Decrease the value of your Datsun with these simple steps...

[Jersey]

Hack, cut, butcher and beat it until it looks like this...

 

 

That's an interesting truck, to be sure...

[mrmark]

That thing is sweet!

[datzenmike]

Not if you saw the shitty workmanship, engineering? and welds.

[mrmark]

But it could be a complete improvement over what it used to look like!

[505plus5]

All these reasons is why it's best to have more than one Datsun. And you better them as time and money permit, ACCORDING to the STATE they were in (no, not meaning any State in the U.S. Lol) when you first acquired them. Stock/ restoring to stock being main priority, whenever possible.

 

Just save them and their parts from being lost forever.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Paint your engine bay some non-body color, preferably matte black.

Primer the exterior, regardless of bodywork status. Rattle can primer is best.

Rewire the engine bay and/or interior for no apparent reason.

Cut up the dash for a high quality head unit, like a Dual.

Cut up the doors instead of using kick pods. Pyle speakers only sound good flapping around in oem door cards.

Change door mirrors at least three times. More speed holes in your doors = faster.

Paint the exterior with all trim & weatherstrip in place.

Put a fuel cell in place of the spare tire well. The higher it sits the better.

Nobody likes bumpers. Throw those in the trash.

 

Feel free to add your own helpful Datsun appreciation tips!

Absolutely guilty of all of the above.

 

Luckily, I have learned patience over the years and patience leads to clarity, which in turn keeps one from making those mistakes again.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

After reading this thread more fully, I am amazed at how many people think paint is no big deal. If I have the choice, I only buy cars or trucks with original paint, even if the paint is crap.

 

You can restore a vehicle a million times over, but it's only original once.

[HRH]

I will still paint cars with rattle can.  But only because race car. ;)  Although the autocross Maxima is keeping the original patina with rust and POR15 additions.  So much more win when you beat someone in something ugly.

[datzenmike]

A true Datsun is what you see when you look at it. You cannot in truth improve on what the Nissan designers came up with, so other than removing the 5mpg bumpers don't try. The body on the outside and to an extent the interior, should be preserved as much as possible as original. An overall stock Datsun is nice, if somewhat boring. (and there lies the problem) Stock is extremely difficult to do and 'other' parts and pieces are cheaper more common and easier to replace with. On top of that, everyone wants to 'make it theirs' and 'customize it' and follow fads. (like yellow hi beams (not that there's anything wrong with that)) Myself I don't like body piercings, and so any holes made in a stock body, like hood pins, is painful to look at. Why not just glue them on? Tires and rims? What ever you like as long as the fenders aren't cut. Blacked out marker/tail lights are illegal, and worse, unsafe, as is shaving them. Shaved door handles? shakes head. Paint is allowable and encouraged as an expression of the owner's individuality. (and taste) Likely the stock paint is now a bit worn and anything is better. (it can always be changed)  It's just me.... do what you want, but try to keep it Datsun.

 

Drive train? the sky's the limit, more power... more reliability... preferably Nissan power, but others are ok if done well. Suspension and brakes? Again the sky's the limit and improved safety and driving enjoyment are important. Nothing wrong with owning an old '58 Corvette and adding seat belts, right? This falls under improving out dated engineering whereas you can't possibly improve on the body design. Think about that.

[HRH]

There is a solid benefit of shaved handles Mike.  1.  Less rust entry point from the outer door skin.  On the other hand, if it rolls over in a ditch and for some reason the inside door handle is broken, that's going to suck for the emergency crew.  Of course, at that point the window is probably already broken.  And really, the only people with shaved door handles are car show people and they generally don't push it too hard.  Right?

[datzenmike]

Multi car pileup or what ever, (somewhat common chance of happening) you knocked out, injured, (slightly less chance) cars on fire or in dangerous position, (even less chance) people panicking to get you out find no door handle (100% chance).

 

Rust is not a reason. Go through wrecking yards, not at all common unless early mid '70s big three cars made with cheap scrap metal steel from Korea or China.

[HRH]

Well if it was me, I'd just break the window, then extract them.  Of course, since we're just spit-balling here, it would also be the Asian woman who plays three things together and for my saving her life she would marry me and give me sweet musical sex forever.   ;)

 

But then, she's pretty smart, so why would she have a shaved door handle Datsun anyway?

[datzenmike]

Well if it was me, I'd just break the window, then extract them.  Of course, since we're just spit-balling here, it would also be the Asian woman who plays three things together and for my saving her life she would marry me and give me sweet musical sex forever.   ;)

 

But then, she's pretty smart, so why would she have a shaved door handle anyway?

 

Is that what a pussy is called these days?

[shacks510]

shaved door handle

Is that what a pussy is called these days?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[HRH]

This is from "We're the Millers" Mike.  It's a great movie. ;)

 

[HRH]

Nomsayin'?   :D  Looove this!

 

[SandyMush620]

[thisismatt]

^^^ T.I.W.W.W.R.

[ohmrchristopher]

weld your rear diff, but right beside the truck, cause you need somewhere to place your beer.

take all the leafs out of the spring pack other than the main one and the fat short "helper"

do not adjust your brakes. ever. not once. the next owner will stop when his foot goes through the firewall to the pavement.

shave your interior door handles, then act surprised when your window crank snaps off from pulling on it to close your door.

[shacks510]

shave your interior door handles, then act surprised when your window crank snaps off from pulling on it to close your door.

You can't break off the window crank closing the door because you already shaved the handles on the outside, and you have no door latch bars to even slim jim the door open, and the window is up, so you're forever locked out of the car. Repeated for each door.

[Gradyfest]

Trucks:

 

Remove all the useful bed hooks they don't put on trucks anymore for that clean shaved look of every other truck under the sun now.

 

Also remove retro tripod mirrors for black sport mirrors and leave the "speed holes" in the doors. It now looks better and less classic.

 

Never rock factory rims and hub caps at stock height! Just don't even think about it!

[datzenmike]

Instal lambo door on your wagoon hatch.

 

Put in a wink mirror because you are never going to need to use your sun visor ever again.

 

Instal a little cute blue air filter on the valve cover, (I don't know why)...  just because. and use a gear clamp that's two times too big.

 

Remove perfectly good clutch fan. Instal electric fan that's running all the time.

 

Throw away charcoal canister because it 'cleans up the engine bay' then play the 'where's that smell coming from?" game.

 

Put stick figure family on rear window. Be sure woofy and kitty and wife are prominently displayed and the kids names, so rapists. pedarists and dog, and or, cat molesters can enjoy one stop shopping.

 

Have a 'Child on Board' sticker in the rear window because it's common knowledge that other drivers could care less about crashing their car into the back of yours if you are alone.

[scooter]

I love the ratsuns.  I like how people just do whatever the fuck they want to and not have all this head up their ass shit about numbers matching bullshit that's rampant in the 70's muscle cars. its such a con. ive seen way too many 010 block sbc's that's have been re stamped to make them "numbers matching".

 

shit pisses me off.

 

this site is brilliant, I have found out an astonishing amount of info on here and cheers to all who save these things from turning into rust. hacked up or not.

[q-tip]

Did Nissan even stamp the blocks?

[HRH]

Yes, and my wagon is a numbers matching example.  It's uber-rare and it's worth $12,000.  Want to buy it?