Jump to content

Found an F10! And she made it 2400 miles across the country!


Recommended Posts

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't had a chance to post. I'm stuck in traffic on the east side of Kansas City right now, so I had to pull off for a bit. The clutch wasn't too happy in stop and go, so I'm going to let it cool off a bit. Other than that, the car has performed about as well as I could've hoped for. I have about 550 miles left. With some luck, I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight. You can see some of the road trip pics at instagram.com/alexzilla408. There aren't many of the car itself. I took those with my buddy's Nikon and will be uploading when I complete the journey!

  • Like 5
Link to comment
  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Great to know you made it home! You posted something about the clutch feeling iffy in traffic. I was going to mention that you can change an F10 clutch over the fender without pulling engine or tranny (although I would suspect clutch hydraulic problems first). There is something weird about the clutch adjustment on an F10 but I don't recall just what. Someone posted a question about it here on Ratsun awhile back. Details should be in your Service Manual.

 

I honestly thought you were nuts to drive an unknown car almost clear across the US. Then I remembered that many years ago when I was young I got conned into driving from Seattle to New Jersey with some friends and 6 horses! Lost a wheel and hub off the 2 horse trailer near Laramie, WY and the main wiring harness on the four horse trailer shorted out and locked the trailer brakes one morning in Ohio (luckily we were stopped). A trip across country in a really bad Datsun is way more sensible than a trip hauling horses. Advice for any young guys out there - if you meet a woman who has any interest in horses, run like hell or you will live to regret it.

 

So now that you have captured an F10, what are your plans for it?

 

Len

Link to comment

Great to know you made it home! You posted something about the clutch feeling iffy in traffic. I was going to mention that you can change an F10 clutch over the fender without pulling engine or tranny (although I would suspect clutch hydraulic problems first). There is something weird about the clutch adjustment on an F10 but I don't recall just what. Someone posted a question about it here on Ratsun awhile back. Details should be in your Service Manual.

 

I honestly thought you were nuts to drive an unknown car almost clear across the US. Then I remembered that many years ago when I was young I got conned into driving from Seattle to New Jersey with some friends and 6 horses! Lost a wheel and hub off the 2 horse trailer near Laramie, WY and the main wiring harness on the four horse trailer shorted out and locked the trailer brakes one morning in Ohio (luckily we were stopped). A trip across country in a really bad Datsun is way more sensible than a trip hauling horses. Advice for any young guys out there - if you meet a woman who has any interest in horses, run like hell or you will live to regret it.

 

So now that you have captured an F10, what are your plans for it?

 

Len

 

Len I did this once because I owned a 510 in the 70s. A friend had me help him because I was an 'expert' :lol: ... well I think it was because I had tools.

Link to comment

Great to know you made it home! You posted something about the clutch feeling iffy in traffic. I was going to mention that you can change an F10 clutch over the fender without pulling engine or tranny (although I would suspect clutch hydraulic problems first). There is something weird about the clutch adjustment on an F10 but I don't recall just what. Someone posted a question about it here on Ratsun awhile back. Details should be in your Service Manual.

 

I honestly thought you were nuts to drive an unknown car almost clear across the US. Then I remembered that many years ago when I was young I got conned into driving from Seattle to New Jersey with some friends and 6 horses! Lost a wheel and hub off the 2 horse trailer near Laramie, WY and the main wiring harness on the four horse trailer shorted out and locked the trailer brakes one morning in Ohio (luckily we were stopped). A trip across country in a really bad Datsun is way more sensible than a trip hauling horses. Advice for any young guys out there - if you meet a woman who has any interest in horses, run like hell or you will live to regret it.

 

So now that you have captured an F10, what are your plans for it?

 

Len

 

Yeah, I joked many times beforehand with my friends about how easy clutch jobs are on these cars. I think it's just karma since I talked about it so much. The only time the clutch gave me issues is when it got hot (stop and go traffic, steep uphills, etc.), so I suspect it is the clutch. I also read that thread about the clutch adjustment, something about there being different length rods and if you install the wrong one, the clutch will wear much faster.

 

I was definitely nuts to do it. I honestly thought I had about a 50% chance of making it home, and that may have been a little generous. It was a lot of fun though. I got to see a lot of places and just get away for a few days, which I really needed.

 

Now that I have the car, I'm going to fix up the interior a bit, lower it, toss some wheels on it and drive the heck out of it. Down the road, I may get a wild hair up my ass and try to cram a ka24 up front. Either that, or possibly some sort of motorcycle drivetrain in the rear. Those things are way off and may or may not ever happen. As long as it keeps running well, I have no qualms living with the <80 horsepower it has.

 

I did use it last night for the ultimate test. Had my first date with a girl and decided to pick her up in it. She was all for it, so she passed that test!

  • Like 5
Link to comment

As Micro said, a Sentra SER seems like it would be a reasonable upgrade. I think those are about 140HP; maybe higher HP versions are available. Probably won't bolt up to the F10 tranny (which may not be especially strong anyway), so swapping engine and tranny seems like the way to go. But there may not be room in the F10, and redoing the mounts might be somewhat involved.

 

OT, but you mentioned swapping in a motorcycle drivetrain. Just a couple of days ago I was looking on YouTube for vids I'd watched before on the original Fiat 600 with Kawasaki engine installed, which makes for a fairly wild ride. Then I found this:

You don't have to understand German to know this guy is having a reeeally good time. Keep in mind while watching there is a LOT of room in the back of an F10 wagon for whatever you might want to stick back there!

 

Len

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.