My 1963 Datsun Bluebird 1200 Fancy Deluxe Model DP312

By Bob Wachtel-

I purchased this car thru an ad in either the Selling Post or BuyLine around 1968 or 1969 for only $125. It was a time when I had to try and be as economical as possible. It had only one problem and the owner showed me how to correct the problem and avoid a proper repair. It had a 3 speed manual transmission with the shifter on the steering column that would occasionally get jammed-up. He showed me how to avoid it from happening and how to correct it if it did occur. Once I got past that I found the car to be quite reliable and inexpensive to run.

On cold days I would put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to keep the water warm enough to use the heater and defroster and get some heat out of it. The best part of the car was the radio, yes, the radio. It was worth more than the price I paid for the car.

It was an aftermarket Metrovox AM, FM, shortwave and marine band radio. It also had switches in the rear that could change it from 12 volts to 6 volts and from negative ground to positive ground. It also had a very common front that basically fit into most car dashboards at that time with an on/off/volume knob on the left and a tuning knob on the right. When you turned on the marine band, the people’s conversations you heard were just like they were in your car, it was so sharp and clear.

One afternoon I’m driving my Bluebird while I’m listening to the marine band. Suddenly, I hear a phone ringing and the next thing I hear is a woman answering. When she says hello her husband responds and tells her the following………”Honey, I’m on the boat now and I’m having trouble getting the motor to keep running. I’m stuck in the middle of the bay and I called a mechanic from the boatyard nearby. He’s coming with some tools and parts and should be able to get it running properly. It might take a few hours but I’ll call you as soon as he’s finished”.

He wife says “alright dear, be careful”. Then she hangs up. Next thing I hear is a phone ringing again and a younger woman answers. She says “hello?”. He says, “It’s me baby. I’m on the boat now and I’ll meet you at the restaurant that’s on the waterfront nearby in a half hour. I can’t wait to see you and kiss you. I’ll see you in a little bit. Bye”.

Well, that whole conversation was so clear I’m sorry that when I sold the Bluebird for $50 four years later that I didn’t remove that great radio from the car and keep it for myself.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR: Bob Wachtel has written stories for My Car Quest before.

Photo compliments of Nissan.

Summary

Article Name

My 1963 Datsun Bluebird 1200 Fancy Deluxe Model DP312

Description

The best part of the Bluebird was the radio, yes, the radio. It was worth more than the price I paid for the car.

Author

Bob Wachtel