by Steve Holmes » Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:59 pm
When the little Datsun finally arrived at my house after months of waiting, I finally got to see it in the flesh for the first time, and was really happy with my purchase. The car is incredibly original. Although its been a race car for 45 years, its been changed very little to what Ron and David Leonard built in the 1970s. The roll cage is that built and installed by Mike Eby in 1981/82. The flares are those fitted by Ron in the 1970s, from the Datsun Competition Parts Catalogue. They’re a special fibreglass flare that are pop-riveted to the body. They’re virtually impossible to find now and are not being reproduced. It still has the American Racing Vectors purchased by Ron in the 1970s, although this photos shows the 4-spoke Revolutions I had made for it. I’ll use the Vectors for wet weather driving. The rear tramp rods are those fitted by Ron and David, as is the Accusump, alloy windscreen brackets and rear window straps (Ron and David made these themselves), driveshaft hoop, oil cooler, switch panel, Oil Pressure gauge, fuse panel, and various other parts. Even the custom wheel nuts!
Whats so remarkable is this car has always been raced hard in modern competition. I’m the first person to have ever considered its historical significance. Usually, race cars are updated, modified, and continuously evolved. So while nobody was ever consciously preserved it, its been incredibly well preserved. But it has lived a hard life. The floors are shot. The passenger side rocker panel is bent. There are various small dents here and there, and the car was crashed a few years ago, with the front left corner requiring replacement. That’s the last time it was raced. Also, the boot floor has been cut out, with a steel frame welded in to hold a drop tank fuel cell. The steel hood and deck lid have long-since been replaced by fibreglass lift-off pieces, while the doors have been completely gutted out, leaving only the outer skin. As mentioned earlier, I did purchase a steel hood and deck lid, and I’ve also managed to source replacement doors.
In addition, its fitted with the desirable (for Datsun racers) H165 heavy duty rear-end, with limited slip diff. Its got coil-over front suspension, vintage Willwood front brakes (still has drums on the back), and numerous other speed parts that are now hard to find. I’ve since purchased a Series-60 5-speed gearbox.
And so now the restoration begins. I still need to source a radiator, seat, seat belts, windscreen, headlights, dashboard, clutch, flywheel, plus various parts to finish the cylinder head. And that’s just the stuff I know about. So there is a pretty big job ahead of me, but this car is totally worth the effort.
When the little Datsun finally arrived at my house after months of waiting, I finally got to see it in the flesh for the first time, and was really happy with my purchase. The car is incredibly original. Although its been a race car for 45 years, its been changed very little to what Ron and David Leonard built in the 1970s. The roll cage is that built and installed by Mike Eby in 1981/82. The flares are those fitted by Ron in the 1970s, from the Datsun Competition Parts Catalogue. They’re a special fibreglass flare that are pop-riveted to the body. They’re virtually impossible to find now and are not being reproduced. It still has the American Racing Vectors purchased by Ron in the 1970s, although this photos shows the 4-spoke Revolutions I had made for it. I’ll use the Vectors for wet weather driving. The rear tramp rods are those fitted by Ron and David, as is the Accusump, alloy windscreen brackets and rear window straps (Ron and David made these themselves), driveshaft hoop, oil cooler, switch panel, Oil Pressure gauge, fuse panel, and various other parts. Even the custom wheel nuts!
[attachment=0]Datsun 12.jpg[/attachment]
Whats so remarkable is this car has always been raced hard in modern competition. I’m the first person to have ever considered its historical significance. Usually, race cars are updated, modified, and continuously evolved. So while nobody was ever consciously preserved it, its been incredibly well preserved. But it has lived a hard life. The floors are shot. The passenger side rocker panel is bent. There are various small dents here and there, and the car was crashed a few years ago, with the front left corner requiring replacement. That’s the last time it was raced. Also, the boot floor has been cut out, with a steel frame welded in to hold a drop tank fuel cell. The steel hood and deck lid have long-since been replaced by fibreglass lift-off pieces, while the doors have been completely gutted out, leaving only the outer skin. As mentioned earlier, I did purchase a steel hood and deck lid, and I’ve also managed to source replacement doors.
In addition, its fitted with the desirable (for Datsun racers) H165 heavy duty rear-end, with limited slip diff. Its got coil-over front suspension, vintage Willwood front brakes (still has drums on the back), and numerous other speed parts that are now hard to find. I’ve since purchased a Series-60 5-speed gearbox.
And so now the restoration begins. I still need to source a radiator, seat, seat belts, windscreen, headlights, dashboard, clutch, flywheel, plus various parts to finish the cylinder head. And that’s just the stuff I know about. So there is a pretty big job ahead of me, but this car is totally worth the effort.