What did you do to your dime today?

[benzo]

Life and schedule change so I've been driving the wagon more which is good and bad but used it to pick up the kids from school. Definitely made kids and parents heads turn. Been waiting to do this for a long time!

Edited September 29, 2025 by benzo

[benzo]

Been driving the wagon more and also at night or early morning. Haven't driven at night in so long the headlight probably had a heart attack and konked out! I don't even remember ever replacing this headlight for the time I've owned the car (almost 25 years).  Went to O' Reilly's to look for a headlight and didn't see it on the shelf but the counter person asked if I needed assistance, so I told him the make and model of car, and he looks in the computer and says that light on the shelf is the part. I said no it's too big. This one is a 7" I need a 5 3/4". I ask him if he had any in back. He says sorry no. I leave and go to another O'Reilly's and look and see only the 7" headlight and I ask that counter person to check in back and they look and pulls out the one I needed. I told them I went to another store, and they looked, and they said the computer shows that store has it in stock. They said that person there was probably being lazy to look. No surprise there. 

 

Glad the lights are working but I am looking at some Hella, Cibie, Marchal or any OEM looking/fitting H4 conversions if I can find a good price.

Edited October 7, 2025 by benzo

[fiveoneO]

Holley Performance has some LED lights that look stock. I've been thinking of giving them a try. They're like $200 a light though.

[ggzilla]

There are lots of 5" LED headlights, are almost all are brighter than H4 light. Many junk, some are good. Look for ones with normal specs, anything with 10,000 lumens is false advertising. They come in a variety of styles. The GE is $200 and one of the best rated, but some of the cheaper ones are very good

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=5-3%2F4"+LED+headlight

 

H4 bulbs come in different wattages too, there is the street-legal 55W (same as the stock halogens) and the off-road-only higher wattages

[benzo]

@fiveoneO Yeah I seen those and wouldn't mind having them just the price was high or out of my budget at the time. Review wise I read good things about them. 

 

@ggzilla Yep I am seeing a lot online just hard for me to choose. I am mainly looking for stock looking and fitting housing or not wanting to modify the housings. I did read from a previous post about the lumens not being as advertised. Thanks for the feedback.

 

I was looking at this kit as it looks pretty good and affordable just want to check if I have to modify the housing to fit my buckets

5-3/4 Stock H4 Halogen Light Bulb Headlight Super White 55/60W Headlamp Set Of 4

Edited October 12, 2025 by benzo

[mojojojo78]

I am running those Octane Lighting housings on my 510. They are very nice. I bought mine from Amazon. They fit the stock housing and don't look out of place.

[benzo]

@mojojojo78 Oh man thanks for the feedback! This is what I was looking for. No mods needed? I know some say to modify the buckets or the housings need a bit of grinding to fit the indent on the buckets like how the stock lights have a raised area if you know what I am talking about? Did you need a relay or was it plug and play to the stock harness/plugs?

[ggzilla]

No relay is needed for 55/60W bulb. The stock 510 relay can handle that

[banzai510(hainz)]

Zilla you sure you dont need a h4 relay? I think you do. The stock outer lamps are 35watts. Putting 55 watts then 60 is hard on 50yr old wiring. unless this is a LED then ok. I prefere the cibie as they look stock. Hella is flat. Shit all mite be outsource to india now. No market in europe anymore. Hella bulbs india. Osram still german. 510 the inners are 50watt so those are fine. I put 55/60 on my jeep. Stock is 45. The switch went black. Took 7yrs but was to much current. Add a 2 lamp h4 relay for the outer lamps

[ggzilla]

The stock headlights were 50W high beam, 35W low beam original specification. Going up to 65W is easily handled by the big 12 gauge wires in the 510 wiring harness and thousands of Datsun running Halogen sealed bulbs worked fine. The age of the wiring is a problem when the terminals are corroded

 

If you are going beyond 65W (e.g. off-road H4) then go to 12 gauge wires all around (even for low beams), and bypass the stock wiring harness altogether.

 

Certainly if the terminals have corrosion, replace them, they are only a couple bucks each. And clean the fuse box with vinegar, as multiple threads on Ratsun have discussed. Or just replace the headlight wiring with new wiring, then no cleaning is needed

Edited October 14, 2025 by ggzilla

[ggzilla]

5 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

The switch went black. Took 7yrs but was to much current.

Good point about the switch. Datsun 510 light switches eventually go bad even with stock headlights, and a new headlight harness with relay may make it last longer. The 510 headlight relay only lowers the current going through the dimmer switch

 

On the other hand, the Datsun 1200 used no relay and both the JIDECO headlight switch and the dimmer switch has no problems with 60/65W sealed beam halogens

[banzai510(hainz)]

what i see is the stock 510 outer lamp is a 35/35 watt. Going to a 55/60 is almost double. The inner highbeams are fine lite and wire wise. get a h4 harness. i put a harness on my toyota pu but losm my high beam lite in the dash. The other harness on my datsun haa a jumper to swap pos or neg swiching. And something about the hi beam inside. I got frm a toy 4x4 shop. In 510 its fine. My 521 whick a daily drove for yrs is falling apart. Wires pulling out burnt ends ect.. I askd a while ago if anybody tried the LED bulbs in a h4 lamp housing.? Mite not work in 521 cause of the bucket. But 510 is open lots of room. Delta lights has 5.75in kits. Usa made. So alot more money. Stock glass look. Not the cheap plastic look

 

[datsunfreak]

13 hours ago, ggzilla said:

Good point about the switch. Datsun 510 light switches eventually go bad even with stock headlights, and a new headlight harness with relay may make it last longer. The 510 headlight relay only lowers the current going through the dimmer switch

 

On the other hand, the Datsun 1200 used no relay and both the JIDECO headlight switch and the dimmer switch has no problems with 60/65W sealed beam halogens

 

I am pretty sure the issue is the way it's wired? The 510 and 240Z ran the full headlight amperage through the switch, but as I recall the 1200 and 620 did not? Probably also helps that the 1200 used 2 lights, not 4. Seen a lot of 510 switches burn out right after upgrading the headlights. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

https://www.deltalights.com/headlights-5-3-4-inch-round-headlights-high-low-beam-3-prong/c762

 

also on some harness you need need to add a load resisitor to the trugger in series so the indicator light in the dash comes on as the load might not be enought to see it as its such a low current draw.

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by banzai510(hainz)

[ggzilla]

1200 runs full power through the switch, up to 65W x 2 no problems. Ditto for 620

Early 620 uses a relay, but it's only on the dimmer trigger circuit, just like the 510. Full power still goes through the switch

 

5 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

 

I am pretty sure the issue is the way it's wired? The 510 and 240Z ran the full headlight amperage through the switch, but as I recall the 1200 and 620 did not? Probably also helps that the 1200 used 2 lights, not 4. Seen a lot of 510 switches burn out right after upgrading the headlights. 

[ggzilla]

well in this case, get a relay. The switch is the weak link, even though the wires can handle it.

5 hours ago, datsunfreak said:

Seen a lot of 510 switches burn out right after upgrading the headlights. 

 

DIY for about $40: for two relays, some 12-gauge wire, 4 headlight sockets, wiring connectors, and a JCASE/FMX fuse

 

or

 

4 lamp headlight wiring kit with fuse $150. No need to cut the existing harness

Take the new harness:

* Connect HOT wire

* Ground/earth the relays

* Plug into existing headlight connector

* Plug harness into headlights

* Connect the switch wire from the factor relay to the new relay

* Comes with the proper fuses and will bypass the stock Fusible Link

 

 

[Dguy210]

On 10/14/2025 at 5:38 PM, ggzilla said:

well in this case, get a relay. The switch is the weak link, even though the wires can handle it.

 

DIY for about $40: for two relays, some 12-gauge wire, 4 headlight sockets, wiring connectors, and a JCASE/FMX fuse

 

or

 

4 lamp headlight wiring kit with fuse $150. No need to cut the existing harness

Take the new harness:

* Connect HOT wire

* Ground/earth the relays

* Plug into existing headlight connector

* Plug harness into headlights

* Connect the switch wire from the factor relay to the new relay

* Comes with the proper fuses and will bypass the stock Fusible Link

 

 

 

On 10/14/2025 at 5:21 PM, ggzilla said:

1200 runs full power through the switch, up to 65W x 2 no problems. Ditto for 620

Early 620 uses a relay, but it's only on the dimmer trigger circuit, just like the 510. Full power still goes through the switch

 

 

Yep, never had a 1200 or B210 headlight switch go bad. Have had the fuse get hot as hell and cook a fuse box though so went to where anything drawing serious power now just needs to power a relay and added in extra fuses to that end of it for the headlights. I run 80/140 Bosch H4s I picked up years ago....only offroad of course 😁.

 

Basically I did the DIY you described on my 510 and completely ignored the 510 headlight relay (as I didn't have it or the harness anyways), way less than $40 but I'm cheap and hoard stuff too (relays are pretty cheap if you buy them in bulk). I have the wiring diagram written out in my build notebook somewhere. Rule of thumb for me has been anything running power through an old switch goes through a relay instead. Good to know the switch is sensitive too that anyways. Used these for the LED headlights, which seem pretty bright with a nice pattern but I've not driven it on the road yet so may change my mind later. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CDDHHWK?th=1

Edited October 16, 2025 by Dguy210

[edekalil]

Finally got the rear brakes done on the 72 sedan

[benzo]

Not necessarily DIme specific but my brothers been working on powder coating parts for my Z so I have some Longchamp XR4's I had been wanting to refresh so he helped me media blast them and coat them. Came out good but still waiting to clear coat them. It is supposed to be a bit more of a matte finish when done. He did say it is a bit of work to do as masking off the spokes takes time. Hoping to be done soon so can mount and balance tires and test fit on the car.

[benzo]

Clear coating of the wheels are complete and cleaned up the hardware to reinstall along with the center caps and tires mounted and balanced. I do like how the Falken Azenis have a meaty look to them. I originally refreshed these wheels for my Z project but they also can fit on my wagon. 

[iceman510]

I'm interested to see how the home powder coat holds up.  I've thought about trying that process for a long time.  Used to have an old stove saved for the job but my mom junked it from her garage.

[benzo]

@iceman510 I'll keep you updated on the wheels but they should hold up well. My brother used a 2k coating if that helps. He uses a large oven at the local community college but also uses an oven at home for smaller items. Some stuff he did for me has been holding up well and its been in use for over a year but this is the first time we did wheels. 

[Z23T]

I've been powder coating parts for a number of years using the Harbor Freight gun. It's okay for the money, but I think I'm going to buy a higher quality unit. I would pass on the powders they sell at HF and buy them from Prismatic Powders https://www.prismaticpowders.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooPW2HU_jgLE0UiBW9IU_nl_RzlCOCZitegkJW2_odyR4dQXmCn. The finish you get from their powders are so much better than the HF stuff. These are the same folks that make Cerakote, and their selection of powder colors is huge. I like the toughness of the coating and that you can use the coated part as soon as it cools. I don't have room for a full size oven, so I've been using a toaster oven I bought at a garage sale.

[Draker]

56 minutes ago, Z23T said:

I've been powder coating parts for a number of years using the Harbor Freight gun. It's okay for the money, but I think I'm going to buy a higher quality unit. I would pass on the powders they sell at HF and buy them from Prismatic Powders https://www.prismaticpowders.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooPW2HU_jgLE0UiBW9IU_nl_RzlCOCZitegkJW2_odyR4dQXmCn. The finish you get from their powders are so much better than the HF stuff. These are the same folks that make Cerakote, and their selection of powder colors is huge. I like the toughness of the coating and that you can use the coated part as soon as it cools. I don't have room for a full size oven, so I've been using a toaster oven I bought at a garage sale.

 

I like the setup! I might have to look into this. The oven was always the hurdle for me, don't want it to be too big and take up a lot of room. Don't want it to be too small and not be useful for most parts.

[RoadRace]

received weber tuning parts, jet kit, chokes, E tubes and cam tower spacers.  Finished the intake port matching and started cleaning up the head port work. need to set up the tappet shim height, order the sims and retainers for the thicker shims next....luckily its still -14C (7 Freedom degrees), so i don't feel the pressure to get it done yet lol