Hooniverse Weekend Edition – A 1971 Datsun 510
This will be the last posting for my Saturday Interesting Project Car Weekend, which was inspired by Jim Yu’s article (You can look it up here). This time, it’s a car that was once described as the Japanese BMW 2002. Yes, that’s right, its a Datsun 510 that the current owner has lost interest in. What? Lost interest in a Datsun 510? Why yes he has, and now is the time for you to turn it into a Cruiser, or a Track Star.
This is a 1971 Datsun 510 4-Door (Not the more desirable 2-Door, but what the hell) and it is equipped with a rebuilt motor using a Z20 block, and an L20B head. It also comes equipped with twin Side Draft Mikunis, which I have heard are very desirable. The engine has been treated to a new exhaust header, and the seller states that the cars runs.
So, what has to be done to bring this Datsun five and dime back to drive-able status? One word, and that’s Brakes. Seems that the owner tried to convert the braking system for four-wheel discs, and this has yet to be finished. Within the Datsun Racing Community, there are more than enough parts and support to get this done quickly and cheaply.
So, what else do you have to do to this car? Well, apparently the car received a base-coat clear-coat refinish at one point in its life, and the clear-coat is peeling off. Those Cragar wheels look great, but not very sporting, especially with white-wall tires. Oh yea, the interior will need a complete re-do if you are going to restore to stock. If you plan on competing in SCCA events, or other competitive ventures, simply rip out the hideous interior.
The bidding for this particular 510 is stalled at $520 as of this writing, with an unmet reserve. The Buy-it-Now price is $2,199, which really isn’t all that bad. Look, it’s a desirable 510, with a rebuilt engine, dual side drafts, a 4-speed manual, and with a body that is actually pretty straight. You have to hook up a braking system, drain all the gasoline and inspect the entire fuel system, add in a new battery, attach the front bumper, and you have a vintage 510 that is drivable regardless of what the interior looks like. See the eBay listing here, and tell me what you think.
Related posts:
Pass the eye bleach please. Pink and yellow? Really?
P.S. Needs more Hello Kitty
Even funnier is that the interior is one of the things he singles out in his ad write-up as being a positive.
I miss my old 510.
Remove interior
Burn interior
Now you have a track car.
NFW. This is not a two grand car. The interior is a deduct item. And though the engine looks looked after, I would question and inspect everything. The fit of the hood is practically a reason to walk away. One grand, maybe. All my friends in SF used to run 510 wagons, and they were serviceable and durable as fuck.
Agreed. Hopefully someone will pick this up for a few hundred and have fun with it. Not the kinda fun like the PO had with the McDonald's themed decor.
This car would make a great autox'r or DE car. Hell- if this were closer and $500… I'd have it.
This poor little car has seen too much abuse by absolute hacks, probably wearing baseball caps sideways. I agree with Mr. Sarockin, about a grand at the most. This car is a mess. It's a shame, really.
What the Forrest, Gump!?!?! Blasphemy is what this is!
"drivable regardless of what the interior looks like."
Yes, but it takes a special technique.
[youtube Zavsd6etz_Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zavsd6etz_Q youtube]
Scrolling down on this one was sort of like the ending of the Crying Game.
The seller isn't all that well informed… those are flat tops Hitachi made SU carbs. (Notices it is in Chico, oh I see).
Also the wheels appear to be 4 spoke Appliance wheels, discernible by the center caps and the slight profile differences throughout the wheel. Here are actual vintage 4 spoke Cragars on an earlier Datsun for comparison.
Personally, I would kill for that set of Appliance 4-spokes!!! I'd buy that car just to save the damn wheels, slap on the set of Appliance wire wheels I've had sitting in my back yard for the last 3 years and re-sell the car.
I've always preferred them to Cragars, probably because they were what I grew up with. Being a little cheaper they showed up in our little town a lot more often. And they were in most of the models I built as a kid too.
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2664/175/15/1369652107/n1369652107_321368_4310877.jpg">
<img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/$(KGrHqF,!k8E64gLfddNBO2tZTD0ZQ~~60_3.JPG" width="600">
No, just no.
While the 2-door is less valued because the four-door has, in theory, higher rigidity, I'd hold out for a wagon.
My folks had a '70 or '71 wagon, and that car returned stellar MPG, even by today's standards.
Funny, my first really gearheaded act, and this is 1974, or so, was to help change it from an auto, with only 2nd & 3rd, to a manual. My hands were the only ones small enough to work with the clutch master cylinder.
I was never unhappy to see the shit-brown '66 Corvair be replaced by this car.
The wagon is less desirable for one reason – it has a solid axle and leaf springs as opposed to the IRS on the sedan and coupe models.
Thanks.
I'd totally forgotten about that aspect of it.
I'd rather spend a little more for a 510 that has less damage and bad taste to undo.
So. This is entirely off-topic and self-serving, but the clock is ticking and I'll likely forget to mention it if I don't get to it tonight. Copied from my Facepage:
What exactly are my odds of fighting a speeding ticket and winning?
I was supposedly clocked at 100 in a 55 (on 93N, near Milton, Massachusetts), following a red Mustang that was travelling noticeably faster than I was. I knew I was speeding and admitted as much, guessed my speed at 20+ MPH slower than was claimed, and told the trooper, when he asked, that I estimated my speed at around 75. Yes, I admitted guilt – but not much guilt, given that this was within 10 MPH of the flow of traffic. (My speedometer was on vacation at the time, so I'm estimating by eye and, more usefully, by the reading on my tachometer. I was doing between 80 and 85 [~3400 RPM] by the revs when I let off [before I saw him on the shoulder], and 70-75 [~3000] when he came up behind me; he claimed that I was at 100 *after* he pulled onto the road. I'd estimate the fastest he could've clocked me at would've been 75-78 MPH or ~3200 RPM.)
In other words, I'd be willing to bet that I was inexplicably pulled over for what the guy ahead of me was doing, and if I roll over, it'll cost me more than twice what I paid for the car – a car which, as far as I know, has a *top speed* at or below what the trooper claimed I was doing. (Beyond that, this could endanger my license in New Hampshire, and I have a 35-mile daily commute.) I'm quite certain this is bullshit to some degree, but am not sure how to proceed.
Thoughts?
From the sounds of it, an attorney would save you at least as much as he/she would cost. The odds of getting the ticket thrown out go way up with an attorney, and nine times out of ten when the ticket isn't thrown out, an attorney can get the offense knocked down to something more reasonable (fewer points, lower fine).
Showing up at court is a good idea, with or without an attorney, but the attorney seems like a good idea given the potential penalty of the offense.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/o5fxa/iama_…
I've been popped for the same circumstances. I was going probably 75, all the cars around me were going 85 or so. The trooper pulled out dead even with me, then noticeably dropped back and pulled me over instead. it was complete bullshit.
I always lawyer up, and thus, I have no points on my license and my insurance is reasonable. In addition to that, I have a clean driving record so I got a job at a dealership, because 7 or 8 improper equipment convictions is a lot better than 7 or 8 tickets for 15+ over the limit.
Even if the lawyer costs the same as it would to pay the fine, you're saving by not getting points. If NH is anything even close to NC, the lawyer should have no problems getting continuances if needed, and, ultimately, getting it reduced to improper equipment.
With that much on the line, I'd fight it as hard as I could. (Heck, I'm wishing I'd taken my most-recent points-paying violation, 46 MPH in a 30 almost 2 years ago, to traffic court… the 3 points are still costing my insurance rate more than the $18 fine [North Dakota] cost me.)
I turned 16 in '76 and wanted a 510 big-time. All the 72-74 models I looked at were rusted out at 3-4 years old!
The horror. . . .
<img src="http://imrud.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/the-horror.jpg" width="300/">
<img src="http://image.automobilemag.com/f/6703079 w750 st0/0701_z 1968_datsun_510 corner.jpg">
When I thought of a Datsun 510, this picture was always what sprung to mind…
This pink and yellow horror means I have to reprogram my brain again… Thanks a lot!
And those ghastly rear-view mirrors!!! They must be the most pathetic ones I've ever seen.