Spades Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 First time poster, new to the site...a friend of mine started calling the 510 wagon I was working on a Ratsun, so I did a search to find out what Ratsun meant, and it lead me here. Not much to critique yet, as I just started the build. I purchased this wagon sight unseen from a local's father, and drove from Oregon to California to pick it up. It was as they promised, almost no rust...30k miles and had been sitting in a field after the guy's daughter blew up the automatic transmission. What I didn't know, was that his daughter put several rolls of shag carpeting in the back with the seat down, and over the last 30 years mice and rats had turned the car into a hotel. very little was salvageable out of the interior, due to the fact that the wagon was full to the windows of finely shredded shag carpet and rat crap. the price was right, and I paid only a few hundred for a mostly straight body. After dragging the car back to Oregon and filling a dumpster with rat droppings and shredded carpet and interiors, it was brought home, and last week I finished gutting it and stripping the outside to start on the interior and bodywork. Here are some pictures of the car when I first picked it up and after the first few days of work: I tossed some primer on the car, because unlike California, stuff rusts here. the pictures are of the car stripped down, new shocks on, and of the wheels i scored for 20 bucks and then polished up, and re-painted the flaked off black areas. I want to use this thread so I can keep a good build journal of the car. The goal is to swap a Naps Z engine w/ a manual transmission. That's it for now, tomorrow I will be ordering wheel cylinders and shoes, a pinion seal, front caliper rebuild kit and brake lines, and new front pads. The rear diff fluid in it looks brand new, but I will be changing it anyway. the solid axle in wagons...is that just standard 90 weight? and if so, does detergent matter? this is my first datsun, heck, my first old import...and I heard something about detergents in new gear oils sometimes chewing up softer metal parts in old import rear diffs...so, thanks in advance for the help, and hopefully i wont get bashed too hard, this is my first strip down project car, and first import and Datsun for that matter :) Quote Link to comment
DRIVEN Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Welcome aboard! Looks like a great place to start. My coupe had a very similar history. Those wheels turned out really nice - I believe they are somewhat rare. I've heard they were 1 year only. Nice score for $20. I'll be watching your progress. I had planned on doing a CA swap in my wife's wagon but now I think I'm going a different direction. Guess I'll have to live vicariously through you instead. Let me know if you want to sell your auto pedal assembly after your swap is done. Were you able to salvage the back seat? Quote Link to comment
stilltwisted Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 looks like cool build ,,welcome to the forum,, and we do love pics around here Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 unfortunately the back seat was too far gone. I do have the auto pedal assembly, but I will be modifying it for the swap. The front seats were salvageable. I probably will instal new front seats later date though. The wheels were badly oxidized...the tires on them were in better shape,lol...fiberglass belted tires 1972 vintage...I should have put them on Ebay for someone looking for vintage stuff, oh well. I don't even know what the wheels came off of, they had 3 horrid center caps with a "Z" stamped on them, so I set them aside and assumed the wheels were off of a 280...either way, even in their horrid shape, i saw possibilities, so for 20 bucks it was a score! The car was pretty chewed up, but the straight body and the pieces that weren't molested combined with the fact that the only rusted stuff was the rear axle and brake drums, made it worth the small investment. BTW, can anyone verify if the H-190 in the wagon gets chewed up using normal 80-90weight oil? I didn't see it in the H-190 thread on this site. Quote Link to comment
bonvo Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 ive run just standard 80-90 in my 610 no ill effects should be fine its the trans you need slightly different stuff for Quote Link to comment
Yakuza Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 nice wagon.... if you are interested in selling the seats let me know...:D Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Use red paint for them spots instead of primer color. Red spay can will blend in a couple months and still look cool. Works for me!!!!!! Quote Link to comment
gokiburix Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 WELCOME TO THE GOON SQUAD! be sure to join us in the "GOONS CHECK IN" thread -goki Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Use red paint for them spots instead of primer color.Red spay can will blend in a couple months and still look cool. Works for me!!!!!! heh, well, it will be painted hopefully in the next few months. The goal is to have bodywork done the next month or two and have the engine in and the car drivable...its a big goal considering I am working full time and have family taking time away from the project. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 182.89 - shocks and struts front and rear(monroe sensatrac - overloads on the rear) Do you have a part number for those rear shocks? And are the spring removable? Quote Link to comment
erikcarter Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Nice to have another wagon here. Just wondering why the overloads? Are you trying to raise the rearend up? Or just going to be hauling stuff in your wagon? Quote Link to comment
LeX Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 i'm about to get those overloads too... I am going to be running 300whp through the back and blocking it so the are gonna be pretty helpful lol. NIce project! Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Nice goon! I went up to Big Bear once to look at a '55 Cadillac. The owner had left the windows open for years and the local squirrels has taken up residence in the car! The entire car was filled with pine needles and squirrel nests. I was flabbergasted that someone couldn't even bother to roll up the windows and let that car go totally to shit.. Welcome to Ratsun, and good luck on the project. I'm looking pretty hard for a goon myself. Quote Link to comment
LeX Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Nice goon! I went up to Big Bear once to look at a '55 Cadillac. The owner had left the windows open for years and the local squirrels has taken up residence in the car! The entire car was filled with pine needles and squirrel nests. I was flabbergasted that someone couldn't even bother to roll up the windows and let that car go totally to shit.. Welcome to Ratsun, and good luck on the project. I'm looking pretty hard for a goon myself. dunno where you live but I know where a good roller is in GA that's complete except for engine/tranny :) Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 The overloads were for more tire clearance, and to stiffen the rear suspension(reduced wheel hop and less sag if I haul something). so, onto the part numbers: Monroe Sensitracs: Overloads Rear(sold in pairs): 58568 Regular Rears(without helper springs): 5818 Regular Front Struts: 73962 To find the price I managed to get, you may have to order them off the internet. I work for a auto repair shop, so we get decent deals. be forewarned, those overloads are hell to get on, it took group effort and some blood and sweat...they are a tight fit. Before the tear down on this car, I was planning on this wagon being a dragstrip and cruising car, and sacrilege was planned...they say a picture is worth a thousand words: Lets just say I decided against it since I needed a daily driver that was reliable and gets good gas mileage. The 350 chevy and turbo 350 long tunnel trans I had planned on wouldn't have been very economical, lucky for the Datsun, lol. Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Today the project came to a screeching halt...I am stuck waiting on parts. I am finishing gutting the interior tonight, but anything after that is on hold. I ordered everything needed to overhaul the brakes and lines for the front and rear, but now I am stuck and will be waiting on parts untill thursday :( unfortunately, I was unable to find a set of reman or new front calipers from anywhere other than autozone, so I am stuck with some units made by Fenco, I have heard they make decent calipers(but crappy clutches)...so hopefully they will work ok...lifetime warranty, and I don't have any other options. Anyway, parts list of what I have ordered and have, or waiting on: 14.46 - 2 Lowbeam headlights(wagner halogens) 21.02 - 2 Sanyco wheel cylinders 26.67 - Raybestos pads and shoes(front & rear) 12.89 - 2 Raybestos front brake hoses 6.46 - Timken Pinion seal 71.98 - 2 Fenco front calipers 0.00 - Machine drums and rotors(free, have a brake lathe at work) I may yet have to get a master cylinder, not sure what 25ish years of sitting in a field with old brakefluid and 100+ degree weather did to it. Quote Link to comment
hang_510 Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 if you havent found rockauto yet, you need to!!! search for the discount thread too. they also have the R brake hardware. new MC (brake AND clutch) are in order for you. ive had good luck off feebay (i can try to find the seller ID) for Nabco parts. Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Massive project change...I wasn't planning on selling my wife's car this soon, but I found a buyer, and as of today, it is no longer ours, which means we are down to one car until the Datsun is running. I have all the parts needed except the master cylinder, hopefully I can get it tomorrow, and if I am lucky, I will get out of work with some daylight left, and I will be able to get some of the brake work done and change the rear diff fluid and replace the pinion seal. Hopefully I can find a donor engine and transmission soon. EDIT: I found a '80 wagon with a NAPZ & manual transmission!!!! project is now back to rolling, and I might even be able to use the master cylinder and other parts i am missing from it! Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Progress has been slow, but, I have a bunch of new parts on the goon or waiting to be put on. Part of the front brakes and suspension is on hold though...one of the Monroe struts did not contain the weird flange nut used to hold the cartridge in the strut housing, so I am waiting for a new strut assembly I purchased to be delivered from rock auto...I don't have time to wait two weeks for CSK to get a replacement. However, the wheels are finished, back ones mounted. rear brakes, rear diff pinion seal & fluid, loaded front calipers, front brake lines, and front drivers side strut all replaced. I even started fogging the engine bay today. I will be putting the passenger side back together and stripping and painting the drivers side tomorrow. I will also be tackling the wiring tomorrow. On the plus side, even though I have been dealing with wrong or missing parts since I started the project, I am getting closer, and I should have a freshly rebuilt engine/trans waiting to install. several people driving or walking by (while me and my dad were working), complimented us on the work done so far and how clean the body is. A fellow Datsun owner who goes to the Canby meet with his Z dropped by to check out the work. The best part was, a older fellow that lives somewhere in my folk's neighborhood (where the car is being renovated) offered me free parts. He owned 9 Datsun 510's over the years, and gave me a few dozen brand new parts he had left over in his garage...the two best items were a fresh ignition/lock cylinder, brand new with new keys, and a Datsun 510 shop manual. The lock cylinders in both wagons were hashed and I was expecting I would have to buy a new one, but not anymore! so, on with the pictures! Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Goons rule! I like the rims,,they are off a 78 Z car & sometimes referred to as "soccer balls" do to the design. Keep the pics coming. Quote Link to comment
bonvo Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 donor naps z motor a 4 plug napz motor :eek: you have a rare head there man or is it just an l series distibutor a 4 broken pulgs in the extra holes:lol: what all are you doing with the donor car? Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 a 4 plug napz motor :eek: you have a rare head there man or is it just an l series distibutor a 4 broken pulgs in the extra holes:lol: what all are you doing with the donor car? heh, nope, its the 4 plug naps head...im thinking about swapping the head for a z24 8 plug head or a l20b head sometime in the future. more than likely what is going to happen is I will keep the motor as is, drive it untill I have enough money saved, then I will replace the pistons, port the head, get a differant carburetor, and run a small intercooled turbo set up @ 5psi. due to the fact that the donor car(its either a 80 or a 81) has rust bugs, most of the interior is hashed, and it will be missing the engine and trans and driveline, I will most likely part it out then sell the remains to a local scrap yard. I am replacing the fuel pump and rebuilding the stock carb(after the fresh engine rebuild the car sat for 6 months). I will also add some better plug wires and a header, and remove the EGR system. After the engine is tuned, I will yank the driveshaft, put new u-joints in, then bolt the motor and transmission into my 72. Quote Link to comment
erikcarter Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Yeah I would totally do the L series head on that. I wish I would have done that when I built my L20. I rode in a guys truck that has one and it would kick my car's ass Quote Link to comment
Spades Posted August 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 No new pics just yet, we finished some bodywork, did a fuel pressure test, and pulled apart the carburetor. The carburetor is toast, not even worth a rebuild, so buying a weber set me back a few hundred bucks....at the moment I am still well under $2,000 on the project...but I worry that the windshield replacement, new rubber around the windows, and other stuff not purchased yet will nickel and dime the project over the $3,000 mark. I am still waiting on the strut and carb to show up(they should be here Friday). All I can do right now is watch my dad weld up old/unused trim, badging, plate light and roof rack mounting holes...as I keep ticking away at the interior and engine bay wiring. At this point, the front fenders and wheel wells are cleaned up and undercoated, I finished fogging the engine bay black, and my dad finished welding up most of the holes left by old trim. once the carb arrives on Friday and the donor car is running perfect, we will start yanking parts off the 80 wagon. hopefully this weekend I can make some major progress... Quote Link to comment
yellowdatsun Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Nah man, keep the crossflow head. The only reason people throw the L head on the Naps blocks is so they can run the normal L series stuff like intakes and whatnot. Crossflow heads are inherently better flowing than having both ports on the same side. *Especially* keep it if you want to turbo the Naps engine. Use a Z24 head, they have biggers valves are are good for turbocharging. Quote Link to comment
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