common datsun related injures

[RMS]

wile working on a dog leg rust repair I bumped my thumb rather than the steel. as I was shaking off the blow I thought about my other datsun related injures. I couldn't come up with any daily use bumps bangs, scrapes or cuts that the 510 inflicts on me, unlike my 52 dodge. it could be that I often crack my head on the door opening and I don't remember........


is there other common datsun related injures ?

[James]

My (sort of) Datsun related injury is getting out of my 510 - raking my back (more than once) on the crossbar of my surf rack bar that was too long.

The only other thing I have repeatedly hurt myself with is not having a side screw in the driver's sill plate, and driving in flip flops (often) cutting my foot on the upturned corner of the metal sill.....

[bertvorgon]

So many things, so many things, having been involved with Datsun's since 1969.

Burns, cuts, abrasions, pinched fingers, flying springs, etc.

One of my worst was when I was trying to purge my methanol system and stupidly blew down a methanol line with my mouth. As I released my wind pressure, the methanol blew back INTO my mouth...which I rapidly spit out and rinsed with water. Then, a few hours later I started to get massive pain in my jaw. I went into the walk in clinic, where he looked and said;, " Well, take some aspirin!" That night, I was in agony so I phoned my dentist, a really smart guy and fellow car racer. He took one look in my mouth and said I had burned my saliva gland SHUT, so it was backing up fluid!!!!! I was so pissed off at that doctor for not seeing that. Anyhow, my dentist puts on the rubber gloves and with two fingers...squeezes the cheek and the gland area on the inside of my mouth...BLOOWIE...the gland pops open...YUCH...but. the pressure was relieved instantly. I now use my air compressor.....

Nuclear brakes at the race track, burning fingers even through gloves during our 7 hour Enduro races.

Classic of the transmission hanging up on the pressure plate, then, suddenly letting go and coming down on my chest....

[okayfine]

as I was shaking off the blow I thought about my other datsun related injures.

The worst 510-related injury I've had was to my wallet.

[Chickenman]

I was about 20 years old. Working outside in freezing cold weather. January, Snowing like crazy. Toes absolutely frozen... Regular shoes ( no steel toes ). This is an rather important little detail.

My old 1968 510 rally Car. Full Nissan comp Rally springs and wanted to remove front strut assembly. Had car jacked up on one side. Top Hat nuts all removed. LCA removed and swung out of the way. Brake caliper detached and carefully zip tied out of the way. Only thing holding strut up is sway bar, which is really loaded up with torsion. Undoing top sway bar link nut and I knew sway bar had a lot of stored energy in it and would release violently upwards when nut came off. Made sure that my fingers were well out of the way when last few threads were undone.

Ka-Bang!! Nut goes flying off, Sway bar flies up... but my fingers were well out of the way. Yaayyyy.

One microsecond later the complete strut assembly, with attached brake rotor was suddenly released to the forces of gravity. About an 8 inch drop at 32ft/second squared... I don't know how much kinetic energy involved.... but it sure as hell hurts when the whole strut free-falls and the brake rotor lands squarely on your FROZEN big toe!!!! This is the most pain I have ever had in my LIFE!! And I've had 5 bouts with Kidney Stones. Saw Stars, mind numbing pain, I could barely breathe. I rolled around in the snow like a decapitated flat worm for about 10 minutes. Seemed like an hour. Couldn't utter a sound as pain was so intense. Amazingly toe wasn't broken. But I remember that excruciating pain, 40 years later, like it was yesterday. Frack me it hurt!!!

[Chickenman]

Not a Datsun but Race Car related. This happened all on the same day...

Working on my 1986 Autocross Camaro. At Jas Sanghera's shop in Surrey. Car is on the alignment rack to set up suspension. I'm sitting in Drivers seat as Jas sets Toe, Camber, Castor etc. Sitting in drivers seat because = Race Car. Reading an magazine article as I'm just dead weight and bored. Jas finally lowers car and I think he's done. Open door and step out while still reading Magazine. Unfortunately, car is still 3 feet in the air. Gravity takes over again and I plummet. But I'm " saved " because my right foot gets caught on the sill plate and I manage to grab the door frame with my chin. Nearly knocked me out... this is a good thing... because it dulled the pain of having my legs split to a 180 degree angle and the resulting ripping of my groin muscles!!

After a rather lengthy laughing fit from Jas and his brother, I resumed work.... laced with massive doses of Advil. This little detail also becomes important later on.

Decide to sit down and do some porting on my SBC cylinder heads at the work bench. Sitting on a nice stool to give my poor groin a rest. Happily porting my Cast Iron Cheby heads with my ancient Craftsman electric die grinder. This is one of the classics. Model 315 with dual ball bearings, 1/5 hp and Aluminum case. No cheap plastic case on this model.... Yayyyy. I also have a Hi-Intensity inspection lamp with a metal goose neck that I can bend to look at things. It's ancient with a 120 v to 12 volt transformer, but really handy. All metal too...cause I like metal things.... Yaaayyyy.

Grab inspection lamp in left hand to quickly look into port. Electric Die grinder is still running and in my right hand. That's when I discover a nasty little secret about his shop.

1: Jas wired in the wall outlets at work bench. Jas is not an electrician. Some outlets are not grounded correctly..

2: Hot lead on my old Craftsman grinder had chaffed through and was touching the aluminium case. I didn't know this and it was never a problem as long.... as it was grounded properly.

3: When I grabbed the goose neck lamp, one of the wall outlets was grounded properly and the other wasn't. The result was rather spectacular. Electricity seeks the path of least resistance. In this case it was through my right hand and out my left.. or maybe vica versa. I really don't know, nor did it matter... all I know was that I was suddenly being electrocuted!!! My hands were both locked solid around both tools, sparks and flames were shooting out of the die grinder and I was screaming, trying to fling the tools from my spasming hands and jumping up and down like a possessed Witch Doctor.

At this point Jas and his brother come running out of the office to see what all the commotion is about. They quickly rush to my aid, and then realize that I'm being electrocuted. At which point they stop... cause they don't want to be electrocuted. And it seems they can't run and laugh at the same time.

Meanwhile I'm being fried on the spot and can't unlock my hands. Fortunately my legs still work.. So I run a way from the bench... finally ripping the electric plugs out of the wall sockets . As I'm twitching like a pair of dissected Frog legs on the floor... I hear the peals of laughter from my two " Friends ".....

To be continued....

[Byron510]

Ok, you guys are awesome.

I know I've hurt myself good many times, but I'm just going to have to mull this over for a while and come of with something worthy of writing about!

Byron

[duke]

Awesome stories guys! I'm loving this thread.

I don't have any real injury stories...but I was changing my oil once with a cast on my left hand from a broken wrist. The cast was to large to fit a glove over so I figured I would just be careful. Well I ended up having hot oil running down my arm, soaking the cast. Out came the angle grinder and off came the cast. Needless to say the doctor wasn't to pleased when I went in to see him in two weeks and he saw that I had cut my cast off.

[Chickenman]

Typical car guy. Angle grinder to cut a cast off... Awesome!!!

I severed a tip off a finger once when working on the car. Hanging on by a thread. Had to get the car to the Body shop which was closing soon. No time to go to Hospital. Stuck the finger tip back in place with Duct Tape and wrapped it up good with DT. Finger tip healed so well that I can't even tell which one it was now. Duct Tape FTW!!!

[datzenmike]

Tightening axle U bolts with ratchet and length of pipe. Ratchet slipped off and I punched myself just below my nose. STARS! .... but no blood and no loose front teeth but was numb for ten minutes. Hurt for a week when I smiled.

[Chickenman]

Little Shop of Horrors... Part 3:

Same shop, same car, same day. After my " Baryshnikov " splits and electro-shock therapy I now have a massive headache and nether regions ache. Perhaps I should go home and get some rest? Nooooo... I'm a " Racer " . And " Racers " don't quit. Some more Advil and I'll just be fine. Oil and filter still need to be changed on Camaro. Jas is using the hoist for another car, so I decide to just jack the car up and change the Oil and Filter on the floor.

Placing the floor jack under the K-member, I lift the car. Not really happy with the placement of the pad. Looks like it may be a bit too close to the exhaust cross-over pipe. So in my electro scrambled, drug laced mind, I decide the smart thing to do is slide under the nose of the car and have a close look see...with no jack stands ( DUMB, DUMB and DUMBER move!!! ) I have a look and sure enough, jack pad is partially resting on my custom built cross over pipe. Sh*t!! So I scooch out from the car, quickly reach over, twist the jack handle and lower the car. Problem is, in my Drug numbed mind, I forget just how long that damned nose is on the Camaro and I'm still partially under the frackin' car!!! I wasn't under anything substantial, but the plastic lower valance and air-dam did pin me to the floor. Screaming for help again... Jas and his brother Kam finally saunter out of the office to see what my latest misadventure has been. After a suitable pause to laugh at my predicament some more, they decide to free me...

Funny how the mind works. I haven't thought about this particular incident for years. I wasn't harmed at all by dropping the car on myself.... but just as I was finishing typing this. it no longer seems so funny. I just realized how close I came to killing myself. The whole day was a " Comedy of errors ", but it could have turned out way different. Someone upstairs was definitely looking out for me that day. I'm normally very careful working on cars... but that particular day was truly a nightmare. Take care guys and gals!!

[Byron510]

Richard, you are lucky.
I worked for a well known Datsun guy who ran a shop on Kingsway through the 510 era up to the late 90's. He was working along in the shop one weekend afternoon, under a 510 on the hydraulic jack - the car dropped on him - no jack stands. He was pinned so hard he couldn't yell.
I don't know if it was a customer or one of his friends that found him. It had been an undetermined amount of time because by the time he was found, he was unconscious. He came to in the hospital, multiple broken ribs and a hell of a headache for days. But he was luck to be alive.
The only good thing that came out of this is that he - a usually proud guy - shared the story with me at a young age. It keeps the noodle working and gives you that 'Take a second look' frame of mind.

Byron

[Chickenman]

The annoying thing is that I knew better. I'm always very careful around cars and I never go underneath without jack stands. Definitely a lesson I'll never forget and one I'll always pass on.

On our pre-Knox runs we all used to stop at Westbank for some Karting. The owner passed away some years ago... underneath car, working alone, no jack-stands and jack failed. He wasn't so lucky....

Edit: A reminder to young and old. If you're out on the road and get a flat tire, please throw the spare tire under the car when jacking up the car. Then throw the flat tire and rim under the car until you are done. It could save your life.

[bertvorgon]

That was so sad with the Go-Cart owner, I have told that story many times over the years. NEVER TRUST A JACK!!!!!!

That one race was insane, we left with more blood on us.....and did not Jas end up with a broken finger? I can remember it looked like one of those NASCAR wrecks, with carts on top of each other.

I can always remember the owner kinda groaning when he would see us show up, yet at the same time I really think him and his partner loved the racing.

[datzenmike]

Edit: A reminder to young and old. If you're out on the road and get a flat tire, please throw the spare tire under the car when jacking up the car. Then throw the flat tire and rim under the car until you are done. It could save your life.

This is exactly what I did with my '55 chev in the '70s. I don't know why but I kicked an old tire under the rear bumper. The rear axle was out and when the jack failed the frame pinned me to the pavement. My chest was sore but nothing broken. Took six guys in the body shop to lift the car off. I couldn't breath just barely pant. If you survive the stupid shit you do try to make an effort to learn from it.