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Post by stan on Oct 11, 2012 9:59:01 GMT
I know its not Rover but man does not live by English Rust alone!  This is Doris my 1974 Datsun 100a - when is the last time you saw one of these?  Not quite a barn find more a 'lock up find'! I drove all the way to Scotland just outside Edinburgh to save it from the scrappers. The guy had purchased it for his daughter, but for whatever reason she never used it, subsequently its been in the lock up since 1991! Everything works, the metal is actually better than it looks. It seems to have been serviced before being laid up and came with a brand new back bumper(in the garage for now) Only 3 owners all within a 5 mile radius of each other. 32,000 miles from new. Yes it needs some bodywork and I will respray it but it wants to live. Starts on the button everytime I put a battery on it and quirt some petrol in. There was a yellow one in the 70's on our street, the only new car! No wood or leather but the materials (other than the rustproofing of course) are very good quality. I know it was a budget car at the time but better made than most. It was Ziebarted and helped save it I think? It just needs a bit of help to get back on its feet and of course will be my 'modern' daily drive when its ready. There is a 'lifetime guarantee from Kwik fit' for the exhaust which looked new - well from 1991 anyway! Do you think they will honour that today? ;D       |
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Post by bebopdeluxe on Oct 11, 2012 14:00:00 GMT
Crikey that takes me back  |
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Post by stan on Oct 11, 2012 21:15:57 GMT
Hehe , its my mid life crisis, some want Porsches I fancied a Datsun!
I dont know why but my fleet seems to be biased to the early 70's?
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Post by Kev on Oct 12, 2012 6:36:29 GMT
Ah Bless, your right you don't see these around anymore.
A 240/260Z is a barn find i'm waiting on....
Stan, what size trousers are you?
I have a few pairs without the knees out of them that your welcome to have ;-))
Big Kev.
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Post by djm16 on Oct 12, 2012 7:27:56 GMT
Marked resemblance to both a Morris Marina and Austin Allegro, both of which deserve to rot.
Yours however is cute.
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Post by stan on Oct 12, 2012 7:51:42 GMT
Thanks Big Kev well spotted - they are the latest craze - people dont know it yet!
My 'past useful life now DIY and working on cars pants!' Do you like the safety boots same colour tan as the Rover seat incidentally!
240Z rot even quicker than 100a's! I want one also but they are a bit expensive these days?
djm16 - I love Marina's and Allegro's they are so bad they are good! I almost got an Marina coupe when I was 17 but ended up with a Beetle and never looked back!
The 100A is my Ford Mustang on small scale!
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Post by Warwick on Oct 13, 2012 5:02:57 GMT
I don't think the 100A was sold in Australia, but they were very common in Singapore and Malaysia in the late '70s. I hadn't seen one until then.
The earlier Datsuns were better than some of the later ones. They used to build the 180B and 200B here.
Do you know the difference between a 180B and a 200B?
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Post by stan on Oct 13, 2012 8:26:33 GMT
The 200B was the successor to 180B with a bigger
Engine and other improvements.
Think you are correct about the 100a doubt there would have been demand for a small economy car at that time in Australia? Its got a big car culture has'nt it?
The 100a was a development of the mini. In fact a lot of the engines Datsun produced were in fact copies of British A and B series engines and I am reliably informed are a straight swap. What surprised me with my 100a (Cherry) it uses Lucas bullet connectors and yet none of them are corroded or falling apart like the actual Lucas ones! Typical Japanese they take an idea amd well make it work well! Hahaha
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Post by Multi-Tech on Oct 13, 2012 16:10:04 GMT
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Post by stan on Oct 13, 2012 16:14:48 GMT
Haha thats a real barn find!
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Post by stan on Oct 13, 2012 16:21:43 GMT
Remember the last time you sat on black plastic seats in a small car!
When the weather was hot for that one weekend I was sitting inside it and well lets say the plan is to make fabric covers to slip over the seats.
If I ever need to fry eggs I know where I can do it with out a cooker!!
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Oct 13, 2012 18:58:18 GMT
I learned to drive in a Datsun 240K GT Skyline (on private land i might add).It was my mothers car,which was then passed down to my brother,and i hoped one day would come to me. I remember my brother had soft spot for racing capris, the look on the drivers faces as we left them standing . Sadly if you left it in a quite spot you could hear it rusting, so it was scrapped,and i remember going to my local scrappies to get some parts for my Renault 12,and the boys there were racing up the road in it doing hand brake turns and wheelspins with big grins,it did go real well. The next time i saw it there, they were ripping the engine and box out with a gas axe  . A sad end to a car which had a big part in my growing up,they were rare then,and more so now. It had covered well over 170,000 miles, and never failed once. |
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Oct 13, 2012 19:19:21 GMT
It is in a barn ;D  |
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Post by stan on Oct 13, 2012 19:28:24 GMT
Datsuns were always underrated shame they never properly protected the metal against the uk climate otherwise they would still be here today! Thanks for that story, shame but you never know there might be some still around? Join the Datsun owners forum, good guys on there and someone might have one for sale at reasonable price.
I like the Rover in a proper barn! ;-)
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Oct 13, 2012 20:04:19 GMT
My bro and i looked at one a few years back,one owner from new 50,000 miles,same color as the last one,sounded too good to be true, and it was. The body,interior,and mechanics were spot on, the underside and front end were totally shot,they must have had an agreement with the M.O.T man, as it had an mot, but we did not drive it,it was dangerous and should not have been on the road.
Anyway the wife would not be pleased if i bought more junk as she calls them. But i do fancy another MK 1 Granada
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Post by stan on Oct 13, 2012 20:16:40 GMT
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Post by Warwick on Oct 15, 2012 3:30:08 GMT
I don't think the 100A was sold in Australia, but they were very common in Singapore and Malaysia in the late '70s. I hadn't seen one until then. The earlier Datsuns were better than some of the later ones. They used to build the 180B and 200B here. Do you know the difference between a 180B and a 200B? The 200B was the successor to 180B with a bigger engine and other improvements. Think you are correct about the 100a doubt there would have been demand for a small economy car at that time in Australia? Its got a big car culture hasn't it? No, the correct answer is - 20 mistakes. The 180B was a good car. The 200B wasn't a worthy successor. Plenty of small cars here. Always have been. |
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Post by stan on Oct 15, 2012 7:34:46 GMT
Hmm maybe by then Nissan had completely taken over? Even in mine you can see the 'N' Logo on the dash.
I have to say I was never a fan of Nissans and yet in the past 10 years I have probably had more Nissans than any other car! They got better .
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. A sad end to a car which had a big part in my growing up,they were rare then,and more so now. It had covered well over 170,000 miles, and never failed once.