28th May 2008, 21:09
What a great car! I have had two of them - the first was a 68 2000 purchased in Canada that had the 150 hp with Solex Mikuni Carbs and the SCCA racing package. I sold it in 1969 because I needed a car for baby stuff, so I bought a 1969 Datsun 510 sedan (that was fun too!) In 1997, I found a 69 2000 with 52,000 original miles and in great condition with the 135 hp US version with basic emission etc. I have it to this day and love it! What a ride! I have driven across Pennsylvania three times as well as in Massachusetts, Connecticut and in the New York City area. You should see the looks I get! At 70mph in 5th gear I am hardly turning any Revs at all! My 1968 did 135 mph once out west on a long straight empty road!
5th Jun 2008, 02:11
I have just bought a 1968 1600, and I love it. I'm working on the body now, and I'm getting it painted next month. The car is so much fun to drive, and it looks great.
I'm changing my head gasket; it seems to get hot when driving it.
Other than that, I love it and wouldn't trade it for any other muscle car.
27th Jun 2008, 07:10
I bought my 69 2000 in 1970. It was amazingly fast. I could even chirp the tires going into 5th gear. Thanks to my mechanic, he talked my into getting CD ignition and some solex carbs. It was supposed to take it up to 150 hp, but it felt like a lot more than that. It would go 140 mph top end, just didn't have quite enough umph to get it to red line in 5th gear, which would have been 150 mph.
It was baby blue with a Black diamond tuck interior. It was a joy to drive on a curvy stretch of road. I pushed it hard and spun out a few times in sharp turns but never left the road. Thank God.
My favorite thing was to cruise with the top down at night, away from the city lights were the stars would shine down on me. There a lot of good memories tied to that car. I would sure like to get another one, even though they are impractical for a family man, the kid in me still wants one.
2nd Oct 2008, 19:25
I own a 1969 SRL311 2000 that really is a 1968 model. It's fast and nimble. It red-lines at 7000 RPM with no problem. On several occasions I have walked away from BMW-3s, and modern pocket rockets with no problem. MGB's nor the Miata just cannot class with this car.
I blew a head gasket outrunning a 635 BMW. I have replaced the head gasket on it twice, all due to the mechanic's failure to re-torque the head after the engine had broken in.
Again the car is very fast, but it's also very expensive to maintain due to the shortage of replacement parts. Unfortunately I planned on replacing the engine with a 5.0 H.O. COBRA engine T-5 transmission from a Mustang. Four barreled carb, dual exhaust-side pipes. It will still be a roadster, with an extra 150 horses ready to be released and reliable.
Pound for pound, the roadster is one of the top of the line cars designed. The only flaw, which is easy fixed is the permanent welded in cross member. Which in order to replace the clutch or transmission, it necessitates the removal of both the engine and the transmission attached. This is a racing and mechanic's NIGHTMARE, and a time consuming drawback.
Update 25th Oct 2010: Still working on it.
Slowly but surely ****** the rear wheel wells have been widened and it has proudly received a 1972 SJ- Jag IRS rear end - with Cooper 245x50x16 in the rear / 245x 50x16 Michelins in front on Dayton, 1993-5.0 HO with custom aluminum valve covers, HEI distributor, it has a T-5 transmission. It now has a 4-barrel 600 CFM Edelbrock on a Holley Street Dominator intake with manual choke. PUSH BUTTON START. NEXT JOB IS TO CUT OUT THE CROSS MEMBER (done). *** COMPLETE drive shaft, brake hook up and craft motor and transmission supports. ****** I might change out the wheel combination with some Dayton knock offs 245x45x17 and Volvo front calipers - updated 11-14-2010.
I've got the engine sitting in the body, just trying to get everything lined up. Still have a long way to go. Pre-fab the motor mounts - from the Jag motor mounts... updated 11-27-10.
This girl is taking her time to get dressed. I want to see how well she dances, but she is moving at her own pace. To get her to the dance, she needs a HEI distributor, motor and transmission supports, brake line ran, front end sorted out, and drive shaft... 3-2-2011
Update May 2011.
5.0 H.O engine /Cobra - installed 11/27/10.
Motor supports - completed - 4/29/11.
600 CFM carburetor - completed.
Fab exhaust - to be completed.-completed 3/16/12
Transmission mounts - to be completed.
HEI distributor - completed - 7/21/11.
Brake lines - to be completed.
Front end - to be completed.
Drive shaft - to be completed.
Throw out bearing - slave cylinder - to be completed.
Glass rear fenders - completed.
9/19/11 Extended fenders 2 more inches.
3/26/12 Completed cover and seat divider to be texturized - completed.
8/06/13 - Montage Forniza (Ford and Nissan) - this girl looks more like a '65 Shelby Cobra with big, smooth contoured hips and side brushed aluminum side vents, twin roll bars, stainless steel, a low profiled cap covering the rear seats, kinda like a '66 Corvette, with a stainless steel console - it will have a 16" twin shot, gun style, polished intake and a customized front spoiler. Painted black on black - I like to hear the engine rumble - but again she is taking her time...
9th Apr 2008, 23:05
I bought a 1969 Datsun 2000 during the summer of 1973, after graduating from high school in Arlington, Texas. My twin brother owned one of the fastest muscle cars in town- a 1968 Dodge Charger RT with 440 engine. I kept my Datsun roadster for eleven years, modifying its appearance by flaring the rear fenders, adding deeper custom mag wheels in the back, a padded roll bar, and fabric upholstery. I painted it black, and all of its chrome was accented beautifully. It was more striking than today's BMWs and Audis. Its looks and performance are memorable. Strangers would chase me down roads, simply to ask what kind of car it was. Running the car through its gears was a true joy. I would take 2nd gear up to 70 mph before shifting, smiling knowing that I three more gears to go. Its only down side was the small trunk with the spare tire stuck in the middle. I was an architecture student in college; and finding room for my models and drawings could be challenging! I still have a tool for balancing those tricky SU side draft carburetors in my tool box! The roadster was designed when Datsun's designers found their inspiration in the sports cars coming out of England. I wish everyone could experience the kind of joy a car like that brought to its owners.