metalmonkey47

That's me and a few others. Not so much a matter of being asleep at the wheel, but the group has been under CONSTANT spam attack for the last 8 months. We have 341 current join requests from the last 2 days alone and most of those are overseas accounts trying to share bullshit into the group. Since no one answers the questions when submitting a join request, it's virtually impossible to differentiate between what is a legitimate account and what is garbage. This is a consequence of Facebook's recent changes to how public groups function.

MERICA

I photograph cars and car parts. Ironically, it means I've gotten to meet Peter Brock, John Morton, Hiroshi Tamura, Toshio Yamashita, etc. Pretty rad fellows. DSC_5110-2.jpg by Z1 Motorsports, on Flickr DSC_5165.jpg by Z1 Motorsports, on Flickr

It's slowly dying. The rate they're going, it'll be dead in the next few years.

Alright, what did I miss? I've started toying with the idea of getting another 620 and have been watching for a really nice fairly original truck. This one popped up on Bring A Trailer and ended up selling for nearly $4000 as a non-running project truck. Granted, it is pretty nice. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1977-datsun-620-pickup-6/ Did I miss something? Did Jay Leno have a 620 on his show or something? PS: Don't get me wrong, I'm always stoked to see them appreciated and valued more, I'm just surprised at how much the values seem to have gone up.

Glad to see it's still alive. A post on Facebook had me worried we might have lost Ratsun.

haha fuck yeah. Those were great days.

Sad it's gone. I always dreamed of making it out there, but never found the time. For a solid 2-3 year run, I was drunk dialed at least once per year by Skib or the crew haha

You should just snag a NISMO head gasket, PN 11044-A7651. It has an 88.5mm bore. That's what I used on my LZ after having issues with other stock replacement gaskets. EDIT: That might be tough to get. They're out of production and the distribution centers show ZERO in stock.

That 38/38 is a way better option for that motor. I loved the way my 620 drove when I switched to the 38/38 on the LZ motor. The vacuum secondary sucked.

Thanks Kelmo! My lady has been bothering me for over a year for some step rails since I took the stock ones off. I'm taking it as permission to order a nice set of rock sliders haha Thanks Peter! I do work up at Z1, been here for many years now. How are you liking the new powertrain??

It's been mostly the same (visually) since then, other than the addition to a NISMO steel bumper and a much better front suspension. _8002699-HDR.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr DSC00400.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr DSC01932.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr DSC02442.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr DSC02438.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr

Stock didn't last long. It was on the dyno within the first week, tuned on 93 making a fair bit more power. Untitled by Matt Yates, on Flickr After that, we played the waiting game for parts. Ended up with a mild lift, and a nice set of mud terrains that suited its "party in the dirt" attitude. DSC_1216.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC5502.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC5497.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC8566.jpg by Z1 Motorsports, on Flickr _DSC8572.jpg by Z1 Motorsports, on Flickr _DSC8575.jpg by Z1 Motorsports, on Flickr

This thread is going to be my piss-poor attempt to try to be more active on Ratsun again. 90% chance it won't work but I'm gonna give it 10% effort! I impulse bought an Xterra mid-way through 2020, back when the world was ending and Covid was killing everyone in New York and California. My family always told me daily driving old Datsun's and my 350Z wasn't very adult, so I thought I'd prove to them that I could make a semi-good decision. Jokes on them. _DSC2985.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC2994.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC2995.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr _DSC3264.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr

DSC02607.jpg by Matt Yates, on Flickr

Bump. Add a couple years to that so you can feel even older now.

I don't see Ratsun as dead. I see it as different. Maybe slower now, but it's still better than the alternate....FB. I've been around since 2010, which was a hell of a long time ago now. I agree with the other observations that the heyday most certainly was around 2010-2013 before it started to fade a bit. People got busy, grew up, sold cars, bought cars, passed away (RIP Pumpkin) etc. Around 2015, I started a new job that kept me busier than ever. Ironically, it brought me closer to Datsuns and a different part of the community in my personal life, meeting people like Peter Brock, Toshio Yamashita, Matsuo-san, and John Morton. I sold my 240Z back in 2015 because I was getting too busy to pay any attention to it. It wasn't my daily driver anymore and I knew that if I kept it, it would just collect dust and rot. I refused to be like every other person that just got "too busy" so I found a great owner for my 240Z, sold it at a good price, and never looked back. The car is in great hands and I'm really happy about that. I've kicked around the idea of buying another Datsun and doing something cooler than ever, now that I have more money in my pocket but I'm just not sure what I want yet. Maybe I'll go buy my 620 back and piece it back together as it was when i sold it. Hell, I still have some of its parts. IDK. I come back here every once in a while and I'm happy to see all of you that are still here. I wish I had more time to hang out with you OG's. I miss the good 'ol forum days.

Here's a nice B-25 that I captured inside the flight deck of the Yorktown back in 2019. It was undergoing restoration work at the time, but I hear she's finished and flying now. Yorktown B25 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

All is well here. Life has been so busy in the past few years that the internet has been the last thing on my mind. Haven't had a Datto since 2015, but I've been around them ever since. Met Peter Brock and John Morton, hell I've even bad dinner with John Morton and his lady. I've been casually watching for nice projects for sale on the east coast the last few months. Hoping maybe the right one will pop up one day soon. I'll try to drop in more often. I miss you fuckers

Even I heard about it, and im never on here.

ATL here, not active and barely on in this phase of my life though 😂

Maybe I missed, what engine is going to power this thing? Guessing by the ECU it'll be KA or VG.

This is awesome. Love seeing this progress.