HEART
ENGINE: Datsun L20B, 1952cc,
straight-four
BLOCK: Datsun L20B, new pistons, new
rings, new bearings, polished crank,
ARP fasteners
HEAD: Ported-and-polished L16
(SSS), iSky Racing dual valve springs,
iSky Racing retainers, 282-degree
reground camshaft, adjustable cam gear,
ARP fasteners
INTAKE: Twin Weber 45mm DCOE
side-draught carburettors, ported intake
manifold, Weber individual velocity
stacks, Weber linkages and rods
EXHAUST: Custom headers,
DNG Automotive stainless-steel two-inch
system, DNG Automotive stainless-
steel twin tips, Adrenalin R muffler,
Adrenalin R resonator
FUEL: Holley carburetted fuel-pressure
regulator (FPR), Carter external high-flow
fuel pump
IGNITION: Pertronix electronic distributor
conversion, MSD Blaster II coil
COOLING: Aluminium radiator, 10-inch
electric fan
EXTRA: Relocated battery, relocated
fuse box, custom loom, Mad Dat steering
brace, polished rocker cover, mechanical
fuel-pump blanking plate, SSS front
head blanking cover, gold passivated
hardware, Datsport upgraded bonnet
latch, upgraded clutch slave cylinder,
upgraded brake master cylinder,
DNG Automotive custom brake lines,
Speedflow fittings, Wilwood brake-line
adjustable proportioning valveThe care and attention to detail that went into producing cars
may have slowly disappeared from the design and manufacturing
processes as automakers chased better profit margins and faster
turnarounds, but the love affair with kyusha has seemingly never
faded. And making sure that there’s at least one example continuing
the legacy, Auckland’s Neel Singh has spent the better part of a
decade chasing the kyusha dream, which has culminated in an
exacting period-correct restomod of his 1971 Datsun 1600 —
also known as a ‘Bluebird’ or ‘510’. The self-confessed Honda-
fiend explains that, after having run through half of the country’s
Integra supply, he became increasingly interested in bygone eras
of carburetted, small-capacity screamers and styling that was
the result of painstaking imagination: “Having that heavy Honda
background, I wanted to change things up a little. Considering my
options, all I could think about was growing up as a kid and seeing
my dad [AJ] daily-driving various Datsun models. One of his in
particular that I had a soft spot for was a 1600, so it was an easy call
to build one in a way that I knew he’d appreciate, too.”
Neel searched for nearly two years before he found the right
example to kick the build off with, settling on a matte black ’69,
which he says suited his west Auckland locale well. Over the next
couple of years, it would serve to familiarize him with the chassis
and the L-series engine offering, but, when it came to putting in the
love it needed, the unknown state under its traditional ‘quick-fix’
paintwork was too much of a gamble. He considered going all out
and attempting a Honda K-series rear-wheel-drive conversion as a
nod to his Honda heritage, and, at one point, it even sat over a set
of rare Mugen M7s, but the fate of the ‘matty b special’ was sealed
when a freshly paneled-and-painted specimen appeared for sale
in Dunedin. Looking over two Datsuns in his driveway, Neel was
convinced to pursue the kyusha style, choosing to stick with the
L-series running gear, and for good reason.Slapping a ported-and-
polished SSS L16 head
that’s been crammed
with rev-happy
valvetrain pieces atop
a high compression
and bulletproof two-
litre bottom end is
undoubtedly a recipe
for a good time — all
in a frame that takes up
all of half a car park