Is an 82 210 worth fooling with?

[Darkbullet]

I found one on a craigslist that seems to be in decent shape. 2 door knotch for 500$, but I offered him a trade for a few items instead.

 

Are they worth fooling with as a project? Anyone have some pics of one, I couldn't fine many online.

 

Thanks =)

[inline4]

a free ish running car beats having a few months of car payments.

[Darkbullet]

a free ish running car beats having a few months of car payments.

 

Very true, but what I was thinking is. Either sell my current Z and get a 510 (If I look long enough for one) and have a good amount left over to restore it. Or get this 210 and just keep it as a project and maybe sell my Z and have a good amount of money to restore it.

 

Just kinda curious as to what a 210 looks like nice and restored.

[Logical1]

Very true, but what I was thinking is. Either sell my current Z and get a 510 (If I look long enough for one) and have a good amount left over to restore it. Or get this 210 and just keep it as a project and maybe sell my Z and have a good amount of money to restore it.

 

Just kinda curious as to what a 210 looks like nice and restored.

 

 

Pics Of the Z? Don't mess around with the 80's 210... Get the dime :thumbup:

[Darkbullet]

Pics Of the Z? Don't mess around with the 80's 210... Get the dime :thumbup:

 

I posted some in my intro thread :D It's a 90 with 103k miles 5spd. It's nice.

I think my threads on the first page here it says "New guy"

 

I'm thinking the same, I really love the Dimes. The main thing I hate about the 210 (80') is the square generic looking headlights.

[DRIVEN]

They certainly aren't known for their sexy styling. My first car was an '80 4dr. They do have these things going for them though:

-Super cheap

-Light weight

-RWD

-Hard to kill in stock form

-Have room for just about any engine swap that a 510 will accept.

-Cops can't see 'em!

[Darkbullet]

They certainly aren't known for their sexy styling. My first car was an '80 4dr. They do have these things going for them though:

-Super cheap

-Light weight

-RWD

-Hard to kill in stock form

-Have room for just about any engine swap that a 510 will accept.

-Cops can't see 'em!

 

Speaking of engine swaps, is there a good site showing everything needed for an SR20DET swap in a 510/210?

Thanks for the reply :D

[DRIVEN]

This site and datsun1200.com. Many of the things that work on 1200s will be very close to a 210.

[Logical1]

Nice Z, very Clean :) I would grab a 70' Dime (68 Grill :lol: ), Clean her up and drop a VG30 in. LOTS of info and kits around to put those bad boys in a 510. If you sell you Z and get a fair price, should be just about enough to get you most of the way through the swap :)

 

VG30

[banzai510(hainz)]

If gas hits $4.50 again

210 that gets great milage and people will start wanting them again.

82' no emissions tesing!!!!!!!!!!!

[metalmonkey47]

210's are GREAT cars. I have an 81 Hatch that I payed about $500 for. Parts aren't easy to find, and they aren't the most popular thing ever, but they are well built cars and like any other Datsun, if you take car of them, they'll take care of you.

 

Here's my build.

[gokiburix]

there's a 210 from San Diego that looks like its on its way to looking pretty cool...

 

I saw it at the Nick's meet.

 

ーゴキ

[Darkbullet]

This site and datsun1200.com. Many of the things that work on 1200s will be very close to a 210.

 

Thanks =)

 

Nice Z, very Clean :) I would grab a 70' Dime (68 Grill :lol: ), Clean her up and drop a VG30 in. LOTS of info and kits around to put those bad boys in a 510. If you sell you Z and get a fair price, should be just about enough to get you most of the way through the swap :)

 

VG30

 

Yeah I believe I have it sold for what I was wanting to get. Sad thing is, I wont know for another week or 2. How much would a Vg30 swap cost? compared to a SR20DET swap?

Also thanks =) she is clean for being 20 years old, has small flaws but being 20 it looks better than some of these 2000 model cars.

 

If gas hits $4.50 again

210 that gets great milage and people will start wanting them again.

82' no emissions tesing!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

We don't even have emission testing in Indiana but I agree I hear they get like 48 mpg or so?

[74datsun620]

If you don't have to smog, A 210 is a great daily driver.

[KB100]

http://www.japanesen...2009&picnum=209

 

Pretty nice wagon.

 

http://www.japanesen...2009&picnum=211

 

Two door hatch - race car clone.

 

http://www.japanesen...2009&picnum=286

 

Four door.

 

http://www.japanesen...2008&picnum=185

 

Another two door hatch.

 

I'm 99% sure those are all 210s, but they look a lot like an A10 chassis 510 so it's hard for me to tell.

 

 

What are your plans for the car? What kind of experience with fixing up an old car do you have?

 

Those two questions makes a huge difference in your decision.

 

 

For someone who wants to do an engine swap anyway, the only real difference between the two cars is the rear suspension.

 

The 510 (sedan and two door) has semi-trailing arm rear suspension.

 

The 210 has a live axle on leaf springs (as does the 510 wagon).

 

 

The 510 lends itself well to cornering/twisty road antics *IF* you leave it stock (4x4 ride height) or spend probably $3000 setting it up right. Lowering it and still cornering well and putting down SR20DET power levels is going to be expensive.

 

The stock U-joint bind and break/wear out fast if you lower it too much. The wonky geometry of a cheaply lowered 510 is going to fight you in cornering and it's not going to put the power down very well at the drag strip. And even if the U-joints don't bind - even if you don't go that low - they are still weak. I did U-joints yearly in my autocross 510 sedan.

 

Improving the strength means custom CV joint style axles. $$.

 

LSD's are not very common, expensive for an aftermarket one, hard to find for a junkyard one (look for a Subaru XT Turbo 4wd - that's about it). $$

 

 

 

The 210, being leafs, is more like an old Muscle car suspension. Swapping a Mustang axle (or other live axle) is possible, just means probably narrowing, maybe redrilling the wheel stud holes, and welding on the spring mounts. Simple. Cheap. Something that probably a dozen shops in Louisville can help you with if you can't do it yourself.

 

A Ford 8.8 has cheap LSD options and can handle the power most SR20's might throw at it. A Ford 7" might have the right wheel pattern, might even be about the right width, a little more expensive LSD, but still cheaper than the 510/Suby LSD options.

 

I think an AE86 rear axle will probably fit alright without narrowing and has the right bolt pattern for the wheels - even rear disks (and I think some had LSDs). But I looked for one of those locally for two years (was going to convert my 510 to non-IRS) and never found a decent one.

 

There is no alignment or geometry to foul up. It's not going to fight you in cornering or launching at the drags like the STA on the 510. With traction bars and a watts link or panhard, it can do 90% of what a properly setup 510 suspension can do in a corner for a fraction of the price.

 

And if you want to drift it, it's a no brainer. STA's means understeer right up to the point where the car spins (see BMW 2002). Solid axles with LSD means point and squirt at as wide of an angle as you have the balls for.

 

 

And if you don't care about cornering/drifting or drag racing, you just want something that you can dump on it's floor pan for looks. The 210 is worlds ahead of the 510 in that regard too. Throw in some lowering blocks, shorten the front struts, and call it done.

 

 

 

And another thing.

 

The 210 and the 510 both have that old-school Datsun parts interchange thing going on. For example, 280ZX front struts will go into a 510 or a 210 with the same amount of tweaking. So many of the things you might do to the 210, will unbolt out of that car, and with a few tweaks go into the 510.

 

So if you got the 210 and started doing things like an SR swap, big brakes, front coilovers, wheels, seats, etc. Most of that will be easy to put on the 510 when you get it.

 

 

 

If it's not obvious, I think you should get the 210. You can learn things on it that will transfer to a 510 when you get one. Mistakes you might not mind making on 210, but would regret making on 510 can be learned on car that's not overly rare - a car you didn't pickup or ship 1/2 way across the country.

 

 

 

FWIW, if that 210 has some rust, and you'd like to compare/contrast to another possible car, the used car lot at Spring St. and 15th in New Albany has a '78 (I think) A10 chassis 510 two door notchback. They are asking $750. It runs. No idea if they'd come down on the price, but they might. They never sell any cars, so either they don't bargain at all, or they are desperate to sell something and might intertain a lowball offer.

 

http://www.uniquecar...atsun_510_1.jpg

 

It looks just like that pic, but, you know, old, rusty, and beat up. But maybe not quite ready for the scrap yard. I've intentionally avoided looking to closely at it lest I get the lust and buy it.

 

 

It should be noted that the A10 chassis 510 is actually more closely related to the 210 than to the P510 (the classic 510), but they are all pretty similar under the skin.

 

 

 

 

If you want someone with someone with some Datsun knowledge to go look at a potential project with you, I'd be glad to volunteer for that...

[Skib]

sell the Z32 and buy a nice dime

[gokiburix]

wow...KB100 has some great advice and has become a valuable member to ratsun (in my book).

 

We need more of him and less of douchebaggery (not naming names).

 

 

ーゴキ

[KB100]

wow...KB100 has some great advice and has become a valuable member to ratsun (in my book).

 

We need more of him and less of douchebaggery (not naming names).

 

 

ーゴキ

 

 

:blush:

 

Wow. I'm flattered.

 

I tend to ramble on in my old age and I think most people don't even read what I post.

 

And I've done a lot of bad things to a lot of poor defenseless Datsuns over the years. As a result I have bad car-karma. Hopefully imparting any knowledge I can will appease the Datsun gods and they will look kindly on my next Datsun endeavor.

[DRIVEN]

I agree that KB100 has given some great info and advice. The only correction I would make is that the 210 has coil springs in the rear. They do have a solid axle like the 1200 and B210 but they did change to coils with the introduction of the 210 (B310 in most other markets) in 1979. It's not really an obstacle though.

[KB100]

I agree that KB100 has given some great info and advice. The only correction I would make is that the 210 has coil springs in the rear. They do have a solid axle like the 1200 and B210 but they did change to coils with the introduction of the 210 (B310 in most other markets) in 1979. It's not really an obstacle though.

 

Huh... Sure enough, coils and four link on a 210... I never played with a 210, I always assumed they were a simple refresh of the B210. I guess not.

 

That complicates thing slightly, but still not as complicated as sorting out the STA for a beginner.

 

And sorted out, it should be somewhere between modded leafs and a properly setup STA in terms of performance and ride quality.

[Darkbullet]

Thanks for all the great info KB100! I need to print it all out lol.

[Pumpkn210]

YES it is worth it. You can swap on the 79 round light version and have the styling to-boot!

Not to mention the triangulated 4-link is super tight and will accept 510 coil springs!

The rear susp is Light Years ahead of the B210!

Super light and Uber-Moddable!

I LOVE my Twins and Wouldnt have any other datsun ;)

[Pumpkn210]

Had to pull up some pics to prove that they can be HOT

Cheap and Easy, Fun and Dirty!

[metalmonkey47]

Had to pull up some pics to prove that they can be HOT

Cheap and Easy, Fun and Dirty!

 

They're beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KB100]

You should check out this 200SX that's on Craigslist in Bullitt county right now. Same as an S10 Slivia.

 

$300. Ran when parked.

 

http://louisville.cr...1742577902.html

 

NOT the car from the ad.

 

 

 

Pics of the actual car are in the ad.

 

 

It's an acquired taste stylistically, but I haven't seen ANYONE else doing anything with one, even though it's just like all the other Datsuns with the part interchange thing...