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Readers’ Rides:
1932 Datsun Type 11 Phaeton
Added on Nov. 30 by JoeyM

At the moment, this is a project, not a complete car. I’m building a full fendered streetrod on a locost-style frame. It will be a replica of a 1932 Datsun Type 11 Phaeton. The primary donor for this project a 1982 datsun 910 maxima (back then “Maxima” was a trim level, not a model) with an L24(e) engine. Here’s a rundown of the parts so far:

• Engine - maxima
• transmission - maxima
• rear end/axle - maxima
• leaf springs - maxima
• rear shocks - Toyota 4 runner
• Radiator - Toyota Rav 4
• Front end - Dodge Dakota
• steering rack - Dodge Dakota

The Rav4 radiator was chosen because it was very narrow, and far less expensive than buying a radiator out of a street rod catalog. (Of course, I later found out that a local shop could have custom built me one exactly like the catalog radiators at a similar price to the Rav 4 price. Live and learn.) The toyota shocks were chosen in a similar manner….I needed shocks that would be half-compressed when at their resting position, and my design constraints had already determined the upper and lower mount points.

The dodge dakota may seem like an odd donor. I wanted an independent front suspension and a rack-and-pinion setup that were short enough to fit under 1930’s-style fenders. The typical choice in that situation is a Mustang II front end, and I might have gone in that direction if I was not trying to do this on a budget. Instead, I grabbed a 1990 dodge dakota front end out of a local salvage yard. Not exactly ideal - I’m not happy about the position/size of the upper control arms - but the price was right.

See the updates below for pictures and video of the continuing build process.

• 7 updates
• 3 comments

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