HumberSS's Datsun 240c coupe of irrationality

[HumberSS]

So, I brought a thing. Consider this my 'home project' as the camper is at work and on weeks I have my kids there is no ability to do after hours on that. Hence this, curbing my porn and doomscrolling with rusty Datsun goodness. Also my son is starting to show an interest and I want to attempt to pass on some skills and keep him off devices. Wishful.

Anyway. 71 240c coupe. Dereg but mostly complete, shed stored 30 plus years. 77000 on the clock. L24 auto. Rust in sills, lower rear quarters, boot floor and odd little bits here and there. Fairly straight, mint floor, bulkhead and engine bay. Engine turns freely by hand but was partially pulled apart so hoping it was just a leaky gasket or something, but first mish is to clean engine bay and fire the old girl into life, then proceed from there with cutty rusty things. Thanks to the GC @fletch for some solid Datsun Intel/leads and a few little items I needed to fire the old girl up. 

Chur. 

https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/88976-humbersss-datsun-240c-coupe-of-irrationality-yarns/

[HumberSS]

Been a few weeks now since I've had this thing. Started by deskunging engine bay with degreaser and waterblaster. Lucky my shed at home is so shit, as I had to waterblast it inside as the brakes are still seized.

Before and after

 

Removed a whole lot of junk out of the engine bay. Was originally a CNG car so all that shit went in the bin. Also had a/C so I pulled all that out too as I have no pump and the rest of it looked pretty unserviceable. Keeping it simple for now but would love the opportunity a/C eventually.

Then set to deciphering the basket case wiring. It's like 15 year old me had been there and thought I could improve on it. Bit of work with the test light and had it all figured out. A lot of fuckery was going on but I got to the bottom of it. Had an electric pump owing to the CNG, I didn't hold much hope but shorting it sprung it into life. 

 

Next up removing many broken studs and retapping holes. All gravy. 

 

The big news today however is that after finding all the various parts that were strewn all through it (thankfully only a few bits are missing), and assembling back onto the engine with a new manifold gasket, thanks to @fletch new front pulley (had big chunk missing) and new thermostat housing. Old bitch fired up, after my comedy of errors forgetting to install rotor...woops!  Thing runs mint, oil pressure around 60psi so I'm happy. I'm surprised it actually ran on the decayed plugs I cleaned up and shitty leads, but firing on 6 and sounding like she's ready for the demo derby! 

 

I'm stoked

Have also cleaned and vacuumed out the rat shit from inside  and pulled the old house carpet out and, whilst not mint inside is really not too bad. Door trims are a bit fucked and the seats have a few tears, as well as missing rear seat base, but otherwise good. 

Have assessed the rust situation and for an old Datsun it's really pretty good. The floor is mint. I mean mint. One pinhole. Engine bay also only a few pinholes, front cross member is toast though, so will remake once I get a rad support panel. A little bit on inner sills above floor, and both outer sills need replacement. One lower door needs a little bit of work, other is mint, as are the front guards, barring some dents and shit. Lower rear quarters and rear valance are toast, and boot floor either side of wheel well needs replacing. Not looking forward to finding a passenger's side rear window however...

Next mish is to tidy up the bay wiring proper and perhaps get the brakes working so I can do some skids. That's why you own a Datsun. Will then work from front towards the back on the body work.

This is not taking precedent over the camper, I have simply had more time to tutu with it in the school hols. Have spent a grand total of about $45 on parts so far to get it running, sold off some shit too which has offset the price of a set of widened steelies @ThePog kindly located for me in the mainland.

Chur.

[HumberSS]

Sporadic sunday morning update. Intention with this project was to do the bare minimum and get it to functional. So that doesn't appear to be happening, shock horror. If it's worth doing, I guess it's worth doing right. Or burying myself deeply it in and selling on OS in boxes for $500...

Finished tidying up and rewrapping all the loom in the front. No pics. 

Decided to get it up off the ground so I can make the floor all pretty, I figure with revinning I'm not going to fuck around and have them pick holes it it, the jobs just have to be done. Easiest way to do that was drop the running gear out and lift the body off on to some stands I hacked up. It was a surprisingly simple task. Might turn it into a brodozer on 37s...

 

I haven't taken many pics, but I've scraped all the under seal off the underneath from the doors back, it's really sound and haven't revealed too many other gremlins. I've dropped the brake and fuel hoses out as these are toast. Thinking I'm gonna get a little pot sandblaster to deal to all the surface rust, then brunox/paint/under seal. 

Also discovered another 20hp under the bonnet. Not sure if they get picky on this shit for revin?? Meant to be L24.. 

 

I wanted to start at front and work my way back, but I need to bits to ensure I can align everything, so until such time I decided instead to attack the rear. Drilled and cut rear panel off, have started cleaning shit up and deciding how I'm going to attack the patch work. It needs new floors either side of spare wheel well, but weirdly the well itself is fine. Needs ne bottom quarters and a little bit of inner quarter and inner wheel tub work,so I'm just gonna start picking away at all that. I'm enjoying the process.

 

 @ThePog found me some sweet widened Jeep rims which I'm gagging to get my mitts on

 

[HumberSS]

Like a premonition I had earlier in the thread, I am considering moving this beautiful 240c on, much to my dismay..

I have the opportunity to buy the house I'm renting, it's a long and boring story but basically I've got about 3 months to scratch together the rest of the deposit, and as you well know every dollar found is $4 extra house debt I can climb into. Yippee. The house needs the muchos loving so this would go some way to lubricating that project, which will be the primary project once in my possession..  

Most recent pics. I would however ensure she was rolling again. I've got a manual box for it, and I've also located the elusive side glass so she's all but complete.

Jump in my chat to start a bidding war, lowball me, or talk me out of it. 

 

[HumberSS]

Make it so frothers. 

[sheepers]

if you sold it to me, i would.

[HumberSS]

Just now, sheepers said:

if you sold it to me, i would.

It's a deal

[Flauski]

If @sheepers doesn't want the engine @HumberSS , I'd be into it.

 

[HumberSS]

1 hour ago, Flauski said:

If @sheepers doesn't want the engine @HumberSS , I'd be into it.

 

as in the L26? or the whole project?

[Flauski]

Just the L26 engine. If I didn't already have 3 project cars I would consider the whole shebang....

[HumberSS]

Mildly uninteresting thread dredge. I nearly sold this. But I didn't try very hard.. I thought I'd need the money to fuel house things but I managed to find the putea elsewhere. So I basically left this in the old shed it's been in while I acquired house and built new shed, did concrete and internal constructions/wiring etc. I'm about to barn find my own car and drag it into the new shed, which is quite exciting.

Such was my lack of enthusiasm for selling this I have continued to opportunistically aquire parts as and when they came up. I've picked up the missing rad support panel, another radiator and missing bonnet spring. Also got a triple carb manifold and a set of 40mm dellortos. 

The greatest score however has been this NOS rear valence panel, which the seller had misplaced then went cold on, but has now confirmed it's en-route. This was going to be the hardest bit to repair as it's a pretty funky shape so I'm stoked to have this piece of the puzzle..

Hoping there might be another update within the next 2 years!