1968 Datsun Other

roadster Convertible

twin Hatachi 1600cc

5-spd

spl31117600

Clear

75% Restored. Most of us older than 18 know that "Restored" can mean many things. Some restorations are basically Easter-Eggs: shiny on the outside and rotten at the core....but NOT this one. The hard/dirty part is done with receipts and pics to prove it. I began with the idea of replicating (for the street) the Pete Brock and Bob Sharp Datsun Roadsters that swept the C and D titles in the late 60s (see 2nd pic) . Saw those race I did. (I turned 72 last May). I wanted to return the car to its original Factory Silver (see 1st pic) and erase the cheap BRG paint that was on it. So I bought a good running 68 Datsun with Ugly-Everything, but sound mechanicals and good steel with minimal rust. Then I bought books/posters and POR-15 and began. 1. Disassembly and inventory of needed parts. 2. Media Blasting (plastic pellets and walnut shells) inside/outside of frame/body-tub/doors/hood/trunk/fenders..back to bare steel. 3. Applied POR (brushed-on) to bottom of car, to frame, to inside of all panels. let dry 1 week. 4. Applied Rustoleium Red (HD) primer over all surfaces. let dry 1 week. 5. Applied Rustoleium Grey gloss-enamel over all primered surfaces. Let dry 3 days. 6. Began reassembly using all new hardware/fasteners. Sourced a 5-speed tranny and associated bits (replacing the 4-spd). 5th is OD. FYI? In spite of the incredibly hard finish on POR-15, they indicate on the can that longevity is best served if the POR is covered with a finishing enamel to shut out Sunlight and Air. That is why I put the primer/enamel coat on over the POR. As Ben Franklin once said : "anything worth doing is worth doing to excess". :) He allegedly said that while restoring his Vintage Kite. NEW parts: larger Alum. radiator and hoses, clutch assy and TO-bearing, 5 tires, Headlites and all bulbs, dist-cap+wires+plugs+points, Battery Relocation Kit, Alternator and Voltage Regulator, Brake pads-shoes-w-cyls, nuts-bolts-screws ($119. worth), dash-cover, rear-springs, shocks F&R, GasTank flush kit, wheel-studs, chrome lugbolts, Master Cyls, slave Cyl, brake lines (3), synthetic-lube in diff and tranny, U-joints, clutch-slave-hose and so much more. Have most of the new rubber bits, grommets, bumpers, VARIOUS SEALING RUBBER BITS for doors/hood/trunk/etc. But these need to be put in place after paint. Rebuilt assemblies: fuel punp, starter, Alloy-head, both carbs Sourced parts: Wider Alloy rims, 5-spd trans, some exterior chrome. Condition: All lights and electrics work (HD-lites, park-lites, stop-lites, turn-sigs, heater blower, flashers, lisc.-plate-lite. All instruments work except ammeter in cluster gauge (replaced with small white ammeter in console), all panels properly coated with three layers of protection (POR- Primer- Enamel) where appropriate. All glass in good shape and ready to install after paint. Driving: Car starts easily on choke, drives well, steering tight and smooth, clutch takes up smooth and precise with good braking. BUT the 5-spd will pop out of gear in 4th. If I hold it in... it works smooth (so not a chipped tooth). Not sure what the problem is. put a lot of miles on it using a 1/2/3/5 shift pattern and it works well . Since 5th is an OD it also works well on the freeway. but in the interests of full disclosure...now you know. I did not get my 100% Seller rating by BSing anyone. NEEDS: top/interior/paint but the expensive time-consuming grunt-work is done, and you get to choose your colors on a functional car. the original Factory silver was to be my choice (see first pic) but the Japanese Racing white looks great too. Up to you. However you can rest assured that you are putting paint on a "restoration that will outlive us both" no Easter Egg with bubbling paint in a years time. I am not looking to recover the 7K in cash that I have in it (that does not include my labor) but shooting for about 65% of my cash investment. Those of you who frequent Ebay and BAT will have noticed good restorations of Datsun Roadsters going for 14 to 24 thousand. A vintage-racer Datsun Roadster here in Parker Colorado just sold for 16 thousand last week. You can log on to BAT and see it yourself. (BAT=Bring a Trailer) and the Datsun Roadster sold in only two weeks, view it before it gets delisted. Spares and Templates: I have both door panels, seats (both in fair shape), all Alloy trim-items, Bumper uprights, all outside trim (locks (3) and handles but no Beltline-trim (available in Detail Shops), new chrome door mirrors. One of each remaining interior panel to be used for templates, all top attaching hardware and bits needed to finish (in neatly labeled plastic baggies) and spare speedo and cluster-gauge, seatbelts and brackets, Datsun Badging and more. and speaking of templates: Some of you may have noticed the pics showing a small gridwork of alloy-straps under each front fender, That is for attaching the Extra Protection Panel from road-grime and stones. Like the Healeys I used to play with, there is a natural catch-bin formed there to retain dirt and water (Mud anyone?) So I have cut out the Templates for the two aluminium under-panels that will be attached to the gridwork. Why? See the above comment per Ben Franklin. After viewing the pics, should you have a question just ask. I am getting a bit old for the restoration effort (and too compulsive to do it halfway) so its time to let someone else finish this one. The speedo shows 42K miles, safe to assume 142K miles, but on a restoration this thorough..... Can supply pics of trunk-area and Batt. relocation and topBows and etc. upon request, over 250 pics documenting the restoration, just give me your email.. I would be willing to put together a strong plastic "tonneau" to cover all the bits that go with the car for shipping, keep everything dry. And all the posters/pics/manuals/receipts go with the car. FYI:?? per two recent inquiries asking about "Shipping abroad", the answer is yes...IF there is some way for the payment to be in my hands (and verified) several days before releasing the car to a shipper in my neighborhood. I have never sold abroad before and have no idea how the payment might work. Would some of you folks reading this have some idea or some experience? I do not think Paypal can transfer funds across the Atlantic, and I know that Bank-to-Bank wire transfer of funds does not work across oceans, right?..............so...how is this done?