Yahoo Autos At $4,000, Is This 1966 Datsun 411 A Barn-Burner Of A Deal?
Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Datsun is an actual barn find, and it has a thick layer of dust and detritus to prove it. Let’s see if this classic Japanese sedan is priced to leave the barn behind.
In the world of off-hour TV infomercials, the siren’s call of “but wait, there’s more” has become the huckster’s oft-parodied calling card. The 2014 BMW 750iL xDrive we looked at yesterday embodied this mantra — its ad touting option after option and feature after feature. And, while it didn’t appear to be scammy in any sort of way, its $18,500 asking price did make it seem “call now!” worthy. That resulted in a narrow and yet decisive 54 percent Nice Price win.
Read more
Kirk Cousins got hurt, but he shouldn’t have been on the Vikings’ roster
How is Shedeur Sanders going to win the Heisman in a body brace?
Those were the days, and this 411 has seen better days. That’s because it apparently hasn’t seen the light of day in over 30 years. It has called a shed home for that time, protected from the weather but apparently not from the dust bunnies or woolly boogers. Now it needs a thorough going over and cleaning, hopefully reducing the likelihood of contracting the Hantavirus from being anywhere near it. The car — and likely the shed — belongs to the parents of the seller placing the ad. As a result, some of the details in the listing feel secondhand or somewhat vague.
Based on the pictures, though, the bones look to be fairly solid. It’s impossible to get a good idea of the condition of the paint through the thick layer of dust covering every inch of the bodywork, but at least all the glass seems to be intact. The grille is not installed on the car, nor are the bumpers, but all seem to be in the shed, along with several old Honda motorcycles and a first-generation Ford Mustang.
Two of the most notable features of this car are the interior, which appears amazingly complete and in salvageable shape, and the fact that the car is fitted with A/C. That’s a very rare and likely post-port-installed option on an import of this era. Obviously, it’s presently in non-working condition, but the fact that the componentry is all there is a plus.
The engine compartment also appears complete, right down to the factory air cleaner. Comically, the York-style compressor for the A/C seems almost as large as the 1300 cc four that powers it. From the factory, the engine made 67 horsepower and 77 lb-ft of torque (gross measurement numbers). That gets routed through a four-speed manual gearbox to the live axle out back.
The seller says that both the brake master and lines have been replaced, but that took place 30 years ago. Suffice it to say, everything on this car will need a thorough going over and likely refresh before it will be ready to impress at the neighborhood cars and coffee.
