The Rat
By Leigh Brooks | A '68 Datsun Roadster gets back on the road
Strays
A couple of stray cars<p>On my morning walks, I often passed by a pair of ’68 1600’s in InterBay on the way to the Ballard Locks. They were stored in a …
Victim
Victim of a swap?<p>There was no engine and from the looks of things someone had attempted a swap. Dual coils make me think a rotary was tried. Note the …
Ratty
Ratty<p>The interior of the first car was in rough shape, but more or less complete. It still had the ignition key (no door or trunk keys, however).<p>The …
Curb
Kicked out to the curb<p>All-in-all the first car was in fairly good shape. Originally a 665 Yellow car, it has been repainted a generic red.<p>No major …
The Donor
The Donor<p>The second car (SPL311-177226) was also a ’68 1600 and this one featured an engine!<p>Rust had really taken hold on this car. The hood and …
The Donor’s engine
The Donor’s Engine<p>The donor came with an earlier 3-main bearing R-16 (R 27460).<p>The motor turns over easily by hand. “Ran when parked,” according to …
A new home
A new home<p>Thanks to NWDE I tracked down a guy with a big truck and a trailer with a winch to drag the cars home. They were an immediate hit with my …
Under the hood
Under the hood<p>With the radiator removed you can see a fairly complete motor. Whoever put this engine in the ’68 combined early and later parts. The …
CarbohydratesShag-a-delic
Shag-a-delic!<p>The interior of the donor was a throw-back to the 70’s. Early 240z seats surrounded by a sea of black and red tiger-striped shag …
Nagging question
A nagging question<p>With the help of a few friends I got the car up the sloped driveway and into the garage to start the strip-down in earnest.<p>Hardtop …
Tear down
Let the tear down begin!<p>The duct tape speaker wiring job contrasts nicely with the shag.<p>I had to cut the mounting bolts to remove the seats. They …
Carnage
Ah, the carnage<p>Windshield came out easily with a little help. Made it very easy to remove the dash.<p>I’m thinking of using this steering wheel for the …
Plucked
Engine plucked<p>The engine came out easily with the radiator, grille and hood removed.<p>You can see that this car was originally 664 Spanish Red. A …
Tasty lump
Tasty lump<p>One of the exhaust manifold studs broke off flush with the head. Against my better judgement, a friend persuaded me to try Easy-Outs. Of …
Next victim
Next victim<p>The donor was rolled back outside and covered with a tarp.<p>Next under the knife - the rat. The idea is to leave the outside alone and just …