New World Datsuns...

I will say those folks running that show kept thanking us for being there, everyone that even said a word thanked all of us for being there, even us that were not picked were thanked on the way out of the courtroom by the bailiff.
My brush with the law ended in a deal(a good deal), 3 months and 2 years probation, then all my rights were reinstated, my deal was what politicians kids got when they got in trouble.

I got jury duty last year. Went through about 45 minutes of questioning. Then they started dismissing everyone. Everyone had quickly figured out what the case was about. I quickly established myself as someone who knew the law, and how to interpret it (which is scary to which ever side is trying to bend the law). Its not that I didnt want to sit through the case, its that I wanted bed more. I was on night shift and had to be at the courthouse at 6am. I slept for like 1 hour.

We knew what this case was about, they told us, we even knew it was a he said she said scenario and public employee types were part of it, this was not a clear cut case where anyone was caught with their pants down.
They even spent time talking about who had the burden of proof in this case, meaning if the defense didn't think the prosecutor proved he was guilty without a reasonable doubt, then he didn't see a reason to put his client on the stand, what did we think about that?
The defense attorney spent a lot of time with his arms crossed pacing around talking about how his client had to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, in a nutshell I suspect no one was caught molesting a child, it was a he said she said with circumstantial evidence provided by police officers or some other government type.
We went thru orientation(maybe an hour), then the judge explained the law and asked questions, some questions(same question) were asked several different ways, maybe 3 folks had worked that night and had no sleep, one admitted smoking a legal controlled substance and we went thru a speech of how we could not be on a jury under the influence and we were asked if we could control ourselves, we were being questioned by the judge for way over an hour, then the attorneys each had their chance, it went on and on and thru the whole process bias kept being brought up and preconceived judgement, I am happy I was not picked, this case sounded like there was no smoking gun.

I am going to the Shedd Roadster meet tomorrow, last year 54 Roadsters showed up, I am only going for the day, it is a 3 day event for those that want to hang out.

Being back some pics.

Now that I’m a lot closer to the Neal’s place I really wanted to attend this year but the timing with work/other shows sucked. Already have this penciled in for next year. I’m planning to attend a Subaru show at Ridge Motorsport and the Shasta Datsun meet next month. Wayno, I think you know may who Ted Heaton is. If so, go to whatever Roadster he decides to bring and tell him Mark from Roseburg says his gas cap is not installed correctly. He should get a kick out of that. Ted’s already given me grief for not attending this year.

First time Ted ever seen my Roadster I got grilled about the gas cap.
You belong to the DROPS list?

I have a camera but I ruined the screen at the Brooks meet leaning against my truck with the said camera in my pocket, it works fine around here as I can take a photo/photos and then go inside and transfer them off the card onto the computer and see what they look like and if they are centered, but away from home.................
I will try to remember to take my camera.

No I am not a DROPS member. Met Ted a few years back at Solvang and up until I moved north he used to stay at my place overnight on his way to Solvang

I think I met Ted because of my NL320 as he also had one and I bought a couple parts from him, I used to drive it to Canby every year, I don't recall if he even knew I had a Roadster, it was actually my first Datsun.

I believe there were 42 Roadsters total, not a record but still a lot of Roadsters.

Nice pics

Ted laughed out loud when I told him you said his gas cap was on wrong.
Ted says there were 45 roadsters this year, 40 roadsters on the drive I took the photos of, 2 Datsun 620s, and 2 others(newer cars), like I said, my camera screen is toast, so I cannot see what I take photos of till I transfer them to my computer.
It was a fun drive, I was between Teds turbo Roadster(SR20DET) driven by a family member of his, and the one he sold to Tom with a KA in it, I did my best to keep up with the turbo Roadster, the guy said he could hear me coming because of my radiator fan, it's a 7 blade and it's not a clutch fan type.
Last night I bought 2 used cameras of the same type I have, one was cheap but doesn't have a card, battery(Lithium-Ion), or charger, but it appeared to be on in the photos as I could see the screen showing the background it was pointed at that I could also see, I have everything(battery/card/charger) needed to make it a good camera and it was cheap, the other one was also used but came with everything including the box, and a good large capacity card, I bought it for half the price I bought mine for without a card, and they claimed it was in very good condition(slightly used), I hope it works properly as was suggested.
The reason I like this type or camera is because it focuses the best up close compared to any other camera I have had/owned, the drawback is the Lithium-Ion battery, it lasts alright, but my other cameras just used AA batteries and I could just put a new set in anytime I needed, I have to charge the Lithium-Ion battery at home.
I also learned some stuff I didn't know about Roadsters today, the 67.5 Roadsters had combined oil/temp and amp/fuel gauges, and 64 Roadsters had front disc brakes, I remember looking at a couple Roadsters back in the 90s, one had the combined gauges, the other had front drum brakes, so I was looking at a 67.5 and an early 64 Roadster, I could have bought both of them, but I didn't know what I was looking at, and they looked like rust buckets to me.

More photos that Ted took.

I now have a camera again that I can see on the screen what I am taking a photo of.

So I removed 3 rows of strawberries today, they didn't produce much at all.





Before removing the rows(I had planned to remove them) I got enough starts to replace the rows, I believe I have 78 starts on this table, that would be 25 plants for each row.



When it quits getting so hot outside I will plant them, that way I will get a few straw berries next year, but the next year will be better.
That fat row of straw berries will likely be removed next year unless it produces a good crop, but it needs to be a skinnier row.

So today I decided to go for a bicycle ride and didn't get past the first garage sale, there was a Troy Built cultivator/edger for sale for $10.00 with a sign that said it would not start, needed service, I brought it home, turned it over and dumped the weird color fuel out, I searched it and the search suggested it was a 4 cycle engine and it said use only unleaded fuel, the fuel cap only had a gas pump on it, it said nothing about mixed gas, I actually went back and asked the owner what fuel they used, they said mixed gas, I went back home, put unleaded in it and by the 3rd pull it started, I let it run for only a couple seconds, shut it off, closed the garage door and went for my ride.





I decided to ride to this guys house I know and see if he had started his 1972 Datsun 521 he had bought close to a month ago, the truck has all the bells and whistles, locking gas cap and glove box, and the stainless steel trim around the door glass, he had not touched it so we talked and then put a battery in it, I tested the starter and it turned over, then we checked for power, it had power to everything, so we siphoned a tiny amount of gas out of one of his trucks, I poured a little down the carb and I jumped the starter with a screwdriver because the key would not turn it over, it actually started and ran maybe a second or so at a low idle, it has an L18 in it with a crusty looking Weber.
Next I suggested removing the sender in the tank to see what it looked like inside, not a chance, it needs to soak for a while with WD40 or something like that(whatever it was he had there), I then suggested removing the drain plug in the tank, the truck had sat for at least 3 years, what came out of the tank was clean, but it didn't have the texture of gas anymore, it sorta smelt like gas.
Next with the drain plug still out of the tank I removed the fuel line from the pre-filter(it was bone dry inside the line) while he got his very small compressor going, I put my hand under the tank drain hole and he put air thru the fuel line from the filter to the tank, it blew gas or whatever that stuff was on my hand, that line is clear, we stopped there because he didn't have any fuel or an electric fuel pump to help the gas to the mechanical fuel pump.
I said I would come help him tomorrow if he wanted, I would bring a hand held starter trigger(so I didn't have to use a screwdriver), an electric fuel pump as I have a couple, and a piece of hose for the bypass as his was leaking, he needed to get some gas for the tank, I will try to remember to take my camera, we are on for 10am.
I rode my bike back home, it felt good to ride, my joints didn't hurt at all, after I got home I looked over that cultivator again and noticed a red screw on cap on the back, I removed it and it looked like oil inside so this is a 4 cycle/4 stroke engine, I didn't notice that it had an oil reservoir/pan before and that is why I only ran it for a couple seconds, it looked like a 2 stroke to me, anyway I started it again and pulled the lever that brought up the RPMs and engaged the tillers/tines, it appeared to work so I took it out back to the garden and tried it out, it works just fine, $10.00 was a good deal.

Well it is alive, it started so easy it was like it had been started yesterday, well I did get it to run a second or two yesterday.


Everything that needs to work is working, thermostat opens, with some coaxing the fuel pump works, even with a electric fuel pump at first the Weber carb didn't leak, matchbox works, it really runs nice and quiet for something that has sat for 3 years.

It has the door window trim, gas door lock and glove box lock although I only took photos of the door trim, offered me a trade for my Marklin Z scale train set for that door trim, I might do that.




Except for the rust around the drip rail on the top I would leave it as it is, get the brakes bled as there are brakes if the pedal is pumped, but there is no clutch right now, it might need a slave and master.






It really started easy, he also got the key to start the engine, it appears to be a nice L18/4spd, he has no power to the headlights, turn signals, 4 ways, the gauges do work, temp/fuel, and ignition light, the oil light doesn't work because the wire is broke off at the sender.

It also has functioning hijacker air shocks, he had not a clue it had them,l it is a nice looking truck with some wiring issues and no functioning clutch at this time, it was time for me to get off my feet so I left.

I worked in the garden this morning, I started here.



I went right down the middle of that row of strawberry plants with my rototiller and now I have 2 rows, then I planted a row on each side of them 2 rows.



Since I am planting them now I will get some strawberries next year out of them 2 new rows, I worked hard a month ago getting strawberry starts, I will likely plant 2 more rows where the tomatoes are right now and the tomatoes will be planted were the straw berry plant rows were this spring that didn't produce anything edible, I have given up on broccoli, waste of time and money for what I have got out of them the last couple years, I can buy more at the store for the money I spent buying/growing them.

Sometimes I miss having a garden. When I was a kid we had about 8-10 acres planted with corn, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, squash, cucumber, collard and turnip greens, snap beans and black-eyed peas. It was a lot of work but it was very fulfilling.
I also miss riding on the tractor. Beside the seat as my step dad drove and on the disc harrow and 3 furrow plow implements. He would often tell me “hold on. If you fall off it will kill you.”

We did not have any strawberries or broccoli though.

Mmmm...pickled okra