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

[mexicansteve]

And so the woe continues . whilst up on the ramp I popped into the garage for a chat, "by the way" the chappy says, "there's a hole in the passenger sill the size of my forearm", I should point out here that he is a body builder. sigh, add it to the list. And the shocks have seen better days.
If I at least had somewhere to work on it or someone with a lift I could probably attempt some of it myself (not the welding though, way beyond me is that dark art). Not sure how it got through the last MOT with no advisories.
Anyhoos, I shall perservere as this is shonky old car ownership after all.
On a final note, if anyone reading this has any 120Y bits lying around that they want to sell (let's say an exhaust and sill box section for example...) please let me know.

[HoTWire]

Well that is sucky news ... worth check on here for parts : www.facebook.com/groups/330067390415255/

[darrenh]

Aug 12, 2016 10:43:44 GMT mexicansteve said:

Not sure how it got through the last MOT with no advisories.

because they used the same tester as my old land rover ? 12 months ticket this had

[ratchart]

Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era. 

[HoTWire]

Aug 12, 2016 13:18:17 GMT ratchart said:

Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era. 

It is a shame rarity doesn't correlate directly with value. Us Datsun owners would be minted

[mexicansteve]

I got the results from the car docs, and had a chance to check out the underside. I need an entire exhaust front to back so I've found a local company who should be able to make me up an entire new one in stainless steel for a not too bank breaking sum.
Worse news is the sill, basically I need an entire inner and outer sill on the passenger side, the drivers side is ok but is starting to go as well. Also on the passenger side the rot is creeping across the floorpan, again with the sigh. I don't think an entire floor pan is necessary or even affordable at the moment so I shall cut out the crud and blend in the new. Adios mi dinero
At least keeping on top of things will keep it going into the foreseeable future and keep it eminentally more saleable when the time comes, as Hotwire said, if only it's value was reflected in its rarity.

[ratchart]

Aug 12, 2016 13:47:20 GMT HoTWire said:

Aug 12, 2016 13:18:17 GMT ratchart said:

Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era. 

It is a shame rarity doesn't correlate directly with value. Us Datsun owners would be minted

True, but like the (excellently restored) MK1 Cavalier that's also on here, it's the cars like these that are more historically significant to the majority (what the politicians keep on calling "ordinary decent working people"). Cars that were once as common as lamp posts and kept the country moving and are now an endangered species. I applaud anybody keeping one alive, standard or modified.

[mexicansteve]

Right then, Datsun is at Save on Tyres in Exeter getting it's shiny new stainless exhaust, tomorrow it's going to the body shop for a few days, I even have a proper outer sill courtesy of Datman. In the meantime I got a decorative item. A while back someone suggested replacing the mint tin in the dash with a pack of Rothmans for that '70's feel, well I got these instead. They're not for smoking, purely, stoopidly visual.

[mexicansteve]

First off, I'd like to thank Andy at Save on Tyres in Exeter for doing a great job on the new stainless exhaust and to Ubi of Y and R Motors in Exeter, who has done a cracking job on the sills and has just been a mine of information, and indeed has laid plans for future fixes as they arise.
Anyway, The shiny new exhaust










Replacement sill must have been for a coupe or saloon, not quite long enough


Excellently blended in at the end


Ubi then finished off with a coating of stone chip which, when it's cured will be sanded back before painting.
In other news we found some passenger floor pan issues.
In the wheel arch,


In comes the light...


Holes!






Again, when the work was done, the wheel arch and passenger underside got a fresh coating of stone chip. And all of this at a very reasonable cost.

[logicaluk]

Good to hear you've found some decent affordable classic friendly people to work on the datsun.
Love it
Dan

[mexicansteve]

Thanks Dan.
On another note, as the pie dish hubcaps keep hurtling off into hedges or whatever I might give the steels a lite refurb, what colour would sit well with the blue? Answers on a postcard please.

[mexicansteve]

After losing yet another pie dish hub cap, I decided that I can't just carry on buying them from Datman, he will eventually run out. So despite being a thorough novice at everything I do, I thought I'd give the steels a bit of a refurb. Now I never have spare cash or anywhere decent to work but I set to scraping and sanding (the spare first as a bit of a tester), masked off, gave it a couple coats of primer and this morning went for a top coat of black. So it's a tad shoddy but not a rusty steel any more anyhoos. I also thought some centre caps might look good on it (anyone got any closer than Detroit!).
On another note, where the new sill is covered in stone chip was supposed to be sanded and repainted blue...I kinda like the matt black strip at the bottom of the car. It'll have to look traveller until I sort the other side out. Anyway, the wheel...

[HoTWire]

Sept 6, 2016 14:47:34 GMT mexicansteve said:

So despite being a thorough novice at everything I do

Being in the same boat I've found getting stuck in is about all you can do, and hope someone can save you if you do something too stupid ... it has generally been going in my favour, even with my stupid engine in my car.

Glad to see the work continue on this

[vulgalour]

At least you've answered the question I've never bothered to ask of where all the funky Datsun wheel trims went. They're all in hedges dotted around the countryside! Such a shame too, the pie dishes on these are just superb. Reassuring to see the work being done to keep it useable and solid, there's plenty of people out there that just wouldn't have bothered.

[mexicansteve]

Sept 6, 2016 16:41:26 GMT vulgalour said:

At least you've answered the question I've never bothered to ask of where all the funky Datsun wheel trims went. They're all in hedges dotted around the countryside! Such a shame too, the pie dishes on these are just superb. Reassuring to see the work being done to keep it useable and solid, there's plenty of people out there that just wouldn't have bothered.

Well I'm still keeping the three I have left, probably give them a tidy up when I've finished the wheels and thanks, just doing my bit for cool old tat

[Mark1GTE]

Great car that brings back fond memories of the one my Dad had from nearly new until the mid 80s, XGA 871S which started life as a white 120Y estate and ended up painted red after an engine bay fire, this is the only photo I have of it parked in the background around 1987

[mexicansteve]

By the time I'd got to the back left I was getting lazy, so I'll spend more time on the spare and swap them over.

The only thing now is the rusty centres (and wheel nuts, but that's not a problem). I've been told that that there weren't centre caps for these but I found some on fleabay and the measurements seem to match up, now if only I could get a response from the seller...

They should fit, just not gonna waste money until he responds to me.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Nice looking example for a 1975 Datsun. I know what you mean about hubcaps flying off - I've suffered the same thing a couple of times with my Minor Traveller.

However, your Datsun's 'pie dishes' appear to have little holes in, so surely you could use some suitable cable ties to hold them onto the wheels?

If you went for ones with a suitable colour (transparent?), they wouldn't be that noticeable if you tie them up nice and tight then cut off the excess.

[mexicansteve]

I've just gone for the black steel instead, the three remaining dishes are tied up in the boot for now.

Right, onto the next thing, indicators. Here's the issue, the left seems to be fine all around, the right works all around but at it's own special pace. The right flasher is slow but speeds up when I depress the accelerator, not good when slowing to turn obviously . Last night a new glitch appeared, after going really slowly, when I depressed the brake before applying the handbrake the indicator stopped flashing altogether but remained in the on position. I have had advice to check each bulb in order and also to check the connectors (I just haven't got around to it because...blah blah blah), and also the relay if I knew where it was and what I needed to look at.
Helpful hints accepted

[mexicansteve]

Just a quick one, this arrived in the post. It's the little things that matter (and are considerably easier to do). Thanks again to DMB Graphics for bearing with me.