Datsun
Roadster Information from Rallye Enterprises,
Ltd.
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VIN,
VIN...Why do I need to know my VIN?
What
is "VIN?" VIN is the Vehicle
Identification Number, also called car number,
chassis number, or serial number.
Datsun
Roadsters are titled by the year they were sold, not
necessarily the model year they really are. A true 68 could
be registered as a 69, a true 70 could be registered as a 69
etc. Before 68 the cars came with vin tags that had 1 9 6 _
and the last digit of the year was later stamped in, or just
replaced with a later tag. SPL310s sometimes had a 3-4-5
before the SPL310 or before the 5-digit vin suggesting (we
think) what model year the car truly was, regardless of what
was stamped above for the licensing year. Just to make sure
nothing makes sense we've also seen some examples that would
indicate it signifies CALENDAR year produced, not model
year. They also could have a letter after the vin. Only
theories at this point to the significance of the letter.
Also, in some cases we believe the cars were built and put
in storage lots, but the most recently built cars were
pulled for shipment first. That could help to explain why
the very first Fairlady sold in the USA was (a 1960) SPL212
00198 (out of 288 built). All of the 61 and 62 212's I've
found have had lower numbers. The same thing may explain why
some of the lowest vin numbered 1500's were titled as 64's
and had very high engine numbers. (end of the 64 run of
engines) Just before they switched to the 65 models they
must have found these engineless chassis or bodies gathering
dust somewhere. Or was an defect found in the engines
causing the cars to be set aside until later? Or did someone
squirrel away the pre vin-stamped frames until the very end
of production when they were again "found"?
Historical
details of what Nissan did in the 60's are often debated. An
addition to the weirdness file was recently sent to us
(thanks Tim). This roadster's vin number on the frame
originally began with "00". It was then "X-ed" out and two
"1"s were stamped below it. (pic).
Above the original number were two Nissan logo stamps. What
was this, the guy forgot to change the numbers in his
stamping tool? Or a 1965 frame was lost and then "found"
later? The 67 1/2s used a different frame though... That
could of course been rectified as I've seen other
modifications done to make the parts work with what they
needed at the moment, especially to fenders. Cars with
fairly low production figures are always interesting.
The
thing to remember is that the year the car was sold
has nothing to do with ordering parts for it. Learn what's
what. (It'll help you) Any roadster enthusiast worth his or
her salt would never refer to their 69 as a 70. Please see
"Year
Your Car Really Is."
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ENGINE
NUMBERS
(drawing
is U20 but same location on all
engines)
Number is located on two pads between #1 and #2 sparkplug,
where the head meets the block. "G" is a 1500, "R" is a
1600, "U" is a 2000. If there's no engine number, the car
has had a new block installed. "R" engines up to #R-40000
are SAE and have 3 main bearings. After #40,000 the R
engines have 5 main bearings and have metric threads. If
your car has an "H" engine (usually a 2000cc industrial
engine) it was installed later.
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VIN
NUMBERS
are stamped or handcut into the front end of the frame where
shown above in fig. 2. You can see it by looking down
between your front carb and your windshield washer unit.
You'll need some steel wool and a flashlight. The plate
below the rear edge of the hood is not really a legal
vin
tag
because the plate is just screwed on. Know what you have or
what you are buying! There are also production changes made
during the model year.
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OMELET
CARS...little bit of this, little bit of
that...
We have seen a number of cars that various owners have
re-assembled from the pieces of other cars. Not necessarily
a problem unless different years are mixed together.
Unfortunately your frame number may match your title and tag
under the hood, but may not match the body of the car. True
1969 and 1970 models had a riveted vin
tag
on the left side of the dash, visible through the
windshield. Unfortunately it is not riveted to the cowl,
it's riveted to the dash, so if the dash is switched, the
vin tag is moved also. At the same time a vin and production
date
tag
was installed on the driver's door post, but it was glued
on...no "tamper resistant" rivets until shortly after 1970
model production was begun. Unless you know the history of
your car, we suggest browsing our "Year
Your Car Really Is?"
page to learn how to spot the differences, and to help you
verify your own car's attributes as correct. Although we can
99.99% guarantee you'll get the correct part your car
originally had if we have the VIN, if your car's been
modified it's anyone's guess. That's OK, we enjoy
descrambling mysteries and will be happy to keep working
with you until we both know what's on your
car.
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