Post by
odpl_spdnmotion »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/odpl-spdnmotion-u110501.html
Wed Dec 31, 1969 5:00 pm
Dear Stephen, Dwight and all at Datsun Pickup Lovers,
I didn't join this site to defend what I do or have done professionally. I make a living doing what most enthusiasts pay to do; previously, I worked for Nissan Motor Corp. in U.S.A. (prior to their sale to Renault and change to Nissan N.A.) where I managed dealer incentive programs and in my 'off hours' worked on the desert off road/stadium truck and sports car motorsports programs, and I was the first-ever Director of Sales for the National Hot Rod Association prior to starting my own marketing, advertising and PR firm.
Was the Versa my best work? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but when you're down to as little time as we were given, and I was unable to paint it as I had planned, it's do what you can or show up empty handed. In previous years, I've done a Dodge Dakota pickup (lifted when no one had a kit for it), a Chevy Camaro SS convertible (on the bottle, carbon fiber air intake, full length tube headers, complete Hotchkis suspension, RK Sport body kit, Autopower roll bar, Katzkin interior, DuPont Chromallusion color shifting paint by Pete Santini, Team Dynamics wheels, BFGoodrich tires, etc., etc.) featured in Chevy High Performance magazine & in Chevy's display at the SEMA Show, a Vortech-supercharged Dodge Stratus (done on a touring car theme, with custom coil overs, TSW wheels, Michelin Pilot tires, custom fabbed roll bar, Recaro racing seats, AutoMeter gauges, Crow Enterprizes harness belts, Safecraft fire suppression system, etc. -- featured in Max Power magazine), a Vortech-supercharged 4-cylinder Ford Ranger, and more. I'm hardly a 'ricer', building my very first car from the ground up, and later working alongside chassis dynamicists, engine builders and fabricators in IndyCar, MTEG Off Road and NHRA race shops.
My point is -- can't we all get along? I wanted to find an early Datsun pickup because I got to Nissan when we were well into the 300ZXs and missed out on the whole 510/240Z/521 era. When I build vehicles and show or race them, it's because I enjoy doing so every bit as much as you do. If I've got a bunch of expensive parts on a vehicle and a pro builder working with me, I often only display it. Having said that, I did a story before on a guy who won the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Oakland Roadster Show, a line foreman at the Fisher body plant in Michigan. He essentially built a 'Darryl Zipp '32 Ford kit car' into one that outdid everybody -- Chip Foose, Roy Brizio, Boyd Coddington, everyone -- through meticulous assembly, attention to detail, a flawless paint job, and a top notch display, so dollars and even a team of builders isn't necessarily the end all.
In closing, I have as much or more to learn from all of you about early Datsun pickups as I might be able to impart about how to get a sponsor, where to find someone who can machine current wheels to fit your early hubs, or who at Nissan can give you the specs on a competition camshaft so a custom cam grinder like Engle can make a part that no longer exists. In closing, if you feel I'm too 'commercial' or that I might in some way threaten the sanctity of this site, I will bow out. Your moderator didn't seem to think my joining would be a problem, but it's entirely up to you. I'm a 10+ year SEMA member in good standing, I recently stepped down after a two-year term as the chairman of SEMA's Sport Compact Council, and I am also a 15-year automotive photojournalist who has written for Truckin', Mini Truckin', Four Wheeler, 4Wheel & Off Road, Off Road, and truckworld.com.
Thanks for your input, regardless. I'll try to do better on the '08 Titan Crew Cab I'm looking to do soon (you guys are a tough crowd!).
Jason