wildmaninid Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I really like what you have going on here. It is really nice seeing such attention paid to detail, and the best way to learn is by doing. I appreciate your humor and willingness to not only ask for opinions, but consider them as well. I am a huge fan of painting the engine to look nice. Really helps so much in the long run! Check out my build thread (77 longbox) and check out my paint work. I use basecoat/clearcoat auto paint on every block I have painted and it has turned out wonderful.....Funny thing at a car show last weekend I saw a 420A turbo block I had painted 5 years ago and it still looked amazing!! Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment
dennis Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 yeah, the SR is a very porous block and will suck up oil/grime in a heartbeat. This is why I painted mine as well. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Been out of town for the long weekend fellas, more updates coming soon!! Quote Link to comment
dennis Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Must be the 71 510 in your signature Quote Link to comment
josh_t Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Am I being a little too anal and slow with posting? I assumed that the mass amount of photos would help me later putting it all back together and I hoped that it may help someone else someday... Only a few more and we are up to date... I don't understand why there is such a massive amount of oil/dirt sludge here... but my OCD will not let it stand.... ugh, F my life... Not perfect, but this is where I wrapped for the night... Oh and more GReddy goodies arrived, Rocker Arm Stoppers (RAS). Always use protection kids... Z32 MAF on the way, OEM JDM Nissan gasket kit and DVD from drifting dot com already paid for and en route. I am planning on working the intake and exhaust sides, but am 50/50 on internal work. I ordered the DVD to gauge whether or not I think I can or should do it. The internals don't look that bad and I am only looking for approximately 400hp. I know I will need an AFC unit. Do I go with GReddy E-Manage or a standalone like the APEXi Neo??? There is so much to learn and know, I have a whole new respect for engine builders, this is complicated. the pic of the sludge removal reminds me of myself. i dont even like soot building up in my exhaust ports let alone some stray oil around typically oily parts. all my gunk has been on there for 35 years as well so its a blast. Quote Link to comment
wana510 Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Good work btw im running a blacktop sr with a gt2871r ,greddy intake mani, pulleys, nismo cams, fmic etc and its a overkill in my dime but I love it. To bad your not local or id let u ride Quote Link to comment
darc510 Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 i personally like the fact that you are taking a lot of pics. kinda like poetry in motion, lol. looking great, also, its your car and your build...so be as anal as you need to be to get it they way you want it. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 @dennis - Hello again my friend. Picked up a dremel and waiting on the polish bits to come in and going to try to follow in your footsteps and make some things shiny. Also picked up a 320 grit one too. Should be interesting. No dime yet, still looking for a good 4 door candidate. I am getting eager though and may settle soon. @josh_t - Yeah, I don't like anything being dirty or out of place. The OCD in me is going to have a difficult time adjusting to this engine running, being driven frequently and actually having some dirt around. @wana510 - Nice setup!! Are you running the .64 or .85 AR?? I want to stick with the T25 flanges and go .64, but the local shop guys have been trying to get me to go with the bigger mouth. @darcToken - Thanks man, that is why I have fallen in love with this forum. People seem to genuinely want to help and be interested. The interaction and wealth of information really are priceless to a guy like me who is still trying to learn. Flickr has been blocked by the office, so photos to come soon. Picked up discontinued GReddy cam sprockets, new oil dipstick tube/guide, and a 87mm bore .04 Cometic head gasket. I have a standard bore engine at 86mm, but this seems to be the size that everyone suggested after researching for a while. As soon as I pick my parts up from WPC treatment, I am ready to reassemble!!!! WOW!! I almost can't believe I said that. But I do need a turbo and a top mount manifold and tubing etc. Anyone have any recommendations??? Also my biggest fear is going to be running the tubes on the engine. Any good points of reference?? Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Not a huge update, but I prepped the head for paint.... Shot of my dirty head before prep and copper wire brush scrub... (You can also see the painted block on the stand behind :) Full frontal... Exhaust side.... you can see how dirty it is here... The big booty shot.... And finally the nasty intake side... obviously you can begin to see why I found it necessary to paint the head and block... this simply will not due... And the paint prep begins... Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Oh and the newly arrived parts for your visual pleasure... Discontinued GReddy cam gears/sprockets... these were not easy to find.... Cometic head gasket.. 87mm @ 0.40 thickness.. Is it that big of a deal if my machine shop guy said to go OEM factory thickness because he barely took anything off on the deck job?? And last, but not least, my new dipstick guide/tube. Because I am a dipstick and screwed mine up for no reason other than sheer frustration trying to remove it.. Argh!! Wish me luck kids... moving on to the painting of the block and the polishing of the aluminum bits while I let my wallet recover for a while.... Has anyone else noted how much polishing aluminum is likely to cause cancer or is it just me?? Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Look what daddy did.... 1968 Datsun 510 4 door. Will need lots of work, but I'm up to it. Shoot me comments :) 1 Quote Link to comment
josh_t Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 wheres the lots of work part come in? the only rust i seen in the pics is the underside of the hood and the interior looks pretty good. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 She's a beaut! And a '68! Rare stuff. This is a great thread, keep it up! Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Thanks guys!! There really isn't a whole lot rust. Mostly surface here and there. One good spot of rust is just in front of the driver's side door at the bottom of the fender. Haven't found anything else yet. Floor boards and trunk are all solid. :) The interior is effectively only 3 months old. Kind of want a '71-73 dash though. I'm excited!! Quote Link to comment
speeder Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 Nice car! I love the 4 door and the fact that it's a 68. A very interesting choice, not the typical route. Your engine prep looks thorough. Keep up the good work! I like the look of this car as it is. If you lost the ugly upper side trim, and added some wheels and a little drop (but not a slam) that thing would be such a cool sleeper with an sr20det in it. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Yeah, the '68 was quite a unique find. I paid a pretty penny for it too, but I say it was worth it. I want to find a way to keep a lot of the '68 elements in tact while updating the looks just a little bit. I know I want to keep the rear bumper license plate light, the '68 side markers, and suicide wipers... all characteristics I really do love. But a part of me (in another thread) has been contemplating a '70+ valence with the larger euro light front turn signals and a '70+ dash. Obviously I have a fully built redtop SR to put in this thing. I also have the Deluxe tail lights that are extremely rare, too bad my center garnish was stolen!!!!!! ARGH!! But, the problem with using those lights is that I have to cut in to the frame to get the wider lights to fit and that is the holy-ist of cars to do it on. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 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. :) Quote Link to comment
DARIN 510 Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 This thing should be fully restored and put in a museum. Does everyone have to do an SR swap? You should have purchased a different car if your considering cutting up shit to make the newer turn signals to fit and changing out the dash.there is probably 15, 68 datsun 510s in the world and for some reason anyone who gets there hands on one they want to modify the hell out of it. I don't understand. I'm not trying to tell you what to do I'm just giving my opinion. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 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... Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Dude I got your positive right here, this dime is freaking rad. It looks to be in way better shape than many on Ratsun. If the bondo looks ok from the outside, don't worry about it. The car has mojo, history. Enjoy the old girl for a spell before you worry about major work. I love this car! To me there are only two things for you to do, get a better stance (and you are already headed there) get some olskool or even Z 6-spoke wheels for a cheaper and great looking wheel, and either freshen up the L or put in the SR. If you want the SR, go for it. I am not an expert on that swap, but other than flipping the crossmember and changing the shifter location, does it cosmetically alter the car? If not, just save the bit you cut from the tunnel, buy an extra stock crossmember so it can put back to original someday if wanted.(I am talking out of my butt here because I really don't know what it takes to do the swap.) That said, if you don't want to alter the car, but want more uumph, think about an LZ22 engine. Looks stock, can even use the original valve cover, and more power. I understand the delima though. I bought my 1959 Datsun to make a true ol skool Japanese fenderless hotrod. But when I got it in my possession it was way to original to cut up. So I am keeping the body stock, and the engine for now too. But if I find another, especially one that isn',t complete, look out! A final thought, '68s are pretty rare, I almost never see 4-doors (mostly 2-doors and a smattering of wagons) The reason to Have a '68 is because it will set you a part from the pack with the subtle differences and the sweeper dash. I also totally get the vision you had in your head and being torn. So I am sure there are some folks who would kill for a 68, I wonder if you could find someone to trade your Dime for one that is newer and on its way to being modded already? Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment
dennis Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 That dent in the front end of the drivers side looks like it was beat on to accept BMW Ellipsoid lights. Quote Link to comment
SSSEXXX Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 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). Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.