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Hi all, I picked up this long sitting 79 210, 1.4 5spd. I’ve been wanting a Datsun for years, specifically an earlier B210 or early 1200. Beggars can’t be choosers. however, I bought this car sight unseen in Fairbanks Alaska, I had it towed to my sisters house up there. She said the car is in pretty good shape for sitting since 1994. My plan is to ship boxes of parts up to her, take a few weeks off from work, get the car going again up there and drive it back to New York. I am no stranger to pulling stunts like this with old cars and motorcycles. However I am looking for some insight on stuff that I might need to check outside of the normal brakes, cooling, ignition etc. Maybe some bushing that’s always bad? Frequent steering rack issues? Etc. Thank you all!

I've been thinking about this for my 510, the strut would need to be attached to something solid like the hood hinge and if attaching to the inner fender it will have to be reinforced to prevent stress cracks in the sheet metal. Ideally the strut should close just slightly past the line between the hinge pivot to strut lower pivot, which will apply a little closing force and when open be at full extension when the hood is at it's proper open height. They come in varying lengths, I was basing mine on the shortest I could find around 8" compressed, about 15" full open. Your probably pretty good at geometry and will be able to work things out, but it's still nice to see what others have come up with first.

Hello all. This is one of those times where Marketplace got the better of me. I purchased this 72 as a retirement gift for myself and paid more than I probably should have. Long story short I was hoping this would be a cool project where I could drive it while fixing it up. But after getting it home I saw more and more issues with it than just the visible ones. I knew rust would be an issue but im not sure how big a can of worms ill be opening as I start on this. Hopefully, with the help of this forum, I can get this 521 back to a reliable daily driver status. My goal is to cruise it around town and the occasional longer distance car events that are a hour or 2 away from me. First issue is the throttle pedal that attaches to the firewall. The bracket is loose ( has a bolt through the middle ) and allows the throttle pedal to move side to side and get caught under the E brake bracket causing the throttle to stay wide open. That will be my first fix. 2nd is the motor. When I purchased it, I did a really quick down and dirty tuneup with the carb and plugs/wires/ rotor/cap/fuel filter etc. It runs ok after a decent warm up, but isnt smooth. And it seems the motor was overheating. I changed the thermostat and it was puking out coolant. Has a newer aluminum radiator. Does the inner coolant pasages in the block ever clog or need flushed ? Either way, the motor is the next item ill be working on after throttle pedal. I did pick up a backup L16 in case this one is not up to par. Ideally I would like a L20 and 5 speed, but that is another goal for the future. Come along in my journey and hopefully I can get this ol gal back to her glory self. Without furthermore, here she is.

Well since I have been lurking in the shadows of Ratsun as a voyeur for sometime now I guess it's finally time to make a profile and be part of the crew. Been working on this baby since March. Gonna KA swap it like the "cool kids" ...why not.

Where to begin... It would be better if this was a known runner. The biggest reason for a vehicle sitting is that there is something wrong with it. Could be literally... anything. You would need it running just to assess the drive train for noises and leaks. Is the steering alright? Is the electrical alright? Does it over heat? Best of all, do the brakes work? Sitting over 30 years the clutch and brake hydraulics are likely shot. Tires? again sitting 30 years and used is asking for problems. Probably a really good idea to change the transmission oil (GL-4) differential (GL-5) engine and oil filter Rotella T4 and a WIX or NAPA filter. Rad hoses and fan belt so you are not left stranded in Owlseye Alberta. (anyone get the reference to cousin Elmo's home town????) This is a great leap of faith, I wish you well.

The hoods are notorious for cracking/buckling in front of the hinges. I would not suggest gas springs unless you reinforce the rails along the hood. Jake was making some of the firewall grommets and other 521 parts, but I'm not sure how active he is anymore:

While not near as bad as Trump, this guy has a huge ego. Who publishes his own diary? is it a thing? Needs to do some time with Bubba.

The easiest swap would be a z24. I believe that they started using those starting in ‘83. You can use the z24i but there some things that have to be changed in order to stick with the carburetor. I’m not sure of what all needs to be changed aside from the carburetor and intake. Of course the problem is finding a used engine in good shape.

I've seen hood struts a couple of times over the years, but my google-fu is failing to find the ones I recall. There is this thread about 510s that has a couple of options using ef civic hatch struts, or a parts list from mcmaster as featured in Datsun quarterly from ages ago.

You are arguing with the same guy that keeps saying gas is going down. Good luck!

Looks like a great example you have, those floors are nice - you've done well. Watching with interest!

Figuratively. Crack is not an opiate.

I found it only slightly dearer to buy a full kit too, so bought the full kit when mine went.

Update dr7855p is now DD501. from what I can ascertain.

CycleKart got its meaning from using Motorcycle wheels and GoKart drive setups. The general rules are to keep the CycleKarts similar for all. 17" motorcycle wheels that are usually Honda 90 style. A 200cc equivalent motor. Most go with a Harbor Freight Predator 212. Others use a Honda. A TAV ( torque converter ) supplies the power to the axle and wheels. Single rear braking system. Front is not allowed. Wheelbase length is usually 63"-66" and width not to exceed 41". This keeps the CycleKarts similar and doesn't get the builders wanting to throw more money into making them faster and more agile ( wider stance ). Less chance of rollover and crashes. The concept is to build your own Pre-war Caricature version of a real open wheel race car. Use the skills and materials you are familiar with. Then meet up at different events to have fun and drive around. There are no trophies. So if you come in first... Noone cares. The real fun is staying in the pack and getting around your buddies. There are many YouTube videos out there. CycleKart Gran prix videos. Build videos.. etc. Its a fun hobby to get into if you like to build and then drive and hang out with like minded folks.

I know using the this block comes along with some pains. Mainly the oil pan situation and crank girdle. But I got this engine for a song and I have faith that it’s in good condition. I cleaned up the L20b and traded it for the transmission I needed and a disassembled KA24DE that I’ll use the pan and oil pickup from for now and possibly rebuild the motor for a future project. But, I was happy to give the kid plenty of parts for his datto. He was more that appreciative and even tho I may have lost out on the deal I was happy to give him stuff for his truck he might need.

Sneak peak of polishing the paint.

I had a very thick one once. She was very good looking, younger than me, smart and worldly wise with brown eyes. We worked together as good friends for years and after I quit she wore me down. She had more moves than an India-rubber man. She couldn't have been more motivated if I had held a gun to her head. I, on the other hand was a third each of drunk, rebel and bad boy. Every so often I think of her.

Thanks. Well at least 85k since last Friday, that's almost 54 miles in American units, with 6k on pavement which is unavoidable. With 3 trips to Cumberland that's at least 1,500 feet in elevation climb. Started missing going into the highest speed about half the time, then all the time. Made an adjustment... seems better. Rained, which is a bit odd mid summer so looking at a fender set, I'll need one come the November monsoons around here. Presta to Schrader adapters showed up and if the weather holds I'll experiment with more air pressure, but admit the more you ride the less you notice the effort. I may plan a ride up past Cumberland into the Beauforts up the old logging trail. There's a closed coal mine at Hamilton lake.

Just found this 85 manual on Ebay for 85 bucks.I bought mine new from the Nissan dearship here long ago for 75 bucks.It also says best offer.See what the 2 offers are and click on the lower one and see if he excepts it.If he does then Ebay will automatically take it out of your account.

We had found a bumper at a garage sale a little while back. My brother started working on it over the weekend looking over what needs to be done to make brackets and mount points as well as any straightening that's needed. He also reinstalled the air dam and mocked up the bumper and like where things are headed. Looking more complete.

Got more done today. The carb is done minus a couple parts im waiting to get shipped. I then started on the accelerator pedal bracket issue. Pulled interior and was surprised how dry the floor was. I was expecting rot in many places. So that is a win in my book. The bracket was barely hanging on by just the one bolt. Makes sense why the firewall was stress cracking. So now to fix this problem. What have others done in this situation? Im looking at fixing the crack portion. Then adding a reinforced piece made of 16 guage that will be welded to the firewall side. Then go back and plug weld the accelerator bracket to the inside. Did the bracket have 2 holes for bolts ? Or was it spot welded ?

OH PS I would leave the tires and wheels as is It looks the best with stock hubcaps and white walls like you got them

Just as a side note, if you swap in the lower control arms, TC rods, outer tie rods, and steering knuckles from a 79-82 210 (all straight bolt-in), then you can use the 280ZX struts and brakes, and thus any strut/brake upgrades for a 510/280ZX.

Awesome wagon... with or without the rising sun...