I love driving my Datsun Roadster every weekend but last Saturday I had the opportunity to drive Rob Fuller’s 1971 Datsun 510 for my birthday.  This is Rob’s first 510 from his youthful days in Georgia (see vanity plate). Without giving too many details, he restored the car and performed an S13 SR20DET drivetrain swap in 2002.  We will give this Dime a proper feature on the blog soon, but for now, let’s drive!

 

I called up a few of my roadster friends to do a quick blast up Skyline to Alice’s restaurant. Both Mike (silver) and Raul’s (white) roadsters are 1967.5 year cars with SPL and SRL drivetrains, respectively. With HWY 9 construction finished the twisty roads we once enjoyed were now even smoother.

 

We headed South on 84,  looped back up to Skyline via Old La Honda Rd and eventually took a break at the vista point off 9 towards Big Basin.  Driving the Go Green 510 was buckets of fun. Seating/steering wheel position, suspension and visibility all make for a totally different experience coming from a roadster owner. I was impressed how well the car has held up over a decade after it was reborn.

 

After our fun run my brother and I did some lead-follow videos with my roadster and the 510. Two SR-powered vintage Datsuns Enjoying The Ride! Turn those speakers up:

 

Cruising around town and experiencing the rush of 400hp being transferred through 205mm-width rear tires was absolutely addicting.  Thank you Rob for making my birthday especially enjoyable!

 

We love the Datsun 510. We also want to see these cars driven and road-worthy instead of sitting. Earlier this year Rob got in touch with a friend from Georgia to help keep this yellow 4-door Dime from a rusty, idle future. Almost two decades ago Rob and Steve met for the first time under true, Datsun-geek circumstances…Steve was driving the 510 in traffic when Rob spotted him while moving in the opposite direction. Rob stepped out of his car and ran all they way back to catch Steve and introduce himself as a fellow Datsun fan,  thus beginning their friendship.

 

When Steve purchased this car in the early 90’s it had already been setup for autocross duty with Carrera coil-overs and a roll-cage. Steve even muscled a rear seat in between the roll bar so his kids could enjoy the ride with him.  At one point in time Steve scored a set of Mikuni carbs from Rob which are still on the car to this day! This Datsun has got character.

 

Steve enjoyed the 510 for many years and it was a big part of his life.  Unfortunately it had been sitting for awhile and he decided to pass the car on his brother-in-law Jonathan who then sold it to Rob as its next steward.  I joined Rob the day the 510 arrived to ZCG from Georgia via transport. The little Dime fired right up though it was smoking heavily. The head was pulled:

The stock bottom end was left alone but it was time to send the head to Rebello to work their magic!
Before/after:

Port/polish with fresh valvetrain:

 

With the Rebello head, dual Mikunis and 91 octane the L20b made an impressive 147hp/130tq to the wheels.  Over 100tq from 3k to 7krpm. Great, NA L-series power:

I drove the 510 with it’s freshened motor and I was amazed at the power delivery. It rips, listen to this video clip:

A little stoplight action against Turbo Box Flare

The car is an absolute blast to drive. It can be chucked into corners and there is plenty of power to leave a grin on your face. The suspension is really the highlight of the car but now has an engine to match it!

 

Since the foundation and history of the car is so great we didn’t do anything radical. Rob’s plans are to make the car comfortable enough for daily driving yet capable and fun at open track events. The extensive roll cage wrapped in hot pink nerf padding had to go as it was intrusive. Nissan 350z seats on factory rails are a welcome addition to the interior with the cage removed:

 

Crystal-clear outward visibility courtesy of a new windshield. She is now sporting 14 x 6 Panasports (+15mm) from the ZCG Datsun 2000. We like the look compared to the Italian 15s:

 

What’s next? A factory tach install, minor cosmetic restoration and some wiring cleanup. The car is sweet. Yellow 510 just got a new exhaust system and Porterfield R4S pads to do a track day at Laguna Seca. Thank you Steve for keeping the 510 in the family!

 

Today is 5/10 or to owners and fans of Datsun’s greatest little economy car, it’s 510 Day! Here are a few updates on several 510s at ZCG. All three will be driven to the ALMS race tomorrow at Laguna Seca!

Rob drove his Go Green 510 to the shop in honor of 510 day. The SR20DET is currently being tuned with a NISTune ecu:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjCbDgeuUNw

The Yellow 510 4-door  had an intrusive roll cage and this was removed. She is now sporting 14 x 6 Panasports (+15mm) from the ZCG Datsun 2000, we like the look compared to the 15s:

The head was sent to Rebello and made fantastic L-series NA power. Stay tuned for full report with dyno. For now here is short clip of her in action:

The Turbo Box Flare 510 has been driven hard and the downpipe separated from the turbo, no doubt due to its weight.

The exhaust was welded back and reinforced. I enjoyed driving it to ZCG with no downpipe aside from the fumes 🙂 The semi-truck hiss from the turbo was music to my ears:

http://youtu.be/mQMng6P-1yU

http://youtu.be/FwcAc3fYNjM

Happy Friday! Here are 2 vintage photos of 510s from Georgia. The photo above was taken at Road Atlanta in the 80’s. You might recognize blue the Dime on the left, it is none other than Turbo 6. Thanks to Jonathan S for sending these nostalgic pictures!

Above right shows Turbo6 just before it was delivered to ZCG in 2011. We look forward to giving you an update on its restoration as re-painting is nearly complete. Catch more progress pics HERE. So, with Turbo 6 and the Box Flare turbo 510 here are more Georgia 510s making their way to California? You bet! This yellow 4-door 510 also came from Georgia last month and we can’t wait to get it back on the road running in prime condition. Here are a few teaser pics stay tuned for a full report next week!

 

Before we discuss this nasty little box-flared Datsun we must take a trip down memory lane…in their youth Rob and his good friend Tony both had Datsun 510s and enjoyed modifying and autocrossing them. Here are some pics of the box flare car before Tony transformed it:

 

Rob and Tony on the auto-x in Georgia. Yes, GO GA 510 used to be white and ran a turbo L-series!

 

Fast forward to 2011, Rob acquired the box flared Datsun from Tony with plans to get it running again one day and track-worthy. The car sat for a several years until Tony decided to visit us just a few weeks ago. Rob thought it would be a nice surprise to get the car running so Tony could drive it again and re-live his youth! Working late nights and on the weekend not only did the Datsun become road worthy, it got a new drivertain in the form of a Turbo L-series!

 

A few words about the car…Tony did all the work himself to create this car. It has a full roll cage tied into the front strut towers, 280zx brakes/front suspension, stock rear drums, ZX transmission with welded diff, Z31 hood scoop, fiberglass hood/trunk, plexiglass windows, and a completely gutted interior with custom gauge panels.

 

The Petty Blue paint was badly faded and surface rusted, especially around windows. We cleaned these areas up and simply rattle canned color-matched paint

 

Tony ran some 15×7 ARE wheels but Rob knew he could fill out those massive fenders with a more substantial wheel/tire setup. He found some old school Riken meshies in 16×7 and wrapped them in 225/50/16 Hankook RS-3s which now tuck nicely in the box flares.  We think it looks perfect. Don’t mind the negative 4 degrees of rear camber…penultimate member on the way!

The heart transplant only the box flared 510 could deserve:  Draw-Thru turbo L-series! This drivetrain  started out in Rob’s 510, made its way to Forbes’ and now resides in the box flare car:

 

More close-ups of turbo setup/downpipe in gallery! Note before/after engine bay shots. It was pretty gnarly before:

When Tony arrived from Georgia he was amazed to see his old 510. Then he drove it and the smile on his face was priceless.  We made him wash it before taking it out on the fun run 🙂

 

I was lucky to take the box flare for a spin. Driving this beast is a sensory overload. There is no passenger seat, window crank handles, sound deadening or any interior panels whatsoever. The welded diff and on/off clutch make low-speed sharp turns interesting(lsd on the way). But I forget all of this the moment I roll into the throttle and hear that semi-truck like hiss and whirl from the turbo…it is so addictive! I tried to capture this sound on video. Crank up the volume, enjoy, and please forgive the crooked quick-release steering wheel as I was very anxious to get in and drive!

 

 

Thank you Tony for keeping your Datsun in the family and we hope you enjoyed your visit to ZCG. The Box Flared 510 lives!

…[read more]