Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

CC ... Thanks for the very generous offer ... I have a 4-speed I could put in, but (embarrassingly), unless the labour is free, the car will need to stay back-burnered. Sad, I know.
I have my parts all on paper now with pictures ... maybe some generous soul will buy the whole pile for a price equal to the cost of my wish-list. I'll post the parts next week.

This is about all I've seen of my little gem for over a year...reminds me of an 1800's lady showing a bit of ankle
(Sorry for the resolution ... my camera was still looking through tears)

But ... we have a plan and the funds so now we hope to have her on the road again soon.

Wow, a plan AND funds! We should all be so lucky
Great to hear things are starting to move forward.

The plan has been almost completely executed (the funds pretty much all gone) and the Little Lady is almost ready to be discharged from the auto-hospital. She should be in my garage next weekend ... just in time for Father's Day.
The major goals were to repair the transmission (popping out of 2nd), install the soft top, get the ignition and carbs sorted...and in general make her safe, reliable...and dry. Ross (Sports Imports) has been doing a great job keeping me up-to-date on the progress. I've done enough house repairs and renovations to know to expect surprises. Diving into a Roadster, semi-restored, and modified by someone else, was not a lot different. Nothing earth shattering, but things like roll-bar placement that won't allow easy soft-top storage, twisties and posties in non-factory placement, two left carbs, no vacuum advance pot, no little tube near the oil filter to prevent oil from draining...causing the timing chain to rattle, and other items have been caught and corrected. I'm sure there will be a long list of "to-do-with the next batch of funds". But we've done what we can for now, and we should be able to run for fun in the sun.

Picked the Roadster up on Friday from Ross, stopped by my elderly parents' place in Vancouver for dinner, then to North Vancouver at my brother-in-laws. Saturday morning drove in the rain to my sister's in Langley, then stops in Abbotsford, Hope, Merritt ... and got to Kelowna mid-afternoon. 297 miles (by the car's odometer) in and out of the rain on 12 gallons of fuel via the Coquihalla (Highway 5) and the Coquihalla Connector (Highway 5A). Not the most interesting drive, but the most direct. My chase car was piloted by my 18-year old son, and he appreciated the frequent stops. It was his longest drive solo-ish. The two summits on the drive are at 4,081 feet and 5,669 feet and the SU's fed the U20 very well. We were concerned about rear-end noise ... an annoying howl when under load no matter which gear I'm in... so Ross outfitted me with a spare rear axle bearing kit. I checked (as best I could) the rear axle temperatures ... the differential housing was warmest at 55 C, the axles between where they meet the rear leaf springs and the brake drum were at left 28.6 and right 25.1 ... from the outside shooting the laser right at the middle part of the hub left was 35, right 28.6. Oil level is right where it was Friday, fan belt is still tight...the only thing to play with is the idle ... it really doesn't like to sit at idle once warm. I'll work on that this week. It will be an easy fix.
The major goals (above) are done ... the car is dry, reliable, and safe. The Coquihalla can be a brutal road for vehicles, and I was nervous until I got to the down-hill after the final summit...We made it; no rain leaks, no water leaks, no oil leaks ... no gas leaks. Next trip will be highway 33 Kelowna to Rock Creek, then Highway 3 to Grand Forks, BC. Lots of twisties. In the mean time, a good wash, vacuum, wax (maybe), Rainex on the windshield, and some better glue on the interior vinyl. All stuff I can do.

Sounds like a good adventure, congratulations on getting her back and on such a good long break in trip!

Nice cruise to sort out any left over issues. Sounds like Ross made great progress. Now you get to finish it up. Enjoy....

S

Hi Ralph,

Its good to hear that you are on the road again, driving your roadster with confidence. Our vehicles are 50+ years old and as such will always be WIPS. Roadster perfection and completeness are elusive, while enjoyment is guaranteed!

I'll have my roadster up in the Okanagan come early July. Maybe together we can challenge the Westside Rd twisties!

Thanks for the good wishes ... I've been able to do a few errands, and dashed out to McKinley Beach last night between thunder storms...really steep hills & a few twisties. The new soft top is just what I wanted. I can head out in any weather & not get wet...and the zip out rear window makes it even better. The West Lake road drive is on my list let me know when you're here... but first I'm off to Rock Creek & Grand Forks this weekend. Way more fun than last weekend!

My son and I pulled the roll bar off...now I can put the top down with no issue.

I was able to run around locally and do a trip to Christina Lake and back in for the rest of July & into August....but the whine from the diff was concerning. The advise I was given was to replace the rear bearings and maybe the diff. Long story short, I found 2 used differentials locally (in BC...local enough), but JT came to the rescue with a NOS still in the box. The shipping via USPS had me worried (left his place around the 15th of August, got here Sept 10th). I also had the rear bearings replaced (thanks, Ross for the suggestion & pointing me to the kit on eBay) while they were at it...Picked up the car yesterday & found the 30 amp fuse to the alternator had blown. Replaced it & I'll keep an eye on it. I have only missed one long trip while the car was waiting for parts; the plan is to go play this weekend.
The old diff looks pretty rough...I asked if it would have been due to auto-crossing, but nope...just miles. I assume that low oil back there could do it, too. Will continue to keep an eye on that.

Man, I hate this sign ....


Especially when it was 25 C today

It might be worth it to get some M & S tires for those shoulder-season drives ...

The odometer shows 7245 miles now ... and today I replaced the spark plugs with NGK BP6ES-11 equivalents. Earlier this week and a few miles back, Mike (my mechanic transplanted from Vancouver & ross' shop) replaced the stock distributor with the electronic from East Coast Roadsters, swapped the coil, re & re'd rear bearings & seals - both sides. Those items were on the list, plus a few others, but he found a few other "deficiencies". Connection on the the gas tank outlet tube were cross threaded, tank straps were not snug so pads were replaced and threads repaired. Emergency Brake lever was installed incorrectly, so repaired; proper c clips installed, and rear breaks adjusted. Front end greased. Carbs were balanced as best as could be done ... sounds like the best answer is a carb rebuild it in the future ... I'll need to save up for that
Oh ... and a bonus. He found a few more horsepower. For free. Apparently, the throttle at the foot pedal wasn't connected correctly, so wasn't allowing the throttle to fully open up. No whiplash, but I feel like the car is performing more like a 2000 should kinda happy. Mike found a few other items to tackle ... nothing that will keep the car from being reliable and safe, but still items to do. This week looks like it will be cold & dry so hopefully I can get out & play a bit.
I've been recording my fuel volume & miles between each fill. It will be interesting to see the difference these new adjustments will make.

And of course, the most important correction...

... and because for some of us it's all about the details ...