SSSEXXX

Loving the progress my friend!! Keep it going strong!!

Ah yeah, I was naive and ambitious. I have yet to drive in an sr'd 510. Sad to say, but true. I was excited, I jumped in and started buying before researching and made a bad decision. That being said, you are absolutely right that TB is way too expensive to even give consideration. I am going to try and find a generic TB to use over the plenum, but because it isn't the standard GReddy one, I may have to do a little fab work. Half the fun right? After reading and reading I decided that high HP in our cars was silly. All I am really aiming for is something in the mid to high 300's, but I would sacrifice power for responsiveness any day. The original plan was a GT2871R with a .64 A/R housing. It was bolt on to the T25 flange, but I think I am going to go with the disco potato (that is the GT2860RS right?). It has a faster spool and is supposed to be more responsive with slightly less hp than the GT2871R. And even a couple of hundred cheaper which is also a plus. Still using the T25 and .64 A/R with that setup though. More than enough I think. I start final engine assembly saturday and I cannot wait. Any good recommendations on engine assembly lube?? I was going to go with royal purple and then a non synthetic engine oil, but am still reading.

Either way you are both trailblazing for me :) yes sir!! I picked up a GReddy plenum for the pulsar N15 TB and now that 70mm POS is impossible to get. Didn't know we needed an S14 piece. Love you guys!!

And I can absolutely guaranty you that I will be doing exactly that!! Just picked up my CAN/AM from Icehouse over the weekend. :)

Jesus, I am going to be screwed in a few weeks when I try this. That was like Korean to me...

This thread ended so much better than it started...

+1 for the rake. Great photos of a beautiful car. Love the purple btw..

Does anyone have one they purchased that they no longer have a use for? I would really like to get one of the CAN/AM units.

@ dennis - I was doing some research on the 280zx struts with mr2 inserts and am going to make a decision on the front suspension soon. I noticed you were considering going the mr2 insert route, but like me were not a fan of cutting down the 280zx struts. What did you wind up doing? @bababooey - I believe you are correct. When I got in to the front I noticed the exact same things. Made my scratch my head a bit and I started to research the same. Looks like it is bolted in to the core support like you mentioned. Now I have a NOS 70+ front valence already. I know it will be damn near impossible to find one for a '68. Thank you for the compliments on the project. I have really enjoyed the SR build and I hope I can muster up the courage to go that direction.

Hey Dennis!! I never thought of that. Funny thing is that the passenger side doesn't have that some work done to it. But I haven't really been able to get a clean look at that side yet either. Interesting. I will double check the wiring to see if anything shows signs of the lights or cut wires. I have not noticed any yet. I plan on upgrading the lighting to something similar, but only if I can get a factory feel with a truly better light output. I don't need blue lights, I need good lights. Any god advice on what to make sure I get done before I take the car to body and paint? Obviously test fit the suspension and engine (if I swap it, which I am 50/50 on).

Thanks fisch! I appreciate the support. The SR swap doesn't really alter that much. Some light cutting of the shift box hole, but mostly just widens it. I am buying a new custom crossmember so I will be able to retain my OEM one. The only thing I am 100% going to change about this car right now is the side bumper guards. I don't like how the lines affect the look of the body. Otherwise stance and lighting improvements are the only thing on the agenda. Going coil overs front and rear, front and rear disc brakes, and cleaning up the lighting. This is not a show car, this is my baby and I plan on driving her as much as possible. I have really come to live some unique elements of the '68 and I can't imagine anything different now. The suicide wipers, the license plate lighting, the side markers, the bumpers with guards, the interior is so nice too. I will admit that I really, really like the bluebird '68 or '69 guages with the round faces and tachometer. I have only seen them in right hand drive cars though. I was going to paint her either alpine white or OEM green (her original color). She looks white because the factory color is so sun bleached.

Oh no!! She's blind... Bad bondo :( Hope there is no frame damage down below I am not aware of.. Another angle... Called it a wrap for the day here.... I could use some positive commentary right about now, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I went super slow so that I could tag and properly store everything, but there is just so much rust and bad paint. I am for the first time in this project scared. This poor girl has some body damage, clearly a front-end impact in her past too. I am going to pick back up with taking of the front valence, taking apart the rear end and then the interior before I test fit the engine (assuming I decide not to restore the original engine). Got my 280zx struts in today (thank you quik510!). Was looking for a DIY with photos, but came up empty handed, may do one myself. I know I need new calipers, rotors, bearings, coilovers, struts, camber plates and a few misc. items. But would love a detailed build thread to start with.

Started breaking down her front end today. Found some bondo work I wasn't too happy about. Hood off... Starting to undress her... Bye-bye grill... No more front bumper... Close up of passenger side lights... Close up of driver's side lights...

Yo Dennis!! Love the progress. Do you have any more empty engine bay pictures showing the work you did??? I assume you are going to rear mount the battery and a box? What did you mean by mounting the wiper motor inside the 510? No longer in the engine bay?? I'm confused on this one. And, the last of my annoying questions. What spring rates did you utlimately decide on? I know you had two or three.

I understand your point and I don't take offense to it. I haven't touched the car since I got it. Just driving it and everytime I look at it, it gets harder and harder to see a future other than an OEM resto. I did buy a NOS '70+ valence, but I am not aware of any cutting there. The tails will most likely be sold. It is a tough call. At least for the immediate future I am not going to touch it.

Finally got around to painting the head and replacing the freeze plugs... Finally have all the parts for engine assembly... Sorry for moving so slowly, I've been out enjoying the new car the last couple of weeks. :)

I want more pics of the vw one too!!

I PM'd him about the CAN/AM, but haven't heard back yet. Poor dude must be just constantly harassed with questions like this. Anyone have any thoughts on a Painless wiring setup versus the Icehouse piece?

A classic unit would definitely be more era specific I must admit, but if I were going to do that I would prefer to fab something that mirrores the heater controls in the dash. You know, build what they would have built back then of the A/C was an option... The 510 under dash unit is an option, but I am still in need of checking in to the wiring too. Anyone know if the CAN/AM unit that is sold by icehouse can handle the SR's A/C compressor? I figure since I have to run the SR ECU, the modern amenities that the s13 offers are a natural progression.

So hear me out before you tell me I suck and am silly. I have a completely rebuilt s13 sr20det engine ready to pop in my '68 4 door 510. I was researching the CAN/AM and how to wire the engine up. Realized I won't need the power steering pump or the A/C compressor. Then the ideas started flowing. Let's say I keep the A/C compressor and wire it up to the JDM electronic s13 A/C control unit? I ditch the 510 heater core and the control unit. Then I do the real hard work and find a way to retrofit the USDM heater core and vent control to the 510 in a functional yet aesthetic fashion. Then I pop in to the dash below whatever head unit I go with and pow!! Modern luxury!! Hit me with criticism folks!

Great info! Thank you. Truth be told, timing is really not a concern. I would actually welcome it being somewhere else for a while. I could use the time to work on some other projects. Ideally I would love to learn it, but I know I have way too much on my plate. If I could get someone like you to do it I would be elated. Better to have someone take their time, do it right, and get see the passion in the result. The last thing anyone should do is go cheap on a project that means a lot to them. You'll never be happy.

$4k to paint all of exterior, engine bay, trunk and interior? Include minor rust fixing and body straightening. Thoughts??? go..... Three step paint. Primer, paint, and clear. Also need color suggestions. As much as I love the OEM orange and green I may be going white with a slight pearl.

Thanks Dennis... I think that may in fact be the route I take. I would be lying if I didn't say that I have already grown attached to the car. I did order a NOS front valence fascia for a '70+ model, like you said though, it is a pretty easily swapped out and non-permanent mod... Best of both worlds no?

Yeah, I think the purist in me or at least the guy with OCD is having a serious inner struggle right now. How do you take something so rare and mess with it you know?? But I do know what I had intended. The best laid plans of mice and men. Maybe the best plan is to have the body work done, get it painted and complete a factor restoration. If I still want to get creative after that then it was truly meant to be, but if I don't want to screw up a great thing I will still have the option.

I am pretty sure that I will not be painting the car on my own. The cost of the equipment, time to research, and my level of expertise are all prohibitive, but I do think it is important to know how it should be done. I am scared of shops that do not or have not worked on a Datsun before. This isn't going to be a show car and I will drive it, but I do want something with a good finish. How pricey are frame off restorations if I take the entire car apart on my own?