First, the bad news. I decided to see if my recent "barn find" would spin
over so I took a trip to the parts store and corralled up the required tools
- starting fluid, gallon of PB Blaster, fresh plugs, wires and condenser.
I pulled the plugs and immediately didn't like what I saw. #2 and #4 had
green deposits crystallized on them. First sign of a decades old blown head
gasket. From what I know, the car hasn't been started in 20 years or better
- the answer I don't have is why it was parked. This is probably the reason.
I hooked up the remote starter switch and crossed my fingers as I pulled the
trigger - "Click" - nothing. OK, I know sometimes after starters have been
sitting for a while the brushes and whatnot can't make good contact because
of the rust. I tried it again with the same result. And again. And again
after that. Eventually the starter hit a weak spot on the flywheel and spun
up for a fraction of a second as I let off the trigger. My optimistic hopes
of it being a bad starter were washed down the drain.
"Well there's your problem!" I popped the valve cover off to examine the top
side to discover the engine has sweat itself to death. The rocker shaft and
arms were coated in the good flaky stuff. The valve springs looked
immaculate but the rest was a rich shade of browns and red. It will be a
challenge to make this car run again and even if it does, the big question
is - for how long? I gave each cylinder a very generous helping of PB
Blaster through a funnel and washed the top side down straight out of the
gallon can making sure it made its way down to the crankcase.
Maybe I will have more luck tomorrow.
While looking at the car today, I found out it isn't a 1969, but actually a
1968 - from what I can tell. There's no side molding or lights on the
fenders. It looks like the grille has been replaced with a horizontal unit
like the '65 SPL311 shown in the ID section at datsun.org. I've yet to pull
the ID plate off and soak it to retrieve the VIN. I plan on doing that later
tonight.
Now, the big question is - In it's current condition (everything is complete
minus the top plate for the air cleaner) is this engine and 5 speed unit
worth anything in the used market? Looking at the rebuild prices for the
1600 and comparing it with a later fuel injected KA24 or SR20 from Nissan,
the late model engines are the way to go. You get a complete engine,
transmission, wiring harness and ECU for the cost of the parts alone for a
rebuild of the 1600. I'd like the nostalgic feel of running it with the
1600, but for a smaller investment a larger displacement, fuel efficient and
more powerful engine could be had. Its a shame since the 1600 only has
61,000 miles on it.
The good news is I have a brand new set of points and condenser for it. :o)
--
Brian Smith
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