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Circumnavigating the United States in a 1970 Nissan Fairlady begins tomorrow


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Hello Datsun enthusiasts.

 

My name is Jason Winget.. and I am new to this site and this is my first post!  Its a big one..

 

Tomorrow, (9.21) I will depart Salt Lake City, Utah (my home town) in a 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z..  My travel companion is my dog, Bernie, an Airedale Terrier who turns 8 on our departure day. Bernie and I will set out to accomplish a 20 plus year goal.  We will depart Murray Headquarters (my house), and head due north..  We will mark our starting point in Northern Idaho and begin our journey. This will be the most grand leaf tour one could imagine..  The largest road trip of our lives.. And without a doubt, my biggest adventure yet.  We will attempt to circumnavigate North America in a right hand drive, 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z.. More commonly known in North America as the Datsun 240Z.  The plan is to drive across the United States on the northern route, highway 2... to the northern tip of Maine, then follow the changing weather south as we make our way down the East Coast.  All the way down to the Florida Keys and to Key West.  Then up the Gulf side and the southern route back..  Finishing up with the California, Oregon and Washington coast lines and back to my starting marker, finally returning home.  I am hopeful this adventure is a success and larger scale adventures are in my future.. I believe in the quality and engineering of this car and believe I can keep it going down the road infinitely... So around the world is what I'd really like to do in a Datsun.. and race the Baja 1000!!!

 

I am a novice in social media and I have been so busy getting the car, my house, and my life prepared for this journey, that I have not been able to do much yet.. A good friend of mine is helping me build a website, that I will post a link to in the next few days.. This will be linked to my face book page "doin-it-in-a-datsun and a instagram account (same ID).. There you will be able to see a lot of pics and details of the trip and follow us and our adventure if you like.  

 

I'd love to hear from anyone that is positive.. I'm open to trip ideas, recommends, etc..This could be towns/cities, route suggestions, scenic byways, hikes, significant historical sites, hot springs, etc.  Another awesome possibility of posting in this forum is the potential to meet up with local Datsun clubs as I pass through different state/cities throughout the US.  Driving within a pack of Datsuns is ALWAYS fun!   Furthermore, it's important to establish a bit of a "network", some documentation, and a little recognition that might someday help facilitate the larger underlying dreams.  I welcome suggestions, ideas, invitations and in the event the Datsun misbehaves..a garage.. All things that are worth this post.  "Just Winget"... "Doin it in a Datsun"!  Here we come America!!!  God Bless my Datsun.

 

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Good luck in your trip Jason, I envy you. I take a couple of thousand mile trip to Canby every year and that about all the driving I do now but in the past I used to visit my dad about 3,000 miles away. Always loved the road and the solitude.

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Wow! This sounds pretty epic!! Looking forward to seeing your progress and see what kind of adventures you encounter, hopefully all of the fun variety! 

 

If you end up in San Diego, CA, some of us locals would be glad to meet up with you and Bernie! 

 

Safe travels and have fun!! 

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Wow, sounds like a fantastic trip. Looking forward to reading about your journey. If you are going to be in the Washington, DC area, let me know. We have a few Datsun guys here and maybe we could setup a time to meet or maybe do a short cruise with you. Or if you need assistance while in this area, give me a call. My mobile is 301-651-7788

 

 

I drove my Datsun 510 from Seattle, WA to Washington, DC back in 2007. 3100 miles in 4 1/2 days. It was a great trip. I would love to do it again. You can rear about it here:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByCvxnHNk90SZjE1NWIxNjctYzYzYi00OTczLWIyNmUtNDQ4M2ZjMDM3ZTM0/view?pli=1

 

I hope you and Bernie have a great trip. Good Luck, Safe Travels and Enjoy the Ride!

 

David

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Cool trip man! I met a guy at a car show in his late 70's that drove to all "4" corners of the continental US in a 280z with an tuneport 350 and a Richmond 6 speed. He and his wife would UPS their luggage to the next hotel they were staying in and just keep the bare minimum with then it the car.

 

Safe travels! Remember to keep the back behind the front and the rubber side down!

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Reminds me of John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charlie". Keep a good log of your travels, and take time to document details, great and small. You'll look back on them one day as a priceless gem in this crown called "Life". Best of luck to you, Bernie and the 'Lady!

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Epic adventure!, you must post pics on here as you advance, datslocos has a bunch of guys in the bay area, it be kool to coordinate with them when you're near, they are always up for fun run, when you come up through Oregon depending on weather and date our datslocos boys up here might be able to cruise to the coast and do something fun as well!

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Now here we have someone that understands life. Awesome, many huhas :thumbup:   and oh yas :w00t:  from Olympia, WA....I am betting if you keep in touch on the forum through your journey the Ratsunites will not let you down.

 

Very envious of your journey, do it big....so big its large enough for all of us at home to enjoy :thumbup:

 

B) Safe journeys

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If you give us a time frame of when you're gonna be in "THE" bay area.....

 

.........maybe we can plan a fun run when you're around here :thumbup:  :thumbup:

 

 

Not to mention......if you have Datsun troubles commin' through the NorthBay.....

 

.......hit me up

 

PM me and I'll give you my info.........

 

Good luck on this EPIC voyage......

 

 

I'm HELLA JELLY B)

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Wow, amazing!!! Best wishes from Pasadena (& Altadena), Southern California! Should you need any assistance in any way for your journey when you're around here, PM me as well! After your trip, if you're available to take another journey through Mexico and Central America to Nicaragua or even Costa Rica, lets try to make that happen also!

 

That's "life!"

 

That's "living!"

 

I'm hoping for he same!!! :-D

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Wow!! What an incredible, kind and gracious welcome to the Ratsun forum.. Thank you! Each and everyone one of you, thank you. Yes, I will be coming through DC! Mandatory! And yes, I will finish up with the CA, OR and Washington coast.. Then finally back to the spot where I will leave my marker tomorrow or the next day.. That's the current plan anyway. I successfully completed my first day of travel in the crusty lady.. 603 miles today.. That's a good number.. Lots of stops.. Lots of Bernie time.. We made it up to a small town in northwest Montana that will put us in good position to be soaking in hot springs early. Then, I think I might just run up to a town called Nelson inside BC for a night or two.. She is running so smooth it's scary. A real joy to drive.. Especially in these cool temps.. Bernie had a great bday.. Got a lot of great pics today.. I'm really hoping to get my site functioning well enough tomorrow, to link you guys to it to see some pics and more details.. I know its a sin to not have pics within the forum.. Sorry. I will try to navigate thru the hoops to get some here too.. I am incredibly behind in my social media stuff.. I can't even figure out how to make my doin-it-in-a-Datsun page available to folks like you.. I have the settings set to "public" etc.. Anyway, if someone is able to successfully view it.. Let me know.. Ive just not been a fb guy.

I will check back again soon.. I think cell service will be spotty from here on out for a bit.. And non existent in BC.. Again.. Thank you for all the kind words.. Drive a Datsun..

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There was a guy that did this in a Roadster in '14 (?) hit every state (except Alaska & Hawaii). Very cool trip I think.   Should you find yourself in Albuquerque NM, or headed to, send me a PM.  Maybe we can do a cruise and or buy you lunch.  Good luck and safe travels!

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I met the guy you mention in 2013 at the mt Shasta roadster show. I believe his name is Scott Fisher.. I'm not sure that he hit 48 states, but I do know he went big in a 67 roadster and provided me with a lot of inspiration to just do it.. it was 2013 he was driving the country. Great guy and even more bold doing it in a roadster, open to the elements and parts not nearly as easy to source.. Great reliable cars tho.. I've done a couple 2500 mile trips in mine with no problems. The 240z is my first love for this reason along with their incredible reliability.. And it's ability to provide me accommodations, this was the choice for me.

 

If someone that knows the ropes in pic posting, wouldn't mind grabbing a couple pics from my doin it in a Datsun Fb page, I'd appreciate it..'or try this link to my page. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533477736801054&tsid=0.18062400072813034&source=typeahead

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Not sure how to link pics from Facebook. I've also heard that the links expire after a couple months, but hopefully someone who knows more will chime in on that. You might find it easier to get a photobucket account, host your pics there and link them over. Looks like some beautiful country you're passing through, well minus the smog. I live in Lehi, just a few miles south of your Murray headquarters. I know the red days of which you speak all to well. Safe driving!

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I don't know anybody in my route from Cleveland up to Niagara and out towards Maine.. But, if someone following us is in the area, and willing to help, I'm looking for someone's garage that I can perform an oil change in.. I don't have a filter wrench or drain pan.. I'm paranoid of anyone touching my car other than me.. Plus, I want to check a couple things under there.. Putting it out there. My route is very northern.. I90 up to Niagara then northern route towards Maine. Thanks!

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