“Number please?” There are a few numbers involved with this rare but not currently running 1967 Datsun 411 wagon for sale here on craigslist in Houston, Texas. The first number is the asking price of $1,500, a fair price for such a rare car in such seemingly decent condition, at least body-wise. Another number is that this car itself is a rare number; most of them have rusted into something akin to talcum powder after being on the planet for forty years. Another number is this car’s model number of 411, an update from the 310/311/312 series of the Nissan Bluebird family. Starting in the fall of 1963, the updated 410/411 series was designed by the famous Italian design house of Pininfarina; yes, that Pininfarina. The 411 was made from 1965 to 1967 and it was the predecessor to the famous Datsun 510 series that is so near and dear to the hearts of vintage Japanese car lovers. The number of body styles was limited to a 4-door sedan and a 4-door wagon for US-bound Datsun 411s; no coupe was available here, unfortunately.
There is no mention whether this is a 1.2, a 1.3, or a 1.6 liter engine but it does have a 3-speed manual transmission with a column-mounted shift lever helping to make use of the small amount of power that is available. In looking at the one engine photo provided, there are a number of things to do to make it right again, but these drivetrains are known to be fairly easy to work on and there are a number of Datsun forums and clubs to make it possible to track down parts. According to the ad they haven’t been selling parts off of this car, which is nice.
The number of rust spots, according to the seller, is limited to one spot on the driver’s side rocker panel which isn’t shown. I would have thought that the Houston humidity and salt-water-air would have been hard on a car with such thin metal, but this car looks to be surprising well-preserved. It has a clear title and both the original tool kit and spare tire.
The number of interior photos is also limited to just one, and that one photo shows most of the dash and just a corner of the driver’s seat. There appears to be a split in the padded dash on what deceivingly looks like the world’s earliest passenger-side airbag; but otherwise both the dash and steering wheel look to be in fairly decent condition for a car that was most likely never meant to last for forty years. I’m guessing that this car may have had a red interior, at least at one time, judging by the bottom of the door panels, but the only way to find out for sure is to call the number in the ad and ask the seller. I’m guessing that the number of buyers for this particular car is pretty limited, but what do you think: is this car worth the number they’re asking for it or would you hang up the phone and move on?
Too bad its not an SSS
There’s that bullet proof MG based 4 banger. 5 mains, forged steel crank, pushrod OHV. Got the same engine family in my ’77 B210 (1.4). (see pic). The subject car is missing a carb. My carb was junk, so I made an adapter and mounted a Rochester H 1 bbl. off a ’61 Corvair (that used 2 of them). The simple RH carb is like a piece of pipe with a leak. :-) Terry J
Beauty of a car and engine, Terry!
Looks pretty good. I’m sure it will find a new owner before long. As it sits it’s in better condition than most I’ve seen (which are few & far between)
Great example of a car we rarely saw in the Midwest. You can just see where the 510 came from. I think this is the 1.3 ( Wiki claims in ’65, the 411 got the updated 1.3, up from the 1.2, oh boy) I thought these had a 4 speed on the column, but it was the floor shifted one that had the 4 speed. There’s a big reason we never saw these, as my old man wouldn’t allow an Asian ( or German or Italian) car in his driveway, a sentiment that resonated across the land, still, 20 years after the war, and Asian cars were slow to catch on and few were sold. It’s great these cars are getting some coverage. They, almost single handedly, changed what we, as Americans, would eventually drive. BTW, dad’s gone now, so I’d love to have this in my drive!
It looks to be a J13 engine 1.3L. I have the 1967 sedan. Just finished the body work and paint after 3 long years.
Cam in the block where it belongs. One of the best little engines ever produced by any manufacturer period! They really did run like a “Sewing Machine”.
I had one of these, except it was a 1968 wagon. It got 45 miles to an Imperial gallon on the highway. 1500 of them were sold in greater Vancouver, BC & 100 were sold east of the lake-head (Thunder Bay, Ontario). My carburetor, had problems in Ontario at 215,000 miles, but I eventually found one and rebuilt the old one in a motel room. I subsequently sold it at 463,000 miles.
1600 would have a finned valve cover pretty sure. These were only in the SSS 411 version. This version used the engine and drivetrain of the SPL311 Roadster. This made the SSS a quick, nimble, sleeper.