common datsun related injures

[510longroof]

This was before my Datsun days. I was 18, 10ft tall and bulletproof. Also scrawny. A neighbour had a '69 GTO with a BB400. It was recently painted and he was removing the engine for a rebuild to ram air IV specs. To save a few bucks he decided not to rent a cherry picker. The literature regarding the weight of a long block had a substantial error and based on the wrong information we decided to lift it with a long bar through a looped chain. Car's owner on one side, he was much bigger than my brother and I who were on the other side of the car, we decided to lift on three. Three comes and my brother feeling his foot slip on the gravel driveway lets go of the bar and dives off to the side. Now suddenly taking the full weight onto my left shoulder I push up even harder to prevent the bar from hitting the top of the fender. It all happened in less than a second and I only felt a warm sensation in my back. Adrenaline rush I imagine. We tried three more times with me lifting with my right side before we decided to give it up and rent the hoist.

I went home toughing it out through the pain that was now setting in and a few hours later ended up in the emergency room all hunched over with difficulty breathing. My left arm was now completely useless dead weight and the doctors figured I pulled nearly every muscle in my back from neck to waist and all down the left arm. I compressed my spine and cracked a few ribs for even more misery. Before leaving the hospital they had a nurse prepare a sling for my dead arm and hung it around my neck. Holy sheite! bad Idea! Belt loops were a better way to support it and I could move my thumb enough to hold on. I was three months house bound on a ton of pain killers and it took nearly that long before I could stand straight again. I am lucky to have my dad's fast recovery gene. Other than one shoulder being a half an inch lower than the other there were no lasting effects.

Lesson learned. Proper tool for the job, not "proper tools" doing the job.

As a kid I got my head slammed in the hatchback of the longroof corolla. Imagine a walnut in a nutcraker. Same Idea. The hatch never sealed properly after that. Have you ever hit your head hard enough you could smell it? Those who have know what I mean.

[510rob]

how is your sense of smell at present?

[510longroof]

how is your sense of smell at present?

Sense of smell is fine. The effect is temporary but intense enough that you want to hit your head again just to see if it was real. More common injuries around the 510 are those pointy hood latches that are aimed at the back of your head and specific to the longroof model are the corners of the rear hatch. Pointy little bastards they are at the perfect height to stab you in the head if you're not careful. I only had to do it once before I learned how far to duck while approaching. My brother on the other hand whacked his noggin on the rear hatch. Every single time. He was supposedly the smarter one. It was funny though.

[Chickenman]

Ooooh... I forgot about the pointy hood latch. Some painful memories there. Worse when the car is lowered. I'm sure most 510 and 1200 owners have a permanent indentation in the top of their head from those danged things....

[bertvorgon]

hah...that is a good one, forgot about that.

Boundry Bay...1975..in my brown 1972..came in from a run..had to tighten the air box seal.....in a rush to get back to pre-grid..lift my head up fast...yikes...right in the back of my head...

[510longroof]

Tennis ball with a slit cut in it. Squeeze and stick it over those pointy hood latches. Learned that one from an old Datsun mechanic who kept one in his tool chest. Works great but the dog keeps stealing them. It's why tennis balls are packaged in 3's. Give the dog one, cut a slit in the second one and hide the 3rd one because you know #2 is going to get taken.

[Byron510]

.....specific to the longroof model are the corners of the rear hatch. Pointy little bastards they are at the perfect height to stab you in the head if you're not careful.

Only a tall guy who's owned wagons would know this!

God damn! I whacked my head a few times in the years I had my second hot rod wagon. I lived in that car for 4 months on a trip from Vancouver to Newfoundland and back. A lot of time was spent going in and out the back of the car every day - cooking, sleeping or just getting provisions. I got it good a couple of times. Bloody hell, thanks for the reminder, I think! The corner of my head now is sympathy hurting from the memories!

Byron

[Hakosuka510]

Not physical injury to me, but vandalizing my 69 2dr nearly cost my neighbor's son's life, and had I been there 5 seconds sooner it would have.

Afterward, I told the father that if his son ever came near one of my cars ever again, I was just going to shoot him.

They immediately sent him back to live with his biological mother.

Now, the emotional pain I suffered............

[Three B's Racing]

Not physical injury to me, but vandalizing my 69 2dr nearly cost my neighbor's son's life, and had I been there 5 seconds sooner it would have.

Afterward, I told the father that if his son ever came near one of my cars ever again, I was just going to shoot him.

They immediately sent him back to live with his biological mother.

Now, the emotional pain I suffered............

Had the same (almost) thing happem to me but I simply walked up on the guy who was screwdriving my passengers door, tapped him then knocked him out. Cops thought it was funny but did mention I could get in trouble if he didn't threaten me, so I added well he did have a screw driver in his hand, is 4 inches taller and had about 30 pounds on me and did turn on me, Cops said Ok works for me. An ambulance later he was off to hospital then jail 8>) Naturally the hand swelled but a bag of ice and a few cold ones eased that Datsun related pain 8>)

[Hakosuka510]

Yeah, I like to think there's a special place in hell reserved for such people.

I lost my windshield, all driver's side (left side) glass, massive body damage, and the trim along the rain channel.

[Three B's Racing]

Yeah, I like to think there's a special place in hell reserved for such people.

I lost my windshield, all driver's side (left side) glass, massive body damage, and the trim along the rain channel.

There isn't sorry, but when their alive it's at the end of your rage and inflicted pain when neccessary.