71 2 Door from Atlantic Canada

[Canadian510]

Hello everyone thought I'd throw up a build thread for my baby as she's currently in the middle of being reborn.

 

To start off the story we have to go back to September when I noticed the car on a local internet classifieds site. At the time I was looking at getting a new project as my current endeavor of restoring a 1987 Honda Hurricane 600 was being wrapped up so I made the call.

 

Turned out the car was 100% stock with an automatic transmission and had been in Nova Scotia all its life and was bought new from a dealer by an older woman who drove it into town every now and again only in the summer. Eventually another older couple picked it up and used it for the exact same purpose sparing it from our vehicle destroying winters. They moved on to a newer car and let it sit in their barn for the next 5 years until it was put up for sale and I noticed it. I made the 400+ mile drive with a friend from Prince Edward Island to southern Nova Scotia to check it out and was greeted with an almost rust free (the quarters behind both front wheels were going bad) and totally original car. I ended up buying it on the spot and before I could leave the small town was flagged down by a guy who used to own a couple 510s. He had a bunch of parts from his sitting in his basement that he wanted to get rid of and ended up giving me a back window, new in the box tail light bezels, all new weatherstripping for the entire car, and a ton of other odds and ends for free. Score!

 

The car made it the entire trip back not burning a drop of oil and once a few hicups were worked out ran smoothly the entire way, not bad for a car that sat for such a long time!

 

A few pics from the ride home

 

 

 

Me and my babies. Other car is a 2004 Mazda 6 running around 330hp at the flywheel, just sold it to my sister to make room for a 2014 Fiesta ST (turbocharged with 6 speed manual)

 

 

Up next the teardown begins! After I take a break from writing this novel.

[Canadian510]

After getting the car home and fixing the fenders as well as a few other small things I drove the car around a fair amount while I decided what I wanted to do with it. At first it was a nicely built SR20 swap, then a KA or VG, then finally a built L-Series as I realized I really didn't have much experience with the cars and apart from restoring my bike this would be my first real project and didn't want to get in over my head. Plus add to the mix that I'm 20 and don't have the most experience yet lol.

 

I searched for awhile for a L20 but soon came to the conclusion that they (along with anything that age) are really scarce here on the east coast so rebuilding the stock motor it would be! I decided I was going to build the car up in a 70s style with no fuel injection, no forced induction, just a built motor with supporting mods that'll probably never see a track just some spirited driving every now and again.

 

To keep with the 70s theme I tried to find and use as many NOS or period parts as I could and the local classifieds have worked surprisingly well. Now on to some pics!

 

A new in box Edelbrock intake I found, going to run a 500cfm Holley with this once the engine build is done

 

 

Some vintage Aluminum slots I picked up locally

 

 

Eventually cam across a 5 speed from a 280z for $100 in working order, another score!

 

 

Plus some other random parts

 

 

New Rear vs Old

 

 

 

 

 

Plus some other odds and ends.

 

Once the winter hit I got to work tearing the car apart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which brings us to about present day. The engine is at the shop getting bored out and new flat top pistons installed, once it's back I'll get started on the reassembly of the top end! Also picked up a R180 out of a WRX STI with a CLSD and some custom stub axles that I'm about to install in the next little bit. And to finish off I also came across this

 

 

New in box 8 track stereo, with box speakers, fm converter, and antenna with all hardware and manuals. Went about installing it yesterday does it ever look cool!

 

 

 

I'm hoping to have the car running under its own power by this summer but we'll see what the future holds. Stay tuned for more updates!

[KlassicMotion]

Great Find!  I'm tuned in.

[Z chopper]

Nice find when I was out in New Brunswick last summer all I could find we're Z cars, which aren't really my style

[hobbes_the_cat]

I like the old school style of your build. It's just like someone would have tastefully modified a 510 in the 70's. Sweet.

[Cahoon520]

Very Nice! Soo jelous!

[MikeRL411]

Off to a good start! Now haunt the used items shops like Salvation Army and odd garage sales for 8 track cartridges.You might be lucky and find an old Radio Shack 8 track plug-in converter for cassette ! Seriously, they are available.

[KlassicMotion]

Off to a good start! Now haunt the used items shops like Salvation Army and odd garage sales for 8 track cartridges.You might be lucky and find an old Radio Shack 8 track plug-in converter for cassette ! Seriously, they are available.

 

Or maybe something like this:

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/55621-make-yer-very-own-aux-input/

[byrdaudio]

Great Find.. Amazing to find one in Atlantic Canada in that condition.  I am in Fredericton and I imported a 72 510 wagon from California a couple of years ago as I couldn't find anything decent on the east coast.

[datzenmike]

Was that '71 built before April? Driver's door post.

 

If you can send the Mallory back and find an electronic ignition (EI) from a '78 and up L20B. Don't forget the coil.

 

500 cfm is a bit big for 1.6 liters. A weber 32/36 will probably fit that manifold.

[KlassicMotion]

^^ Concur.  If you don't want the Weber, the Holley 350cfm would be better than the 500. 

 

There might be some help full info in here when you do your 5spd, and EI dizzy swap:  http://community.ratsun.net/topic/56021-510-relays-and-switches/

[Canadian510]

Off to a good start! Now haunt the used items shops like Salvation Army and odd garage sales for 8 track cartridges.You might be lucky and find an old Radio Shack 8 track plug-in converter for cassette ! Seriously, they are available.

 

 

Actually have about 30 8 tracks at home so have that covered!

 

 

Great Find.. Amazing to find one in Atlantic Canada in that condition.  I am in Fredericton and I imported a 72 510 wagon from California a couple of years ago as I couldn't find anything decent on the east coast.

  

Cool didn't know of any other 510s in the area! A local maritime car club I'm in has meets in Fredericton every now and again, hopefully will see ya there at some point.

 

Was that '71 built before April? Driver's door post.

 

If you can send the Mallory back and find an electronic ignition (EI) from a '78 and up L20B. Don't forget the coil.

 

500 cfm is a bit big for 1.6 liters. A weber 32/36 will probably fit that manifold.

Something makes me think it was built in February but I'll check after work. And I already have a Mallory coil to go with the distributor so I'll probably just stick with that, not too many Datsun parts around here lol. And yeah I was thinking it might be too big, probably going to go with a 350cfm holley as the manifold is set up for a holley

[banzai510(hainz)]

should have saved your money . Those Mallarys are EXPENSIVE for the same thing as a regular dizzy.

Unless its a Unilite and even then there are cheaper conversions.

Hope you didnt pay the 250-300$ for these things.

[datzenmike]

The L20B draws about 220 cfm at 6K so an L16 will be a lot less. The 32/36 is about 270 I believe....you can see where this is going... Too much carb will run like shit. If it didn't, we would all run 1180 Hollys on our Datsuns.

[Sealik]

530 lift/306 duration cam is not conducive for a DD...assuming you have other plans for it.

[Canadian510]

should have saved your money . Those Mallarys are EXPENSIVE for the same thing as a regular dizzy.Unless its a Unilite and even then there are cheaper conversions.Hope you didnt pay the 250-300$ for these things.

It is a Unilite unit. And I guess this was my first big learning lesson :p haha.

 

The L20B draws about 220 cfm at 6K so an L16 will be a lot less. The 32/36 is about 270 I believe....you can see where this is going... Too much carb will run like shit. If it didn't, we would all run 1180 Hollys on our Datsuns.

 

Thanks for all the info it's greatly appreciated, I've learned lots since I've just posted this topic. And overcarbing is one thing my dad had mentioned to me, I was under the impression that a 500cfm Holley equaled the same as a pair of 44 Mikunis but I guess I was wrong lol.

 

 

530 lift/306 duration cam is not conducive for a DD...assuming you have other plans for it.

This car is by no means a daily driver, it's just my toy that I'm going to take out on nice days to the odd show and maybe a track.

[Canadian510]

Forgot to mention in my previous posts that my dad is helping me out when I run into problems. He's a mechanic and has been around cars all his life, even had a 510 back in the 80s but his had a L24 with triple webers out of a 240z hooked up to a 4 speed and solid axle in the rear. Apparently was pretty damn fast lol, he loved when I decided to pick up mine!

[datzenmike]

I bet he did!

[banzai510(hainz)]

olddatsuns .com has a lot in the tech section and best to read up on it .

youtube has a lot of Datsun L motor vids so ck that out also.

 

best to ask here before buying. a lot of us went thru the bling thing so we know what works at the best cost.

 

PS the unite will work but you still need to run the stock coil and the ballast resistor as the module can pop. The Pertronix conversion for the sigle point dizzy is a simpler option. The Mallory might have a beeter curve but I am not a expert on them.

[KlassicMotion]

best to ask here before buying. a lot of us went thru the bling thing so we know what works at the best cost.

 

^^ Yes, ask before you buy.  I can tell you're excited, but I bet you could have saved what, $200 with buying a used Nissan Electronic Ignition (EI) Distributor over the Mallory.  That's why someone earlier asked if you could still return the Mallory.  Your 510 isn't like building an American Muscle car, where you go to SummitRacing and buy a bunch of stuff out of the catalog.  I think most of the guys that have responded to your post have been in the Datsun game longer than you, and even I, have been alive, and they are use to making these cars run well on factory parts with very tight budgets.  Also, even if you do buy your parts on a budget, it's very easy to get 3x or more money into these cars than what the current going market is on them right now.  I speak from experience on that one.  With the current market, expect to get about $7000 out of a car that has decent paint, and most or all the suspension, engine, and drivetrain upgrades.  We're just trying to save you headaches later down the road.

[Canadian510]

^^ Yes, ask before you buy. I can tell you're excited, but I bet you could have saved what, $200 with buying a used Nissan Electronic Ignition (EI) Distributor over the Mallory. That's why someone earlier asked if you could still return the Mallory. Your 510 isn't like building an American Muscle car, where you go to SummitRacing and buy a bunch of stuff out of the catalog. I think most of the guys that have responded to your post have been in the Datsun game longer than you, and even I, have been alive, and they are use to making these cars run well on factory parts with very tight budgets. Also, even if you do buy your parts on a budget, it's very easy to get 3x or more money into these cars than what the current going market is on them right now. I speak from experience on that one. With the current market, expect to get about $7000 out of a car that has decent paint, and most or all the suspension, engine, and drivetrain upgrades. We're just trying to save you headaches later down the road.

I greatly appreciate all the help, sorry if my posts are coming across as ungrateful or with a know it all attitude, because that is not the case at all. The reason I joined this forum was to tap into the wealth of knowledge that's here and in the long run I'll have a nice car because of it. I really appreciate all the opinions so far, I've definitely got a lot to learn and welcome any of them!

[KlassicMotion]

I greatly appreciate all the help, sorry if my posts are coming across as ungrateful or with a know it all attitude, because that is not the case at all. The reason I joined this forum was to tap into the wealth of knowledge that's here and in the long run I'll have a nice car because of it. I really appreciate all the opinions so far, I've definitely got a lot to learn and welcome any of them!

 

Nope, you're not coming across that way.  We just want to make sure you don't waste any money!

[Canadian510]

Got my manual pedals yesterday and almost have them installed! Found that the bolt in behind the gauge cluster is a pain in the ass, there's officially some blood added to the sweat already in the car. Damn skinned knuckles!

 

[Sealik]

That cam is more for race then track and or...so to speak.

Might want to talk to a few Realm members about that choice....I believe Byron had one installed with similar specs....not impressed.

Swapped it out.

Anywho.......I wouldn't waste my money on a down draft carb.....<......side drafts.

Then buy a wide band to tune.

[datzenmike]

Besides the pedals...

 

The pushrod to the clutch master cylinder

A clutch master cylinder

A hard line and flex line from the clutch master to the clutch slave cylinder. (buy pre made brake line of suitable length and thread and bend it yourself $5)

A clutch slave cylinder. (there may be one on the transmission you get but are cheap to buy)

A clutch arm and rod to connect to the slave. (there may be one on the transmission you get)

A clutch arm dust boot. (there may be one on the transmission you get)

A release bearing collar (or holder also called housing.. It is specific to the clutch size you choose to run and may not work for your application)

A release bearing. Buy it new (about $15).

A 5 bolt flywheel. (used, L18 5 bolt wheel will also work)

A 200mm clutch and pressure plate suitable for an L16

A pilot bushing for in the end of the crank shaft. (about $5)

 

Some thoughts...

 

You will need a F4W63 four speed. This is the stock transmission for the 510. Cheap, people throw them away for 5 speeds and best of all they FIT. But as you are starting with nothing you could move directly to a later 71B 4 or 5 speed. They are more plentiful and much stronger if you should modify your motor later. You will have to shorten the drive shaft and modify the rear transmission mount but it is worth it. The F4W71B (4 spd.) and the FS5W71B (5 spd.) are found in the 620 trucks, The first year 2wd 720 (1980) the 280z and the 280zx and the first gen Maxima and 810. The five speeds were only available after '76. So keep your eyes peeled for one.

 

A really nice brake and suspension up grade is to swap 280zx front struts into the 510. They have a massive front caliper and a vented rotor. When installed they move the wheel inwards 3/4" and lower the body at least and inch. (more if you want) The hub wheel bearings are also larger.

 

I'm thinking that if you found an old zx really cheap it would have a 71B 5 speed and struts you could use later. Some zx have factory mags that will also fit your 510 and they look real nice. NOTE: the zx calipers may not clear your stock 13" rims so keep in mind for future plans. If replacing the rims go with 14"

 

Dodge D50 front coil springs will fit the rear of the 510 and when shortened will lower and raise the spring rate about 50%. Probably get a set fo $10 each from a wreck in a yard. Keep eyes open all the time and look ahead to what you might plan in the future. Never throw a part away.