Rondaddy

I have a Rebello built 1.6. I have replaced the alternator and voltage regulator to no avail. The car does not make enough volts at idle. The engine has a small crankshaft pulley which I'm told may be contributing to this. I wasn't aware that seeking the input of an experienced mechanic was discouraged here. I'm admittedly a dummy. I'm looking for a tried and true solution. I can tell you this, my car was running fine until I was on my way to the vintage race weekend in Watkins Glen on Friday. It stumbled and died. It was electrically dead, no lights, no crank, no nothing. I'm told my new alternator is showing no output and my battery (which tested fine a month or so ago when we replaced the alternator) is now showing a dead cell. The local service shop, where I had the car towed, is recommending an internally regulated alternator as part of the solution. I did a search here and read the various postings about the Saturn alternators, Nissan alternators and the like. You might be surprised to know that people have differing opinions about what to do and how to do it. Those various opinions create a lot of confusion for guys like me who don't have a lot of experience with electrical issues. I was just looking for some friendly advice. Apparently that's difficult to come by given the dogmatic culture of this site. I have learned my lesson.

After a number of issues with the charging system in my 510, my mechanic is recommending I go to an internally regulated alternator and replace some degraded wiring. I've searched the site and read the threads regarding this swap and am left with more questions than answers. Can you guys tell me precisely what alternator I should buy that is internally regulated and that mounts up without mods to the hardware. I understand this will involve some rewiring and I'm not concerned about that. I need the "Alternator Swap for Dummies" recommendation.

I like the look of the seats but not the fit. I don't like the 4 point race harnesses either. I find them very cumbersome they are an older design where the shoulder straps fit over a tongue on the latch plate of the lap belt. Maybe a good diet and some newer buckle-in harnesses is all I need. In the Spring when she comes out of hibernation I'm gonna shoot some pics of the front struts and coilovers. The race shop where I took her for a good going over and which services some racing 510s thought the setup was odd. The seller said the front struts were Z car. The steering is my biggest gripe with the car. A lot of play. Not sure if I need to replace the steering block or linkage or both.

I like the Corbeau seats a lot. Their period buckets are especially appealing. The car has some Ermish suspension parts (adjustable control arms and the like) so I'm thinking I might go with his coilovers. The steering wheel earned some criticism on the General Discussion page and that got me thinking I might like something a little more authentic. The wheel is a little beat up but is a good size and has some nice heft to it (and a handsome Datsun badge in the center).

I'm a 510 newbie having purchased a restored car a coupla months ago. My three goals for the car come Springtime are to install new coilovers at all four corners and new seats and steering wheel. I see that some of you like to use a Z car steering wheel. I'm open to that suggestion and also interested in other options that have a period look. As for seats, I'd like to have something supportive but not too confining. I like the seats I've had in my German cars (BMWs and Porsches). I remember fondly the seats in the early VW Golfs. Any body have suggestions for me as to these components? Here's my dime (I just learned that terminology here): Here's the interior:

Thanks. That's something I'll do in the Spring when she comes out of hibernation.

I thinks so. When I took the car to a race shop in Pittsburgh for a going over and tune, the fella there was surprised by the mix of good suspension parts and the screwed up attempt at coil-overs in the front. That's why I figure it would be worth my while to change them out. My only other real beef with the car is how sloppy the steering is, a lot of play in the wheel, not as direct and "go-kartish" as I expected and would like. Any answers there? New linkage? Steering block plate?

Thanks for all the input. She's been stowed away for the winter at this point, no salt or cinders if I can help it. I really like the panasports and my desire to change the wheels probably has more to do with me wanting to put my mark on the car. You've convinced me to stick with them. I'm gonna research seats. I think a set of low buckets would look best. For the future I assume I should direct most of my attention to the 510/1600 board. I love seeing what car nuts do to their cars.

So if it's gonna be a street car I'd like to switch out the seats for something more comfortable and install 3-point belts. The Sparcos aren't compatible with my girth and the 4-point belts are a struggle. Any good ideas for a substitute? I'd like to drop the car a bit. The suspension has some good Ermish components but could use new coil overs. Recommendations? I like the Panasports but I'm partial to the Gray VTO LeMans wheels. Futofab a good outfit to deal with? The car has Wilwood front brakes and finned aluminum drums from a Z car on the rear. I think I'm set there. Looking forward to your collective thoughts.

Here are some pictures: http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Ronald_P_Carnevali_Jr/library/

Thanks all. I'm in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (60 miles East of Pittsburgh). I'll shoot and post some pics later today. My sense is that the car is too nice to race and setting it up to do so would make driving it on the street a real pain in the butt. When I post the pics I'll identify some issues on which I could use your advice.

I am writing to introduce myself. I just bought a 1969 Datsun 510. I've been a fan of the car since the early 1970's when I got a great slot car track for Christmas and it came with the BRE Racing 510s. My son and I are big fans of vintage racing and the Datsuns we've seen have been among our favorites. My car is sort of a racer resto (I'm told it was autocrossed). It has a Rebello 1.6 with Mikuni sidedraft carbs, a Z car 5 speed and a Subaru diff. It has a half roll cage and a fuel cell. The car is in great shape cosmetically and I'm torn about whether I want to race it or keep it as a street rod. It would require a full cage, a better fuel cell, fire suppression and other mods to make it a "real" race car. Either way I want to keep it street legal as I would just be looking to run in a handful of nearby events, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and Watkins Glen events principally. I look forward to hearing your input and experience with these issues and to learning more about your cars.