“Look, Miguel, you’ve seen those funny Datsun Sport Utes? That’s one dope ride! I tell you! Doesn’t your cousin have one of ’em Datsuns? That 160… Yeah… I’m pretty good with a blow torch… I think I can make do something with it! How much does he want for it?”
Ok, I wasn’t privy to that conversation, but something like it must have occurred prior to this Datsun’s handmade sport ute transformation. Someone at some point placed a lot of effort and enthusiasm into the undertaking, that’s for sure.
Regrettably, we got to start with questionable decisions; as to why a Datsun 160J (aka, Nissan Violet in Japan, 710 in the US), and why a 70’s one? Not one of Nissan’s finest moments. In local parlance though, Datsuns and Toyotas of this age have quite the following. Their sturdy and easy to work on mechanicals are looked upon with desire by those in need for cheap reliable transport. So on that sense, the 160J works. And being honest, is this handmade version much worse than Nissan’s period-correct Sport Ute?
The taxi-yellow, the hand painted stripes and later NISSAN badges make for more questionable choices. Believe it or not, the car has actually been de-uglified, as it is a recent arrival in the city’s streets. Perusing FB’s Marketplace I discovered a months old ad with the model being sold way out in the boonies, and sporting even more questionable styling details.
At least there was a shot of that reliable OHC engine. Not many details on the ad though, no engine size, not even model year; just a mention of having both a new carburetor and starter. It forces me to speculate, for these came either with a 1400cc or 1600cc. So it could be either a 140J or 160J, the names with which they were sold locally.
Why so short of words on that ad? Just hoping for a Datsun lover to come to the car’s rescue?
Cynicism aside, Datsun Lover seems to have arrived, for a similar vintage 120Y (aka Sunny, B210 in the US) resides in the same street and I doubt is a coincidence. Now, that Sunny is in rather pristine form, even if it’s missing most badges (a common petty crime in this city). No idea if the current owner pretends to restore the Violet to stock condition, though that would be quite the undertaking.
The Sunny is a preferable package to the Violet, though as mentioned, this is not Nissan’s most cherished period. In the Western World, whatever fondness these models muster are more nostalgia than anything. As it is probably obvious, local sentiment is different; these littered our streets back in the 70’s and there’s a good number of them still around.
As mentioned in previous posts, most of Nissan’s styling was very Pentastar, with some very Japanese flourishes on top. Regardless of Nissan’s penchant for US styling, Pontiac’s Wide-Track must have been unknown to their engineers, as those rather-inward wheels only show the chassis’ age all too well. Not quite looking like a body-on-stilts, but some thick rubber would be needed to fill those wheel wells.
This Violet’s true origin is a mystery to me, as it shows bits of US-sourced parts, like the front bumper and grille. There’s no way to tell if this sample is a grey import or just acquired spares from one. Either scenario is possible. The fascia’s bits look rather rickety, and all that chicken wire around the lights and bumper would have my old German mechanic reaching for a handgun. Good thing he isn’t around. Talking about Germans, in the back are VW T2 taillights. Another quirky bit is the fire extinguisher on the A-pillar, which shows the previous owner was a Fast And The Furious faithful. I guess the current one is a fan as well, or is that in the to-do-list?
My excuses for not one interior shot. The street’s security guard was really fidgety about me shooting these Datsun beauties. Better not push my luck. He was certainly irked by my interest and kept on the lookout for my every move. I’m over 50 now, so I doubt he expected nefarious intentions on my part, or did he? Then again, maybe he worried of me poking fun somewhere/somehow of either. Not a chance! We’re handcraft lovers here at CC!
More on the Datsun 160/140J (Violet/710):
Curbside Classic 1974 Datsun 710 Wagon – Third Time’s The Charm; Or Not
Road & Track 1975 Vintage Review: Datsun 710
Cars Behind Bars: 1977 Datsun 710 – Nothing Left But Memories
I’m not usually a fan of sawzall/cutting wheel bodywork, or the ute configuration in general, but I actually kind of like this conversion! I’d say that it’s “still” rough around the edges, but I expect that this may be a nice as it gets before heading the other direction.
In this case, the color seems to help, and the worst sin is the pounded out (but not quite…) bodywork at the front fenders. Too bad the owner couldn’t source fenders in better shape.
And there’s something decidedly VW about the taillights he chose.
No surprise on the taillights…you can probably buy VW parts at the local 7-11 down there.
Better DIY handcraft than the Sonett!
What you need is a 120Y SSS as sold in NZ, no chintzy wheeltrims to get rid of. Quite successful in local racing, based on the four door, because that is what was locally assembled.
Engines done by former Humber 80 racer Dennis Marwood, 120t & 1200 SSS cars were quite the weapon in their day.
Another delightful epistle from Sr. Baron. Once again, you’ve captured the CC ethos in its purest forms. San Salvador has taken the CC crown from Eugene as the true Curbsidelandia. And your write-ups are of course always a delight to read.
I shot and wrote up no less than three 710s here, and several B210s, but they’ve all disappeared. Eugene is running low on really interesting cars. It’s a bit depressing. Maybe I should move to Central America?
It’s with great regret I hear of the demise of those 710 wagons, at least CC gave them their moment in the sun. Is the least we could do.
I remember in one of those older posts someone referred to Washington state as ‘heaven’ for old Japanese iron. I’m not sure if San Salvador is heaven or purgatory for some of my finds, but yes, we’ll take the Curbside mantel for the time being (insert smiley emoji here).
Eight years from now we’ll have to set shop in Cuba or an Eastern European country, for it seems the oldies we care for will last even longer in one of those places.
Wow ~ where there’s will (and a hot wrench) there’s a way .
Just yesterday I was looking at a Datsun 710 full size hub cap I have hanging…..
-Nate
From what’s in the photo, that’s looking like a stock Nikki carburetor with only a janky aftermarket air cleaner… unless the actual ad states that the carburetor has been replaced but doesn’t have pictures of it? I know many people chuck the Nikki or Hitachi carbs for a Weber 32/36 for some reason, and wouldn’t be surprised if there were “clones” of the Weber being sold on Amazon or Wish.
Hmm… We only got the L16, L18, and L20B engines here in the US, and I forgot about the smaller displacement units. We had the Datsun 710 from 1974-77; they used the L18 in 1974, and the L20B from ’75-77.
@-Nate — I remember the wheelcovers on Grandma’s silver 2 door 1976 710 being indescribably wacky looking, which matched the rest of the car’s styling quite well. It was a great car, but rusted to oblivion in a place that got snow, but didn’t use road salt. She sold it in 1994, and I found it in the wrecking yard circa 1995-96 with so much rust in the rear quarters that stuff was spilling out of the trunk through the holes. For some reason, I’ve grown rather fond of these cars, and wouldn’t mind owning one. The styling is consistently so far out there (save for the rear of the wagons), that the whole package just *works*, and is pretty cool. Make mine a sedan or hardtop, please.
140/160J and 120Y Datsuns are quite rare here now, most got well thrashed new then rust set it in and they just went away any 70sw Datsun is rare, durable they were not.
Sold in the US as the 710, it was my first car, took me through 4 years of undergraduate study.
These were pretty plain, but a step up from the B210…few people liked them as well as the predecessor 510 (and likewise didn’t care for the late 70’s 510) so these were pretty rare even back in the day. I had a 4 door sedan, there was a wagon and a 2 door sedan, plus a coupe which was even rarer. 610s were more common but higher priced, can’t remember if they were still 4 cylinder or had the 240Z 6 cylinder yet (or if that was the 810 a couple years later?)
Other than traction, as it was RWD, it was pretty good car for a student…I learned most of what I know about working on cars starting with it, and it was pretty standard for the period, having ignition points and a carburator. Didn’t make much power, and mine was an automatic, so even a bit worse….when the alternator went it seemed like it gained all sorts of pep until I eventually replaced it. The traction issue was probably more to do with where we lived at the time, I was a commuter student and lived at (parents) home in Vermont. It had a tendency to “crab” sideways at stop lights when cold (bit of a high idle I never resolved) when there was snow or ice on the road, so had to shift into neutral until the light changed.
Didn’t give me hardly any problems…parked outside, it only refused to start the week of the blizzard of ’78, so bummed a ride into town with my Dad…as mentioned alternator went, along with a heater hose during an interview trip down to Massachusetts, but that was about it…besides the rust…though it had original Tuff Kote, it rusted pretty quickly, especially the “cow catcher” bumpers that accumulated slush but also the wheel wells.
I hit a patch of black ice in January 1981 and bit the cable guardrail on the interstate driving home (the interview took; I’d moved to Massachusetts for my first professional job). Got the car fixed, but I no longer trusted a lightweight RWD car for winter trips of any distance, so I bought a ’78 Scirocco and sold the 710.
Don’t like seeing cars hacked up, though if it keeps them on the road longer, guess that serves a purpose, but to me, if you want a UTE, why not buy one? This looks like they removed the trunk lid and replaced part of it with a tailgate….yes you still have 4 person seating but what good does such a short well do (I guess if you were using it to haul potted plants that wouldn’t fit in the trunk? The Subaru BRAT came out about this same time and even seated 4 people (OK, 2 of them in the bed of the pickup) but seems to me would be more versatile…plus no drain in the trunk, do you scoop water out of it or drill holes in the floor to keep it from rusting? …or if you didn’t need 4 person seating..one of the small Datsun/Toyota/Chevy/Ford pickups would have a more useful bed it seems to me. Guess I just don’t like to see an example of the first car I owned hacked up (but of course it’s his to do with what he wants).