Datsun roadster...Is it worth it?

[Vintage-TechZ]

I don't drink, so you'll be sipping on a beer whilst I pop open a fresh, cool bottle of Martinelli's apple cider.

 

There is something you need to understand, however. Like I said earlier, one thing like weight distribution (that LONGER engine under the hood) is not going to kill a design, nor is it going to make it a winner. Staying true to the point, just because you put in a V6 into the Roadster absolutely does not automatically dictate that you've improved any of those attributes you mentioned.

 

The answer to this question is simple:

 

 

Because I (or you, or he, or anyone) want to.

 

There is no "optimized purpose" but rather there is a design intent and the car is modified in order to fit within your specifications. I'll repeat, 50-50 is not "perfect" weight distribution, because there is no such thing! You may still be skeptical, but Formula 1 cars and many other race-cars do not have 50-50 weight distribution. They are rear-biased, some more than others. Are you going to walk up to an F1 engineer and tell them that their weight distribution is not perfect?

 

The chassis can be tuned to your liking, and there is a compromise to every decision. A well set-up 70/30 car can outhandle a poorly set 50-50 car. It's all in the chassis tuning.

 

Rotational inertia and traction to the rear wheels are the extra pieces to this topic, the merits of which I brought up in a previous post. You want an autoX car to be able to dance around cones because of low inertia, but do you want a Bonneville LSR car getting squirrely or spinning at 200mph because of low rotational inertia? Like I said, it all depends on your design intent.

 

What's perfect for one is crap to another!

 

Oh, but it did indeed ! It was awesome fun. It made a car that already felt like it was on rails come even further alive. Also...I've never thought of this cars build as anything more than a spirited daily driver. Never meant to break any records of any sort. I was pleasantly surprised however how well it hooked from a dig. I thought it did well previously with just the addition of 10" wide wheels.

 

I'm a little perplexed why you would toss in F1 tech when we are speaking about a non Aero type of build. All that engineered Aero almost automatically removes any theory of street car balance. But then again, i'm not much of one to debate. I'd just rather build.

[Leon]

Oh, but it did indeed ! It was awesome fun. It made a car that already felt like it was on rails come even further alive. Also...I've never thought of this cars build as anything more than a spirited daily driver. Never meant to break any records of any sort. I was pleasantly surprised however how well it hooked from a dig. I thought it did well previously with just the addition of 10" wide wheels.

 

I'm a little perplexed why you would toss in F1 tech when we are speaking about a non Aero type of build. All that engineered Aero almost automatically removes any theory of street car balance. But then again, i'm not much of one to debate. I'd just rather build.

 

I'm not discounting nor debating the merits of your project. Try to internalize what I've said (wrote), instead of picking one aspect and debating it. We're talking about building any sort of car. Who said "aero" or non-"aero"? Maybe my L28 Roadster is going to have a splitter, and a huge wing. That's not the point...

 

I'll repeat:

 

Like I said, it all depends on your design intent.

 

With an understanding of the dynamics involved, you can make almost anything "work" right.