My Japanese Super Turd!
#1
My Japanese Super Turd!
So… this is my Datsun 510 Project Car. First thing everyone wants to know is why? What engine are you going to put in it? Why did you buy a sedan instead of a coupe? Here is the deal… Basically this is the first time I am buying a car not for business, not to make parts for it, and not to be different. This is my “throw back” car to build on a budget for fun. Recently at a local car show here in Scottsdale, Arizona, I saw a widebody gray coupe that made my jaw drop. I have seen these before and always thought they would be super fun to have. I had NO idea about the cult following of these cars. So perusing the Craigslist App on my iPhone, I came across this bute for $1800. How could you go wrong with $1800?
The car had virtually no rust with only a small portion in the trunk. The bushings were shot and the interior needed some love. But what could I expect for a car from 1972! So here is the plan… I have put a budget of $2000 on this thing to make it look good, drive well, and grab some eyes without dropping serious coin. We have so far been sturdy on the budget. We upgraded the front suspension and brakes to the 280zx from a parts car ($150). Ksport hooked us up with some 280z front coilovers that were used and we modified them with custom hats to fit. This also included the rear spring and adjuster perch ($500). I ordered all new driveline bushings and suspension bushings ($100ish). I had to have some look to it so I also ordered a BRE style front lip spoiler and fender flares ($220). The car is going to get some bodywork an exterior repaint in flat orange. This way we will not have to do door jams, trunk, under of hood, etc. All chrome trim will be flat black. Got the hook up at $500. Along with some other random things, we are at about $1700 spent in parts. We still got to redo the interior, drop in a radio, and touch up some other features on the car. So I think we will be closer to $3000. So here is where we are at now…
The car had virtually no rust with only a small portion in the trunk. The bushings were shot and the interior needed some love. But what could I expect for a car from 1972! So here is the plan… I have put a budget of $2000 on this thing to make it look good, drive well, and grab some eyes without dropping serious coin. We have so far been sturdy on the budget. We upgraded the front suspension and brakes to the 280zx from a parts car ($150). Ksport hooked us up with some 280z front coilovers that were used and we modified them with custom hats to fit. This also included the rear spring and adjuster perch ($500). I ordered all new driveline bushings and suspension bushings ($100ish). I had to have some look to it so I also ordered a BRE style front lip spoiler and fender flares ($220). The car is going to get some bodywork an exterior repaint in flat orange. This way we will not have to do door jams, trunk, under of hood, etc. All chrome trim will be flat black. Got the hook up at $500. Along with some other random things, we are at about $1700 spent in parts. We still got to redo the interior, drop in a radio, and touch up some other features on the car. So I think we will be closer to $3000. So here is where we are at now…
Stay tuned to our Project Datsun 510 Blog and view all our photos on the 510 Gallery Here.
Last edited by vividracing; 10-25-2010 at 12:49 PM.
#3
So where we left off is that we bought this car for $1800, had a budget of around $2000, and were going to make it look cool and drive well. So we have arrived at this point. Through ebay user REALCARBONFIBER1, we have equipped the car with a new BRE style front air damn, 4dr fender flares, and a new front valance. Once these parts were installed, we had a uber cheap respray of the car done in orange. It was suppose to be FLAT but did not turn out that way. All of the trim pieces we removed and sprayed flat black. Since we now had the wider fenders, we needed some wider wheels. We picked up a set of these Konig Rewinds in 14×7 with a -9mm offset. They came only in silver with a polished lip so we sprayed those as well. These wheels got wrapped with some Toyo R888 tires we had here at the shop. Now she has a stance!
Our next objective was to start on the interior parts. We ordered up a new “Dash Cap” for $95 which turned the old dash into a brand new looking one. Once again, thanks Ebay. We also picked up a new black headliner kit which is on the way. While we wait for that, we pulled out the seats and are having them done in a black suede center with black vinyl outters. This should give the inside a fresh look. Will probably add a MP3 player and a new steering wheel as well. Pics to come later.
While we wait for the interior to come back, we have gone and rewired and tested all the lights and added a HID kit. Most the lighting was not working. Under the hood we custom made an aluminum batter tray and radiator overflow tank. We picked up a used Weber downdraft carb off of Craigslist to get the car sounding cool. Eventually we will change out the header and exhaust and do up the engine bay pieces to a show finish.
That is all we have for now, so stay tuned for more updates on our Datsun 510 Project Car Blog Here.
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Our next objective was to start on the interior parts. We ordered up a new “Dash Cap” for $95 which turned the old dash into a brand new looking one. Once again, thanks Ebay. We also picked up a new black headliner kit which is on the way. While we wait for that, we pulled out the seats and are having them done in a black suede center with black vinyl outters. This should give the inside a fresh look. Will probably add a MP3 player and a new steering wheel as well. Pics to come later.
While we wait for the interior to come back, we have gone and rewired and tested all the lights and added a HID kit. Most the lighting was not working. Under the hood we custom made an aluminum batter tray and radiator overflow tank. We picked up a used Weber downdraft carb off of Craigslist to get the car sounding cool. Eventually we will change out the header and exhaust and do up the engine bay pieces to a show finish.
That is all we have for now, so stay tuned for more updates on our Datsun 510 Project Car Blog Here.
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#7
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