The guy I bought my truck from did a hell of a lot of custom work on the running gear. He worked at Rebello Racing for a long tie, and swapped a balanced and blueprinted A12 that now makes a good easy 100 hp, runs super on pump gas and will cruise all day in the Central Valley heat without missing a beat.

Our BMW E36 M3 stops on less than a dime, so I wanted better brakes in our Datsun. The fabricator and master mechanic I bought the truck from (Matt Stoffregen, Stoffregen Motorsports) obliged, grafting on a 720 front clip with all new mo’ modern ball-joint suspension, steering and discs instead of the old king-pin and drum brake components. Every gasket, brake line and drivetrain widget has been replaced or upgraded. He went through the dogleg five-speed and it shifts butter-smooth. I changed the stock 4:88s to 4:11 rear gears - now 90mph is just over 4k rpm. I wanted to continue to preserve this old truck, but I also like to enjoy some modern improvements when I drive my old cars. Hence: Modern brakes, lighting and electrics ...

MY PHOTOS

‘OL 320:

MY ’65 DATSUN