On Wednesday, December 22, 2010 my friend Exit64 (also known as “Mike”) dropped off my new “interim” car – a ‘67.5 1600. This car came from San Jose and looks like it was someone’s auto-x toy – there were time slips in the door pocket! As well as competition front springs and a comp front sway bar (we’ll see about the rear springs).
Just before Christmas the new owner of my ’69 2000 came to pick it up. Maddie posed next to the car for me.
SRL311-00139 photo from May 1997
Meet SRL311-00139. Yes, 1967-1/2 Datsun 2000 number 139 – for those that aren’t familiar – the holy grail of Datsun roadsters. For half a year and about 700 cars, Nissan made a mash-up of the early and late roadsters. The low windshield of the early cars. The dual-circuit brake master, U20 engine and 5-speed from the later cars. And a few bits here and there that are specific to the half-year cars. Rare and highly desirable.
Dennis Currington out for a "tuning session".
There are a lot of rules of thumb, superstitions and rituals in the car guy world (cue Stevie Wonder). A lot of things are done because that is the way they have been done or should be done. I’m sure many of these are based on real-world experience. Some may not be.
Like most car guys, I had a huge collection of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars – a plastic tub full. Some of those little cars are probably still buried in any of a half-dozen sandboxes between New Mexico and North Carolina. My favorite was the little blue Lotus Europa (probably an S2 – Type 54). I would often make my little sister play cars and part of the whole scenario was that I would build a car for her. Not knowing the true scale of the Europa and figuring that the engine was in front (like all the the “real” cars I had ever seen), I assumed the “flying buttresses” behind the driver’s compartment were a great place for tool boxes. I could bring all of the tools needed to build a car in the tiny Europa.
The Rat - a '68 Datsun 1600 that followed me home
This story goes all the way back to July, 2003. I found a couple of roadsters parked in a yard full of junk in an industrial area of Seattle. One of the cars had been pushed out in the street and it looked like they were headed for crusher. Of course, I left a note and soon got a phone call from the owner who really wanted to get rid of them. It was one of those “$500 but you got to take both” deals.
1985 Volvo 240 DL
Oh, yes, the proverbial flying brick. Most car guys I know have owned at least one at some point in their lives. For an all-around parts chaser there really isn’t anything better. They feature a large enclosed cargo area, simple engineering and are built to last 300,000+ miles. Besides, if you are going to have a 4-door, you might as well just get a wagon. (I really don’t get the 4-door sedan thing…)
Freshly bought 240Z - 89K miles, original paint
All car guys have special friends who can help them rationalize a completely insane car purchase regardless of how impractical the terms or timing of the purchase might be. Without them, you’ll spend your life behind the wheel of a Camry or a Caravan, because logic would dictate you drive them. But if you’re lucky, and spend some time with the right people, you’ll have that person you can reach out to in your time of need.
My ’93 “C-package†Miata on the road into “Twin Peaks†near Snoqualmie, WA
…shiftco.com!
I started this site as an online portfolio for my work as an Art Director in 1998, and soon hidden directories filled up with images and text describing my various automotive restoration projects.
