CanadianST's 1970 Datsun 510 build

[CanadianST]

Finished tearing down the engine to a bare block tonight so started working on fitting my new seats in the car. Was able to pick up a nice set of 240z seats for next to nothing so went about installing them. They turned out to be mounted a few inches narrower than the stock seats so had to figure something out there. Ended up moving the seat mounts inwards while trimming and shimming them in a few places and then welding them in where i couldn't really drill any holes. Very happy with how it turned out! Just cleaning up the seats and unseizing one of the sliders then I'll be good to go!

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics was more into working on the car haha

 

[RAAMaudio]

I have to stop reading this thread, makes me feel like a traitor for not having a 510 since 1982 or so and I had them for 10 years!

Very cool stuff you are doing buddy

Have you had a hopped up L20 in a 510 before? It is much fun and you have far more go fast options than I did back then for the engine build.

I too love this thread!

 

[CanadianST]

I have to stop reading this thread, makes me feel like a traitor for not having a 510 since 1982 or so and I had them for 10 years!

Very cool stuff you are doing buddy

Have you had a hopped up L20 in a 510 before? It is much fun and you have far more go fast options than I did back then for the engine build.

I too love this thread!

Thanks! Means a lot coming from someone who's been into them as much as you!

And I've never had a l20 before so pretty excited to see what i can do here, a bored out high reving version sounds like a fun time to me!

 

[RAAMaudio]

Thanks buddy, glad we both love the little car that set the standard for low cost fun, the 510 and the roadsters both did in fact but I was more into the 510's. Actually have to add in the 240Z, still a beautiful car today and probably what I would get as my wife loves them all but the 240Z the best and she never had one but did have a couple of 510s in the 80s, a very long time before we were together.

My CPA daughter has fond memories of going to events in the 510s, here mother drove a really nice wagon as well, she has wanted me to build her a 510 for a long time, I might someday just do that.

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I am very excited to see how your car turns out, using an L series engine has great appeal to me

 

[CanadianST]

Finally some updates to this!

Been crazy busy with the whole insurance thing and then work got nuts as well. Happy to say that i finally got her out of the garage and into the light! Had a few oil leaks to deal with but sorted them out pretty quick and now it's just waiting on an exhaust. Dropping the car off tonight to have one made up and then hitting the streets hopefully.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Woo Hoo!!!!!

I bet she is going to haul butt besides just being so damn cool

 

[CanadianST]

Got the exhaust all finished up and am very happy with the results! Not ignorant but has a nice aggressive sound. Been driving the car around town and back and forth to work trying to get used to the new trans and clutch (which is very different than the 6 speed in the mustang or the FiST haha) but so far couldn't be happier. Have a few small things to still work out but it's running and driving at last!

My biggest problem now is deciding what one to drive in the morning haha

 

[CanadianST]

Been driving the car whenever i can and it's been getting a crazy amount of attention, came out from the grocery store the other day and found a few highschool guys taking pictures of it who then started asking all sorts of questions, they actually knew what it was which really surprised me.

U Joints arrived so I'll go about swapping out the bad one soon and hopefully get my l20 out to the shop to get bored to fit my z22 pistons. A buddy of mine keeps filling my head with terrible notions of going modern and swapping in a KA which I'm kind of toying with. KA's are dirt cheap around here (engine/trans/ecu and accessories $300-$500) where just boring the l20 would cost more than that, still need lash pads, clutch/flywheel, and probably some new jets for the webber if i go the 2.1 route. Decisions decisions.

And a few pics from the other day

 

[meFiSTo]

Sitting in a hotel on a weekender with my lovely wife this a.m. and poking around the my haunts as she was sleeping in and found this thread. Funny that I never found it before. So much to love. My first car was a hand me down 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT. One of my best buddies back then (and really still, although he lives in another town now) had one of these (he also had a Mk1 Cortina, but that's a different story). Great memories of a time when these cars were among the elite of cheap, tossable, hoon-happy little cars. Way to go man! Glad to be subscribed now and looking forward to seeing action images. Find your nearest vintage kids and check in. They'll love what you've done. Plop a proper seat in there, a half cage, a 6-point harness, a fire bottle and have some REAL fun at a nearby tack.

 

[CanadianST]

Took both cars to a local show over the long weekend and was very surprised at all the attention the 510 was getting, the mustang must have been getting pretty jealous haha.

I expected to hear the typical "wow haven't seen one of these in years" comments or the "I used to have one of these" which i heard tons of but had quite a few people mention how much they liked the ratty look of it or in general really liked the car. Even had 5 or 6 people say that it was their favorite car there out of the 200+ that showed up and were voting it for people's choice, one guy also kept asking me if i wanted to sell it lol.

Once the show was done pulled the car into the garage and went about swapping out the U-Joints. Picked up a u joint press on sale a few months ago so finally put it to use and man is it a slick tool. Did one axle in the evening and then next morning got the other and the driveshaft done, everyhing cleaned up and the car on the road in a couple hours. I was expecting way worse of a time!

Up next might fiddle with a set of SU carbs i have laying around since my stock one is acting up a little, change the rear end fluid, and get it inspected now that the u joint is fixed. I'm starting to run out of things to do

 

[CanadianST]

Glad to say the car made it to a show and back (500km) with only a minor problem the day I arrived. While driving there the alternator adjustment bolt worked itself loose causing the alternator to move and not fully charge the battery at highway speeds. Adjusted it and everything went fine since!

My buddies SR20 powered 510 which we were hoping to out in the show with mine ended up not being able to make it since his fuel pump crapped out while we were cruising the night before, still ended up going to the show with him but with his V8 RWD Cavalier instead.

We were able to grab some pictures together before his fuel pump went though

A pic with a couple other local guys with a imported WRX STI and a Mazdaspeed 3

My buddy was selling some really nice wheels and tires that didn't fit on his stock fendered 510 (13x7 +0) so we tried them on mine, turns out my fenders are pulled a little more than I though because they just tuck inside with no rubbing at all. Even on the 510 strut tubes up front.

A cool pic of the 13km long bridge that connects the island to the mainland

 

[CanadianST]

Well figured an update is long overdue, haven't even been on this site in 5 months lol. Quite a bit has happened in that time frame!

Back in July went to the largest car show in Atlantic Canada, over 2500 cars showed up and had one hell of a door prize. Everyone who entered a car had their name put into a draw and the winner went home with a 34 ford coupe that was fully restored, quite the time! I didn't win anything but had a ton of interest in the car

Went to a smaller show a few weekend later and ended up coming home with an award!

"Most Original" as in most unique, as they explained it lol.

As the summer came to an end hit one more show, got a T-Shirt a club was handing out and met another 510 owner from my area, he had just bought his.

My favourite picture of the car so far

Got home from work the end of August and really went to work on finishing the 2.1 long rod....and taking pictures

This one is before Iowered the front some more

The long rod all buttoned up mid September.

Glitter!

Got word I was leaving in a week until December to instruct on some courses for work so got my ass in gear

Out with the old

And in with the new! Took me a day, so much easier the 2nd time haha

This new motor really hauls! Turns out my weber 40s just can't keep up with it, in the process of buying either some 45s or 50s. Talking to a Canadian datsun shop to figure out what ones would suit me better, probably some 45s with large venturis.

Not too much left to do, just bigger carbs, throttle cable setup for the carbs instead of the stock mechanical linkage, some 60 series tires for the 13s or some old rare 14s I have my eyes on, and a header/new exhaust to handle the extra flow.

So things were winding down in October when I came home for Canadian thanksgiving....until my dad showed me something in the classifieds

Yes.. I do have a problem. A 1974 Datsun 620, bone stock and only very minor rust (floor of the bed and one fender had pinholes) for $1500. It hadn't been on the road since 1982 but was driven around the guys property hauling wood.

Sooo now I have 2 Datsun's lol

Plans are to pull the cab and box off to fix up some body mounts and redo the box floor, then it's probably getting a big turbo sr20det. Since it's full frame it should handle the power a nice gt30 or gt35 can put out we'll see what else the future holds

 

[Batnismo]

This is awesome! I'm also building a 510! I have a 1971 510 Wagon, more room for activities lol

 

[RAAMaudio]

Great deal on the pickup, looks good with the car!!!!

Excellent updates on the 510 as well of course, must be running pretty strong now with the 2.1 and more so when you get the right carbs on it

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510 Wagon can be quite fun as well, had one in the 70s's along with a number of 510's

Rick

 

[Boomba Racing]

Awesome build. Love following along with it!