Back in the late Sixties and early Seventies, Datsun was riding the crest of
a big wave. Its Zed sports car was an instant hit and is still recognised as
an all-time great, and then of course there was the giant-killing little
1600 (510) from the same era. Powered by its un-burstable and potent
L-series four, the independently-suspended car mixed it on the rally
circuit, roads circuits and even on the ice in some countries! But today,
around 25 years has gone by and the famous Datsun is part of a dwindling
population. They are a rare sight on the roads - or anywhere for that
matter. Just ask Daniel Romeo, who built this immaculate model-of-yesteryear
beauty.
Daniel actually owned another 1600 before this one, but it unfortunately got
written-off just out of the CBD. The poor thing wouldn't have known what hit
it - a four-wheel drive gave it a rear-end shunt as it was taking a
left-hand corner, forcing it awkwardly into the gutter and toppling it onto
its roof. Exit another Datsun 1600.
So Daniel went out and bought another "f*^#ed"1600 with a bent driver's
B-pillar, stripped it the very next day, and started re-building it using
some of the good bits from the roof rider. The doors were swapped from 1600
number 1, but some of the other necessary parts required some more chasing.
Amazingly, Daniel managed to locate a new still-in-the-box rear left hand
rear quarter panel to replace the cancerous existing one. His local wreckers
were combed for a good right-hand front panel, but that was about it for the
replacement panels required.
Daniel's family came the rescue with the panel beating and spray painting
work - after all, what's family for? Alex Renaldi (one of Daniel's
relatives) massaged the Datsun's steel in his back shed and returned a prime
piece of work. The car is ripple free and probably fits together better than
when it left the production line back in 1972. Daniel did all the paint prep
work himself, rubbing the entire car back no less than five times! After
this meticulous effort, Alex painted the car with six layers of 2-pak under
sealer, four splashes of Diablo red acrylic and 2 coats of clear to bring up
its true shine. The Diablo red is a great choice of colour to get that
hot-car look.
On top of the paint and panels, there are numerous other tweaks that largely
go unnoticed. For example, Daniel had the hinges, bumper mounts, and all the
car's nuts and bolts cadmium plated. "There were four bucket loads of the
stuff" recalls Daniel. The like-new bumpers have been re-chromed, and Daniel
says he's bought the new chrome door handles from Nissan. New rubbers are
now found throughout the car, located through the Restorer's Hotline.
It would've been a waste to have spent all this time and effort on the body
and not put on an equally attractive set of wheels. But rather than going
for the modern style wheels, 15-inch Performance Superlites are fitted to
maintain the classic era look of the car. Daniel also pointed out to us the
car is now eligible to participate in the local "Bay to Birdwood" vintage
and classic car run, which would "scare the hell out of them, as it roared
up behind!".
----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Munro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: DATSUN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 9:04 AM
Subject: AutoSpeed Newsletter, Aug 8th
> Can someone who is a member of Autospeed do some cutting and pasting
> of Issue 92 so us non-members can read it....
> Thanx,
> Ash.
>
> Blast From The Past -
> This Datto has never been in a workshop, but have a
> look at it!Restored from front to rear bumper, this Datto 1600 fits the
> traditional
> idea of a "hot four". And built up by its owner in his (and his
> family's) back shed, it's one of those cars it's a pleasure to feature.
>
> http://www.autospeed.com/A_0132/P_1/article.html
>
>
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