I miss that venetian, it was the best part about my old sedan. And I'm sorry I did miss Benny when he came around to get it, what a car!! Kirstie told me it was a nice piece and she was spot on (these photo's are the first full car shots I've seen of it).

I only wish I had a daily as nice as that. Maybe, just gotta sell my Falcon first.

nice write up dodgeman!
It's nice to see a car that has gone back to it's roots while still keeping class, very neat and tidy

Yeah, I remember now, it was Luke who made it available. Apart from looking good, it also helps to take the sizzle out of the summer sun, particularly for the back seat passengers.

I have venetians for both of my coupes & will fit one to the 1200 as soon as I get my new rear window rubber fitted.

Jeff
Sorry, for some reason I thought it was you that did the machining too. I took one look at the weld job on mine & was VERY impressed. Nice & even, all the way around. I can see that you have done this before. Great job.

I have edited the relevant parra to correct the error.

i agree the venetian looks awesome..saw his car b4 the venetian.....he came in this datto when he came to buy Luke's venetian. luke wasn't here but i was and it truly is a sight to see in real life.. hte pics don't do it justice

Quite right there Dodgeman - Benny is the king of bling The best thing about the setup is that it has little appeal to the 'midnight spares' brigade - but has much jewellry within. I can take credit for the welding but the machining is Benny's secret - he has a good machinist lurking somewhere !!
Cheers

I caught up with Benny today as he was on his way to the nationals & I took some pictures of his car while he made a pit stop.
It wasn't until I was reviewing the pictures tonight that I realised just how well thought out this car really is.

Keep in mind that this ride is his daily commute, so 'fully sick' it isn't, but 'fully smart', it is.

Here are some pictures & some observations, & many of these features will be incorporated into my own 1200 coupe.


Nothing too obvious here, but the QH headlights with relays really light up the road & should be standard on our Datsuns.
While the wheels are 15's, they are not too big & fit comfortably under the unflared guards.
The matching chrome 1200 mirrors means that he gets to see what's behind in the traffic while still looking smart, stylish & original. [OK, they are B310 Sunny mirrors & are identical to 1200, but with chrome]
The JAF medallion [Japan Automobile Federation] on that lovely straight grille is a nice JDM style touch, while the numberplate hints at things to come.






Again, it's style with a practical application.
The venetian is definitely old school, yet cool, in whatever way you want. Being inside makes it tamper proof & these are still available brand new.
The ride height is low enough to look right while still providing adequate travel. There was most of an engine in the back being delivered to someone, so it's a little lower than usual, still, the wheels & tyres do not rub. A smart combination of specifications. The whitewalls give it a real touch of class too.

The chrome trim on the boot lid above the number plate is a genuine accessory adding it's own bit of style & class.



Now this is where the smarts are. This picture is full of ideas.

The spot welds on the firewall near the bell housing show that this was an auto trans car from new & this is the best choice if larger gearbox transplants are on the agenda.

The engine is an original 1200, so it fits the chassis without any mods. The air cleaner is a generous size, so it has a long service life & doesn't restrict airflow like some dinky little ones can. It covers a Weber carb, so performance is right up there as this carb is tuned right. Both performance & economy are just perfect.
The distributor is a late model unit from an import engine & it has a Pertronix electronic conversion. The unseen Bosch GT40 coil ensures fat sparks, quick starts & smooth running. Points are so, .. like,.. yesterday.
The quality ignition leads ensure that no electrical energy is wasted & the right angle fittings at the cap help keep things tidy.

Who noticed the rare Armbrust rocker cover? This is one of three in Australia & it definitely reduces mechanical noise from the rockers, making for a quieter engine. These rocker covers have cast in pads that allow the proper securing of the fuel line & this helps to keep things nice & tidy.

[This parra EDITED to correct factual error]
The cover came to Australia semi finished & the machinist carefully drilled the holes for mounting it & cleaned up the filler neck that was cut from an L series cam cover, then bored the rocker cover & fitted the threaded collar. Jeff [R-fast] welded it underneath to ensure that it will stay there & remain leak proof. It was also carefully positioned so that the oil cap is correctly aligned when screwed down tight.
These castings have provision for two air inlets for the crankcase breather, but only one is needed on a sweet street 1200 engine.
You did a fabulous job with these Jeff & I know that your work is very much appreciated.

Look at the battery cable. These are designed to handle many more amps than a 1200 starter will ever draw, & cranking that starter is never a problem now. The earth lead is the same size too. Big is definately good.

The radiator shroud is from an auto model & it has helped the stock 1200 radiator to keep that peppy little 1200 right in the zone through even the hottest Sydney summer days, even in traffic. A small but noticeable drop in temp was noticed from the day this shroud was installed.

With all new heater, breather & radiator hoses installed, reliability in this area is assured for many years to come.

The head is a genuine 1200 GX & the manifold is a late A14/15 type, while the original water heating of this manifold is retained. This ensures that the engine always runs sweet as you like in Sydney's traffic, even on the coldest days. This manifold heat ensures that all of the liquid fuel is converted to a gas, & after all, it's the gas that burns, not the liquid fuel that invariably washes oil from cylinder walls, which accelerates wear, dilutes the oil, pumps unburned hydrocarbons into the air, makes for power robbing lean mixtures, & drives fuel consumption up.
But hey, cold air induction is 'fully sick', right? Perhaps it is, but only at full throttle & at high revs, like in a racecar.

Heated inlets also allow the full benefit that the extractors provide, & these ones definitely provide a benefit.

So there it is, a truly great little Datsun without any 'fully sick' changes, but it's covered in smart changes, all of which are designed to improve the style, safety, reliability, driveability, performance, economy & serviceability, which all together makes for a car that you just want to get into & drive. Now that's a lot more than can be said for some of those really sick cars that we see.

This has to be the thinking man's Datsun & it's a truly great little street car you have there Benny.