Sitting in this barn is a classic that is one of the sweetest little cars to emerge from a Japanese factory in the 1960s. It isn’t the most instantly desirable classic on the planet, but the 1966 Datsun 411 4-Door Sedan is a bulletproof vehicle that is an ideal first project candidate. However, this one springs a surprise courtesy of the original owner’s decision to order it with factory air conditioning. It has spent thirty years in its current location, but the owner feels it deserves to find a new home with an enthusiast willing to return it to its rightful place on our roads. The Datsun is listed here on Facebook Marketplace, about forty-five minutes west of Omaha, Nebraska. The seller set their price at an affordable $4,000, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder NW Iowa Kevin for spotting this sweet little gem.
I was instantly drawn to this Datsun because my brother had an identical one as his first car. He managed to put it into a four-wheel drift on a bitumen road at 60mph with me in the passenger seat not long after he passed his driving test. You know how some people claim to have seen their lives flash before their eyes when they experience a near-death experience? Well, I saw mine and the lives of several people I’d never met at that moment! His Datsun eventually ended its days shiny side down in a ditch, which was unsurprising, considering how he drove in those days. Anyway, I digress. Datsun introduced the 411 Series in 1965 as an evolution of the 410. Pininfarina styled its body, and I feel it still looks crisp and attractive fifty-seven years after this little classic rolled off the line. The seller states the car was finished in primer when they purchased it. His brother gave it a birthday while he was at school by treating it to a repaint in its current shade of dazzling Red. It found its way into the current location shortly afterward, and the accumulated layer of dust makes assessing the state of the paint challenging. It might present acceptably with a wash and polish, although bracing for a repaint would be wise. That isn’t a complicated process with these cars, and a competent person could achieve a surprisingly good result in a home workshop. There is no mention of evidence of rust, and my experience with these cars suggests they aren’t particularly prone to such issues. The Datsun is missing its bumpers, but I think one of them might be lying on the barn floor near the passenger-side front wheel. The grille is on the back seat, and the remaining trim looks restorable. There are no visible glass issues in what appears to be a straightforward restoration project.
The 411 would never threaten muscle cars from this era, but there are some positive points to draw from this classic. Its engine bay houses a 1,299cc four-cylinder powerplant that sent 67hp and 77 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. Those figures and a ¼-mile ET of 20 seconds don’t sound impressive, but this Datsun could spring a surprise or two once returned to active service. The engine power might be modest, but this car should comfortably cruise all day at 60mph. Its modest physical dimensions make it ideal for coping with city traffic, and its ability to consistently top fuel consumption figures of 30mpg means it could serve as an economical daily driver. The seller states the car hasn’t been started since being parked three decades ago. Datsun pushrod engines are notoriously tough, so it might not take much work to coax it back to life. The brakes had received a rebuild before hibernation, but thirty years of inactivity has probably taken a toll. The perishable items will be questionable, but if the engine can be revived, the remaining tasks should be a piece of cake.
Potential buyers seeking a pleasant surprise will find several inside this Datsun. The seller describes it as perfect, and I suspect it won’t be far from the mark once everything is treated to a deep clean. Many of these cars received a front bench seat, but this one has buckets. The seats are trimmed in Tan and Black cloth and vinyl, and there is no evidence of physical damage. The painted surfaces wear the same shade as the exterior, and the pad hasn’t succumbed to the seemingly inevitable deterioration caused by UV exposure. The only potential flaw I can see is that the carpet appears faded. However, with complete carpet sets retailing for around $210, rectifying that issue is affordable. The dash houses a factory AM radio, but what hangs below the dash might be the ace up this interior’s sleeve. This Datsun’s interior is equipped with air conditioning, and I must admit this is the first 411 I have seen with that feature. The seller’s impression is that this is a factory unit. However, I can find no reference to it as a factory option anywhere. Perhaps we have readers who can enlighten us on the subject. Still, it would attract the attention of Datsun enthusiasts if the new owner rolled up to a Cars & Coffee in this classic.
Affordable genuine barn find projects that don’t require significant rust repairs are becoming more difficult to find, but this 1966 Datsun 411 4-Door Sedan confirms they are out there if an enthusiast exercises patience. This car is unlikely to become a mega-bucks classic, but it is an affordable project ideal for a novice or a DIY enthusiast. It would also be a perfect candidate for a build involving a parent and child. The finished product could be that child’s first car, and I can confirm from experience that the Datsun 411 can fulfill that role admirably. Are those thoughts enough to tempt you to pursue this beauty further?
I had to look this one up! Never seen one in the flesh and my first impression was this was a little Alfa Romeo. Actually quite attractive and a really cool little car.
For a brief second I thought I was looking at the rear of a dust covered gen 1 Corvair sedan
Thanks for the 411 on the 411. Restomod? 5-speed and a twin cam 1.6? Now, which one? Does it have front discs?
Omaha? Mercy sakes, they ought to know what to do with them hogs over there, for sure,,sorry, reliving my “Convoy” days, anyway, this is one of the cars we all jeered in the Beer City. While my views on early foreign cars is dated, back then, we had a HUGE pro-American attitude. What would you expect from the city that brought you H-Ds, Ramblers, and AO Smith water heaters,,oops, I mean, car frames. We, in America, took our cars very seriously, and these posed no credible threat. Very, and I mean, VERY few people would be seen in these. Again, vandalism was not unheard of. The 510 was a bit more welcome as attitudes changed.
Fast forward to today, I think it’s an awesome find, and the A/C was simply unheard of. It may not detract as much power as you might think, and for a city commute, beats any 5 figure EV, and believe it or not, conditions pending,( no mountain passes) I’d love to have this.
As a sidebar, looks like a lot of crap in that there Omaha barn, pardner.
Looks like a Honda 350 in the background of one photo, then a massive wood stove in another.
I’d take both home if I had room. I don’t.
Nature abhors a vacumn, and barns just draw stuff in.
They don’t do it by themselves though, there has to be an enabler. With a truck.
I was an enabler for years.
Then I joined a one-step program, marriage.
She asked that I not keep more projects than I was actively working on, plus a single upcoming project.
Otherwise I was just down cellar “grooming the crap”.
Seemed a fair deal to win Miss Right.
Funny, we never built a garage.
Yet I live at the top of a slippery slope.
Once a week I scan the treasures on my neighbor’s trash and recall my grandfather’s cursed words: “Don’t throw that out. It’s good yet.”.
LCL,
Many years ago I bought a small farm with plenty of big barns and steel outbuildings, even a 60X80 all steel building with I-beam construction [no center posts!]. Just what a collector of interesting antiques needed.
Filled all the barns and buildings within a few years!
Having parents that survived the Great Depression, they passed on that “better save it, just in case” gene down to me! Now facing the “keep it or purge it” battle with their stuff and soon my own. I also have two of my own barn finds stored for 45 years! Why do so many other necessities in life take over?
Ted
My high school girl friend had this model and as a result I bought a 510, 4 speed. If you can imagine something a kid could do to a car, I did it and that silly little 4 door kept on tickin’. I thought it was cool to see how loud the glass pack muffler could get while in the Caldecott tunnel.
Cuter than a litter of puppies.
Back then factory air in imports usually meant a dealer-installed kit. The compressor looks almost as big as the engine!
You are correct, that’s an aftermarket A/C by Frigette, made in the USA. Datsun didn’t begin offering factory-installed “in dash” A/C until the advent of the 280Z cars.
I worked at a Datsun/BMW dealership in the late 1970s, and because we were in an area where summertime meant 95/95 weather [95f and 95% humidity] we kept 2 full time techs busy just installing A/C units.
This was common into the 80’s there was an additional separate tax on a/c equipment so it was installed stateside from what I recall, Jim Moran had a huge facility just to install a/c on Toyotas.
Ralph,
It’s possible that some states might have had a tax on vehicle A/C units, but there was no Federal tax that I’m aware of.
The primary reasons why most foreign cars didn’t have factory installed A/C were;
1. A/C was mostly unknown in the rest of the world when it came to small cars. Only the most expensive cars could be had with A/C from the factory. Even Rolls-Royce didn’t get factory A/C until the introduction of the Silver Cloud III in 1963. Before that, any A/C unit in a Rolls-Royce was done by outside companies.
2. Small European & Japanese cars with engine sizes around 1,500 cc & smaller found the compressor load was a significant issue, and hurt top speed & MPG, both issues that the companies were already struggling with.
3. Until recent years, many vehicles, homes, and offices didn’t have A/C in Britain and northern European countries. Hotter temperatures were uncommon throughout Europe, with the exception of a few areas of the Mediterranean coastal areas.
Even in the late 1980s, many European & Japanese cars didn’t come with factory A/C, and because A/C sales were 95% relegated to the USA, it was easier for the auto manufacturers to contract out with A/C installers that did the work at the ports, or at the dealerships. Even cars like the BMW 2002 never offered factory A/C. My 1973 2002 had it’s A/C installed by the Behr company when the car came off the ship in New Jersey.
When I worked for a couple days at the Tampa docks there was a short, barely sheltered “assembly line” where Chevy LUVs got beds, radios, air and perhaps a striping package. Bringing them in “incomplete” was said to reduce the tariff.
Factory Air?? Which factory? Datsun or the A/C manufacturer? Even 4 cylinder BMW 2002s didn’t come with factory air, so how likely a Datsun a decade earlier??
Part of the fun of finding odd vehicles to send to Barn Finds is the cool stuff in the background. I’m an avid motorcycle collector so I had to ask the seller if any were available to buy. Ugh, the one I wanted most is the Honda CB350, which has already found a new home. I used to turn them down as I already had a dozen of them. I came to realize that the 350 twin engines, 1968-73, were the best engines Honda ever made. The saying ‘bullet proof’ is spot on. It’s an arguable point that the Honda CB750 engine is also right up there in quality but pretty much all of Honda’s 4 stroke engines are of high quality. I just prefer the 350. The next generation, the CB/CL/CJ 360’s, IMHO, were the worst Honda engines as the 350’s literally run circles around them. My salvage yard has 17 of them (360’s) currently. Around here what kills a motorcycle is 5 months of ‘too cold to ride’ winter and if steps aren’t taken to properly store them, they probably won’t start in the spring. So, there they sit in the back of the shed, all but forgotten.
I’m waiting for his response as to the cost of each bike. The ’72 XL250 (first model year) has also piqued my interest.
I thought, and still do, that the Datsun is really cool, no matter two extra doors and I told him so. The drive from here to there is a 3+ hour trip but if the cycle prices are fair, it’ll have been worth it.
Rare color. Rare air. You guys are stretching today…
So, it is a PL411 with the 1300 engine.
There was an RL411 also. It had the 1600 Roadster engine with dual Hitachi SU carbs.
Thanks Kevin for submitting my ad to Barnfinds and to Barnfinds for the nice write up and the exposure. If anyone wants to see what it turned out looking like after and hr or so of pressure washing and a sponge take a look at the last 2 pics of the ad. Definitely needs further cleaning but looks MUCH better now.
You’re welcome! The ad says you’ve sold it?
Super nice guy from Utah who already has a 410 wagon is making the nearly 2000 mile drive for it in couple days. Exactly who I wanted this car to go to. He is super excited and so am I.
Correction the guys has a 411 wagon.
You can see the cleaned up pics if u look on Facebook page “Datsun Enthusiast Marketplace” Listed Oct 30th.
Looks like the original color is white (based on pics under the hood) and I am guessing that the upholstery is a re-do, also, as I think the seats were all vinyl back then. Probably were recovered when the red paint went on. These were/are cool little commuters!
914Shifter,
I think the original color is red, even the firewall is red. I suspect the hood was replaced with a used one from a white car. And yes, these cars did have all vinyl interiors. The vinyl was very inferior to what US cars used, and in hot & sunny areas the vinyl didn’t last more than a few years if the car was kept outside.
The seats in this car have a very heavy grained texture to the vinyl surface, found in aftermarket vinyl materials most often used in home upholstery & diner booth seats, and appears to be of a far better quality.