Seeker > 620 KC

This is once a once a year event is by far my most favorite Datsun event! I can wander around and see great trucks and early Dats, get ideas, and ask attendees "how the hell did you do that?" And they'll tell me! But what other Datsun event can you go to and sit side by side with George Koepsel, who owned a Datsun dealership and knew Mr. K who ran Nissan?? And after hanging out and talking for an hour or so with George..he breaks out his scrap book full of pics of his dealership and staff with new 60's & 70's Datsuns in the background!,And there were couple pics of him shaking Mr. K's hand at Georges new dealership in Fontana 1968! He was impressed because Mr. K spoke good English for those times, and didn't require an interpreter. George still enjoys telling the stories of how the local Inland Empirev Datsun dealers came to be. He explained what the city and Nissan's criteria were to have a dealer in their city. The local cities with the first new Asian economical Honda dealers, also wanted a Datsun dealer in their towns to bring in commerce to businesses and car tax revenue to local government. He knew who the big sellers were and said Joe Vittone of the Riverside Asian multi mfgr dealer that I worked for had his hands in everything long before he started Empi VW racing parts. He told one storiy how his dealer had a paint & body shop. Nissan Japan early on and for a long time would tell dealers how many of each model vehicle they would get, and what colors, features like 5 speeds vs an automatic, etc. Sometimes his dealer got as few as 20 a vehicles month sometimes 40. Dealers would have to trade vehicles if they didn't have the one the customer wanted in stock, and it was always to the dealer in-needs detriment. If he needed a Z with a 5 speed, he'd also have to take in an unpopular color vehicle with an automatic. His Fontana Datsun dealer often had to paint a new car the color the customer wanted if they couldn't make a trade with another dealer for it. once they even painted a new 510 pink with an orange stripe??! And he had a pic of it too...Ugh. Nissan Japan once flew all the top producing dealer owners from all across the country to Hawaii. There Nissan filled up an entire plane with just dealer owners and then flew them to on to Japan where they were given tours of the manufacturing plant, then wined and dined them for two weeks! In his scrap book he had a photo of all the participants on the tarmac holding a Datsun banner with the shiny polished old style plane in the babackground that looked like a sleek polished aluminum airstream trailer. George enjoys hanging out with everybody and was willing to answer all our questions. He enjoys this meet so much he flies out from Florida where he lives now, just to attend! He is truly a treasure to experience and enjoy.He's up there in years, but is already looking forward to next years BBQ event. So If you haven't met him you might want to next year. Be sure to tell me to bug-off, if I'm hogging George ;) I also got to meet, re-meet, and hang out with Keith in his Chop-Top 620 KC,, Angela in her DD 510 wagon sporting a Ghetto Breeze AC (who got lots of AC guidance from everyone) met Tom, Danny, and Hosestop Brad, re-met NevTony, Gene and Charlie (thx for the health and great pain management advice Charlie!) and tried to twist Juan's arm into designing a rotary new compressor bracket for a 620 ( remember, your wife needs one for her 620 too Juan ;) It was a great time. Thank you SWDP for another memorable event!

Please do pass the info along to me. If he texts, calls, or emails give him my contact info. PM sent

Draker, Who is he? Ratsun guy? Would love to bounce a couple ideas off him.

I seriously agree with Matt if you just want to install dependable AC, and aren't concerned with originality in the engine bay or interior, and especially if you're not a Good AC tech. That way you get: a new compressor with new bearings, seals and clutch vs. one in unknown working condition new hoses with sheet metal hose clamps vs. having to reseal the ends of 35 year old hosed if they have O-rings, then have to test them New clean smelling evaporator with new wiring & expansion valve vs. cleaning and picking debris out of an old evap core and straightening the with bent fins, and testing the motor. New receiver drier - because the old ones are no good as soon as they are exposed to air for more than a day or two. (Get hoses and a drier with screw on ends - not hose clamps!) They'll support you with the general parts to bolt an air conditioner in a car. But you'll need to consider the other parts you'll need too.. For a Datsun... you more than likely won't get the mounting bracket for the compressor. You'll have to fabricate it or have it made. They may offer bracket parts for your fabrication. Ask before you buy! You might get the bolt on drive pulley for the crank if you want it on a separate belt, but I seriously doubt it. You won't get the hd radiator and full fan shroud you'll really need, especially if you live where it is hot (why else would you be buying an AC?) in a desert climate like Riverside/Berdoo, CA, Vegas, New Mex You won't get the multi-blade fan and clutch You won't get the sensor devices that increase engine speed and prevent the auto trans motor from stalling. If you want originality and you're a really experienced AC mechanic (or have access to one) and know all the parts to get... then by all means go out and pull an original Nissan unit or an aftermarket unit from a junkyard car. There are a lot more parts than just the inside evaporator unit with a working fan. And it takes a lot of time and patience to ensure you get all the parts, and without breaking them. Some parts need to be cleaned and reconditioned just like dash switches. Either way, it is a serious project. You have been informed :thumbup:

As far as I know... there weren't any OEM (Original Equipment Manufactured = by Nissan) AC units for a 521. Like the AC unit ed*hp has for sale, 521 AC units were all aftermarket, by Frigette, ARA, etc. I could be wrong, but I've never seen one in a service manual. Send me a link if or a pic if I'm wrong, as I like to stay updated.

He might not keep you warm at night anymore, but he'll get you cool in the future daytime??? That's one hell of a trade-off! And don't tell me Stanley's been in the family longer! lol

Told Ya Tony would show up before the SWDP BBQ.about fiberglass parts.

"A few hours"? "my husband helped manhandle"... lmao! The guy deserves a friggin medal! He certainly proved his love yesterday!

Much appreciated Gene. I'll be weighing it up day by day. I'm pretty sure driving my Dat will be out. Thanks for your kind wishes too Angela. Somehow I missed your post, sorry.

After the local fires scared me off from coming to this last year... I was really looking forward to driving my 80' 200SX to it event this year even without working AC and part of the dash missing. But, after a recent ambulance ride to the ER and pain meds that caused me to fall down... I finally got the word from my back specialist... I have a blown out lower disk, and a fragmented disk below that. No more parts picking or stripping trucks for me, and fusion surgery is in my near future. Prognosis is I'll be really fortunate if I can finish my 620 in many many short work periods. And at 6'4" I'll be even luckier if I'm able to drive it. This leaves me with a lot of 620/720 parts from my last picks , that I wasn't able to take to the last Eagle a Rock Swap Meet. PM me if you see something you need and I can bring it to bring to the BBQ. Need to get em gone before surgery. https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/pts/d/datsun-truck-parts/6237487095.html This may be the last event I can attend for some time, and I may not be able to drive the SX, but I'll be there for my truck fix!

It's really nice. Its early in the AM so it is typically not hot weather, just Inland away from the coastal overcast so its not cold. And and a nice mix of vehicles.

Parts all gone. Given away.

It is held the third Sunday of every month. That would make the next one Sunday August 20th

Very sharp wagon, and a nice photo with the bridge in the background. Being a guy who works for a city utility agency... I especially enjoy the Sewage Outfall sign growing out hood. The bike helmet vent on the roof is a close second. I'm thrilled I'm not the only one who takes pics like these.

You're absolutely right, but there's enough distance to the homes to give a distance barrier for the sound to dissipate some between the two. And I would hope they would have enough experience to know, if you move in next to a fairgrounds you're gonna have periodic event noise. In So Cal homes and businesses are a lot closer together. My point is don't hold an early AM event in a school parking lot or strip mall in close quarters to homes, and then get Pissed Off when cops arrive with noise complaints from the neighboring residents. This same good planning is what makes breweries so successful. The start ups breweries often open in industrial parks. There operating hours are the opposite of the daily businesses... they can have musiic, loud crowds noise, and have lots of avail parking... because the neighboring businesses are closed and there are no homes nearby. Loud mufflers, guys lighting up the tires, revving engines... no problem!

I picked parts off one of these out in a junkyard out in the desert this spring and forgot to look if it had some kind of rear sway bar on it. That's a hell of a lot of weight hanging off the ass end. It must of had something to help counter it, eh?

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/pts/d/datsun-parts/6237487095.html

I can see the new Imgur pics. Let me know if you can't.

Thanks! I'll see what I can do this weekend. A friend gave 300+ Hot rod type magazines from 1946-1968. I was street racing in 72-79 or so, and trends, advertising, and technology have sure changed. It was really interesting to see how different it was 30 years earlier. I thought it would be neat to start a thread posting some of the early advertisements to show other generations what they could get away with back then , how' racing has progressed, and what migraine names are still in biz today. Even in the 30,s guys liked to have girls with parasols posed next to their "rides, but they were completely covered up and had parasols, lol" But it will be a lot of scanning, maybe post 2-3 at a time?

It's been up a month, you just lag on your Ratsun time! :poke: In all seriousness I had a serious back injury that immobilized me for a few weeks. Now spending my time running from doctor to doctor, and trying to catch up with working. Been planning to check out the alternatives to see which photo site is as user friendly as Poop Bucket, or might be around longer. Want to spend as little time learning a new site as possible. Have any suggestions?

I love these events and sell at Eagle Rock regularly. (Was really bummed to miss the last one due to a serious back injury. I was hoping to get up to the Mantecca meet some time to sell, but think that dream is not going to happen. Maybe to shop some time!) I've always dreamed there could be a spring\ summer circuit where you could go on vacation from So Cal to WA or vice versa, vacationing, junky yard picking, and hitting one Datto event to the next. Kinda like following the Greatful Dead tour! :angel: Start In Canada or WA for what goes on then Canby & Blue Lake, go south to Nor Cal, then on to the Grand Canyon event, then to So Cal. I think the dates are already out of sync for that though. I'm from So Cal where you get charged for everything, and you can't rent a public space or have an event without some kind of liability... Some things you might want to consider to eliminate some trial and error... If you're not going to have "a car show" or at least a corral where folks can pay a couple dollars to park their cars in a safer area near the swap meet, where people of "like minds" could watch for people stealing emblems or parts off their cars... And you're going to gamble on 5 vendors to start off with... Who are you going to sell parts to if everyone is there to sell? And how are you going to pay for the lot rent &/or insurance? Maybe take a look at what makes the ER & Canby events such a success to get some ideas? ER: Multiple Freeway access to many metropolitan areas ER & Canby: away from residential areas where early morning trailer and parking noise isn't disturbing residents Revenue from datto car parking (aka coral,) huge social component for brainstorming, learning, making the event pay for itself. ER doesn't do contest/ trophys and it survives just fine. Maybe do a simple raffle vs. trophys? But make it from paid admissions instead of selling tickets? Pull a license plate number from a hat? Trade a vendor a prize donation vs. paying for his selling space to keep start-ups costs down? etc, etc? Just brain storming. Hope it helps?

I like fins...on fish. But not if they're screwed on. I agree with Franken D.... busy, busy, busy. But I also agree with Draker... if it trips your trigger, keep messing with it.

Does this event still meet when it falls on the ER Sunday?

I remember you 2wheel and thx again for the purchase. Thanks for your best wishes. Your timing couldn't have been any better for my pocket and my health. Still finding left over odds & ends parts for the carcass, Holler if you want em. For the project you described to me The ER Swap Meet is worth it for you to go to. Even just for a quick hour to walk thru. It would give you live ideas vs magazine pics, and you could swap names/contact info of people with similar design ideas. If the band of 720 truck guys show up with their altered bodies you might want to talk with them. Thanks Jose for your support! I did call that guy and we're going to connect after I heal. Don't forget to text/email me the pic/link of the brace we discussed. It sounded really interesting. Just a selfish idea, if you had 4 shows a year, I (and the others who have to miss only summer Swap Meet) wouldn't have to wait so long for the next and Best Datsun Swap Meet! Enough of my emotional Datsun pain and Datsun withdrawals. "Party On Wayne!

Screwed up my knee a few weeks back, and now right before ER my back put me in the Emergency Room for favoring the knee. Can lay down and kind of walk briefly, but can't sit. Just the thought of the 1 1/2 drive makes me hurt. Been laid up on pain meds and muscle relaxers all week, gotta do MRI's on both, missed work, and can't make it to sell 620 parts at this ER event. Was really looking forward to it and wanted to see everyone. And I have a bunch of 620 parts. I am soooo bummed out. Hope it turns out as good a show as usual for everyone! PM me if you can't your 620 parts from the other sellers. Seeker