Bubbamatt

Wow, I remember Dennis Hale from the Diime Quarterly and reading of the famous meets at the Hale residence. very cool! I don't remember seeing pics of your V8 beast, but did read a bunch about it. I too have built a 510 V8 using a Ford 5.0, Tremec tranny, Corvette rear, Wilwood brakes, etc. etc. I built my car as a street vehicle and have logged 49,600+ miles as a daily driver and autocross toy for the past 12 years. At about 12 events a year, this car has seen plenty of AutoX miles. I only run 225-50-15 race tires (Kumho, Hankook, and BF Goodrich R1S) on 15 by 7" Rims so no flares as the car is a street car so it looks mostly stock. The car puts out 274 RWHP and 311 FTLBS of torque, so it does run well. The engine does not overheat in 100 degree city traffic and is not hot inside the car as the engine is confined to the engine bay, it is not mid engine or way back like Pete Brock's car the front cylinder is 9 inches further back than the 1600 if memory is right. I run a sprint car radiator with a shrouded fan to keep the temp at 180-190. I do not recommend the swap as there is too much needed to do that just toss the motor in. I have never had any problems with frame twist and use a standard Autopower rool cage and that seems to stiffen the chassis more that enough, the traction is enough to lift the front and sometimes rear wheel in corners. I have adjusted the sway bars and changed them a number of times to get the car to run will. I run Koni aluminum adjustable racing shocks so there is plenty of adjustment there plus the Corvette rear end allows plenty of adjustment that is not possible with the standard Datsun rear setup. My car was built with street running in mind, and I have been involved in Bonneville racing and road race car and bike design so the suspension is pretty good and the subframe parts are Bonneville tough, which is why the car weighs right at 2700 lbs, 51% front and 49% rear distribution. If you ever get down to the San Diego area, come to one of our SCCA SOLO events and you can take a ride, it would be an honor! Glad to see you still have your mind on Datsuns! Here is a link to my photobucket album of the car if you wish to check it out: http://s5.photobucket.com/user/bubbamatt/library/Datsun%20510%20%20V8?sort=3&page=1 Also, here is a video of a run we just had at Qualcomm on Sunday, great course, much fun! Enjoy the ride! Matt Guzzetta

Not to be discouraging, but there are way more things to work on other than can you fit the motor in the car. It took me 7 years to initially put my car together, 3 years at running autocross to get the springs, sway bars and settings, shock settings, tire pressures, close to being dialed in. When I went to a new Ford Explorer crate motor, it took another 18 months to get the new motor situated and cleaning the rest of the car up and getting painted and re upholstered. I run Wilwood brales. Koni aluminum racing shocks, corvette rear end, highly modified, etc. Chevys are about 3 inches wider than a 5.0 and the distributor is in the back (unless you have crank fire ignition) plus the motor is about 150 lbs heavier than the Ford (cast iron). Having the motor is the least expense if you want to have a driveable car. I used mine as a daily driver to work for about 12 years with no problems other than having fuel pumps quit (Holley electrics) a couple of times. It is a bit noisy inside as I have no rugs or any insulation in the floor and the differential is mounted solid to the sub frame. I did not add flares to the car as it was originally built as a "sleeper" to piss off Porsche and BMW drivers. I did re-do the rear fenders on the inside to be able to use 225X15 slicks on 7" rims so the car looks pretty much stock and the paint is just an off white to not draw attention to the car. The car has no heater or defroster, so is not a great car in the rain or cold weather. My wife does not like riding in the beast as it is noisy and only goes on a quick trip to the mountains once a year. The car has 50,000 miles and many smiles on it so far. If you want to make a driver and one that handles you need the skills and time or you need a bucket or two of money to make it happen. The 240 Z swap is a much better set up if you don't have the time or skills to do the work. Still expect to spend about 5-10 times as much money on the project to make it happen. Here is a video of the car running at Qualcomm this Sunday......too tight of a course, but still much fun! Also are some pics of the car, motor, etc. and a car I built for Bonneville just for grins. As they say, enjoy the ride!

Here is a pic and a video of my toy with 50,000 miles since built and still love it!

Mike, yep I think they still do. The 97-98 motors use GT40-P heads and the ports are huge, I pulled off the injection manifolds and stuff as they weighed 60 pounds and that is aluminum manifolds! The small block Ford makes a good unit when you have to stuff it into the firewall area due to the front mounted distributor. Not being a brand specific kinda guy, I have a Ford motor, Tremec (Ford Racing) tranny, and a Corvette rear end. I get along well with the CAM guys in the SCCA (CAM is the class for pre 1973 Classic American Muscle cars) There are some great muscle cars that now handle as the guys are now building hot rods that handle so they can run them longer than 8-9 seconds.

I love the "benchracing" that goes on, you can get a bunch of ideas about what you want to build by checking out what others do. I am not a purist 510 guy which is why I have one with a 5.0 in it. I bought my 510 from Glendale Datsun in 1969 and always thought it would be fun to stuff a small block Ford in it. The Ford is only about 17 inches wide at the exhaust flange mount compared to about 20 plus inches for a Chevy, as well as the Ford (all iron) weighs about 100 pounds less which makes it a good choice. The Corvette rear end works well and was a job to build in with special sub frame pieces. My car was built to be a "sleeper" for the street, not a race car, so I only have 225X15 tires on 7 inch wide rims and they can't handle the power as much as wider tires could.. The car dynos at 275 RWHP and 311 Ft lbs of torque. The car handles well, but could pull more Gs in the corners if wider tires could fit. As the car is meant to look stock, having giant flares and extra wide tires would give the gag away. The motor is 9 inches back of where the stock motor sat, as measured at the centerline of the #1 cylinder of both motors, so it is not quite a "mid engine" set up. It has the firewall "massaged" but not cut out and the dash area is stock position. The only mod done to that area was the removal of the heater stuff, not really needed in San Diego most of the time. The SCCA SOLO club I run with is loaded with many modified cars, Lotus 7 copies, formula Ford, cars, 2 510 cars that are raced in the Vintage series, one only weighs about 1870 pounds. I run my car in autocross to be able to do things that would get you in trouble on the road. I remember meeting David in the San Diego Balboa Park parking lot some years ago, before the installation of the latest motor, a Ford crate motor meant for the 97-98 Explorer. David does nice stuff and I love the 240 with the Chevy! My background is with motorcycle racing (road racing, desert racing, and Bonneville stuff) and the 510 has been to Bonneville a few times. Here it is with my streamliner on the trailer in 1970: Another photo (just the front fender) in line at Bonneville with my business partner with his streamliner: Installing a V8 in a 510 is not something I would recommend doing if you do not have the background to do it. There isn't a class to race in, so it is just a fun toy. It is a great daily driver! Enjoy the ride! Matt Guzzetta

Just a little taste of fun at Qualcomm! Old run with G Forces shown: This car has been running at the SCCA SOLO events for more than 10 years, so the 510 can hold up with some running. It is great fun and the San Diego venue is on of the best. Have some fun with your cars! Matt Guzzetta

I haven't seen a discussion about a 510 V8 swap in a while. The common complaint is that it will make the car nose heavy and only good as a trailer queen........not so. It is possible to install a V8 into a 510 and still have a daily driver and a fun autocross car. My car now has over 50,000 miles on it with a Ford 5.0 and Corvette rear end. Front to rear weight bias: front 51% rear 49%, which is better that the stock 56% front bias. It is not an easy swap, but it does make a fun car to surprise the odd Beemer and Porsche on the freeway. Here are some pics: The car is run at the San Diego Qualcomm SCCA solo meets mostly ever month. We need more San Diego 510 participation at the events as I am usually the only 510 running. These cars are meant to have fun with, not just to look at them. Come on down, have some fun! Matt Guzzetta

Guys, I am cleaning up my stuff and have some parts to dispense. You pick up, San Diego area. I also have 2 front 1969 fenders that are good but the bottom rear edges are gone for about 3 inches or so, salt rot from bonneville..... email me and we can talk. Thanks, Matt Guzzetta :thumbup:

Don"t try putting a V8 into a 510 if you don't have the time, skills, money, and expertise to do so. It is possible to install a V8 into a 510 without it being a nose heavy, ill handling beast. It cannot be done as an enginge "swap". You need to plan the whole design changes before cutting anything. It is possible to put a Ford V8 into a 510 with better balance than the stock car. The stock weight distribution of a 510 is about 56% front and 44% rear, the car in the pictures is 51% front and 49% rear. It's a daily driver and has 45000+ miles as a V8 mod. V8 510's can't handle? We have a lot of 510's in the SoCal area, but very few ever make it to the autocross events. Take that beast out and have some fun, they are meant to be played with! Enjoy the ride!