This Datsun has come in with a part-throttle stumble for Chip to diagnose. I like these cars. Once I get the diagnosis, I’ll post it here in hopes it will help someone else figure out their own car.
Datsun 1600 interior.
Datsun 1600.
Datsun 1600
Category Archives: Japanese
Datsun 1600
This Datsun 1600 came in for some brake work and other odds and ends. I like these cars and they seem to be growing in popularity. Either that, or they’re already popular and I hadn’t noticed. All of the 1600s I’ve seen at the shop have been red. Did they make any other colors? There are worse things than working on clean, red Datsuns all day long.
Lowering A Datsun 510
I walked in last week and Chip had this 510 up and running. It seemed like he did it in 10 minutes, but that’s likely because he hadn’t mentioned it the last time I was there. The shell looks a little rough, but he’s replaced all kinds of suspension and mechanical goodies, so it started right up and ran like a top. Under the hood is a new master cylinder, new fuel pump, radiator, fuel filter, fuel line… I can’t remember everything.
Well, those are some fancy looking wheels. I definitely should have asked him what they are.
New sway bar and bushings.
New torque control arm bushings
Chip separates the collar from the tube so he can set the height where he wants it. I think he told me he cut the springs about a quarter of a coil, also, but check with him for the final figure if you’re thinking about it.
This all proves to me that you can’t leave a racer in the room alone with a 510. These kinds of things happen.
Farewell, My Datsun
The Datsun 2000 roadster has left the building… Gone, but not forgotten. Chip received a call from the owner last night, who told him that it drove down 288 at [speed withheld] like it was 1970 all over again. We love those calls. More accurately, I love those calls. Chip didn’t really tell me if he loved it or not, so I’m reading into it.
Shiny Paint
Pardon me, Are those new seat coverings you're wearing?
Datsun 2000 Seat Repair
These seat covers from a Datsun 2000 roadster had some rips and tears, so Chip is installing new seat coverings prior to re-installing the seats. Below are the new covers.
The seatbacks were previously done elsewhere. I’ll try to get a picture of them once they are back in the car.
Meet The 510
Happy New Year, and look at that Datsun 510 on the lift. It has so much, ah, potential. Never fear, we’re talking Chip Collingwood and his years of experience, so if you’re worried about the fate of this tired 510, relax and listen to the plans we have. Chip’s going to build an L20B motor that he already has to go into the car to replace the original 1600 motor. The L20B will get a laundry list of hop up parts to include improved carberation, headers, perhaps some headwork… the usual stuff.
Above is a photograph of the rear crossmember that Chip modified (just a little cutting and welding) to be adjustable for camber and toe. Helpful adjustments if you lower the car for handling, which could happen here.
The current task is stripping the interior down to metal. Then it gets POR15’d as extra insurance, primed, and Lizard-skinned. After the interior is in good shape, Chip will start on stripping and blasting the exterior. Before anyone asks, yes, we have the doors for the car. Also before anyone asks, yes, we are going to put them back on before we drive it. Stay tuned for updates on the 510 build.
Datsun 2000 Update
Work is drawing to a close on the ’68 2000 Roadster we have in the shop. The owner took a spin recently and certainly approves of the more compliant ride. That’s what happens when you back the Koni’s off from full stiff. The last little item is some slight tuning of the idle circuit jets in the Solex carbs. It’s not quite as crisp as it could be on transitions. Chip will sort that out and this car will be ready to roll. We want to thank the owner for sharing his car with us. It was a treat to work on.
Datsun 2000 Update
The shocks are not installed yet, but the rest of the front suspension has been sandblasted, painted, and re-installed as it should be. Chip also disassembled, blasted, and painted the rear suspension and changed the existing bump stops out for a more appropriate size. Coupled with the shock adjustments, the ride will be so much more compliant.
Here’s a look at the nice coil and plug wires, among other things. The new coil is able to reliably handle 12 volts, rather than reducing 12 volts to around 8 like the old one was doing.
Cleaned up rear shackle and new bump stop. We’ll keep the site up to date as we continue the progress.
1968 Datsun 2000 Continued
Above is empty space in which the suspension for this 2000 roadster used to reside. It will return after some cleaning and adjustment. Chip was looking into some information the owner provided about the harshness of the ride and discovered that the adjustable Konis on the car were set full-stiff… making the shocks reluctant to rebound once compressed. Let’s take a look at the parts off of the car in the picture below.
The lower and upper A-arms are there next to the orange Koni. Something else we shall remedy is that the ball joints on each A-arm should have rubber boots around them to hold the grease. We’ll get those replaced to protect the ball joints.
Continuing on his tour of the undercarriage, Chip observed an oil leak at the front of the oil pan. Take a look at this picture and you may spot the problem.
This is the front of the oil pan looking from underneath the car. The second bolt-hole from the left is empty. That’s most unhelpful. The hole is filled with Permatex. We’ll get the pan off and replace any of the studs that need replacing.
Still left to do are some improvements to the ignition. The car has an electronic distributor on it, but it’s currently coupled to an older coil. In a nutshell, it’s a 12 volt distributor connected to a coil that in reality only reaches about 8 volts. The end result is that the ignition is not getting the full benefit of that nice electronic 12 volt distributor. We’ll remedy that also.
These drivability improvements should render a noticeably better ride, encouraging the owner to keep it out and about as much as possible.
1968 Datsun 2000 Roadster
This 1968 Datsun 2000 came into the shop for some odds and ends and we thought we would use it to illustrate a common upgrade that many owners choose to make. What we do is add relays for the headlights and any driving lights. The idea is to take the electrical load off of the decades-old dash switches and move it to the new relays. The dash switches then simply switch the relays. Just a simple little touch to make everything a tad more robust.
Here is a photograph of the relays in place. If you have any questions, do let us know.