1968 Datsun 1600 Roadster

[petercscherer]

Well, I'm back on Ratsun with Datsun! Finally fulfilled a long term dream of owning a Fairlady Roadster! Found this sweet 1968 1600 over in Carlsbad, NM where it's been it's whole life. Was refurbished so the previous owner's daughter could drive to high school, but been sitting for about 10yrs since. 

[petercscherer]

Original R16 engine with the 4-speed trans, all very complete and runs off a remote fuel tank. Plan is to pull the drivetrain to allow for a thorough engine bay cleaning and refresh. Also going to need at least a partial wiring harness.  

Interior is pretty much all there, but going to need a dash cap and all new upholstery/carpet. Soft top is new from 15yrs ago and fits well enough. 

[petercscherer]

Still has the factory steelies, and I'm leaning towards keeping them for now. Paint is a really good 10ft job that just needs some mild wet-sanding and polishing. Luggage rack is going though... 😮

[mklotz70]

Nice score.  Is that you shop??!!  

[petercscherer]

 

7 hours ago, mklotz70 said:

Nice score.  Is that you shop??!!  

That's the storage facility at my work, I do classic car restorations full-time so my workshop is right next door. I mostly work on 1933-63 Chrysler products. 

[KELMO]

Looks pretty good. Now I can start priming you(again) for the Route 66 JDM Classic in Williams AZ, first full weekend in October. the actual show is Saturday the 5th.

[petercscherer]

1 hour ago, KELMO said:

Looks pretty good. Now I can start priming you(again) for the Route 66 JDM Classic in Williams AZ, first full weekend in October. the actual show is Saturday the 5th.

That was what got me really looking for one. Would love to drive this out there. Should be a fun project over the next 8 months. 

[iceman510]

Nice find.  Also on my long list.

[petercscherer]

Got the car cleaned up and on the hoist, and everything looks great! All solid and intact, just needing lots of cleaning. 

 

I think the smart plan would be to pull the body off the frame, preserving the exterior condition that I'm happy with, and then restore the chassis and engine so it's 100%, and then marry the two back together. I know that would make it a lot easier to get the suspension refurbished and of course I avoid having to hoist the engine in and out. 

 

 

I gotta move a couple things around to make some room, but I anticipate more pics and updates in the coming week or so. 

 

 

[petercscherer]

Oh, and here's the corner weights. This is without a driver, no battery and no gas in the tank. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MikeRL411]

If it is a true 1968, it has the 4 main crankshaft and metric engine!

[MikeRL411]

Would you believe 5 main crank shaft?

[Icehouse]

Good looking rig!  My first Datsun was a 68 roadster way back in the 90's.  I dig the trunk rack.  So ugly its rad!!!  Next time I'm in Lubbock I'd love to swing by your shop.  My inlaws live down there, every couple years I make the trip.  Nice area but way to hot for a Washington boy.  My wife has a 6 speed Cube.  Such great rigs.  It was in Lubbock a few months ago.  I'm excited to follow the build. 

[petercscherer]

2 hours ago, Icehouse said:

Next time I'm in Lubbock I'd love to swing by your shop.  My inlaws live down there, every couple years I make the trip.  Nice area but way to hot for a Washington boy.  

You're more than welcome to drop by, shoot me a PM in advance of the trip and we can verify date/time. 🙂

Luggage rack is going away however... 😁

[petercscherer]

Ran a compression check on the engine, and got some really nice results:
1: 135

2: 145

3: 140

4: 150

 

 

Good sign since I'm planning on running the stock R16 for starters. I really toyed with the idea of dropping in my low mile KA24E/5spd, but I want this thing to be simple and easy to run, and I know adding computers, sensors, and wiring will only complicate and prolong the build. I might build a motor for this car down the road, but for now it's gonna have a gently upgraded R16. 

Going to be placing my order for a Weber DCOE setup, I priced out rebuilding the stock SUs, but the expense and 8-10month wait time just didn't make sense for what I want. Besides, I've gotten some experience on side-draft Webers over the years, and I look forward to the noise. 🙂

Attached is my inspiration for how the engine will look. Plan is still to pull the body off the frame, allowing me to 100% refurbish the chassis and drivetrain, and then re-assemble once fully operational and tuned. 


On a side note, I've found that traditionally an upgraded Camshaft isn't necessary if you're running stock displacement/compression, so I am inclined to leave the engine internals as-is for now, unless someone here has some insight otherwise. 
 

[docbainey]

Perfect for a stroker, if it's a 5 main bearing engine.

 

n is to locate the nearest Nissan forklift dealership and purchase parts from them.

[datzenmike]

On an engine that has a 9 to 1 compression 130 and above would be a pass as good enough. 180 would be ideal for a new engine. It's more important that the cylinders are more or less even and the lowest compression test is within 10% of the highest. So 10% of 150 is 15 and 150-15 is 135 so good enough.

 

Hopefully this was done on a completely warmed up engine. Cold will give lower numbers.

 

On the low cylinder (relatively low that is) pour a tablespoon full of engine oil in the plug holes and repeat the test. If the compression goes up significantly then the rings are worn. This is not to say they are worn out, it's a test that if inconclusive points to another cause of the low reading. That could be that the valves on that cylinder are not sealing perfectly. That's much easier to fix. Again I'm not suggesting that you need a valve job, your readings simply show normal even wear. 

 

High cylinder compression shows that the engine will contain and efficiently extract the most out of the burning fuel. A worn out engine less so with poorer mileage and poorer performance.

[petercscherer]

Thanks, I was mostly doing the compression test as an indicator of engine health; because, like you said, it can be a great indicator of normal even wear. 

I've really been pricing out engine parts and the prices are shocking for these R16 engines. I just finished building a 1938 Ford Flathead V8 and I though those prices were nuts until now. Guess overall these rare(r) engines have a limited supply/support, and that keeps the costs up there. 

That's why I've been thinking about KA swap. Just the cost of side-drafts alone (1700+) and I'd cover all my expenses in standalone wiring harness and HPFP/regulator. Bummer is the underhood area then looks like a truck... lol 

 

 

I also have been toying with the idea of my 1982 Z22, but I know in someways that would be a step backwards from the R16:

 

Something this small and light just needs 100-125hp to be a blast to drive, so I'm lucky that I have options!

[datzenmike]

The Z22 would have way more low speed torque than the R16.

 

An L20B head also fits the Z22 if you also use the L20B timing cover and a car oil pan perhaps. You would need an L series 71B transmission. With L head 9.7 compression and much better breathing.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I hate to poo on your ideas, but I try to adhere to some basic rules. One of which is that if the car is complete and in good shape, you owe it to the car to keep it original. Or mostly original.

[petercscherer]

3 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I hate to poo on your ideas, but I try to adhere to some basic rules. One of which is that if the car is complete and in good shape, you owe it to the car to keep it original. Or mostly original.

No worries man, I myself am a restore-to-original guy with my client's cars. So I've already been leaning towards just biting the bullet and sinking the $ into the R16. Just hard to ignore the opportunity to upgrade. 🙂

[iceman510]

5 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I hate to poo on your ideas, but I try to adhere to some basic rules. One of which is that if the car is complete and in good shape, you owe it to the car to keep it original. Or mostly original.

 

Period mods.  👍