Hey guys im a 16 year old and just got a datsun 510 first car

[Yakuza]

Arcata...way up north huh?.. nice project good ideas..this is the best place to get help...GL... :D

[metalmonkey47]

Welcome to Ratsun! You'll be here for a while, and trust me you won't ever be the same again.

 

Just to warn you ahead of time, this Datsun will consume all of your money so don't plan on having a girlfriend or a life. Other then that, enjoy your Datsun :)

 

 

 

Oh and BTW, listen to what these guys say about the interior. Trust me, if you pull it you will be regretting it.

[Datsun510project]

Welcome to Ratsun! You'll be here for a while, and trust me you won't ever be the same again.

 

Just to warn you ahead of time, this Datsun will consume all of your money so don't plan on having a girlfriend or a life. Other then that, enjoy your Datsun :)

 

 

 

Oh and BTW, listen to what these guys say about the interior. Trust me, if you pull it you will be regretting it.

 

Lol i guess i am most deff replacing my interior then! and yea these guys kno what there talking about!

[Skib]

Oh and BTW, listen to what these guys say about the interior. Trust me, if you pull it you will be regretting it.

 

word, stock sound deadner is pretty much well......... not doing shit for killing road noise haha :lol:

[Datsun510project]

Arcata...way up north huh?.. nice project good ideas..this is the best place to get help...GL... :D

 

ya man its nice up here nice windy roads too(: and yeah these guys are really smart and know there datsuns! i love it here haha

[metalmonkey47]

ya man its nice up here nice windy roads too(: and yeah these guys are really smart and know there datsuns! i love it here haha

 

Hey, I started out in the same boat as you. I'm 19 and when I got my 210, it was my first car. I learned ALOT from it. Fought a lot of problems, spent a lot of money and time, and it all payed off. Ratsun.net is a lot of the reason that my car is what it is. It taught me a lot.

 

You're lucky to have a 510 as a first car. Lots of different directions you can go with it. Anyway you go, you will enjoy it. Any problem you have or any deadend, Ratsun is here to keep the wheels turning.

[Xander_42]

I agree with everything they all have said.

 

I want to add:

 

Start here:

 

You mentioned several times that you want different wheels. If you've got some money to burn and are looking to make the single biggest improvement to the look of your at the same time as the single biggest improvement to the performance of your car, AT THE SAME TIME! Get yourself a new set of wheels and tires. A good set of tires is the single biggest performance improvement you can make to a car. It is the only place that the car contacts the road, so they determine the peak possible grip in all four directions (turning, braking, and acceleration). This means that you can build the fastest 510 ever, but if you put it on some ancient cording tires, my car will eat it alive.

 

As far as what wheels you can get: 510 Wheel and Tire FAQ even if you don't like the wheels on here, you can use it as a base to figure out what sizes of wheels fit, this won't really help with tires, but that information is around.

 

Another link:Ratsun link

 

As far as what tires to get: don't go crazy and get Direzza Z1s or Advan AD08s, but you're probably gonna need some newer rubber on the car.

 

That's my $0.02.

[elmerfudpucker]

+1 on the tires! I get mine from Les Schwab because of the warranty and service. And brakes are very important. Check all your fluids and flush if needed, replace your air, oil, and fuel filters. Clean the fuse box contacts and replace the fuses, clean the grounds and light sockets as preventive maintence and that will save a you a buttload of heartache later. your can pull the interior and clean and protect the metal and add sound deadening as well. Lots and lots of reading is in your future. Putting everything else on standby till you know what you got in mind then collect all the parts you need first, then start whatever swap you got in mind. Welcome to Ratsun and kiss your money goodbye! ;)

[banzai510(hainz)]

olddatsuns.com

read ALL of it.

 

As for a track car ruin/smash a RX7 or a Z car not a 510

[metalmonkey47]

X3 on the tires. Its a good investment for ANY old car. If those fail at a higher speed, it's a lot more dangerous that most other parts that could fail.

 

You really need to do a full inspection of the car before doing anything. Repair what matters. Don't worry about modding it yet until it's at the point where it could be a reliable daily driver. The most important part about building a badass Datsun is having a good base to start with. Fix all the problems and then when you're building the car, you don't have to worry about them getting in your way.

 

You're young so you have your whole life to be building old Datsuns. This car is a GREAT learning experience. Treat her well and she will repay you with more memories that you could possibly fathom.

[Datsun510project]

I agree with everything they all have said.

 

I want to add:

 

Start here:

 

You mentioned several times that you want different wheels. If you've got some money to burn and are looking to make the single biggest improvement to the look of your at the same time as the single biggest improvement to the performance of your car, AT THE SAME TIME! Get yourself a new set of wheels and tires. A good set of tires is the single biggest performance improvement you can make to a car. It is the only place that the car contacts the road, so they determine the peak possible grip in all four directions (turning, braking, and acceleration). This means that you can build the fastest 510 ever, but if you put it on some ancient cording tires, my car will eat it alive.

 

As far as what wheels you can get: 510 Wheel and Tire FAQ even if you don't like the wheels on here, you can use it as a base to figure out what sizes of wheels fit, this won't really help with tires, but that information is around.

 

Another link:Ratsun link

 

As far as what tires to get: don't go crazy and get Direzza Z1s or Advan AD08s, but you're probably gonna need some newer rubber on the car.

 

That's my $0.02.

 

 

Thanks man for the link!

 

 

[Datsun510project]

X3 on the tires. Its a good investment for ANY old car. If those fail at a higher speed, it's a lot more dangerous that most other parts that could fail.

 

You really need to do a full inspection of the car before doing anything. Repair what matters. Don't worry about modding it yet until it's at the point where it could be a reliable daily driver. The most important part about building a badass Datsun is having a good base to start with. Fix all the problems and then when you're building the car, you don't have to worry about them getting in your way.

 

You're young so you have your whole life to be building old Datsuns. This car is a GREAT learning experience. Treat her well and she will repay you with more memories that you could possibly fathom.

 

Yeah im replacing every thing thats stock like fuses fluids battery sparks ect. Thanks for the advice man(:

[Xander_42]

x2 on the fluids. If you haven't heard it elsewhere already: DO NOT USE A FRAM OIL FILTER when you change your oil. If you want the reasoning behind this read this link. Otherwise, just don't do it. What I gathered from reading that article was that other than fram and fram made oil filters, everything else is fine, just don't use fram. As far as what filter is best, there's a lot of discussion (nice way of saying it), as far as oils, there's a lot more discussion, my recommendation is don't buy the cheapest shittiest oil you can find (Pennzoil), but you also probably don't need to spend $10/quart.

 

x3 on a complete inspection. If you don't do this, you will be doing what my brother were doing with our cars for the first couple years we had them which is driving them til something breaks and then fixing it, repeat ad nauseum. You want to get everything working right, and you'll still have failures and things you missed, but they'll be a lot less frequent.

 

Also, moar pics plz.

[Datsun510project]

x2 on the fluids. If you haven't heard it elsewhere already: DO NOT USE A FRAM OIL FILTER when you change your oil. If you want the reasoning behind this read this link. Otherwise, just don't do it. What I gathered from reading that article was that other than fram and fram made oil filters, everything else is fine, just don't use fram. As far as what filter is best, there's a lot of discussion (nice way of saying it), as far as oils, there's a lot more discussion, my recommendation is don't buy the cheapest shittiest oil you can find (Pennzoil), but you also probably don't need to spend $10/quart.

 

x3 on a complete inspection. If you don't do this, you will be doing what my brother were doing with our cars for the first couple years we had them which is driving them til something breaks and then fixing it, repeat ad nauseum. You want to get everything working right, and you'll still have failures and things you missed, but they'll be a lot less frequent.

 

Also, moar pics plz.

 

there will be pics this weekend alot more pics(: and WOW didnt kno there was a huge section on oil filters i didnt buy fram thankfuly i got the mobil 1 filter(:

[banzai510(hainz)]

buy a electronic ignition

spare weber carb ,new is better

solid state volt reg or a Inter reg alternator of at least 50amps.

H4 lights with relay harness(no not run H4s w/o a harness)

NGK wire set NE64

Standard Motor Products Blue Streak dist cap or copper contack equiv.

NGK/Nippon spark plugs

 

when possible buy NEW(not rebuilt) and store them.

clutch master/slave cylinder

brake master

rear wheel cylinders

spare Atsugi water pump.

Jap Koyosan fuel pump

halfshaft U joints

[bananahamuck]

Maybe a couple of oics that shy little Z in front ...please...

[Datsun510project]

buy a electronic ignition

spare weber carb ,new is better

solid state volt reg or a Inter reg alternator of at least 50amps.

H4 lights with relay harness(no not run H4s w/o a harness)

NGK wire set NE64

Standard Motor Products Blue Streak dist cap or copper contack equiv.

NGK/Nippon spark plugs

 

when possible buy NEW(not rebuilt) and store them.

clutch master/slave cylinder

brake master

rear wheel cylinders

spare Atsugi water pump.

Jap Koyosan fuel pump

halfshaft U joints

 

 

Wow thanks(: this help alot!

[NCRmtrsprts510]

MOAR OICS!!!!

 

lol welcome man, i wish i had a 510 when i was 16, but be careful RWD can get you in trouble. thats why my first car was FWD.. haha try to use as much advice as possible here, and dont be afraid to use that search button. haha

[Datsun510project]

MOAR OICS!!!!

 

lol welcome man, i wish i had a 510 when i was 16, but be careful RWD can get you in trouble. thats why my first car was FWD.. haha try to use as much advice as possible here, and dont be afraid to use that search button. haha

 

Haha thanks man and yeah ive been driving but this is my first RWD car so its gunna be fun(: not gunna be dumb with it tho

[Laecaon]

My first car was a RWD 89 mercedes. It was a boat, but handled well. Well it had acceleration problems, like you could floor it or barely push the gas pedal and you would barely accelerate. Then sometimes the car would downshift (oh yea it was second gear start, so first was never used... unless floored) when trying to accelerate. Well one fateful rainy day. I was making a left turn, my car wasnt accelerating. All of a sudden it down shifted and bam my back end was all sorts of loose. It was pretty.

[philcas1987]

Ka swap!

[Bleach]

drop a Chevy 350 in it

[Laecaon]

Hyabusey swap!!!

[Datsun510project]

NO SWAPS! not yet aleast and if ima swap it its gunna be a POS ka24DE swap

[metalmonkey47]

NO SWAPS! not yet aleast and if ima swap it its gunna be a POS ka24DET swap

 

fixed it ;)

 

 

 

Seriously though, don't get too ahead of yourself kiddo. It's nice to have plans, but tackle one problem at a time. Too many tasks at once and you'll find yourself in over your head just like me. :( Start with the essentials! When you can drive her daily is when she's ready for serious modding.

Edited October 30, 2010 by metalmonkey47