Bex and I just wrapped up the restoration on Alice, our '67 Datsun WRL411 wagon.

We had a great time doing it, and we hope you enjoy the article series.

Click to enter:

"There’s nothing cooler than hopping in a car you’re unfamiliar with, not knowing where ANY of the switches or controls are, none of the car’s quirks or behavior, and setting out on a 380-mile trip"


INDEED! How much of the electronics are still working? AM radio? Wipers?

Wipers work great. Not much else "electronic" in her, other than the lights and such - all work.

Radio was replaced with a "Realistic" Radio Shack special at some point... it works, but not well. I'll eventually locate a period-correct Datsun radio (they were made by Clarion even back then) and restore it.

It was unbelievable how well the grime preserved all of the wiring. It looked like a mess when we first dug in, but it wasn't in bad condition at all. 99% of all the wiring was intact, it was just nasty.

How is the wire insulation? I know a lot of BMWs from the late 70s-onward suffered from wires that fell apart in your hand. Something about moronic European biodegradability standards.

That was a great article to wake up to The car looks really great. The wheel/roof combo is perfect!

Jesda wrote:"There’s nothing cooler than hopping in a car you’re unfamiliar with, not knowing where ANY of the switches or controls are, none of the car’s quirks or behavior, and setting out on a 380-mile trip"

Yessir. Alice is awesome. How do you run into all these neat old Datsun's and Nissan's?

A few friends of mine bought a Jeep Cherokee for $450 on eBay and flew back to Rhode Island and drove it home a distance of 2,500 miles. They spent about $1500 on minor repairs to keep them on the road. They have more balls than I do. . .

Wow, Greg, incredible job. How many Nissans/Infinitis is that now?

Rocket launcher mod...nice!

Well done, sir & ma'am.

Dittoz7 wrote:Rocket launcher mod...nice!

lol...looks like a color matched squirrel cage.

I'll assume that's a dealer add on.

nice!
but I thought "Alice" was the S30?

I didnt even notice the desert cooler on the window. Thats awesome

Jesda wrote:How is the wire insulation? I know a lot of BMWs from the late 70s-onward suffered from wires that fell apart in your hand. Something about moronic European biodegradability standards.

They are still flexible and subtle. No degradation.

dusred wrote:A few friends of mine bought a Jeep Cherokee for $450 on eBay and flew back to Rhode Island and drove it home a distance of 2,500 miles. They spent about $1500 on minor repairs to keep them on the road. They have more balls than I do. . .

That's hellaciously ballsy.

Bravo! Very nice indeed! You can tell lots of love when into this one. Congrats B+G!

MellowS13 wrote:nice!
but I thought "Alice" was the S30?

Nope. Becky's S30 is Bella.

Mr1der wrote:I'll assume that's a dealer add on.

Nope. Search "Thermador car cooler".

We were recently talking about those on the caddy forum. Apparently they're filled with ice and send cool air that passes over the ice into the cabin, so they work well where its hot and dry.

Actually, you fill it with water (ice really doesn't help much). Inside is a round cage of metal, sandwiched inside is a layer (like a pad) of aspen shavings (very absorbent). When the layer of shavings absorbs water, and the air passes through it, it evaporates, cooling the air.

Same as a swamp cooler (or evaporative cooler) on a house - Almost every house in Phoenix had one prior to the 70's.

Click this link to see one working:
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/hom ... rFlash.swf

ah. makes sense.

with the dry AZ heat, I bet it actually works pretty well.

Swamp coolers down here work ok..but nothing like a good AC

pretty neat, I've honestly never seen on.

Real popular with the old-school lowrider crowd, and the old VW guys.

I'd love to find an original Datsun kangaroo bag... SO cool.

I indeed like Alice. I liek the 510 moar though.

krimsonviper wrote:I indeed like Alice. I liek the 510 moar though.

The 510 is nice, but they are a dime a dozen. Alice is unique and rare.

AZhitman wrote:
Nope. Becky's S30 is Bella.

now I see. thanks greg!

AZhitman wrote:Real popular with the old-school lowrider crowd, and the old VW guys.

I'd love to find an original Datsun kangaroo bag... SO cool.

yep I see a lot of old school chevys and VWs with them.

nissangirl74 wrote:

krimsonviper wrote:I indeed like Alice. I liek the 510 moar though.

The 510 is nice, but they are a dime a dozen. Alice is unique and rare.

Would you mind if I gave you a dime for your 510?

Stop posting to make us jealous. I don't like it.

krimsonviper wrote:

nissangirl74 wrote:The 510 is nice, but they are a dime a dozen. Alice is unique and rare.

Would you mind if I gave you a dime for your 510?

No chance.

Seeing Datsuns reminds me of the 240zx that's been sitting in my neighbors driveway just being ignored. They finally towed it sometime last week after it's been sitting there for about 20 years. I kinda wanted it, but when I looked at it's interior, I said too much effort. Looked rust free too. Had the black plastic in the rear window. Wonder where it went.

You'll kick yourself later. The values of old Datsuns are finally starting to increase... Snatch 'em up and save them!!!

I do kick myself for not picking it up, but I really don't have the money to restore something like that. It will just sit and sit and sit in my driveway for God only knows when I even try and get it running.