datzenmike Posted September 30, 2007 Report Share Posted September 30, 2007 After working on Datsuns off and on since about '75 I've got to say the engineering is pretty darn good, in some cases exceptional. Having said that, I can think of at least one thing that was installed on my truck (early 510s too) that is absolutely useless in it's operation. Maybe they had to do this to satisfy some N Am regulation I dunnow. Anyway I was thinking that there may be more things that others out there have found to be, well, poorly thought out by the makers maybe even stupid actually. Anyone find a favorite WTF???? on their Datsun? Tell me about it. Quote Link to comment
Green Bastard Posted September 30, 2007 Report Share Posted September 30, 2007 4" wide wheels on a 510. Great way to make use of that "race inspired" suspension design.:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment
OL YELLER Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 620 dash dimmer light switch......can't see em anyway, why would I want em dimmer? Quote Link to comment
theianmonster Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Datsun's need to put bolts in places you can't get a wrench. :mad: Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 620 dash dimmer light switch......can't see em anyway, why would I want em dimmer? That's the one!!! Totally unnecessary but the regs say there has to be one. The bolts that hold the 620 bed. Instead of tacking on with weld so they won't turn when un-tightening, they put little tabs that bend out of the way when turning the rusty nut and bolt and it spins anyway. Front bumper. Looks great, love it for the style. Don't ever 'bump' anything with it. It's held on with tiny bolts and two thin pieces of metal that can barely hold it up in place, not to mention the tiny bolt to each fender that will deform it if it's hit at all. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 4" wide wheels on a 510. Great way to make use of that "race inspired" suspension design.:rolleyes: Probably bias ply nylon back then .... barely adequate. Radials weren't mainstream untill '72-'73 on new cars. My new '76 B 210 had nylon rubber bands on it. When they were done I put El Cheapo radials on, best thing ever. Quote Link to comment
copacetickid Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 fuckin seat belt buzzer... Quote Link to comment
dat521gatherer Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 521's most be the only model on the planet without door jamb light switches! yeah i know they were an option, but i've never seen a 521 with them. ever tried to turn your dome light off after the doors are locked. i installed some 620 dome switches on my 521 and it was the best upgrade i ever did. Quote Link to comment
Guest 510kamikazifreak Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Points Dizzys ;) Quote Link to comment
dat521gatherer Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 ever notice how the design of the original tailgate chains on 521's let them jump right off the truck and then down between the tailgate and bed only to hit the road and never be seen again. only works without the slip covers. it's harder to find them with the covers if you can find them at all. Quote Link to comment
dat521gatherer Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 the 521 front wheel cylinders only have 50 places to leak from between the hose and cylinder. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 fuckin seat belt buzzer... If you always wear them it's annoying. If you never wear them it's annoying. Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 A few of my own wtf's... 521- the 2 speed wipers...the high speed is almost the same as the slow speed 320- the small pins that hold the door & window cranks on, they fall out & get lost 620- not Datsun's falut but why do the PO tweekers mess w/ the factory wiring trying to hook up useless crap /disable the truck when they get sent to prison so nobody can steal it :confused: Quote Link to comment
Green Bastard Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Probably bias ply nylon back then .... barely adequate. Radials weren't mainstream untill '72-'73 on new cars. The US and its tire manufacturers took even longer than that to go with radials. It was late 70's before most new cars had them, and 82 was the first year that all new cars finally did stateside. Car companies were too lazy to redesign suspensions, and lazy tire companies said that consumers wouldn't like the "harsh" ride of radials. Never mind that radial technology had been in use since the 50's elsewhere. Even with bias ply tires, I still think we could have had a little wider wheel to start with. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I remember the ''74 Monte Carlo having a metal patch on the dash that said "Radial tuned Suspension". Started around '72 I think, and the ride isn't harsh (even if they said so) it was a bit softer than what people were usud to. Sway bars were needed. Quote Link to comment
Bleach Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 No sway bars on the 78-79 trucks even though the earlier ones had sway bars. And if you're going to manufacture front disc brakes on 510's and Z's starting as early as 1968, then why not start at least in 1973 on the new 620 model? Who needs 4-wheel drum brakes?! Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 That you have to adjust constantly...wtf is that... Glad mine will have 4-wheel disc :D Quote Link to comment
copacetickid Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 no parking brake then? Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Yes, I will have a parking brake...and it will only need to be adjusted once ;) Quote Link to comment
Bleach Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 no parking brake then? why? There are other cars out there that have 4-wheel disc and a parking brake from the factory. Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 I take exception that some of those are "Useless Features" since the sole reason for some of those listed was to reduce cost. Just because something new has come out doesn't mean it gets used right away... Datsun had EFI in 1975, but trucks didn't get it until 1986 1/2. They had OHC engines in 1967, but still used pushrods in some vehicles until at least 1983. Drum brakes and points ignition were perfectly good setups for their time, and cost a whole heck of a lot less. It doesn't make sense to add a couple thousand dollars in frills to a couple thousand dollar vehicle. For the brakes it simply took Nissan engineers that long to perfect the disc-brake front on a vehicle that had such a wildly different load characteristic. Roadsters, Zs, and 510s all basically have the same front/rear bias under most load conditions, but the trucks could go from having a 1700 front/800 rear weight to 1950/2050 bias. It wasn't easy to design a proportioning system that also had to deal with the wildly different operation of disc/drum. I've driven trucks that had front disc/rear drum that had little consideration for weight bias- empty the rear brakes lock up very, very easy. Loaded, the fronts lock up. Heck, they STILL don't use rear disc brakes in the trucks, and Nissan had 4 wheel disc setup in 1979 in the ZX. EI was the same thing- the ONLY reason Nissan switched was because of US smog laws which required the smog components to have consistent output, which points don't do because of the dwell change as they wear. Nissan went with EI in 1975-6 in California because Cali has higher smog standards, but the additional components added around $500 to the base price. My pet peeve that falls in the above categories is the rearview mirror. Every Datsun model from about 1975 had day/night mirrors EXCEPT the 620 (and the B210, maybe). The 720 did have them of course. Once again, this is a "frill" that would have been nice to have but was unnecessary. However, I agree on the dash light dimmer (added in 1975, in the hole that was used for the manual choke on non-North American spec trucks) since the lights are so dim anyway. I've seen cars where I've needed the lights dimmed down though. 620s aren't one of them. It was added due to DOT regs in 1975, along with the EGR warning light. Hey- feel glad that Trucks weren't required to have the other DOT mandated change for 1976 that cars did have... the seatbelt interlock. Also, the underhood light. It's a bare bulb, too small to really light up the engine compartment, and Nissan had a better design anyway (the Zs remote trouble light). 720s got the Z type light. The door locks that can only be locked with the door shut. This was for cost, of course- the trucks used a much simpler latch system than the cars did. I mean, it's nice that you can't lock your keys in the truck, but it puts extra wear on an already overly weak lock system that got sticky and hard to use within 5 years. They switched the latch type for the 720. The hazard switch that has to be pushed instead of pulled... unlike the rest of the Datsun family which used a pull type with "Flash" function. Also, the hazard light warning lamp, which is so dark it's hard to tell that it's on. Oh, another American thing... Km/H markings (1977-) on the speedometer that are so small you need reading glasses to read, and are blue so you can't see them at all in the dark under the dim dash lighting. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 why? There are other cars out there that have 4-wheel disc and a parking brake from the factory. Yeah, the 2nd gen 200sx for sure and the '85 200sx turbo. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 .and someday my 620 :D Quote Link to comment
Bleach Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Yeah, the 2nd gen 200sx for sure and the '85 200sx turbo. even the 280ZX starting in 1979. :) Use factory rear calipers from another production vehcile to keep a parking brake. If you go with Willwoods then maybe you don't get that feature. Most of us dont' spend $2500 on a set of brakes though. :rolleyes: Strangely.... now that I think about it that's kind of cheap. Use Brembos that came on many 350Z's and G35 commonly sell for $2000 a set.... yes, that's used! Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Good thing mine came with my car :eek: Quote Link to comment
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