NAT=SUN Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hey guys, I'm new to the forum here, but been in Nissan's and all sorts of what not for a hot minute. i just wanna say- Y'all have such a great collection of vehicles and awesome knowledge base, and for many years i've visited this forum.. so i'm glad to finally have something of my own to contribute. BUT don't laugh... lmao. Chapter 1 I feel like some vehicles you have to figure out, and then others just speak. Well this'en's the latter. I was diligently doing the near-daily chore of shopping for an inexplicably cheap, small truck, and the regional Craigslist search for "Datsun" lay yield a few results considerably out of my range of money or interest. That was until lil ol' heartbreak, Puddin' Tang. The neglected one outta the bunch that had lots of stories to tell. A once loved underdog import that knew nothing more than warm soapy baths, soft flannel rubdowns and endless adoration, was later handed over to long, hard, muddy thrashings and cold, rusty nights, yet somehow kept it all together. The few bad pictures could express it's past utility. It was now or never for this Lil' Hustler. I contacted the seller as quickly as he'd posted it, instantly working out transportation arrangements with friends and family, I told him i'd be there in 4 days. Ha! I'm finally gonna get a Datsun!! Well... He never believed that I was actually going to come get it! Ok, it was a 5hr drive one way, and Craigslist is notorius for scams, but for days i told this guy "i'm gonna be there saturday" to which he'd reply, "...but what if you dont make it?". Ummm, dude...... This happened several times. I would even start to nervously laugh... I hoped i could save this truck before some shotgun totin' hillbilly turned it into 'coon-huntin truck eleventeen'. Well, almost half a paycheck in gas, 3 delicious gas-station sandwiches and a somewhat sketchy 12 hour roadtrip later, Puddin' Tang made it safely to a loving home. So i'd originally thought up a whole mess of ideas. Some will happen, some will change, and i'll let those trickle out, but for now i'll just leave some pics. Cousin had these wheels sitting in shop storage... now i gotta find something 'cool' to trade him, lol. Needless to say, there's much work to be done. But i'm looking forward to it :) oh yeah, my name is Nate. and i'm an autoholic. i have wayyy too many projects and not enough time, but don't we all. Quote Link to comment
Wide14u Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 i think you have a great start and i love the lip on the rims welcome to ratsun Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Welcome aboard. Way to save that one :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
MantisX620 Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 A fellow Durham 620 owner!!?? Welcome! I think we are like 2 of 5 total lol. Quote Link to comment
K_trip Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 oh yeah, my name is Nate. and i'm an autoholic. i have wayyy too many projects and not enough time, but don't we all. Yep me too, I have wayyy too many projects ... but that's a good thing! I like your truck, it looks like a worthy save. B) Quote Link to comment
Farmer Posted October 13, 2012 Report Share Posted October 13, 2012 Welcome to Ratsun. Congrats on your purchase. Quote Link to comment
NAT=SUN Posted October 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 Thank you guys for the warm welcome and compliments... i'm super stoked to be a part of this community! It's funny, i got more responses on here than my 'home' board, LoL. Being between a few different vehicles will limit my time (and $$) to spend on Puddin Tang, but i've already been crawling all over it planning my next moves. As an exciting piece, I'm thinking of a carbon fiber front airdam lip to confuse people. ("what the.... o_O rust AND carbon fiber?") lol If any of you all have some useful links or general knowledge, feel free to post them. I should probably put a list of planned mods up to rally some ideas. I pretty much have my budget front disc conversion figured out, thanks to several of your posts. (not to step on BEEBANI's toes, but...) I'll be making some CNC plasma cut brackets soon to mount the Front calipers and if it goes well (and i don't get flamed to death) then i may offer a few sets for purchase, for anyone interested. It looks like there are already some folks on here fabricating parts, and in no way do i want to undercut or hurt someone else's business, but i love fabricating stuff and would love to contribute to the scene. I literally grew up restoring 1940's - 1980's model Private Motor Coaches (read BUS), so fabrication and mechanics was something I started learning at a very young age (family business). I'm not one to brag, but there really isn't much i can't do. except capitilize the letter "i" Hopefully in the next year we will re-open the old Bus shop as a Custom automotive services and fabrication. The building needs some real work, and since it's only my cousin and i left to do it, wrench time will be limited. Primarily the focus will be imports, because they are my passion, but i'd like to have a wide range, since my background already does. I'd really like to make some affordable custom pieces which aren't currently available. I have a couple in mind for the Datto's, but if you guys have anything you'd like to see done, please let me know. There will be some limitations, but i'm ambitious :) Mantisx620- we should get up sometime! my truck wont be on the road for probably a month, but it'd be great to meet my local fellow enthusiasts!! ....and sorry guys... i should've been a novelist Quote Link to comment
MantisX620 Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 For sure man, im out in North Durham. Would love to hear more about the bus shop plan! Sounds like my cup of tea. My name is Otis MantisX Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 16, 2012 Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 olddatsuns.com is a great ink as is ratsun. The FAQ in my sig has some pretty good info (although it really needs reorganized). Got any pics of some of the buses you guys have restored? :) Quote Link to comment
NAT=SUN Posted October 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 sweet.. thanks for the info, ]2eDeYe! I'm gonna have to dig for some pics. They were either film photo's or on the old crappy kodak easy share, but i'll find some and scan them or something. Here's what i do have now.... Barely visible here is the very last Bus project to ever leave our shop, a 1948 GM 3703 named Dinah Moe. It came in with a (factory equipped) Naturally aspirated Detroit 2-stroke, 4-71 (4.7 ltr inline 4- cylinder, 71cu. in. per) making (factory rated) 160 hp/ 390 ft. lbs @2100rpm ^... and my 240 when i first got it. she looks different now ;) a couple more i dug up online The motor we transplanted was a Turbo Detroit 2-stroke 6V-71 (7.0 ltr V-6 cylinder, 71 cu in per) (factory rated) 275 hp/ 800 ft.lbs @2100rpm.... the actual motor Robert (the mechanic) built, was pushing a bit more. It felt like a suped up hot rod, from what he said, lol. Being a 60 yr old bus then, and no "frame" to speak of, we restructured the entire Bus JUST to handle the power of the upgraded motor. A full ladder frame the entire length with every bulkhead reinforced and welded to the new "frame". It was a ridiculous undertaking that has never been done, ever. It took several years. Went from leaf springs to full air supsension (fun o_O). New wiring for engine/electronic control from the rear to front (you think it's a pain to re-wire a car?? psshhh!!) The whole bus was re-engineered basically. There was pretty much nobody else (in the US, and probably the world) doing the type of work our shop did. This Bus shouldn't even have happened in the first place. It was quite honestly unrealistic, but i had an Uncle (Garry Dean), that knew nothing of impossibilities. The man was part genius, and the rest 'make it happen'. Unfortunately he passed before it's completion, but he had no doubts. It was completed in his absence. sorry for always posting a book.... i'll search for some pictures of other jobs... if there's interest for it, lol. Quote Link to comment
The Taterhead Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Glad you got this one. I was eyeballing it myself but it was roughly 9 hours from me. Can't wait to see what happens with it. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment
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