car was "un-slammed" with the removal of the lowering blocks in the rear suspension that the 2nd owner had installed, and the front springs were replaced and a loose sway bar repaired. The ball joints were determined to be serviceable The front brake calipers and pads were replaced with NOS parts. The side motor mounts were replaced. It drives/idles fine, albeit with a little manipulation of the choke. I had it up to 80 mph yesterday. The car came with (and comes with) enough parts to fill the back of an SUV, including a hood, right fender (with the bottom bit rotted off - so it's probably easier to fix the existing fender if you want to do a restoration), a radiator, starter, and assorted other bits. I removed the (somewhat ratty) convertible top & top frame but it can be reinstalled. Over the time I've owned it I've obtained a rear main seal and oil pan gasket set, a hardware kit for the front body (fender screws and such), a pair of wiper arms, a spare tire bracket, a spare oil pan, and a clean trunk lid that doesn't have the luggage rack on it. All of that comes with the car if you want it. There is also a Chiltons manual, a reproduction owner's manual, and all the service paperwork that came with the car, as well as anything I found online about this car and printed, all tucked into a 3-ring binder. As far as I can tell all the major body & mechanical components are original. An electric fan was added at some point.The headlight pull switch knob has disappeared but all the gauges are functional except the clock. The seat belts are missing for some reason and will need replacement in a restoration. The carpet seems to have been replaced. (Floors are good) The exterior of the car was repainted a burgundy red 10+ years ago, but the under-hood and inner-trunk areas are the original color. I'd like to see this car go to an enthusiast looking for a restoration project of relatively mild complexity. On a 1-10 scale this car feels like a "5", being far from perfect but also far from a basket case. Feel free to email me if you want more pictures or more specifics. The car has a clean Ohio title in my name. Ohio titles need to be notarized for transfer, but I can help arrange that. The car is located in southwest Ohio in the Cincinnati area. $250 Paypal deposit. Remainder due as cash upon delivery. On Apr-22-18 at 20:38:36 PDT, seller added the following information: Added note: The car also comes with a removable hard top - not present in photos.