American 510 vs South American 510 (pics)

[Datfabio]

First of all my name is Fabian, and I've had 510-fever since I was about 14 yrs old. I catched the Datsun virus after I went to see a vintage race. I remember a 510 winning the race with a whole leading lap, 2nd place was a 65 stang, 3rd was a 240z and I cant remember the rest other than a karman ghia coming up last.

Well here I am 6 years later and finally got the chance to buy a 4door 510, they are almost impossible to find here in Texas for anything less than 10k. They are somewhat easy to find and cheaper in Mexico so I couldnt resist on getting one over there. However there are some differences between the american 510 and the one made for the south american market...

 

I paid the equivalent of 4,000 Dls. Including paperwork in my name, plates (the "sss" part is actually a coincidence lol) , taxes and transportation expenses. 

 

 

 

Here she is..(please excuse my messy garage lol)

 

 

The main difference is the engine, options in mexico were 1500cc, 1600cc and a 1800cc instead of the L16.

 

Mine has the 1500, I believe the code is J15.

The engine is mated to the original (I beleive) 3 speed auto, this combo achieves a mind-blowing 50mph tops lol

 

 

The rear end is completely different, this is the part that hurts me the most...

 

Thats right, live axle and leaf springs!!

Also the spare tire and gas tank are located under the trunk, that means more space insde...

 

Now some cons, most parts like body panels and such are not available or cheap in the Mexican market so many things are "fixed" in a rather improvised maner...

( that orange cable is the horn, you ground it somewhere and it honks lol)

 

The interior is cheap to have re-done over there so...

this thing on the roof is functional lol

these custom speakers are LOUD!

Another difference is the license plate light is mounted on the bumper...

More pics...

These 17" wheels have to go!

 

 

Well, here you go guys. Additional info and coments are always appreciated :)

[danfiveten]

68's in americas plate light was mounted to the bumper. 

[tr8er]

That's a goon chassis. Interesting

[r0p0doe]

I would of saved my money, no irs is a big difference like you stated along with the motor. If you would of held out a little longer one would of came up in the states. Oh and welcome didn't mean to come off as a dick, what are your plans for the car???

[tr8er]

^irs is good stuff. But if not race car, who cares. Engine swap would be likely even with an l16, so I'm gonna say I don't give a rip. Ditch those damn rims though.

 

Oh, lowering might suck sourdough with the rear axle. That might not be bueno. Depends on yer plans

[Just Joel]

Sweet! Live axle rear four door! These are common in "developing countries". I'd rock that over the usdm variety any day.

[TENDRIL]

The big question is how's the rust?

[Draker]

You could sell that rear bumper stateside for big money. 68 owners will have wood.

[q-tip]

Nice ride, lots of cool features!

[Dime Dave]

Years back I remember a 510 sedan that was converted from IRS to a triangulated 4 link H190 rear axle.

 

The owner wanted a beefier rear axle to handle the higher power levels of an engine swap and they also wanted to avoid the undesirable camber/toe changes that came with the IRS for competition use.

 

The 510 IRS makes for better ride quality, but because of its design, it is not much of an advantage for road racing or autocross. Most competition 510's have a very high spring rates and roll stiffness. This is done to limit suspension travel and the adverse effects of camber and toe change that occurs during suspension movement.

 

If you have ever looked at the old TransAm photos and compared the cornering attitudes of the Alfa to the Datsun, the Alfa has all kinds of body roll and the 510 is virtually flat in the turn. Now look at the angle of the tire to the pavement. On both cars the tires are 90 degrees to the pavement. Both cars were equally matched in performance because each optimized their tire grip, but the body roll that existed was way different between cars.

 

The double A-arm/live axle suspension on the Alfa kept the tire in correct contact with the ground even with significant amounts of body roll. The Macpherson strut/semi-elliptical IRS on the 510 needed to be set-up with virtually no body roll or suspension movement to maintain the correct tire to ground contact angle. Same end goal, but 2 totally different cornering attitudes to get there.

[Datfabio]

Thanks for all the input guys, 

I'm actually liking the live axle, its not bad at all I dont even think about it while cruising. Im more worried about the people getting mad at me for my slow speed  :rofl:

I couldnt decide which engine I wanted ka or vg...until I spotted this beauty for $500! I picked it up today, there goes my paycheck...

I guess vg it is! We towed it with a strap and good thing I only bumped into my friends truck once  :rofl:

[TENDRIL]

Awesome !!

[qwik510]

Welcome. Cool looking 510. Nice to see all the differences you pointed out. Not many cars from Mexico have made their way up here.

 

Love that you are going to do the VG swap. Lots of torque. I'm doing a VG33 in my 2 door.

 

I have most of the VG swap components that I might be willing to sell. Motor mounts, modified oil pan and oil pickup, etc. shoot me an email if you are interested.

 

Keep the updates coming.

[Nuclear Water Boy]

Welcome Datfabio

 

A wagon in disguise, I like it!! I sure would like to see some good pics of the live axle setup. That VG will be a snap but you will need QWIK510's conversion kit and lots of research. Then in the end you'll be SMOKIN' . The unibody pic doesn't look to good as far as structurally sound undercarriage goes. I'd be tempted to look for an under dash and engine wiring harness.

[hobbes_the_cat]

LOVE the tail lights and rear bumper. This will be super cool and unique when you're done, BUT you need to fix the hacked floor and subframe before you start an engine swap. That look dangerous!

[datzenmike]

I would much rather have a leaf spring rear end. You can add leaves to stiffen them, add a lowering block to lower them and camber and toe are not affected... try that on an IRS. On a race 510 by the time you have the spring rate at 300 lb/in and a sway bar the back is so stiff you might as well have a leaf spring rear end. That's a Salisbury rear end with the removable cover to the back. Nissan uses H-145, 150, 165 and 190 differentials. I don't know this one.

 

That fuse box is from something else and has been put in. Nothing wrong with that if done properly.

 

Rims? (meh) but it really does need to be sitting lower to avoid the 'donk' look..

 

I see you have a right hand side view mirror. Those were only an option and not many around. I like this car.

[Datfabio]

Welcome. Cool looking 510. Nice to see all the differences you pointed out. Not many cars from Mexico have made their way up here.

 

Love that you are going to do the VG swap. Lots of torque. I'm doing a VG33 in my 2 door.

 

I have most of the VG swap components that I might be willing to sell. Motor mounts, modified oil pan and oil pickup, etc. shoot me an email if you are interested.

 

Keep the updates coming.

Definitely interested in the kit!

 

I will try to lift her to see whats been done underneath (and take pics of course for comparison purposes) it does seem unsafe. Im not sure if its a goon chasis because I remember seeing one of these 510s converted to usdm irs in the website where I found mine.

 

Also did I mention she is a DEAD MACHINE? No seat belts, front seats only have 2 bolts and no where to add more might need to fab a mount, currently worn drum brakes and headlights dont work at all. she needs some love! But with full time college classes and part time job I barely have time to touch her :(

 

Some paperwork still needs to be done in order to register and get texas plates, im not sure if im even allowed to drive her around with the current plates...  :confused:  will try to post progress on that.