my 1932 datsun replica build

Way to go! Now can we see it drive around the parking lot?

How much would it bother you if someone else tried to make another one of these?

Asking for a "friend".

Great to hear that engine fire. Now, 17 washing machines know they did not die in vain.

NOHOME wrote: Way to go! Now can we see it drive around the parking lot?

Soon, I hope. You guys will know when I do....

Crackers wrote: How much would it bother you if someone else tried to make another one of these? Asking for a "friend".

I'd be flattered. The world would be a better place if used appliances were turned into 1930s street rods.

I'm supposed to put a new roof on a big gooseneck trailer. When I'm done I'll have a ton of solid sheet metal around to make bad decisions with.

I'll have to read through the thread again, but what did you reference for measurements?

Holy Crap! They made a delivery van too?!?!

That's it. I know what my next project is going to be.

So I just finished going back through this thread and found your chart. I was figuring someone would have to use the wheelbase etc to find the numbers I was looking for, much like you did.

I can't believe the original car was only 46" wide! Holy E36 M3 that's a tiny car!

How does a delivery van, original 6' wheelbase, widened a foot in a JDM version of an American hot rod sound? Probably with a 3sge and a 6 speed?

I do have that SC300 suspension if I decide not to go forward with Uncle Ben.

Crackers,

I really need you to start making progress on Uncle Ben. SC300 suspension swaps are the new Crown Vic suspension swaps

In reply to maschinenbau:

I posted in the Grassroots sub-forum yesterday about Uncle Ben. I'm having paperwork/title problems and may abandon it.

Crackers wrote: I'll have to read through the thread again, but what did you reference for measurements?

I talked about that on pg 13. Here's what I said:

JoeyM wrote: None of the dimensions match the original. The short version is that it has a miata-ish 95" wheelbase, and the original car had a much smaller 75 1/2 inch wheel base. (I have a real car vs. my car comparison of all the dimensionshere. ) It was basically one of that era's equivilent of a kei car. The width of the back was dictated by the width of the axle from the datsun 810 donor, and wanting to keep the narrow fender look of the original car. The grill width was dictated by the rav4 radiator I used, and the length of the front end is 42 inches so that it is the same length as the 810 donor's engine bay. After I had those dimensions, I then started with a photograph and did some cross multiplication. Here is an earlier explanation of my process:

An epoch ago, I said: I started with the best side image I could find. From the limited information available I knew the wheelbase of the car. Next, I used photoshop to measure the number of pixels of every dimension I wanted to know. With the actual wheel base and the pixels of the wheelbase, that gave me the ability to cross multiply and get the actual value of anything I measured. The right column exists because the L24(e) engine from my donor 810 wagon needed a 42 inch engine bay, which meant that I needed to scale the entire car up in size to keep things proportional.

Crackers wrote: So I just finished going back through this thread and found your chart. I was figuring someone would have to use the wheelbase etc to find the numbers I was looking for, much like you did. I can't believe the original car was only 46" wide! Holy E36 M3 that's a tiny car! How does a delivery van, original 6' wheelbase, widened a foot in a JDM version of an American hot rod sound? Probably with a 3sge and a 6 speed? I do have that SC300 suspension if I decide not to go forward with Uncle Ben.

That would be amazing! Do it.

The free sheet metal followed me home (....with some assistance)

Yes, I took a busted water heater out of someone's curbside trash at 1:00 am and pulled it back to my house a block and a half on a creeper.  I'll probably use this for the metal around the console/dash area of the datsun

disliking the image portion of the new forum software, FWIW.  

In reply to JoeyM :

Does your creeper have hard rubber wheels, or is it the old metal kind? I can totally hear the metal wheels going "screeee..." all the way back home. 

hard rubber,  but I still woke up a big dog in a neighbor's house who made sure everyone knew that somebody was stealing the curbside trash.  That house even turned on a light and watched me march down the road towing the creeper.  They didn't come out and ask what I was doing, though.  

In reply to JoeyM :

If your neighbors are anything like mine, they already know what's going on. My neighbors just shake their heads and ignore it. 

Joey,

We are packing soon.  Do you want us to bring the fenders?  How quickly can you pick them up?  Fiberglass or steel or both?

I drove the car a little bit in the parking lot today for the first time.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADdwiEefbC4

(Yes, the video is rubbish quality, but I don't care....still feeling giddy)

I been waiting a long time for that!!!!

In reply to NOHOME :

You are not the only one.  I let out a sigh of relief when everything worked.

JoeyM said:

In reply to NOHOME :

You are not the only one.  I let out a sigh of relief when everything worked.

Awesome work, congrats on reaching this milestone! Makes me more motivated to get my scratch built car project running!

In reply to wheels777 :

Thank you, again for the help, inspiration and supplies. I'll be using the headlight buckets and spreader bars first as I get the turn signals and lights installed to get the car street legal.  Then I'll mess with wheel spacing/offsets and tire sizes until I get things where I want.  I figure that should probably come before I mount the fenders.

I really appreciate everything you've done.

I just archived this thread so far....it is going to be a significant part of the build book I take to inspection.  I expect that I will get a few odd looks when they ask me to account for all the parts and I tell them I made all the parts.  Showing this thread will be my follow up to show I'm not crazy.