Looking at this 1978 project

[nifty50trickydicky]

I've been looking around my area for a new set of wheels as my 2004 Avalanche is draining my bank in terms of gas and I haven't used the pickup bed/towing functions as much since moving to the city. I've been looking for something that will do well on gas and make a nice project but could be used as a DD, and I found a 1978 Datsun B210 not too far from home that may fit the bill. Here's an album of pictures that I took (ignore the last picture, that's from a 73 VW fastback), and here's the info from the craigslist posting:

 

|     1978 datsun b210 1.4 lt 4cyl auto trans. car runs and drives, nice paint, new tires. 93,211 org miles 3000 obo

 

I saw the vehicle today and the engine sounds and feels like it's in great shape and the trans shifted smoothly. The guy said he could do me $2500 for it but for the amount of work that needs to be done I want to do, that seems a bit pricey for me. Now I don't know too much about Datsun but here's what I'm thinking needs to be done:

• Driver side floor pan needs to be replaced, I'd go ahead and do the other side too

That seems about all it needs to be in driving condition, but because I'd like to use this as a DD I'd like to get these things done as well, in order of importance:

• Power steering or rack & pin conversion
• Power break conversion
• Install A/C (I live in Florida)
• Replace carpet, headliner, and upholstery
• Replace dash (it's cracked in the top center)
• New sound system (4 speakers + sub + CD player/radio)

Like I said, I don't know too much about Datsun. I've got about 8 grand to play with, but I'm just trying to gauge what's doable, what's possible, and what's downright crazy. In the meantime I'll get back to Google and keep crawling around this forum but TIA for any pointers.

[metalmonkey47]

Honestly, I think for an East Coast price, he's being very reasonable with his price. It looks great. 

 

Now the rust is a big problem and to be expected with that nasty Florida salt water. That's gonna take quite a bit to fix there from the looks of it, but it's doable. 

[nifty50trickydicky]

Honestly, I think for an East Coast price, he's being very reasonable with his price. It looks great. 

 

Now the rust is a big problem and to be expected with that nasty Florida salt water. That's gonna take quite a bit to fix there from the looks of it, but it's doable. 

 

Thanks for the input. I'm not worried too much about the rust as it is quite manageable; what I'm really wondering is how doable the aftermarket power brakes and steering would be. :/

[metalmonkey47]

The steering wouldn't be too bad I'd imagine, but would involve a lot of custom fab. A lot of people use the S13 rack & pinion and front suspension setup. At that point, you could just adapt the whole front suspension and have larger vented disk brakes, power steering, and proper sized front struts. 

 

I imagine you could fab the 210 (79-82) Power brakes onto the B210 fairly easily. Check Datsun1200.com in the wiki section and you may find more info. 

 

 

Out of curiosity, why do you want power steering?? The front end is so light. 

[nifty50trickydicky]

Out of curiosity, why do you want power steering?? The front end is so light.

 

That's something I'll probably add down the road as I'd like to give this to my younger brother as a first car. As with the power brakes, its mostly just a safety thing.

[B210GX]

78 B210's Have power brakes.     and you really dont need power steering. Drive it some more

 

 

just dont "Dry" steer...ie  not moving

[PineClone]

Having trouble downloading the pictures...I can see the thumbnails and it looks pretty nice.

 

Agree with what B210GX said about the steering. Though i do know when i put my kid behind the wheel he will bitch about how hard it is to steer.

 

I bought my '78 last fall, 85000 original miles and virtually no rust. It was an automatic. I love the car but HATE the 3-speed automatic. You will likely want to swap out the transmission for a 5-speed, especially if you're looking to maximize your mpg. I'm in the middle of a swap right now and its a relatively easy process and i don't have a clue what i'm doing. 

 

Neat car!

[LeviGideon]

Nice car. It should come with power brakes, and if not, it's a very straightforward swap to put a booster on. As far as power steering goes, there's not much to steer in the first place that would necessitate it. The a14 engine is light enough to be steered easily without any fancy upgrades. Replacing the bushings and tie rod ends would make it nice & tight, as well.

[nifty50trickydicky]

I bought my '78 last fall, 85000 original miles and virtually no rust. It was an automatic. I love the car but HATE the 3-speed automatic. You will likely want to swap out the transmission for a 5-speed, especially if you're looking to maximize your mpg. I'm in the middle of a swap right now and its a relatively easy process and i don't have a clue what i'm doing. 

 

Thanks for the input. I have since bought the car (wrangled him down to $2300!) and have learned quite a bit in the past few weeks. I would agree with you, this 3-speed is driving me nuts. What were your qualms with it personally?

[PineClone]

Thanks for the input. I have since bought the car (wrangled him down to $2300!) and have learned quite a bit in the past few weeks. I would agree with you, this 3-speed is driving me nuts. What were your qualms with it personally?

 

1. Get better mpg with the auto.

2. Same issue as MPG, but RPMs are too high for highway driving.

3. Shifts out of first gear too soon. Very little power off the line unless you floor it.

4. Downshift for passing or going up a hill relies on an electronic kickdown switch (under your dash). Kind of clunky. If your car doesn't downshift when you floor it, this is likely the problem.

5. Not as fun to drive.

[Bentaxlebob]

^{Nice B210. Lots of potential. Check this B210 that showed up at Costa Mesa.}

 

[Datsunocaster]

I almost got this myself but Im holding out for a hatchback. Did you get the a/c working? Thats a huge selling point here in Florida...Its definitly in nice shape except the floorboard... I remember there was a carb issue as well. Did you sort that out. I beleive he a had a weber in it. Good luck with it and keep the pics coming.

[nifty50trickydicky]

I almost got this myself but Im holding out for a hatchback. Did you get the a/c working? Thats a huge selling point here in Florida...Its definitly in nice shape except the floorboard... I remember there was a carb issue as well. Did you sort that out. I beleive he a had a weber in it. Good luck with it and keep the pics coming.

 

Did you drive up to Lakeland from WPB to look at this same car? Small world lol. Being closer to South Florida must be nice, there are tons of Datsuns down there.

 

Personally I dig the looks of the notchback, though the hatchback would have definitely been more practical with the added space it affords you. And yeah it's a Weber, and the filter is missing. I'm currently in the process of rebuilding the carb though because whoever installed it fucked it up big time; also waiting on the filter to come in the mail. A/C is ice cold, it just needed to be cleaned out (tons of dirt, leaves, and other shit in the tubes and vents). Problem is the car doesn't hold the cold. The insulation is damp and musty and bogged down by mold and mildew, needs to be stripped and re-insulated. Somewhere down the line I'll convert the system to the new synthetic stuff and just recharge the whole thing, the guy at Bennet told me it's a pretty cheap conversion (under 50 bucks, he says), not sure about that but I'm looking into it.

[nifty50trickydicky]

^{Nice B210. Lots of potential. Check this B210 that showed up at Costa Mesa.}

 

That's a sharp set of wheels for sure, but not the look I'm going for. Aesthics-wise, I'm having the car painted seafoam green, wrapping the doors in tweed, accenting the dash with veneer sheeting, replacing the carpet, and having the seats re-upholstered to beige.