Howdy, here's my new to me '72 521

[yenpit]

12 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I grew up in Duluth MN. and we used to go watch them race in the bay. The Archer brothers were always there racing, I think, Honda Civics.

 

Bobby Archer!  I met him thru a buddy from MN at Road America a few years ago!  He is in TX now, still messin' with old crap & old NOS parts...........he contacted me last year, after he bought out an old import parts store, trying to get me to buy the Datsun ignition stuff, gasket sets, rad hoses etc etc.  Unfortunately, mostly stuff still available these days, although it sounded like mostly 1980's inventory, which would have been lots of made in Japan parts, not made in China crap like today!

 

When I lived in Holland Michigan, had a sports compact shop, it was February (bitter cold & snow), saw a thread on the Honda forum...........the ice racing group out of Chicago (mostly Polish/Slavic guys!) were supposed to come to Michigan for an ice race, but it had been too warm, so the lake was not safe to race on.  One of the guys knew Dan at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven MI, called him & asked if they could all come up to use the track!  Dan apparently laughed at him, said "The track is NOT plowed!".  The guy answered "Perfect!  Can we rent it?".  I gathered up about 10 customers, mostly AWD sport comp cars, I was in my 1990 Honda Civic RT4WD Wagon & headed there.  It was snowing HARD that day...............we had a freaking BLAST, until the snow got packed down & icy, then it got too dangerous without studded snow tires!  The ice racers just kept on going!

Edited December 1, 2022 by yenpit

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

18 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Ahhh then you would know who Dick Bong was.

Richard to you.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

18 hours ago, yenpit said:

 

Bobby Archer!  I met him thru a buddy from MN at Road America a few years ago!  He is in TX now, still messin' with old crap & old NOS parts...........he contacted me last year, after he bought out an old import parts store, trying to get me to buy the Datsun ignition stuff, gasket sets, rad hoses etc etc.  Unfortunately, mostly stuff still available these days, although it sounded like mostly 1980's inventory, which would have been lots of made in Japan parts, not made in China crap like today!

 

When I lived in Holland Michigan, had a sports compact shop, it was February (bitter cold & snow), saw a thread on the Honda forum...........the ice racing group out of Chicago (mostly Polish/Slavic guys!) were supposed to come to Michigan for an ice race, but it had been too warm, so the lake was not safe to race on.  One of the guys knew Dan at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven MI, called him & asked if they could all come up to use the track!  Dan apparently laughed at him, said "The track is NOT plowed!".  The guy answered "Perfect!  Can we rent it?".  I gathered up about 10 customers, mostly AWD sport comp cars, I was in my 1990 Honda Civic RT4WD Wagon & headed there.  It was snowing HARD that day...............we had a freaking BLAST, until the snow got packed down & icy, then it got too dangerous without studded snow tires!  The ice racers just kept on going!

We knew them from MN and from SCCA in the '90s. I miss the north.  My grandfather has a series of snowmobile trails named after him up there.

 

I'd love to hit up an ice race knowing what I know now. Must have been a blast.

[yenpit]

1 hour ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

We knew them from MN and from SCCA in the '90s. I miss the north.  My grandfather has a series of snowmobile trails named after him up there.

 

I'd love to hit up an ice race knowing what I know now. Must have been a blast.

 

This will be a long shot................did you know Tom Schramm?  I think he grew up with them, he DID ice race & I think he was into Toyota's & later into British (that's how I met him)............his family might even have owned a Toyota dealership......??

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Oh, man, I don't remember. My older brother might remember.

[the_10mm]

Hey gang, quick update. YoM registration has been successful! Thanks for the info everyone. Not many other updates quite yet. Cleaning under the bed getting ready to POR the frame and underside. That's about it, on the lookout for the right KA24 to come along.

 

Can anyone let me know how to post pics here?

[RetroRocket]

I believe datsun experience that goes deep brings with it a sense of responsibility somehow.

 

I'm trying to think of my favorite datsun road story...okay, i bought my red 2dr 510 in Boulder. I was born a car nut and was just discovering import quality and innovation (quality into the argricultural nature of US autos)

2dr L16 stock 4spd very solid body evenly sun-faded but all stock. drove it around boulder until out of college then to Chicago for school. I left it parked in the Med School parking lot with special permission granted (it was hilarious). 

 

later with the rest of that and you would not believe how many funny datsun stories i have had. car stories really but datsun is the quintessential car.

I like ban-sai or what ever comment about what approach to take with an existing 510. I say share. A no-gouging zone.

[RetroRocket]

It was great until a huge chicago snow storm came in off of the lake (Lake Michigan) it was parked basically at the western coast of lake michigan at great lakes naval training station location.

I had escaped some snow by leaving town (i have lived in chicago several different ages in my life) and finally learned to get out of there in the winter.

so i'd go powder skiing in colo and utah while doing clinical clerkships out there.

 

anyway, came back to chicago early spring to find my 510 completely intact and had not seen a salted road..but the roof was caved in from a heavy snow load. the storms in the midwest get huge.  and then the snow sticks around in jaggedy edgey piles colored initially with a fine black pepper coating, then it becomes a dirty-gray undertone with what looks like hunks of charcoal briquettes thrown at it.....like snow-man accoutrement had been scrapped up by the 24/7 snowplows...

 

the midwest is fun though.   weather sucks.   

[RetroRocket]

my interest in the naps-z head design is in wondering if i could use the egr plumbing system to deliver another gas (a different blend). well, i'm more than wondering.

 

i am interested in retro-fitting/reverse-engineering for its own sake. I think that is where the biggest fun-factor is. especially if it becomes a sport. it can be as much of a sport as a hobby. like buying a $10 bottle of wine for $5. it's an art.

 

cheers

[datzenmike]

L20B engines all had EGR systems that would fit the L16 by just swapping the intake and exhaust. The best closest would be the '78-'79 and '80. Assume you mean LPG? (a sort of 'flex fuel'?) You would only need the intake.

[thisismatt]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:47 PM, the_10mm said:

Haha, maybe. But I'm a completionist. It may take me a while, but of I were to fail you'll have first dibs on the carcas 🥲

 

This, and other posts that didn't age well 😅

[the_10mm]

23 minutes ago, thisismatt said:

 

This, and other posts that didn't age well 😅

Yep, bought a house. That's a whole new project. So, you want a fresh pile of parts?! I'm honestly hesitant to sell, but the new house has a smaller garage and we're out of room. I'm okay w/ leaving it in the driveway but my partner says it looks tacky.

 

I'll keep plugging away at it till someone comes for it.

[thisismatt]

21 minutes ago, the_10mm said:

Yep, bought a house. That's a whole new project. So, you want a fresh pile of parts?! I'm honestly hesitant to sell, but the new house has a smaller garage and we're out of room. I'm okay w/ leaving it in the driveway but my partner says it looks tacky.

 

I'll keep plugging away at it till someone comes for it.

Dunno, I think your price has an extra zero on it 😄

[the_10mm]

10 minutes ago, thisismatt said:

Dunno, I think your price has an extra zero on it 😄

Haha! Hey! I know what I got...