> I just bought one of the cars I've been dreaming of owning for four or
> five years now: A 1970 Datsun 1600.
Hi Jason. Welcome to Roadsterhood!
> I'm interested in doing three things, basically in this order:
> * Getting it running and driving nicely. (Soon)
> * Collecting all the bits and pieces that are missing. (A year or two)
> * Correcting some of the previous owners' mistakes and restoring it as
> much and as well as a complete amateur can. (Three years from now?)
Your timetable sounds reasonable:-) Take your time, do one thing at a time,
and EVERYTHING's easy... parts are available from our on-list vendors,
they will probably chime in.
> I'm an extreme novice at this car maintenance and repair thing, not much
> of a mechanic at all, but I'd like to do a lot of the non-bodywork type
> stuff myself.
Hey, we all start somewhere. Just don't be afraid to buy tools and get
dirty.
> One of my first problems involves a coolant leak around the temperature
> sender unit. Probably I just need to get a new one. Is this kind of part
> generally available at your local Schucks/Checker/whatever auto parts
> store for these cars?
Very often on cars this age, all you need to do is take it apart, clean
it up really good, and reassemble. Try pulling the sender out, cleaning
it with some steel wool, and put it back together nice and tight.
> Also, my tachometer isn't working. I've unscrewed the cable from the back
> of the gauge, and it doesn't spin while the engine is running. The other
> end of the cable appears to be attached below the distributor. I unscrewed
> it there and that end looked okay -- the tab on the rod at the end of the
> cable fits into the slot along the shaft. Is running the engine with this
> end of the cable unscrewed to see if that part actually turns okay to do,
> or will it start pumping out oil?
I don't think it will 'pump' out oil, but it will probably leak. Disconnect
the cable from the tach, and hook up the gauge end of it to a power drill.
Give it a spin, and see if the tach end turns. If not, guess what? Busted
cable. Cool part is, if the housing is in good shape, all you need is a
new cable insert, just run it in the old housing.
> And finally, I have no garage to work in, just an uncovered driveway and
> my wife doesn't really want me to get a canopy cover 'cause she thinks
> they're ugly. Any advice? Should I get a canopy anyway?
You'll want something to keep it out of the weather, especially when you
get a job that takes more than a day to do. Something level, well lit,
with easy access to air and electrical power. Something with a hydraulic
lift and in-ground fluid drain. Something with a white epoxy floor and
a fridge with a Beer Tap in the door.......:-D
Okay, I'll stop dreaming-
Kyle
one 300W incadescent bulb, no beer tap
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