1975 Datsun 120Y 'Sunny' Estate-I've only gone and sold it..

[mexicansteve]

Well, I popped up to Crawley on Monday and waved goodbye to the Capri, it's in good hands I think, my nephew has it, his first old car. He has no idea of the disease that has settled within him now! On a rainy/hail-y Tuesday I met up with Will, otherwise known as Datman and purchased an early Datsun 120Y estate. It's just been returned to these shores from a couple of years in Dublin, home at last, well, after a lot of bother trying to register it (I really don't think too highly of some DVLA bureaucrats). A quick bit of messing around, exchange of funds for goods and a look at everything in Wills yard (this man has a dangerous amount of fun stuff and clearly has the affliction) and I was off to pick up the good lady wife. We left for a cross country jaunt from Crawley via Guilford to the A303 a bit later in the day, pretty much as it started s******g it down. By the A303 it had stopped and we had some spectacular twilight/sundown views. Go west my son...
Anyhoos, the car performed faultlessly, and this morning I gave it it a thorough scrub and put my stuff in it so it doesn't feel like I'm in someone elses car. Before I blather on endlessly, I am a Japanese car virgin, I know nothing of these other than they look really cool. There is some good provenance on this here site as it's been through datman
hands on a couple of occasions at the least.
The barn find in 2009
Another time it went through Wills hands
The pain of importing it

[HoTWire]

Excellent stuff ... I bought my Sunny from datman and it was top notch.

Estate shape looks good on these.

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

Nice buy, I do like these

[MatsudaJakku]

Lovely looking datsun. So whens it getting lows and wide japland wheels?

[mexicansteve]

Lovely looking datsun. So whens it getting lows and wide japland wheels?

Never! Stock all the way.

[Azryael]

Ahh! I love Datsun estates! I've been lusting after one myself, but until I finish my three projects, I'm not buying another car.

Looking forward to more photos!

[darrenh]

love thsoe pictures, almost looks at home in the 70s identikit housing estate !

[grizz]

Approved.

My first car was a Datsun 140Y SDX South African model.

Loved it and my brother had it after me.

[mexicansteve]

Thanks chaps. I'll try and get a dirty engine bay shot tomorrow. Not really that dirty tbh.

[mexicansteve]

Just popped on to say don't forget, an old car doesn't beep at you when you leave your lights on overnight. Also not so good on the only day when your other car is in for its mot...
Also people can be horrible, I asked someo e for a jump as I have leads and he just said no. Rant over. Still forgot the engine shot.

[arsonist]

Apr 29, 2016 12:58:41 GMT mexicansteve said:

Just popped on to say don't forget, an old car doesn't beep at you when you leave your lights on overnight. Also not so good on the only day when your other car is in for its mot...
Also people can be horrible, I asked someo e for a jump as I have leads and he just said no. Rant over. Still forgot the engine shot.

People can be dlcks sometimes! You'd think people would love the chance to jump an old classic. I once met a dwarf in a mk1 fiesta in a carpark who'd broken down. I gave him a good push and got the engine going. True story.

Nonetheless, lovely car! Really looks in good nick! More pics would be good!

[mexicansteve]

Gratuitous engine shot

[oukie]

Apr 29, 2016 12:58:41 GMT mexicansteve said:

Just popped on to say don't forget, an old car doesn't beep at you when you leave your lights on overnight. Also not so good on the only day when your other car is in for its mot...
Also people can be horrible, I asked someo e for a jump as I have leads and he just said no. Rant over. Still forgot the engine shot.

People like this make my blood boil, I bet their the first person to wonder why no one wanted to curse word on em to put the fire out.

[yoeddynz]

It certainly looks a touch tidier than my datto wagon....

[mexicansteve]

As ever, close up is worse but I like a bit of fraying around the edges.

[MK2VR6]

What a honey. Not too far from me, either! Please say it's going to be layered in Dinitrol (or other decent Waxoil type product) inside and out?

[mexicansteve]

Well I don't think it's covered in anything. It gets driven in all conditions except when salt is on the roads. The plan is to do precisely nothing. Basically this is the 'one car in a year' thread. I just decided I wanted to try various cars out,60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, whatever, so no emotional attachments and after a year it will be up for sale/px/swap with a fresh MOT.
I was already thinking 'what next' before I even picked this up!

[grifterkid]

That really is splendid...! Lovely stuff...

[mexicansteve]

Small repair update, since I bought this car, the fuel gauge has only ever reached a reading of 3/4 full, once it empties beyond this it works fine. So an email to Datman later and with a new sender,I have a working fuel gauge. Now to just work out how to get to the back of the clock and I'll sort that too. (I have to say, after seeing some of the work chaps and chapesses on this site do to their cars I feel a bit rubbish being proud of replacing a small part).

Start with a nice new part


Remove skateboards and wifes roller skates and find inspection hole



Dirty hole...old sender removed



New sender in, wire on. Checked as working before replacing the lid. Done. Nice easy fix.

[mexicansteve]

Well today being a lovely day the wife and I went and picked up our daughter and her other half, grabbed some supplies and headed off from Exeter to Dartmoor. It really is a lovely drive, winding country roads and all, well all was going well until lunch, when sat on the ground I noticed something dangling from the underside, a quick inspection and yes, the rear section of the exhaust has sheared off, by the looks of it, it was only held on by the rust anyway. No problem as she is booked in for a brake overhaul tomorrow (drums all round and pulling sharply to the left...occasionally) and she's going to a brake and exhaust specialist I've used in the past. No big drama as I have work at the moment so I should be able to afford it.
However, when I got up from the floor I noticed a hubcap was missing, balls! Now I'm no expert but I imagine a pie dish hubcap for 12" Datsun wheels aren't that easy to come by, it looks like this in case anyone has one


Ah well, at least another thing will be fixed.