History Anyone remember The Dat-Rod ??

I was talking to someone at Pleasanton yesterday and he had a car that he said was "the Dat-Rod" , a 27 T Roadster that was built on a Datsun frame/motor and was featured in Hot Rod magazine in the Late 70's early 80's.
I know not an earthshattering find but cool in the way "it is different", (for me) saw too... some guys offering info for green-rodding ...
That's another story.
Any info or direction to find out more are (Dat-Rod) Thanked ...

 

I don't know about a T Roadster but I remember a kit rod called the DAT ROD
back in the Econo Rod days .They used to advertise a model A looking cuope
with a little 4 banger with an open hood .Thats what I remember .

 

I believe Dick Dean was involved in selling them, or built one of the first ones. "Dot-Rod" is what it was called, around 1977.

 

Street Rodder had a series by Frank Oddo using a 29 roadster body and datsun running gear. First article was January 1976.

 

It Was Dick Deans prodject didnt go over that well at the time

 

The Dot Rod was built by Legendary metal man Dick Dean. It was featured in Street Rodder, cover if I remember right. It used the entire frame and running gear from a Datsun pickup. Chopped and channeled coupe. The idea was to sell a kit based on it, don't think it ever took off and can't remember if more than the first one was ever done. Maybe Kid Dean can fill in more.

 

was it the one with the motor in the back?

 

I saw one version years ago at the fortuna autorama in fortuna, california. it was a coupe, had datsun engine, trans., and datsun independent rear suspension. it was for sale for about 1500.00. looked like it was a good start of a good project

 

Dat-Rod... Sounds like a project with budget written all over it. There are a bunch of variations on that theme all over this place.

 

NO! Standard front engine stuff. At first glance, other than the offset Air Cleaner coming though the hood it looked like an old channeled Hot Rod. Datsun rear end looked a lot like a 9" too, only smaller.

 

I remember another one around the same time built on a vw chassis.That one was rear engine.

 

That was the 'Volks-Rod".

 

There was a Toronado transaxled, blown big block serious fun looking T in Hot Rod magazine back then, too.

 

Yes it was called DSR 76=Datsun Street Roadster 1976

 

What about this one my son and I are building.......

 

Kuztom, That RPU looks pretty cool.

 

Cheers Mate, Toyota 1600 2tg donk, 5 speed box, Mitsi diff ,they are Ford stud pattern.A Low buck project ,that we are doing together from bits Ive collected over the last 20 plus years,not a bad first rod for a 13 year old, lucky bugger

 

Dick Dean built it and it used a semi-wasted '32 5w coupe body and a complete Datsun engine/chassis combo. This was a time when there was a lot of raw '32 building materiel laying around, cheap. Today the body he started with would bring $10,000 on Ebay and no one in their right mind would duplicate his effort.

Frank

 

Those were the days when gas reached the "astronomical price" of triple digits!!! Yes over a dollar a gallon!!! They had to change all the gas pumps!!! The Chicken little's all assured us that the big V8 era was over and going the way of the dinosaur. 4 and 6 cyl hot rods were our only option. Fortunately the panic subsided before a lot of them got finished and they never caught on. I was building a 4 cyl 26 roadster back then...a Pinto disguised to look like an early banger. It got shelved for my first 34 P/U...V8 auto.

 

there were several T roadster designs built on 4 cylinder power trains that were pretty good looking in the first magazine that the DSR76 project was introduced I think they were Thom Taylor renditions and were pretty sharp looking little cars including a 23 track T.

 

So, anyone got a pic or two?

 

the original Dick Dean Dot-Rod 32 coupe was at Paso Robles a few years back. looked like it had been left outside and was a bit crusty.

I'm thinking the original article was in Rod Action, though I could be mistaken.

 

...

 

This is the one I remember. Actually looked pretty cool at the time!

 

Man, it looks a hell of a lot better than I thought it would. Hell Id drive it!
Thanks for posting the pics

 

Now I remember reading about that project in high school. Cool little chassis under a T, but not what what should happen to a Duece body. During the age of resto-rods, it was a cutting edge concept.

 

i'm surprised the "that's not traditional" gestapo hasn't commented on this yet.

cool little car.

 

Yes, it was a cool little car and because Dean kept it looking like a 32 and not some abortion I don't think anyone will give it flak.

That toronado T was a Burkholder car I think? I have a SRM feature on it here somewhere with it in street and race trim.

 

oops wrong post

 

I remember the DAT-ROD very well to point that we did a picture shoot with my old hot rod The TOY-T next to The DAT-ROD in 04 for a mag in Japan called DAYTONA. It was cool to stand beside a hot rod built by MR Dick Dean that we just lost not to long ago. I was told that he only built only two of these DAT-ROD's.. Here are some picture of the magazine shoot and hope you enjoy the shots...