New World Datsuns...

So a few years back I contacted a guy who said he had some 1st gen Dodge Colts that he was thinking of selling. He said he was getting older and was thinking he only wanted to keep 1 to fix up and would possibly sell the others. We went back and forth for about a year without him actually committing to selling then he went radio silent for over a year. I tried a couple times to reach out with no response so I figured that something had happened to him and his family had “disposed” of his “junk”. Well, earlier this week out of the blue he contacts me and says he had some health issues and can no longer work on his cars and if I am still interested, only now it’s all 3 cars, 2 coupes and a wagon plus a truckload of parts. He threw out a very fair price and sent a few pics to confirm the condition so if everything works out the plan is to go out over memorial weekend and pick them up. Not sure what I’m going to do with the coupes, but I plan to eventually restore the wagon. Pics when/if it happens.

It's funny how stuff like that works out sometimes, some would hound the guy till he was scared away/sick of hearing about it, but you have been on his radar and he knew you were interested without being reminded every week, and he appears to have offered them to you at a fair price(your evaluation).
Good luck, I hope it works out for both of you.

Thanks Wayno. I’ve never been one to hound someone about anything. My feeling has always been if it was meant to happen, it will. A freindly reminder every once in a while usually suffices.

congrats on the purchase. Looking forward to when it happens. From seeing what you've done with other projects, I'd say their in good hands.

Can’t wait to see what transpires. The American
Tri-diamond.

Quit talkin about it and get to it!

DRIVEN wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 7:17 am Quit talkin about it and get to it!

I got my plane tickets to fly back.

So here is the 1st one I picked up yesterday. Going to go get the wagon tomorrow and the other car probably right after Powerland (canby). Turns out this one has a pretty rare 5 speed conversion and is pretty straight and relatively minor rust. The guy was breaking it down in anticipation of starting a restoration but I think most of the parts are there. It does currently run and move under its own power so that’s a plus.

That is awesome! Such a cool looking car.

Styling dept. was definitely targeting the American buyer.
Very cool.

These were sold overseas as the Mitsubishi Galant but the model did coincide with the introduction to the US market so it is possible. These still do have a sweeper speedometer and by this time the Japanese had moved to the gauge style. They are about the size of a 1200 inside but have a somewhat larger engine bay, closer to a 510. Nowadays most of the coupes/hardtop are gone, having been hacked into drag cars. I dont think that many wagons were ever sold so as uncommon the cars are, you rarely see wagons.

Here is the wagon I got today. Day got off to a shit start when one of my trailer tires decided to separate about 30 Miles into the trip. There are no places here that may have a tire that are open Sunday so got lucky and U-Haul had a car carrier available. Rest of 7 hour round trip was thankfully uneventful. This one seems to be pretty rust free other than surface rust but the body is not nearly as straight as the other one. Luckily the damaged panels are bolt on and came with spares. The highlight with this is it has A/C. This is kind of a big deal as it is a dealer installed in dash factory setup. Most of the A/C setups in Japanese cars of this era were made by one of a few aftermarket companies in Texas and were underdash units. This one also runs and moves under its own power, but like the other, needs some help. The 3rd car is supposed to be delivered along with a spare motor and a couple trannies in a couple weeks, saving me another trip up there.

And your plans for the cars?

I need to do a much more thorough investigation into the condition of both these cars, but as it stands right now the plan is to sell the blue car to cover the cost of the purchase and have some funds to put toward the restoration of the wagon, provided it’s condition is what I think it is. The other car, since it supposedly has title issues, will probably become a parts car for the others. With my.work schedule and plans for serious roof repairs to the house, I doubt anything of consequence will happen to these this year. I am hoping toward the end of the year to actually be able to start working on setting up at least one of my shops so I have a place to work on things. They are just packed full of unorganized stuff and cars/motorcycle#right now.

Keep us posted.

Here’s a WWYD question. I am contemplating a drivetrain swap for the wagon. I really want to drop a 60 degree efi V6/4 speed auto into her primarily because I want to make this a smooth cruiser for long distances with good power and mileage. I really don’t want to mess with OBDII or electronic transmissions so here is what I’m considering,

VG30 (sohc) from a Z31 or S12.
GM 2.8/3.1 from a late 80’s Camaro/firebird
Ford 3.0 Vulcan from a Ranger/Aerostar (post ‘92 to get the roller cam)
Mazda JE 3.0 from a MPV/ 929

All are in the neighborhood of 140 hp and have potential to be bumped up a bit without any durability concerns. I am leaning toward the American choices just due to push rod simplicity and no worries about finding parts should a on road breakdown occur. Also, since these were used for many years and in both rwd and fwd, there are more options as far as swapping pans, mounts, manifolds, etc. This probably rules out the Mazda as they were just not as common as the other. I am also factoring in the cost of buying a complete running vehicle as a donor for the swap. All seem to be in about the same price range but much easier to find a cheap Ranger, but I do love the sound of the 2.8. I am fairly knowledgeable about the issues on these engines but it’s been many years since I turned a wrench on any of them so I am willing to listen to any feedback.

There are fitment issues to consider,obviously. But for sheer simplicity, probably L32 3.4 from a '93-95 Fbody and the accompanying 4L60

Where is the crossmember and steering? Will it require front or rear sump?

I believe the stock setup is front sump. Been awhile since I paid attention. The steering is behind the crossmember but I may swap in a power R&P.

Here is the last one. This will most likely be parted out.






It looks pretty good from the outside, but there is no interior, engine, trans and the tunnel has been cut out, and (I was told) has title issues. Once I take what the other coupe and wagon need, I’ll sell the rest.

Too bad it can't be put back on the road, but I understand.