TAG Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 As a personal introduction to the Ratsun community, I'll start with a brief post about my 210 wagon that I recently inherited from my dear sister who is very ill, and can no longer drive it. She bought this car new, and it had only been driven 75,000 miles in 30 years. The car was driven regularly for about the first 15 years; after that, it was infrequently driven. She kept the car maintained, even though it sat in her driveway most of the time. When I first checked it out it had been sitting for a long time, but it had a new battery and started after several attempts. Even though the car had been outside for most of its life, the mild Northern California climate had been kind to the car. As far as I can tell so far, the car has absolutely no rust anywhere. Looking under the hood however, was quite a shock. The engine bay was completely filled with leaves and all manner of thriving flora and fauna! I could kick myself for not taking a photo of this scene with my Blackberry before I cleaned it out! The body was straight with the exception of a few dings. The interior was in excellent shape, with just one small crack in the dash pad, a small tear in the driver's side seat, and the carpet was slightly worn on the driver's side. After saying goodbye for now to my sister, my wife and I began the trip home to Las Vegas from Sacramento in the Datsun. We had a few things done to the car before the trip that would hopefully diminish the potential for mechanical trouble. The car got us home without incident, and I've pressed the car into regular service as my daily driver. The dramatic climate change from Sacramento to the desert inferno that is Las Vegas, took its toll quickly. The cooling system was just not up to the task of handling 110+ degree temps, and the A/C system (yes, it has factory air!) did a total melt-down after a week or so of the desert summer heat. Obviously I was going to have to put some work/money into the 210, if I expected any reliability and longevity from the car. That's when I thought about my friend Dennis Liongson, owner/operator of LDL Speed Shop located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dennis built my Integra Type R track car, and is one of the premier Honda race engine builders in the southwest. I've been a friend and customer of Dennis' since 2002; that's why I went to him with the 210 wagon project. I went over with Dennis some of the problems that had developed, and Dennis explained in detail what needed to be done to the car. He went on to say that he grew up working on 70's/80's Datsuns and Toyotas, and still maintains some vintage Datsun and Toyota rally cars for independent rally teams; I knew I had come to the right place. Here's a list of what has been done to the car so far: Engine/Drivetrain Remove about 50 lbs. of California pollution control crap (I mean stuff) from the A14. Custom made shift-linkage bushing for the 5 speed. New Weber dual-throat downdraft carb All new belts and hoses Remove the fan clutch and fan New Intake manifold gasket New distributor vaccuum advance Cooling System (Redesigned from A to Z) New water pump and low temp thermostat Extreme 1500 CFM 15 AMP cooling fan (normally used for off-road racing/rally cars) We had to install a separate relay direct to the battery for this fan! It sounds like a jet engine from inside the car LOL! But it does what it's supposed to do. Electronic variable temperature control for the fan New custom made radiator, designed around the fan size; the fan covers the entire radiator core. A/C components Replaced EVERY A/C component under the hood (oh my god, $$$) hoses, compressor and clutch, hoses, condenser, dryer, etc. Interior New carpet throughout the car Driver's seat reupholstered Dark window tint all-around I haven't done anything to the body yet; but I plan to have the car repainted by California Auto Body here in Las Vegas. They painted another of my cars, and did a flawless job. I also plan to have the Datsun/Indy slotted mags refinished as time (and money) allow. Here are a couple pics; I'll post more in the next day or so, including more of the interior. Here's an overview of the redesigned cooling system Here's all the pollution stuff that came off the car. The car has significantly improved acceleration with the removal of this stuff, the addition of the Weber carb, and the removal of the engine driven fan. Thanks for looking... Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Old red? Damn, that thing is clean, more like New Penny! Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Old red? Damn, that thing is clean, more like New Penny! Thanks, people do stop and comment about the car. Usually something like "wow, I haven't seen one of those for years!" Quote Link to comment
Zeusimo Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 That's Squeaky Clean!!! Now LOAR IT!! :P Quote Link to comment
Wide14u Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 she is pretty i like it alot Quote Link to comment
Ken_B Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 That thing is beautiful!! Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 That's Squeaky Clean!!! Now LOAR IT!! :P Lol, I daily drove a car for 5 years that was VERY low to the ground; what a pain that was! It was necessary to take driveways at an angle, etc. The 210 likes to wag its tail on the freeway when it’s windy. My mechanic says I should get some Tokico gas shocks, a rear sway bar, and wider tires and rims to resolve this. If I go with coilovers, it may get lowered just a bit. :cool: Quote Link to comment
Dave7 Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 That is a real beauty - I love the slot mags too. Quote Link to comment
deadmonkey Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 reminds me of my '82 Toyota Corolla Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks for the comments! Quote Link to comment
vegas810 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 can u pm me the info for that guy by the race track? is he reasonable? or way expensive? most of us ratsuneers are on a budget hehe, wives always complain. i will appreciate ur help, im interesed in knowin what he can do for my goon, lots of hoses and lots of smog stuff. did urs pass smog by the way? Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 can u pm me the info for that guy by the race track? is he reasonable? or way expensive? most of us ratsuneers are on a budget hehe, wives always complain. i will appreciate ur help, im interesed in knowin what he can do for my goon, lots of hoses and lots of smog stuff. did urs pass smog by the way? Hi Vegas810, The shop name is LDL Speed Shop, located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dennis Liongson is the owner/operator, and his phone number is 702-643-9768. Dennis is reasonable, especially considering the quality of his work. I can understand the budget thing, Lol. The 210 passed the tail-pipe smog test without issue. Quote Link to comment
vegas810 Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Hi Vegas810, The shop name is LDL Speed Shop, located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dennis Liongson is the owner/operator, and his phone number is 702-643-9768. Dennis is reasonable, especially considering the quality of his work. I can understand the budget thing, Lol. The 210 passed the tail-pipe smog test without issue. Thanks, I have to take my wagon up to him to have it checked out. Quote Link to comment
dat77sun Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 damn that thing is clean as hell :cool: Quote Link to comment
RAlly_DatoB210 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 more like showroom perfect red! saran wrap it and hide in a garage someplace far far away form this forum or you'll wind up with mismatched doors and body panels a 6 inch body drop scraping every time you shift and if you sit in those seats more than a hundred times they will split and explode! oh and avoid direct sunlight rain adverse road conditions or general driving or else it'll rust out all the chrome will pit and your dash will split... am i forgetting something? nah this is ratsun disregard all of that and have fun with the thing. nice ride! Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 more like showroom perfect red! saran wrap it and hide in a garage someplace far far away form this forum or you'll wind up with mismatched doors and body panels a 6 inch body drop scraping every time you shift and if you sit in those seats more than a hundred times they will split and explode! oh and avoid direct sunlight rain adverse road conditions or general driving or else it'll rust out all the chrome will pit and your dash will split... am i forgetting something? nah this is ratsun disregard all of that and have fun with the thing. nice ride! Lol!! I've found that if you take very good care of a car and fix things before or immediately after they break, it will last a very long time. Datsuns are no exception to that, as a matter of fact they are a perfect example of that philosophy. When I got the car, it had 75k on the clock, now it has 83k, mostly highway miles. The wagon was quite a pup when I first got it, (about 65mph top speed) but after LDL Speed Shop worked their magic it will do 80mph down the freeway with the A/C on without breaking a sweat. As for things beginning to wear, the dash pad now has 4 cracks as compared to the one when I got it and the seat fabric is showing some wear, so I guess I've reached and surpassed the 100th time in the driver's seat! As for saran wrapped cars I have two that might fit that description, which is plenty. Thanks for your insight into the psyche of the overly anal car enthusiast; I think we all think like that from time to time! Quote Link to comment
RAlly_DatoB210 Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Thanks for your insight into the psyche of the overly anal car enthusiast; I think we all think like that from time to time! oh was me one i first bought mine. had turtle wax on ever surface inside and out and i remember the days when people would stop me at gas stations etc and tell me how nice of shape it was in or that they used to have one... those days are long gone for me now lol. seats got obliterated by my puppy but there wasnt much left after highschool adventuring and tons of randoms thrown on them. some how the dash only has one crack still must be the Washington cloud cover. as for the rest of the car i mechanically keep everything running top shape and is stock down to the exhaust. had stock white walls when i drove it home. stock windshield wipers and rubber too. dont clear the windows well but the bragging right is there. (car was never driven in the rain by po) but its starting to get eaten up by sea air and rust. :( it already coming through the paint i tore part of the trunk seal out on accident and those clips are impossible to realign. gone through some trans and im going to slamm it on a secondary suspension from another wrecked car. so the days of stock are gone and it hurts to see it die away but what are cars for anyways? to have fun if you ask me. and ima do just that. came dent free and that changed too fast but im a proud datsun member and love every adventure in it. never let me down. Quote Link to comment
RAlly_DatoB210 Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Thanks for your insight into the psyche of the overly anal car enthusiast; I think we all think like that from time to time! oh was me one i first bought mine. had turtle wax on ever surface inside and out and i remember the days when people would stop me at gas stations etc and tell me how nice of shape it was in or that they used to have one... those days are long gone for me now lol. seats got obliterated by my puppy but there wasnt much left after highschool adventuring and tons of randoms thrown on them. some how the dash only has one crack still must be the Washington cloud cover. as for the rest of the car i mechanically keep everything running top shape and is stock down to the exhaust. had stock white walls when i drove it home. stock windshield wipers and rubber too. dont clear the windows well but the bragging right is there. (car was never driven in the rain by po) but its starting to get eaten up by sea air and rust. :( it already coming through the paint i tore part of the trunk seal out on accident and those clips are impossible to realign. gone through some trans and im going to slamm it on a secondary suspension from another wrecked car. so the days of stock are gone and it hurts to see it die away but what are cars for anyways? to have fun if you ask me. and ima do just that. came dent free and that changed too fast but im a proud datsun member and love every adventure in it. never let me down. Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted September 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Well, it's been a long time since I posted in this thread. About three months ago, my car was parked in front of a shop waiting to get a problem with the A/C sorted out. During this time some guy driving a Hummer (who was not even the shop's customer) drives into one of their bays and requests to have air put in his tires. They do this for him, and he immediately proceeds to back out of their bay totally oblivious to what was around him, backs through the traffic lane and right into my parked Datsun. We think he would have tried to run, were it not for two of the shop's employees being eye witnesses to the incident. I'll avoid the details with the insurance companies; suffice it to say they totaled the car. His 8,000 lb Hummer crushed the lift gate and the left rear quarter panel. No damage to his Hummer of course. I was having the A/C worked on at a shop that knows how to repair old A/C systems, and who also happens to be called Nuncio Rod and Custom; a show-quality paint and body shop. Now for the better news, the total-out for the car mostly covered the repair, and with some infusion of cash, The little red 210 wagon has been resurrected. All necessary body work done, sporting a premium two stage paint job she gleams like a jewel in the sun. The color is a 2011 Honda color, but it closely approximates the original Datsun single stage paint color. I'll have collected $1500 from the insurance companies once my insurance collects my $500 deductable form the other insurance company. So now the guys at Nuncio are back at the A/C problem. They made the little wagon look better than new, so now I need to step up my game with the interior and do a couple things to meet the new overall standard of the car! I'll post some new photos when I can. The dash will be coming out to check the evaporator, so I may need to wait a bit on the photos or just take some exterior shots. I was shocked by how good the car looked, with every ding removed and the color-sanded and polished paint! That's all for now. Quote Link to comment
Jimmyray73 Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Further proof that Hummers are a good thing in the bedroom or on the living room sofa, but no good on the street... Quote Link to comment
Pumpkn210 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 What happened to the front clip? those are rare and a sweet easy swap for the 80-82! Quote Link to comment
sunny310 Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 another CLEAN wagon. i love it! Quote Link to comment
blownb310 Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 We'd love to see some pics of the car now that it's been repainted. Cool car! Mike Quote Link to comment
TAG Posted March 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 We'd love to see some pics of the car now that it's been repainted. Cool car! Mike No problem Mike here's one, I'll post a few more over the weekend. Quote Link to comment
ofg Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Very nice. Ima save the pic of the dash and use it to restore my own 210! Quote Link to comment
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