dimlight65 Posted October 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) So I was trying to decide which post to put my 2023 "Morning After Chili Night"... no, wait... that's not it... 2023 "Ring of Fire" eclipse pictures in. I decided this is the one for no other reason than I haven't posted here very much. So, without further ado... First I tried to just take a picture (with unsurprisingly bad results [Edit! I just saw the image of the eclipse in the lens flare!])... Then I thought, "What about the privacy tint on the Dajiban's back window?" (More unsurprising results)... Fine! I'll make a pinhole camera (surprisingly good results with bad phone cam focus however)... Then I remembered I have one of these... OH man! That worked a treat! I leaned against a car and watched for several minutes before attempting a picture through the helmet. But I forgot to turn off the flash leading to... Unsurprisingly bad results. But with the flash off, I finally got a decent enough (for me at least) picture. Hopefully John, who traveled to the path of totality, got some better shots. Edited October 15, 2023 by dimlight65 Lens flare! I'm like Jar Jar Abrams! 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted October 17, 2023 Report Share Posted October 17, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 10:48 PM, dimlight65 said: Hopefully John, who traveled to the path of totality, got some better shots. Nope. Took too long to figure out how to get a decent shot of it, and since I didn't even start trying until the moment of occlusion... 1 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted October 17, 2023 Report Share Posted October 17, 2023 Genius using self darkening helmet! I was on my morning walk and the clouds parted just as I got to a couple who had the darkened glasses, so I saw the same as above. I'm near 50 degrees latitude on Vancouver Island. Within a minute the clouds rolled back in and it was all over. Last one here was 7-8 years ago when I was at work. Perfect conditions. The light was dimmed and weird. The light through gaps in the tree leaves worked like a pin hole camera and there were hundreds of half moons on the ground! 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted October 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2023 8 hours ago, datzenmike said: The light through gaps in the tree leaves worked like a pin hole camera and there were hundreds of half moons on the ground! That was what we saw in 2018(?) as well. Pretty freaky. Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted April 29, 2024 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2024 Well, I bought another N600 today... I wish it had been red, but waddayagonnado? 1 Quote Link to comment
EDM620 Posted May 23, 2024 Report Share Posted May 23, 2024 Maybe just a wee bit of bodywork ... Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 23, 2024 Report Share Posted May 23, 2024 7 hours ago, EDM620 said: Maybe just a wee bit of bodywork ... Or buy a red one... 😋 https://www.ebay.com/itm/125597591237 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 24, 2024 Report Share Posted May 24, 2024 On 4/28/2024 at 5:25 PM, dimlight65 said: Well, I bought another N600 today... Living in SoCal like I do, that's about the only car I could find a place to park here at my house. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 30, 2024 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2024 (edited) We were discussing how, while the Smart is fun to drive, the short wheelbase makes it feel twitchy. I was concerned with this also being the case with the N600. John pointed out that it's not just wheelbase by itself, it's the relationship of wheelbase to track width. So, we googled some numbers and did some meth... I mean MATH! As it turns out, the N600 has a WB:TW ratio of 1.73. This is right in between a 1200's 1.86 and the Dajiban's 1.53. The Smart however, is 1.30. Therefore, Juan could assume that it could exhibit handling closer to a 1200 than the Smart. Adding a little bit of track width (6" overall or 3" per side) could make it have more Dajiban-esque handling. But it would take a metric butt load (15" overall or 7.5" per side) of additional track width to bring it "down to" Smart car handling quirkiness. Does any of this mean anything? Probably not. But I did manage to waste a few minutes of your time. Have a day! Edited June 30, 2024 by dimlight65 2 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted February 28 Author Report Share Posted February 28 When we last left out intrepid little N600, it had been turned around in the garage from... to... and over the years it got covered up with junk and hidden... Today I (partially) dug it out... uncovered it... and drug it up to the door... because I am, once again, thinking about selling it. I am 60 years old and have two other projects in line ahead of this. I acknowledge that the likelihood of me finishing this is slim. I need the money more than I need another project. Not having this would free up a spot in the garage for the Baja 1200 (AKA The Chickenhawk) when it is "done." (Yeah, I know. They're never "done.") On the gripping hand, I asked the googles what a basket-case N600 is worth... Plus, there is the whole "I rode in this exact car as a kid in the 70s, tried for 30+ years to buy it from my neighbor, finally got it when he passed away, blah blah blah" sentimental attachment. So I am having second thoughts. I think I will Shanghai Datsunfreak into coming over to look at/prep it for sale and "run it up the flagpole" as it were. If there's interest, I will let it go. If not... Honda Beat donk in the rear hatch! Y'know... eventually... maybe... we'll see. Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted February 28 Author Report Share Posted February 28 Damn it! Looking at this picture... I really want to R5T2 this beeotch with a modern Kei car donk in the rear! 2 Quote Link to comment
Rustbin Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 I think they were made with a driver of only 5' 8" tall in mind, they must be modified for taller people. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 (edited) 17 hours ago, Rustbin said: I think they were made with a driver of only 5' 8" tall in mind, they must be modified for taller people. Honestly, I am 6'3" and I "fit" in it just fine. The only issue I have is it's a bit of a faff to work the pedals, but it's doable. But you're right. It really could benefit from at least moving the seat mounts back a bit.. 😁 Edited March 2 by datsunfreak 1 Quote Link to comment
UnderControl Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 I'm having flashbacks of police academy. 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 8 hours ago, UnderControl said: I'm having flashbacks of police academy. The rear seat is definitely too far back... 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
UnderControl Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 On 3/3/2026 at 7:53 AM, datsunfreak said: The rear seat is definitely too far back... 😁 Time for telescoping wheel and pedals. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 Honestly, I want to do a tube chassis, front center driving position, rear engine, like a McLaren F1... 😁 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted March 5 Author Report Share Posted March 5 16 hours ago, UnderControl said: Time for telescoping wheel and pedals. Don't think I have not considered this! Plop a set of... these bad boys in the middle of the driver's floor and sit in the rear seat. Hmm... moving my not-insubstantial ass to the back would also free up front-engine space. Now I'm thinking Ford's 1.5 liter 3 cylinder and a Miata transmission. No, no, no, no, no! I need to sell it. I need to sell it. I... ought to sell it. 2 Quote Link to comment
UnderControl Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 This is exactly the the type of car my wife thinks she'd want as a fun car. But, she doesn't feel safe riding in the 620 so it'd end up being another me project, and I too don't need any more of those. 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted May 30 Author Report Share Posted May 30 Well, Ladies, and Gentlemen, and Smizmars... it has been decided that the Dajiban is going to be sold instead of this car. So, once the Chickenhawk is "finished," it will swap places with this car and we will tuck in to its renovation. The current thinking is a Kei car donk up front, and leave it configured as a "Pull Toy." We figure "68" horsepower (wink wink) in a 1400 pound car is going to be spritely enough to be fun, and should (could?) require the least chopping of the car. So... yeah. There's an update for you. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 On 3/5/2026 at 5:16 AM, dimlight65 said: Don't think I have not considered this! Plop a set of... these bad boys in the middle of the driver's floor and sit in the rear seat. Or these... https://www.wilwood.com/pedals/PedalProd?itemno=340-17803&appid=0 And sit somewhere sort of "mid-rear"... 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 (edited) Before I had the 1200 sedan, I had a bone stock US market 1200 Coupe with a 4-spd. The thing was really fun, and it got crazy good gas mileage. too. Surprisingly, I used to get a fair amount of thumbs up from fellow drivers on the road. I paid $1,000 for it. After driving it daily for a couple years, I sold it for $3,000. I put some wheels on it, and some Miata seats in it. It was a fun little car.. I did pull the motor out of it and replaced the rear main seal, the main trans seal, and I found a clutch kit at Autozone for $135. I changed that since I had it apart. It never once broke down on me. I would buy another Coupe if they were available.. Edited June 3 by Duncan 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 3 Author Report Share Posted June 3 (edited) Yes, our new philosophy is "Fast Enough." We're not in search of "the most" anymore. If it calculates out to around 20 pounds per horsepower, it will be quick enough to be fun. My Smart would not be considered fast, but it is quick enough to be a lot of fun (~100 hp and ~2,000 pounds), so that's our benchmark going forward. A stock 1200 coupe falls outside that mark, but not terribly far (1640 pounds and 68 hp is ~24 lbs/hp). They are fun-ish (using the new metric), but being so light and nimble makes up for its lack of giddy-up... IMNVHO. Edited June 3 by dimlight65 1 Quote Link to comment
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