So, I found the 710 of my dreams... time for a cross-country trip!

[Will]

I sent a message to someone on this site that had a 710 that was just like the car I was looking for (ZX 5-speed! 74 hardtop! White interior! ...not GREEN, but at least not a boring color) to see if they had any leads on a car like theirs on the market, and they offered to sell me their car. Hooray!

 

So it looks like I'll be flying out west near the end of the month and then driving back with my brother who lives in Los Angeles. He'll be driving his Jetta, so I'll have a bit of security if the car breaks down... and besides, this will be my seventh time driving cross country. ...and two of those California-New York trips were in a '76 Gremlin, so I should be okay, right?

 

So, I'm looking for suggestions on what to bring for my emergency roadside repair Datsun survival kit. L18, ZX 5-Speed. ...what's gonna explode?

 

And I need to pick up a few parts along the way, so If you have some extra 710 parts laying around, or want to show a weary traveler around your local junkyard with 710's, I need:

74 hardtop front bumper

rear package tray (that's what the panel is called that is between the top of the back seat and the window, right?)

rear springs (the ones on the car had a bit too much of their arc removed, so now the driveshaft bonks the driveline tunnel sometimes.)

dashboard bezel that hasn't been hacked for a radio.

 

I have a set of instruments that I pulled out of a 710 in a Finnish junkyard to offer in trade. With a tach! And a metric speedometer, so you can pretend that you're going 150% faster!

 

 

IMG_2340 by willkrause, on Flickr

[ggzilla]

Congrats! I would take a spare set of points/condensor and a spare throttle cable (if they use a cable). Otherwise... it's a Datsun, no explosions...

[Will]

It's been converted to electronic ignition, so I should be free from roadside dwell adjustments... though I'll add a throttle cable to my list - thanks for the suggestion!

 

 

 

Congrats! I would take a spare set of points/condensor and a spare throttle cable (if they use a cable). Otherwise... it's a Datsun, no explosions...

 

 

 

[zerow]

It's been converted to electronic ignition, so I should be free from roadside dwell adjustments... though I'll add a throttle cable to my list - thanks for the suggestion!

710s, much like 610s, are linkage driven. You are completely in the clear.

 

What would I bring? Bring a small spool of 12 gauge wire, a sheet of 240 grit sandpaper, a can of Fix-A-Flat, a can of carb cleaner (the harmful to the environment kind, it doubles as a great starting fluid ;) ), air filter, full set of spark plugs, plug wires, a couple quarts of oil, a quart of transmission fluid (or gear oil, depending on the transmission type), and the obvious tool kit.

 

A few things to check on the way out into the wild blue yonder:

Check the ground on the Electronic Distributor. If you have the time, remove the matchbox and use the sandpaper to clean the back of the matchbox and the spot where it makes contact on the distributor body itself.

Check the terminals on the coil for corrosion

Check the battery terminals

Check the connections at the alternator

Spray some carb cleaner in the carb while running. get it clean. you want to see how well it performs on a long distance trip, and high velocity air will help keep things clean.

 

Enjoy the ride! Where is your trip due to take you? I am sure keeping us informed along your route will help us to help you should you need it :)

[Will]

Here's the itinerary so far:

 

 

San Francisco : Sacramento : Detroit : Syracuse : New York City

 

Hopefully that big gap between Sacramento and Detroit can be filled with tourist trap photo opportunities in front of giant fiberglass Paul Bunyans and Dinosaurs, and trips to western junkyards.

 

[zerow]

Here's the itinerary so far:

 

 

San Francisco : Sacramento : Detroit : Syracuse : New York City

 

Hopefully that big gap between Sacramento and Detroit can be filled with tourist trap photo opportunities in front of giant fiberglass Paul Bunyans and Dinosaurs, and trips to western junkyards.

There was a 710 wagon closer to me (east of Los Angles by 60 miles) I do not know if it is still there. It would have the springs and (last I checked) the dash bezel.

[izzo]

Here's the itinerary so far:

 

 

San Francisco : Sacramento : Detroit : Syracuse : New York City

 

Hopefully that big gap between Sacramento and Detroit can be filled with tourist trap photo opportunities in front of giant fiberglass Paul Bunyans and Dinosaurs, and trips to western junkyards.

 

 

:rofl: @ dinosaurs

 

[Will]

Aw - I was planning on going to LA first, but my brother is meeting me in San Francisco and we'll head east from there.

 

Thanks for the detailed survival kit list too!

There was a 710 wagon closer to me (east of Los Angles by 60 miles) I do not know if it is still there. It would have the springs and (last I checked) the dash bezel.

[mike]

Check/change your gear oil in the rear end and the tranny before you take off and wipe it clean underneath/powerwash it at a carwash before you hit the road. You will *know* that they are full and you will be able to easily spot any leaks. Also check to make sure that your front wheel bearings are in good shape. It wouldnt be a bad idea to hit every grease zerk under the car too. If youve got the spare cash and want to take it to a shop, get them to let you have a look underneath while it is on the lift.

 

A little preventative maintenance will give you more time to take a bunch of pictures of your trip to post up here when you get back :cool:

[bonvo]

i cant think of much to add to what has already been mentioned except FUSES and lots of them the glass type are known to be bad out of the box so a bunch of extras would be a good idea and check the coolant make sure its full and not rust colored also a pack of zip ties and a roll of duct tape just to be sure does it have a working radio? if not bring a boom box long car rides get really really boring really fast when there is no tunes

[ggzilla]

take a handful of ZIP ties, I used a bunch of em when I flew to LA and drove my pickup back to Seattle. For securing those loose things like license plate, muffler, etc.

[Will]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

 

Zip ties, OF COURSE! And I'll add some bailing wire to the list too, in case the exhaust system decides to become unhinged.

 

I think I'll be able to post some photos while I'm on the road, so those should start appearing after I fly west on the 26th.

 

-Will

[Will]

One of my favorite parts of getting a new car: The ceremonial Haynes manual purchase!

 

 

IMG_6403 by willkrause, on Flickr

[darrel]

When is this road trip?,,, oops, saw it.

 

Too bad you didn't set it up a week later.

 

oh, and get a water pump.

[DatDoug]

Check the tires b4 u leave. Not only air-pressure but for dry cracking. A blowout @ 70mph is not fun :blink: Make sure u av a good spare tire & jack-lug wrench. Make sure you have some gum for minty fresh breath cuz when the ladies see u rollin in that sexy 7dimer its gunna be on :cool:

[Will]

Picked up some plates today, so everything will be nice and legal.

 

 

plates0001 by willkrause, on Flickr

[Jassifrass]

:thumbup:

[Will]

Once in college my brother bought a $200 Volvo 240 wagon that was dubbed "The Junkyard Dog." It had silver aluminum tape covering all of the giant rust holes, and was never was properly registered - it just had some Texas commercial license plates he found at a thrift store. It konked out once on I-95 and a cop offered to push the car to the shoulder... I had to quickly open the tailgate so he wouldn't notice our obviously invalid plates. Whew!

 

I've grown older and wiser since then. No more photocopying Michigan license plate stickers onto colored paper and sticking them to a plate with clear tape. (It's easy! in Michigan you only need one plate instead of a matching pair! But don't do it! It's illegal!)

 

:thumbup:

 

 

 

[Will]

Okay, I'm finally in California, and I'll be picking up the 710 today (along with a front bumper and some other parts from a nearby Ratsun member!)

 

The radiator on the car I was borrowing blew out the day before I left, so it needed to put a new one into the car so that I could return the car and get to the airport. I was giving the car a good washing to thank the owner, and I rinsed away some corrosion that was holding the radiator together. Jeez!

 

And then my second flight got cancelled after I landed in Detroit, so it took me four flights to get from Syracuse to San Francisco, and I arrived 14 hours late. At least I had some time to read the service manual while I waited in the airports.

 

Hopefully the return voyage will go more smoothly!

[datzenmike]

Once in college my brother bought a $200 Volvo 240 wagon that was dubbed "The Junkyard Dog." It had silver aluminum tape covering all of the giant rust holes, and was never was properly registered - it just had some Texas commercial license plates he found at a thrift store. It konked out once on I-95 and a cop offered to push the car to the shoulder... I had to quickly open the tailgate so he wouldn't notice our obviously invalid plates. Whew!

 

I've grown older and wiser since then. No more photocopying Michigan license plate stickers onto colored paper and sticking them to a plate with clear tape. (It's easy! in Michigan you only need one plate instead of a matching pair! But don't do it! It's illegal!)

 

 

:lol: I remember the first year the validation sticker came out in Ontario. Canadian Tire had red reflective tape from 3M that was exact. I trimmed a piece and used a sticky label for the center, scribbled some numbers on it and threw dirt on it. Drove for 3 months befor the motor blew on the '65 Pontiac. :lol:

[Will]

This morning I set the idle speed, adjusted the valves, and un-lowered the rear leaf springs (one of the leafs was inverted, but I turned it rightside-up again... the driveshaft bumped the tunnel when I was driving on the highway, so it was too low for me)

 

Everything was going okay until I'd gotten about 175 miles south and suddenly the power cut out - I hadn't touched the key, but the engine suddenly died and all of the gauges went to zero.

 

Right now I'm stranded somewhere near Bakersfield - I'm going to get some much-needed sleep and see if I can get it running again in the morning...hopefully there will be some suggestions for stuff to try so that I can sort out my electrical woes.

 

I started a new thread in the electrical section to try and get some help:

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/32192-urgent-help-needed-stranded-710-in-ca/

[Will]

I got the car running again, and drove 650 miles today to make up for lost time.

 

The whole southwest is very very windy.

 

 

 

[ggzilla]

nice, i still remember driving my pickup back 1,000 miles. best wishes on your trip.

[davev55]

Glad to hear your back on the road,and your right about the wind its been terrible here.

[zerow]

Keep us in the loop...Sounds like an epic road trip! Take oics along the way!