Ramblings of an old guy

[hitch]

I love reading the threads on Ratsun. Some people tear into their car or truck and completely change everything to their taste. People like me, struggle to change up a very stock version. I for some reason, struggle with changes, seems I've seen every fad and don't want to follow. Speaking in small foreign car terms. The 70's was the road race era, stripes, alloys, air dams and small tastefull wings. The 80's was slam everything and put god awful body kits on cars and trucks. The 90's sprung the giant wings and cool boys painting the brake drums on their econo boxes. The 00's is full of engine swaps with loud fart can mufflers. Guess I'm still caught in the 70's. I like the way cars looked when I 1st started driving. I still do, I want it to start, run and drive every time I turn the key. Those of you just starting your life as an automotive enthusiast, enjoy this time. My gut tells me that with fuel and insurance getting to a new high. Things are going to change rapidly. I think "fish" stated in another thread, about how the value of a clean Datsun will go up in the next 20 years. I'm feeling like today is nearly the top of value for an enthusiast. The clean cars of the future will be in non driven collections. Parts are still available, some areas still have daily drivers and junk yard parts cars. I was just told by a vendor that steel is going up dramatically, once again, the salvage yards will crush everything in sight. So enjoy your ride, treat it like it is special. I went to the chain auto parts store over the weekend. I drove the 79 woody, things were slow and three guys standing at the counter were discussing my car as I pulled up. Three generations of men. A kid (20 ish) guy in his 30's and a guy about my age 50's. The oldest guy new better than to say anything, the other two were anxious to get the answer out of me. "Is that a Dodge?" the 20 yr old asked. "What made you think it was a Dodge?" "Its got a D on it" pointed to the grill. I looked at the mature guy and we just laughed. At that point I just said, "I'm not going to tell you." He goes out and looks it over, comes back in and asks the 30 something "who makes a Datsun?" He looks at the 50 yr old and we both just smile. I do consider this the end of an era, so enjoy your cars. Thinking about value and the money it takes. My Ratsun friends are trying to make their way in the world on jobs that truly do not pay enough. We as HS kids in the 70's were making $3-$5 per hour, That would have to be close to $15 bucks an hour these days. I had money to burn and bought cars and tons of stuff back in the day. I can remember gas below $0.25 a gallon, all we did was cruise every Friday and Saturday. I feel like things were better and we really enjoyed simple things and had time to enjoy them. My wish is that my Ratsun friends enjoy their cars as much as I've enjoyed mine.

[fisch]

Nice editorial Hitch! Made me smile. I wonder about our cars future too. It seems to me that one of the reasons the American muscle is so high is that there were so many options that could make a car really rare. But our datsuns had few options under the hood from the factory, they were all essentially the same comparatively (unless you get into JDM).

 

I would be shocked if they ever reached Muscle numbers.

 

But they will keep going up. Parts will be scarcer. I only can hope my income can keep up with it. LOL!

[HRH]

I had a guy in the gas station next to Airway Heights NAPA (old guy) see my hardbody one day and say, I didn't think they made any new Datsuns? :cool:

[josh_t]

i like 70's style and i like new style, i cant decide what i want and it has made my car look era confused. early 70's wheels, big tires, and a fart can. at least its a quiet fart can

[paradoxx]

I am one of those that have been resisting to make swaps to datsuns, I seliebe that the L16 or any other stock engine can be fast, fun, drivable and most important of all, safe! Everyone tells me, put in a SR, but then I think, that money spent in a swap, I can use it to have it perfectly clean. Im an old fashioned guy who likes and love vintage, as it was.

 

Enjoyed reading!!

[josh_t]

I am one of those that have been resisting to make swaps to datsuns, I seliebe that the L16 or any other stock engine can be fast, fun, drivable and most important of all, safe! Everyone tells me, put in a SR, but then I think, that money spent in a swap, I can use it to have it perfectly clean. Im an old fashioned guy who likes and love vintage, as it was.

 

Enjoyed reading!!

 

 

i want to get a little more power out of my a series instead of swapping it, because at this point it just works and it just fits, but everybody wants to say that its impossible to do without 5 grand. you can make a geo metro have double its HP for less than the cars worth but supposedly its next to impossible to get 25% more out of an a series.

[paradoxx]

i want to get a little more power out of my a series instead of swapping it, because at this point it just works and it just fits, but everybody wants to say that its impossible to do without 5 grand. you can make a geo metro have double its HP for less than the cars worth but supposedly its next to impossible to get 25% more out of an a series.

 

Exactly, people now are used to go to a store, order and wait to install, or get installed most of the times. Everything is ready, plug and play for me = boring. There is nothing like the feeling of making your machine run better with your own work. Everything on the books today, was made by trial and error in the 70's......so im paying my respects and try to keep it alive.

[fisch]

I like a bit modern with ol skool looks. In the L-world, LZ22 FTW since it looks practically the same under the hood and you get a bit more grunt!

[josh_t]

sad thig is, its guys on here. i hear everywhere that its the heads keeping the a series back. well on any given a series head you have an average of about 2 mm to port at any part of the port. the "pocket" right in the valve area has a lot more than that and it is where the porting job makes the most difference. i also mostly understand the thermodynamics in the sense that more flow/higher lift/longer duration isnt always better. there has to be intake charge inertia for it to do anything. so you dont "hog it out" like a lot of people like to do. that makes for pockets of slow moving air in the port which kills power and it doesnt fill the cylinder completely.

[josh_t]

I like a bit modern with ol skool looks. In the L-world, LZ22 FTW since it looks practically the same under the hood and you get a bit more grunt!

 

 

i've seen your artwork. i like your car styling ideas.

[pharouh]

Amen to that, Hitch

[MikeRL411]

Keep your car or truck, and keep it looking stock and you too may appear on the cover of "Kosuku Yuen" vol 24 December 2011.

[q-tip]

Great rant!! i may be one of those "kids"(im only 24) but i have never liked anything "new skool" i didnt even own a vehicle younger than i was until 2 years ago, hell all were 25+ years old . im with you on the look of the 70's subtle yet functional. you kids can have your big wheels and your fart cans :lol:

[izzo]

I like the looks of the cars in the 70s too.

 

80s were ok too, but like the 70s better.

[paradoxx]

70's were created to give a great product and reliability.

80's fashion started to introduce but still reliable

90's tuning comes in and the mayhem begins

2000's fast & the furious fucked everything + car industry focuses on sales only, but at least fiberglass and bondo also raised sales.

[datzenmike]

Hands down, the most interesting cars were mid '60 to early 70s. They looked like they were going 90mph sitting still. Strangely this was also my mid teens and early 20s and this is what was available then so if I had been born 20 tears later I would be thinking similar things about the 'tuner shit' and rocking a fart cannon and thinking I was kewl.

 

But the years go by and I moved on, sold my new '70 340 muscle car and within a few years (look up the '72 OPEC oil embargo) performance V8s were out and any cars that survived were fitted with V6s. Everything down sized. I stopped knowing what make of cars were ahead of me just by looking at the tail lights. Replaced with terribly boring designs... where did the Mustang Steve McQueen drive go??? Replaced by some blunt nosed POS. The '69 Charger I once had now a 4 cylinder Dodge Omni with a Charger dress up 'package'. The '69 Pontiac GTO, arguably the finest expression of Pontiac muscle car ever made, (I actually drove a new one for an evening) by '74 it was a low compression motor stuffed into a GTO badged Ventura and gone by '75. The Chevelle SS? It died a painfully long drawn out death and was gone by '78 although I would say it was in a vegetative state after '72. It should have had a DNR order and had the plug pulled. So sad but this where all cars were going.

 

No one has made a car in over 35 years. As Marve said... " New cars... they all look like electric razors". It's true, only the retro Mustang and the Challenger have awakened my interest in latter years.

 

I remember the Celica and the 240z from '70-'71 and liked their fast looks but they were not any competition in those days. By '76? I had my first Datsun, a 510. It was my first 4 cylinder also and though I knew of them I didn't 'lust after them' and only bought it for use as a winter car and paid $50 from a doper I worked with. As all 510 owners take for granted I found this car a total bomb to drive... I mean really drive. It was actually fun being in it and it would go unbelievable places off road. After it I had a 521 for 7-8 years and my life had moved on again. I had long given up on N Am cars. For about 7 years from '86 or so I was Datsun less. In the early '90s I got my 620 for the amazing sum of $75 and have had it ever since but not driving it for the last few years. Instead I have several 710s now. Funny how they are all old Datsuns from another age. Warms my heart to see you young guys and girls driving Datsuns that were old when you were borne! There is something about owning a piece of the past that''s hard to explain. Maybe it's a rock in a sea of change. Or maybe just that they are from a simpler time. Or simply cool to be seen in.

[CrabDragon]

Definitely gotta be 70's or older for me. I love your ride Hitch. It reminds me of my grandmothers favorite wagon. She called it her little Jewell because it was painted a sparkly blue. I really miss that ride and my grandma. Both my grandmother and grandfather were pro Datsun/Nissan and would talk em up so I always knew a Datsun was always going to be an excellent vehicle. I have had at least 5 myself. I purchased my grandfathers 1970 521 pickup not long before he passed away. And have done a lot to it so far but it will never be stock again. I still like old chevies and the mustang but would wrather stick with Datsun. I have always found them to be more reliable. Of coarse eventually I want one of each. Stock,Rat,Custom and Trike.

[BRE510]

Good thread guys... I love this! :thumbup: I have owned Datsuns (19 of them)since the early 90's when I left GM corporate to work for Nissan Corporate. This is when the Datsun spark came alive for me. Looking at all the crap GM built compared to Datsun/Nissan, it was refreshing... The last 15 years have been with Toyota Corporate but still driving and doing the Datsun thing... Been a car guy since I was 7 years old...

[HRH]

I agree the 60's and early 70's were the end all-be all of automotive styling. I drove our new Toyota Yaris down to an account today. The radio had the name of whatever song was playing scrolling across the face, and it seriously pissed me off. I know who's singing, I don't need the fucking radio telling me! And if I don't, there begins the exploration of finding out who it is by analyzing the musical style, humming it, looking online, etc.

 

The other thing is most newer vehicles HAVE SHIT VISIBILITY. The new Yaris tried to address those issues (from the old yaris design) but the massive A pillar still completely blocks things at a 45 degree angle. You can lose an entire light post while stopped at an intersection. Have to crane around forward and back to make sure no pedestrian is trying to lunge in front of you. I would like to put a grenade up the ass of the Toyota engineer who thought of that. Sadly, most cars are going that way. Long rooflines for aerodynamics, while completely ignoring the "driver" aspect of the vehicle. I hate Toyota anyway, this only reinforces my hatred.

 

My hardbody and 510, however, have very small A pillars that are out of the way, and rarely block your view, making them safer to drive! Plus they look cooler. Or rather, D21s look cool when not in stock form. 510s can still look cool either way.

[wannaby]

I have always just tryed to preserve my 320 and keep it from rusting out.Its been painted twice in the 25 odd years I have owned it .Always thought about getting some fancy wheels but was too cheap. just hubcaps and painted rims.and free flat reapairs the tire guy rolles his eyes evertime I pull in for the free flat..."ya still drivin that thing he says your gonna break me " same with the lifetime muffler

 

[hitch]

Mike is so right, Up until the mid 80's I could tell most cars at night from the headlights and tail lights. We as teens, would spend hours in the domestic dealer lots, looking at stickers and option packages in the hope of finding a performance gem. Now days I couldn't tell the difference between most car brands midsize cars, they are all clones. Guess part of what got me thinking about this, is a couple of posts where clearly someone was overt in their opinion on what the asking price was for cars for sale. I hope everyone gets a premium and I see nothing but increased value for prime examples. A car is worth what someone will pay, I'm willing to pay a premium for a clean car and clean parts. Others will pay more for the nicest swap or fancy wheels and body additions. That is what makes these older Datsuns so attractive. People like me, can spend free time looking for the next great car to add to the collection, others look for their 1st car and the enjoyment of something you can turn wrenches on. It keeps me out of the bar and out of trouble. That being said, as long as parts are available, you are in luck. Engines and transmissions seem readily available, but decent body pars are getting more difficult. Usually you can buy a complete parts car for what a good fender or door goes for. That is the problem, you guys (gals) who want to drive the balls out of these old cars will eventually hurt something. The affordable fender, bumper, is going away, or just not available. I've had my fun and experienced so many things in the automotive world, I feel blessed. The young guys are never going to see a time like right now again. Where a couple of grand will get you a cool ride and good times. What I'm saying, if you have plans to move a project forward, do what you can to accelerate it, the time is now and the stuff you want and need is not going down in price.

[philcas1987]

its always fun to live in the now when it comes to cars. i dont want to worry about the future. takes away from the enjoyment. you are right these arent really valuable classics. but they are going up. makes my nice one in storage worth more. i will make more $$$ if customers are willing to pay for it. yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery...

[Z-train]

1)i want to get a little more power out of my a series instead of swapping it, because at this point it just works and it just fits, 2)but everybody wants to say that its impossible to do without 5 grand. 3)you can make a geo metro have double its HP for less than the cars worth but supposedly its next to impossible to get 25% more out of an a series.

1) Great

2)True

3)Also correct.It's called progress and the march of time.Deal with it,cause it doesn't get better or slow down.

[I'm BLUE]

Agreed ... early 70's on back .... :D

 

But datsuns are the exception hehe ;)

[king bee66]

i think style will come back around with newer eco cars eventually. as it is now manufactures dont want to take a risk and make a unique looking car. that was the main deal back in the day, car companies invested alot of money in new cars, some styles worked, some ended up like the edsel. i bet if the auto companies werent bailed out we would have seen some desperate attempts to revive the glory days