Datsun 180B
Paid $400 for this car. It was licenced and is A1 mechanically.
Not much has gone wrong.
Needs new radiator, it's got rust on the bottom of the doors and in the boot.
Apart from that, the rust isn't too bad.
Rear axle's slightly bent from hitting the curb.
Broken front windscreen.
Needs new springs on all wheels.
Clutch is still good, but the gear box is starting to loosen up.
The motor is a L18, a very strong motor can tow just about anything.
Shakes a bit at high speeds, has quite good handling in the wet, but if over powered can spin out.
It's on its second motor, 25 years old, still runs straight and is running very strong.
This motor would go on for ever.
A very very reliable car, not much can go wrong when everything is made of steel and doesn't have many electrics.
However the car would be best suited with a 5 speed gearbox instead of the 4 speed, because at a 110km/h it's doing about 4500rpm.
A very good car - (Datsun 180B)
A Datsun 180B is not doing 4000RPM at 110 km/hr. At 100Km/hr
it does 3000RPM therefore at 110km/hr it will be doing slightly more.
I had a 1978 Datsun 180B (810) station wagon for about seven years from 1987 - was an ex rental automatic - utterly and totally bombproof, reliable and went most places it was pointed at, road handling was average being leaf sprung suspension at the rear.
The L18 petrol motor was still going strong at 230,000 odd kilometres when replaced with an LD 20 diesel and 5 speed box for economy reasons.
Being on the West Coast when it was sold, I fear the rust may have knocked the wagon off!
I have a 180B as a first car. Handling in dry weather is excellent due to the independent rear suspension. In the wet it is not as good on a fast sharp turn. However nothing major has gone wrong with it. It is very, very fuel-efficient and it gets an absolute canning from me. It will tow a tone of wood and will drive over boulders like they are not there (I have tried it (hit one in the paddock collecting wood for winter) and it only dented a control arm). It is a great rally car. There is not much power in them, but mine is not too bad she hums at 110kmh in 4th gear and I have not done any thing to the engine just treat it with a bit of hard work and it loves it. Rust is always a problem in them, but I ripped the vinyl roof of and painted it. Looks much better. They are unbreakable and extremely reliable. I have driven V6's and still like getting into the datsun and giving her a hammering.
I bought a 1976 Datsun 180b GL to use as a rally car, the car looked in good condition and went fairly well. Not long after I bought it all 4 rings went and the valve stem seals went. Since then I rebuilt the engine and the cars seen a few khanacross's and an autocross's. These cars drive fantastically on or off road and are fairly strong except for a few weak points that can be found when driving off road which I won't go into.
The engines are fantastic have good torque and if in good condition should last a very long time.
The only troubles I have had with this car was that the instrument cluster gauges tend to fail and after 26 years or so the cast aluminum and iron parts will have corroded. These bits are usually in the form of thermostat housings and standard fittings from the head to the heater and coolant lines running through the standard manifold. Also, after this long the standard carburetor(if it's a nikki) will probably need to be reconditioned or replaced with something else.
Rust tends to form very easily in the lower sections of the doors.
The only other thing I can think of is that the brakes are very poor, the front calipers are a good design and make it easy to change pads, but the pad is only about 40-50mm long by about 30-40mm high. It can get a little bit dodgy trying to pull up fast especially when you have a present day vehicle with 26 years worth of advancements in brake technology stopping in front of you.
Great car and can be made a lot better if you don't mind spending some extra dollars on it to replace corroded bits and upgrading the brakes to something a little better.
Sounds like a bomb, yet since I am only 17 what else can I afford other than a bomb?? well? cheap car is what I need.
I got bought a '77 Datsun in 2001 for $100 and I neglected it since 2003 when I got a 76 in better condition. I am now keeping the '77 for wrecking and I'm keeping the engine/drive train/suspension etc. as spares (not that I'll ever need them) the 180Bs have taken a fair beating from me, I used to chase kangaroos around the paddock with them and take it for a hoon around the bush, I was very surprised at how well it handles the pot holes (thank you independent coil suspension.
I'm not afraid to spend a load of money on my '76 because it truly is a great work of engineering and looks awesome.
The only problems are, rust at the bottoms of the doors and brakes are a bit weak in design, could use a better clutch system. Water seems gets in near the pedals. I'm going to fix it and garage it. Maybe paint it bright green as well.
After a string of poor quality BMC cars I went with the 180B in 1976. It was a revelation. No more water leaks, utterly reliable. I was used to BMC cars stretching back to Morris Oxfords and Austin 1800s finally the Kimberley (shudder). This car was right for me as a commuter car and for occasional touring. Unfortunately I came a cropper crossing William St, Sydney, one night when a driver, talking to her companion, ran across a red light. So after repair I replaced it with a 200B, an utter disappointment.
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