Micro's 76 610

[MicroMachinery]

Hey, I got this a few weeks back, but I've been so busy that I haven't been able to start a build thread to do it justice, but here it is.

So my late night craigslist prowling has finally paid off.. with THIS!

 

 

Went to see the guy the following day, and the deal was sealed. Got the keys and the title, and all I needed was a ride back to the coast to pick her up.

 

Got it home and checked it out, and it looks as though the odometer hasn't rolled over yet..

... just over 16k! Incredible!

 

The interior is in very reasonable shape. The door cards are close to perfect, with the exception of the speaker holes that were cut out. Lucky for me, they didn't butcher the door cards or the door in the process.

The headliner is extremely nice. Still supple, no gouges or tears.

 

The dash is really nice too; no cracks or anything.

 

As far as rust goes, the normal spots are actually all clean. Fenders are nice, and the trunk appears to only have some surface issues.

The spare tire hold down is rusted into place, so I'm soaking it with SeaFoam:Deep Creep and letting it do it's thing. I love that stuff.

 

More to come!

[sssr20det510]

nice now dump it on some wide jdm wheels

[zerow]

Too clean for words, and one awesome base for a standup project.

Not downing on any other 610s, but really, you've got a great foundation.

Keep up more pics, you know we like that stuff...

[Jassifrass]

thats a really nice 610...it would look really good with a green sibling.... ;)

[MicroMachinery]

Alright. So I had a few parts that were going on my 510, but that project seems like it's not going to be drivable for some time now.

 

I'll start with the wheels. These hub-centric nasties are pretty crusty, and weren't installed correctly, I'm guessing.

I don't know much about hub centric wheels, but I've already formed a negative opinion based on the short drive from the coast to my house.

 

I thought a set of slotted mags would look good on the car, but my girlfriend had other ideas. She suggested putting on my SSR's. I wasn't sure how they'd look, but at this point, anything was better than those abominations that were on there before.

Not bad, eh? What can I say, the girl's got good taste ;)

 

I also had a set of 280zx struts that I was planning to use on my 510, but since it won't be down on all 4's for a while, I figured 'borrowing' the struts wouldn't cause too much of a ruckuss. Here's one of the struts with the coilovers installed.

As I didn't have a welder handy at the time, I went out and got some exhaust clamps( 1 7/8"). With a set of 4, I was able to secure the bottoms of the coilovers to prevent them sliding down the strut. As I went to mock them up to make sure that everything was good before installation, I saw this. Bummer.

With these wheels, the exhaust clamps were not going to cut it. Or they WERE going to cut it(the tire that is), if I was foolish enough to proceed. I yanked the clamps off and ground off the paint on the struts in 3 spots around the base of the coilovers. I was able to run the struts down to the machine shop and have 3 tack welds put below the coilovers. Probably should have just done that to begin with. :rolleyes:

 

So here's the struts, brakes, and coilovers on the front of the 610. I put the passenger side strut on the driver's side(caliper towards front), and visa versa in order to keep the calipers from hitting the steering knuckle.

I still need to do the rear, but I'm running out of time today. Perhaps tomorrow I'll even it up. Definitely an improvement, though, I must say.

[bonvo]

like i said in the 610 unite thread it looks like a good start i did however just notice that your drivers fender has an antenna stickign out of it O_o thats not supposed to be there :P

 

and for the love of all that is datto please get rid of those hideous bumpers it looks a lot better without them

 

[yello620]

Alright. So I had a few parts that were going on my 510, but that project seems like it's not going to be drivable for some time now.

 

I'll start with the wheels. These hub-centric nasties are pretty crusty, and weren't installed correctly, I'm guessing.

I don't know much about hub centric wheels, but I've already formed a negative opinion based on the short drive from the coast to my house.

 

That lugnut system was actually made like that by i think Appliance wheel. Horrable design. Not even close to a hub centric design. And they never seem to tighten down properly either.

[fisch]

dude sweet 610 micro!!

[MicroMachinery]

That lugnut system was actually made like that by i think Appliance wheel. Horrable design. Not even close to a hub centric design. And they never seem to tighten down properly either.

 

Yeah, I thought hub-centric was something else, but that's what my buddy identified them as. When i took them off, they weren't tight by any means. What a terrible design, like you said. :blink:

 

Thank you Fisch, I'm quickly getting sucked into a 610 craze due to this thing.

 

And yes, Bonvo, I definitely need to figure something out with these bumpers :lol:

[INDY510]

and for the love of all that is datto please get rid of those hideous bumpers it looks a lot better without them

 

I think those bumpers look fine,,,,,, ... if you ever get "bumped" in a parking lot you will be glad you have those bumpers.

 

 

The 710 has shocks in the bumpers,,,, and they're beefy.......... .. they look better than a dented up fender/valence/hood/grille

[izzo]

 

ahh... much better

 

[dayton100]

ahh... much better

 

 

 

thats hot!

[MicroMachinery]

This morning was nice enough that I was able to get out and play around on the 610 some more. With the front lowered and the back still at "super swamper" status, as Zerow appropriately described, I've been running around looking like a cat in heat for the past couple days.

I had a few options laying around my shop for the rear springs. The first option was to just cut the stock springs; not really much of an option, since I'm pretty against cutting up stock components. Next, I had a set of stock uncut 510 springs. I compared them to the 610 springs I had taken out, and they looked identical, save for being maybe 1 1/2" shorter. If I were going for just a minor drop, that would be ideal. The third option, was to rob yet more parts out of my project 510. I had a cut set of springs off of the front of an 88' D50 pickup. These looked like they'd be the most appropriate for my purposes.

Here's a shot of them lined up(610, 510, D50):

 

I got everything off, wheel, lower shock mounting bolt, and axle shaft. Looks like my shocks are done for.

Since they needed to be replaced anyway, my set of Tokico Blues should already be on their way.

I chose to go with the Tokico Blue HE2550. They are the rear replacement for a 68' Camaro. I went with these because of their length. Here are the 3 shocks I was deciding between and their measurements:

 

76 Datsun 610 Stock Shock:

Compressed length-14.25"

Extended length-23.875"

Shock travel-9.625"

 

86 Chevrolet Camaro:

Compressed length-11.625"

Extended length-18.75"

Shock travel-7.125"

 

68 Chevrolet Camaro:

Compressed length-11.75"

Extended length-19.375"

Shock travel-7.625"

 

As you can see, the 68 Camaro does not necessarily offer the shortest length, but it's close enough to call it even with the 86. It also allows for a longer extension, which is nice in case I decide to raise the back end up a little.

 

So I got the D50 springs installed, and everything bolted back in. Here's a shot of it as it sat before I adjusted the fronts and took it out for a drive to let the suspension settle.

 

Went out, swooped around on the ol' testing grounds a little bit and came back. With a little more tweaking, I think I'll have it right where I want it. Here are some shots with it settled.

I'm gonna bring the front down a little more.

 

Now I just need to slot the rear crossmember to get the camber sitting a little less negative.

[bonvo]

 

I'm gonna bring the front down a little more.

 

Now I just need to slot the rear crossmember to get the camber sitting a little less negative.

 

and remove the bumpers lol i forgot how ugly they really are :P but its your car if you wanna keep um more power to you

[MicroMachinery]

:lol: I think I'll keep em until I find something better. I know the instant I took em off I'd get backed into in the Winco parking lot by some lady in a Suburban.. "Oops! Atleast it wasn't a nice car." <_<

 

Just got done readjusting the toe-in. I like the way this thing rides now :D

[zerow]

Another super swamper removed from the planet. Well done :thumbup:

 

And thank you for the specifications for the shocks. I had completely forgotten about the '68 Camaro shocks. Riddle me this. Would those be the same shocks used on a Chevelle or El Camino (same years)? I heard those are possible candidates, and this would reinforce that fact.

[MicroMachinery]

You may be able to use them on an El Camino or a Chevelle, but by application, the El Camino gets an HE3615 and the Chevelle gets the HE3651.

[sssr20det510]

looks good

[zerow]

You may be able to use them on an El Camino or a Chevelle, but by application, the El Camino gets an HE3615 and the Chevelle gets the HE3651.

Good to know. What is the P/N for the Camaro shocks?

[MicroMachinery]

I didn't mention it? Oops, it's an HE2550. Good for 68-69 Camaro.

[MicroMachinery]

(double post)

 

Still getting used to using my roomie's dinky little net-book comp. Mine died <_<

[MicroMachinery]

Alright, so it's been a few since I posted, but I assure you, the project hasn't gone cold.

This past weekend was great. Got to swoop the 610 out to Canby to see the rest of the Datsun fam, unfortunately I my weekend was split into 3 of the biggest events I had planned for the summer.

However, that can't get in the way of progress. I have thus far been without music in my whip, so I decided to put an end to the short lived era of silence. After the Auto-X in Salem, I went downtown to search for some decent speakers. I didn't want to do any cutting on my car(such a barbaric and uncivilized act), so I quested for a set of 4" speakers. I came upon a set of Pioneers, and having good luck with them in the past, I grabbed them up.

Rewind to last week: Having visited a wrecking yard a week prior and stumbling upon someone's stash in an 80's El Camino(who would think to look there, right? :rolleyes: ), I found a good condition Pioneer CD deck as well as an Alpine. I picked up the deuce for $20, and was on my way. I got home and wired everything up, hoping that on a gamble, atleast one deck was usable. I didn't get a chance to try out the Alpine, but the Pioneer passed with flying colors.

 

On top of it working, I got a bonus with the deck:

Damn if feels good to be a gangsta... :rofl:

 

Anyhow, fast-forward back to Friday afternoon. I knew I had to get some sound before I made the hour and a half drive to Canby. Since I already had the package tray out of the back of the 610, I took the opportunity to drop in my new Pioneer 4" speakers into the factory slots; fit like a glove. The little brackets that the screws go into took some slight modification, but it was nothing a set of side cutters couldn't handle. In a matter of a few minutes, they were in, wired, and putting out some primo sound.

 

Now that I had that handled, I had enough audio to get me to Canby and back(even though the front speakers hadn't been installed yet). The evening was getting late, and I had to be up at 4:30am the following morning to run Tech Inspections at the Mud drags before heading to Canby.

Needless to say, had music all the way to Canby and it was a blast. Good times, good cars, and GREAT people. Stoked you all could make it, and the ones that didn't, we missed you.

 

***

 

Monday morning, I decided to finish the job, as I was still lacking my front door speakers. Since the holes were already cut in the door cards, I have been chomping at the bit to fill them. Unfortunately, the speakers I bought didn't come with screens, so I needed to do some Ratsun engineering. :cool:

The previous speakers, which were Jensens, had some really cool speaker grilles. They weren't attached with screws, but were a push-on style that pushed onto the frame of the speakers. Since the speakers were blown and of no use to me, I used an angle grinder with cutting disc to remove the outer frame which housed the push-on brackets. Here's a shot of the old speaker with the outer housing removed.

 

Using the mounting holes provided in the old frames, I simply lined up the holes with the new speakers and mounted them together(frame over speaker).

 

Now I was able to use the old(era correct) speaker grille with my new speakers. Happy with the way it looks? Yes I am :)

 

While I do wish It were a period-correct analog tape deck instead of a modern CD player, I can't gripe. I have music, and that's what counts. I would like to find the right tape deck, but if it doesn't happen.. meh..

[MicroMachinery]

Yeah man, I felt bad that I couldn't be there the whole time and hang with everyone. I think I only "formally" met a couple people.. Mike Klotz, Hang 510, the other 610 guy(Eric), and Larry(T-shirt guy with the rad "Rattosan" shirts). Although I talked with a bunch of others, none of us were cordial enough to introduce ourselves. :lol: We should catch a brew sometime and shoot the shyte.

[Skib]

Yeah man, I felt bad that I couldn't be there the whole time and hang with everyone. I think I only "formally" met a couple people.. Mike Klotz, Hang 510, the other 610 guy(Eric), and Farmer(T-shirt guy withe the rad "Rattosan" shirts). We should catch a brew sometime and shoot the shyte.

 

 

Im always down. I was checkin out the 610

[MicroMachinery]

So after a few weeks of dealing with online stores that don't keep current on what is available and what is not :rolleyes: , I have found out that the Tokico HE2550 for a 68' Camaro is NLA. I've been looking at others, and due to finances, I may have to settle for some Bilstein HD's. Don't get me wrong, Bilsteins are a proven, good shock, but I was hoping to find a set of Koni's. Not quite sure which one I'd prefer, seeing as on all the online arguments, I've seen about equal opinions towards getting either.. decisions, decisions..