65' Bluebird 410

[Clade 14]

Hello all,

 

New to the car scene and the Datsun family but i am loving it 🙂

 

A month ago i purchased my 65 Bluebird from someone in Auckland, New Zealand. I was happy when inspecting the car in person and bought it. Went straight onto a trailer and home with me. The car had been 'green stickered' as the previous driver was driving it with no warrant of fitness and was caught some time in 2018. It then sat in a garage for 2+ years before i bought it. Because the car was in good condition i believed it would be easy to get a new warrant for so i could take it to a local meet early 2021.

 

 

I couldn't have undertaken this project without my good friend who helped with the trailer and has mechanical and electrical knowledge. For me this project is about passion and learning. I love old cars and quickly fell for this 'bird.

 

Since then I've made some mistakes and learned plenty. The car has a J13 engine, 4 speed manual (56a maybe?). The car has definitely been messed with but is still in good condition.

 

I have replaced a front lamp, removed the old cracked yellow film from the other 2 lamps. Removed the aftermarket spotlights on the front bumper. Messed with most of the bulbs on the dash to get them working.

 

Upon first receiving the car the engine was a bit sad. I had a look and saw the oil fill cap rattled and would spin back and forwards while the engine was running. I ordered a new one online and it arrived a day later. Upon seeing the new one i immediately realized the problem was the disc shaped seal.

 

 

The old one was filthy worn and thin. I'll keep the old cap lying around and maybe clean it up. The new cap fits on tightly and I'm excited to start the engine up again soon to see how she runs.

 

 

We also believe the generator/alternator (+ ground) is not charging the battery at idle. This was confirmed using a voltmeter. We have discussed the possibility of swapping to - ground, but him (my friend) being the electrician knows more about this then me. Any tips or ideas for simple solutions. Should i look at getting it rebuilt or find a replacement?

 

 

That's all i have for you now. Cheers 🙂

Edited January 14 by Clade
spell corrections

[rosso 308]

Congratulations! Great Car and looks in wonderful shape. Welcome to the forum - there is a great amount of experience on here.

 

Good luck with your progress and getting a warrant. I lived on the South Island for almost 10 years and remember going for warrants about every other month (3 cars twice a year =6).

 

Here's one of my previous NZ cars:

 

 

[Clade 14]

Thanks rosso, a bit of experience would be great right now 😛 Digging through the old posts to try find relevant content.

 

Might take the car in for a warrant check next week.

 

[the510keeper 3,136]

Very cool Datsun, Love the fender badges. 

Enjoy the ride

[]2eDeYe 9,604]

Welcome, great looking car 

[slowlearner 162]

Just across the ditch. Nice car.

[Clade 14]

Thanks the510keeper, ]2edeye and slowlearner 🙂

 

Hoping to get the engine bay cleaned up a little bit, i also need to try find out why there is so much exhaust in the cabin. Possible exhaust leak maybe?

[Clade 14]

Bit of an overdue update on the 'bird. Took it in for an inspection/WOF. Failed and was given a list of stuff to focus on.

 

Nice little shot across the street. Love seeing it parked next to modern cars 😛

 

As expected the suspension had been modified and has aged poorly so needs replacing. It was sitting directly on the bumpstops. Probably heated not 100% sure until its all pulled out. I don't have the equipment at home to do all this myself so im getting a local mechanic i know to work on it. Plan is to get the leaf springs sent to another shop to get retensioned. While its there he gave me good prices to do all of the suspension so i gave the thumbs up. It was all on the list so needed doing anyway.

 

 

Spotted a leak on a seal near the front/bottom of the engine. That explains some of the oil loss. Whole thing needs to be pulled and rebuilt if i grow some balls and/or find the money.

 

Another concern brought up was the seat belt anchor points on the floor. Which also raises concern about the structural integrity of the rear floor.

 

 

Doesn't look too bad under the carpet but who knows until its all been stripped back. Will have to find a weekend to pull the seats out and hit it with a wire wheel.

 

I have also been told my fuel cap needs replacing. The current one is a basic push/pull style which is illegal for road use. Need to get one that locks into place. Maybe something from another datsun can be made to fit?

 

Hope you enjoyed the updates. Can't wait to take it home on the cushy new suspension 😍

 

[Lockleaf 5,011]

On 510s, there are a number of newer fuel necks that have been successfully retrofitted and use new style fuel caps.  I woukd suggest starting your research there and see how those match up to your needs.

[Clade 14]

13 hours ago, Lockleaf said:

On 510s, there are a number of newer fuel necks that have been successfully retrofitted and use new style fuel caps.  I woukd suggest starting your research there and see how those match up to your needs.

Thanks for the advice Lockleaf. Definitely where i will go looking!