datsunfreak Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 The shop I run does repairs and minor/major restorations on older cars and trucks. We decided it might be fun to take on a 510 project since I know these well enough to bang it out pretty quick. We shall see... ^_^ Last week saw this car on craigslist so I headed over there with some cash and a trailer. Ad just said "Datsun 510 station wagon for parts or whole". Made a deal with the seller and brought it home... Dug around in the stash and found a set of whitewalls and hubcaps and tossed those on. Already looking better... Registration says it was last on the road in 1981. :huh: So that 54k showing on the odometer may actually be legit. Ball joints, tie rods, shocks, and interior wear bear that out too... :thumbup: We drained the gas tank, fill the carb up with fuel, put in a new battery, and it fired right up and ran surprisingly well. Plan is to keep it as stock and original as possible. Just going to replace all the wearable items, fix the 2-3 dents in it, and repaint it in the factory color. We'll give the engine bay and interior a thorough scrubbing and hopefully drive it around a bit before finding it a new owner. :thumbup: 5 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Oh, and the stuff that came out of the fuel tank was not so pretty, so we may have to take that out and have it hot-tanked. Hoping not, as wagon tanks are a bitch to install... <_< Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 nice score!! .. :cool: .. is the front original paint? ... what's the 3 digit color code? Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 nice score!! .. :cool: .. is the front original paint? ... All but the left quarter panel is the original paint. what's the 3 digit color code? That's the problem. Can't read it. :rofl: I'll scrub off the decal and get a pic tomorrow. Maybe some can help me guess at it. ^_^ If I can't get it from the paint store with that number, I'll remove the rear bumper filler, buff it up, and try to get a digital color match off that. Quote Link to comment
MicroMachinery Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 So.. Is this the "last" 510 you're getting, or one after that.. :lol: Quote Link to comment
Dirttrack510 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 I have a 71 four door, same color. If you want the paint code I can get it for ya. :) Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 I have a 71 four door, same color. If you want the paint code I can get it for ya. :) Please. B) Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 So.. Is this the "last" 510 you're getting, or one after that.. :lol: Well, this one technically isn't mine, so it doesn't count. :rofl: It was on it's way to the crusher (literally), so I thought we should snap it up, get it cleaned up and running, then pass it along to someone who will appreciate it. I'll actually be updating the "last 510" thread soon, since there has been some progress made on it. Sort of. ^_^ 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Replaced the broken hood prop and left hood hinge. Also pulled the bumpers off to send them to the chrome guy... Still has the original dealership badge on the back, so I took it off and I'm going to send it to the chrome shop and see if they can save it... :thumbup: Decided to buff up a spot on the roof and then a light bulb went off... :rofl: 7 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Oh, and the reason I want to save the dealership badge is that this dealer has been open since the 60s and is still going strong in the same location... :thumbup: http://www.trophynissan.com/ Only dealership in DFW left that has been going since the Datsun days... 3 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 New plugs, wires, radiator hoses and thermostat. Will install EI dizzy and a better coil later on... Got it inside and pulled all the trim, badges, and lights... Hopefully we'll be swinging some hammers and slinging some filler tomorrow to get it ready for paint... :thumbup: 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Main reason for putting it on the lift is because we can't seem to get the fuel pump to suck fuel from the tank. It will sort of (slowly) suck from a bottle of gas hooked up to the fuel filter. Pulled the main feed line off and it appears to be clear, which is good and bad... Because now we need to pull the tank and look inside it... :blush: Gonna drop the tank in the morning and get it off to the radiator shop to be cleaned out. Stay tuned... 1 Quote Link to comment
Dirttrack510 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Why not take off the filer cap and put an air hose to the fuel line (from the pump end) to see if it's obstructed and or clear it all out at the same time, then you won't need to pull the tank? I would think a moderate amount of air pressure would push right through the fuel line and clear it all the way back to the tank. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Why not take off the filer cap and put an air hose to the fuel line (from the pump end) to see if it's obstructed and or clear it all out at the same time This is the first thing I did. Doing that could not move any air through the line into the tank (even at 150psi, note what's on the left side of this photo), so I pulled the main line off the car. Once on the ground, I applied air to the pump end got an ample supply of air out at the tank end. Which means the stoppage must be inside the tank. So out it goes... Thanks for the tip though. :thumbup: I would think a moderate amount of air pressure would push right through the fuel line and clear it all the way back to the tank. Sadly, it did not. :hmm: And now might be a prudent time to mention again that this car hasn't been driven since 1981. :rofl: Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have a 71 four door, same color. If you want the paint code I can get it for ya. :) Did you get a chance to look? Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Got the tank out this morning. At least there are no holes... ^_^ Sender not so pretty. Need to put the multimeter on it to see if it still works and clean the rust off... Inside the tank looks like molasses... :rofl: Filled up the radiator after replacing all the hoses. As soon as I cranked up the car, a few nice geysers popped up in the corners of the radiator... :blush: Got the radiator out, then took it and the fuel tank to the radiator shop to see what they can do. Stay tuned... 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Got the radiator back. Looks pretty good... :thumbup: Installed new brake master and clutch master, also new clutch hose and clutch slave. Did my usual trick of using the late 70s self-adjusting slave with one slight mod... ^_^ New matchbox in... So, I shouldn't really use the stock points coil with the matchbox dizzy, but I want to keep it looking stock, so... I bought an MSD Blaster 2 coil, peeled off the sticker... Masked off the top... And painted it satin black... Now it looks just like the stock coil, but works better with the EI dizzy... :thumbup: This car had smog tubes in the exhaust manifold, so we used copious amounts of PB blaster to try and screw them out. First two came out okay... Last two, not so much... :sneaky: So we went ahead and took it off since I have a spare non-smog exhaust manifold in the stash. :thumbup: Of course while taking it off, the last two nuts I removed seized up and snapped the studs off... :sneaky: 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 As it turns out, it's a very good thing we took it off. Think there might have been a humongous exhaust leak? :rofl: Cleaning off the radiator support and found this tag. Never seen one before. Apparently it was to signify the model number of the A/C system? Got the paint code tag cleaned up and it looks like it says 938. Googling that comes up with this color called "Light Gold", so I think that's spot on... :thumbup: 3 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Radiator back in... Freshened up the original cap... PB Blaster did nothing for the broken studs, so time to try some heat... Heat did absolutely nothing, so had to grind it down flush and drill it out... Then drill oversize, tap, and install helicoil... Then decided while I was in there I'd use a tap to chase the threads on all the holes... Got the non-smog exhaust manifold on, intake/carb on, and everything hooked back up... Just need to replace the downpipe gasket and she should be ready to fire... 2 Quote Link to comment
uberkevin Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Looken good man! Video or it won't ever start. :) Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 Video or it won't ever start. :) We've actually already started it a couple of times... :rofl: I wanted to make sure it ran on the points dizzy before doing the EI upgrade... :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
uberkevin Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Well I'll be down to pick it up. We've actually already started it a couple of times... :rofl: I wanted to make sure it ran on the points dizzy before doing the EI upgrade... :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Well I'll be down to pick it up. Come on! Quote Link to comment
uberkevin Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Wish! I do have a good friend in Fort Worth I need to see. Okay Get it ready for me to drive back to WA and then we got a deal! :) Quote Link to comment
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