Finding a classic roadster project car that hasn’t succumbed to rust and rot is always a good starting point, and that appears to be the case with this 1969 Datsun 1600. It needs restoration, but the new owner will be starting from a solid base. You will find the Datsun located in Bryan, Ohio, and listed for sale here on eBay. Reader Ryan Thas set the opening bid at $2,995, but there haven’t been any bids submitted at this stage.

The story behind the Roadster is that it started its active life in California before it was relocated to Ohio in 1975. Once it arrived in Ohio, it was placed in a garage and was partly disassembled for a repaint, among other things. The current state of the car represents how far the project proceeded before it stalled, and the car has now been sitting as it is for 44-years. There are plenty of photos of the Datsun’s floors, and they do look to be perfect. The original Silver Bronze Metallic paint is looking tired, but the car should come up a treat with a repaint. The owner says that the car is free of rust and Bondo, and it appears that the car comes with both a hardtop and a soft-top. The only major item that appears to be missing is the windshield, but these are surprisingly easy to source. As you can see from this photo, there is also a fair old cache of parts and pieces, including a number of NOS trim items that are still in their original packaging.

The majority of the interior trim has been removed from the Roadster, but it all appears to be present. From what is visible in the photos, it looks like it would respond well to being cleaned. The exception would appear to be the passenger seat, which does have a tear in the cover. The condition of the interior trim doesn’t come as a surprise to me, given the fact that the car only saw active duty for around 6-years.

A small issue under the hood of the Roadster was apparently the reason why it was removed from the road for restoration, and when I say small, I mean small. The original mechanical fuel pump is said to have failed, and the owner had the intention of fitting an electric unit during the restoration. As with so much of this project, this task was partly completed and then abandoned. That means that the 1,596cc engine currently doesn’t run, but it does turn freely. The engine sends its power (96hp) to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. When Datsun was developing this line of vehicles, their target competitors were the various roadsters that were being built by British manufacturers. If you look at a combination of build quality and relative performance, the Datsun products tended to outshine the competition in most areas and served as a real indicator of just how strong the Japanese auto industry would eventually become.

As a project car, this Datsun 1600 Sports Roadster has a lot to commend it. The car appears to be complete, and free of rust. It is small enough to be able to be restored in most home workshops, and its simple engineering and mechanical design means that many competent home mechanics should be able to undertake the vast majority of the restoration themselves. It does make it a tempting proposition for anyone on the hunt for a small classic roadster.

Do you have a classic parked in your garage, barn or shed that needs to go? Please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!