fisch Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Mine came to me too. Sometimes fate just wants you to have it. First, they almost never come up for sale in the NE. A rattle canned camouflage 4-door popped up for sale in ME on this and a couple other forums. Tight on cash an unable to convince the wife to have a cammo Datsun in the driveway, I didn't act on it. I was bummed, cause it was an honest 510 with a built Lz22 in New England! The key for me is that it needed nothing to be on the road. If 510's are rare here, running ones are extinct. Car hits Ebay. I throw in a first bid and am the high bidder! I was pretty shocked, and had to scramble to get some cash in case I won. Wife was not pleased at the prospect. (And she is a Datsun fan, just not a camo fan.) I got outbid to a guy in OK. :( Now I was really bummed, because I could taste owning it! I am not good under the hood, but love messing with the visuals on cars. It would have been perfect. I pouted around the house for a week. Lamenting the loss. Wife actually started feeling bad for me. Get an e-mail from Chris the owner. Buyer in OK backed out of the e-bay deal. Am I still interested? If so he will literally drive it to my house and drop it off. Hell yes! Original paint was under the spraypaint. I scrubbed down to the original patina. A happy man and his 510. But to answer your question, for me I bought one that needed nothing mechanically, cause I am bad at that stuff. Second, it could have a little rust, but not be rotted out. Sure enough mine is solid just about everywhere EXCEPT the rear quarters below the bumper. But they have patches out there for that. Floors, everything else, solid. Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 So Im a soon to be 18 year old in the sf bay area of California, and I love 510s. I want to own one, drive one, work on one. Blow all my benjamins on one. My main question to the ratsun forum and all of its experienced users is should I try to build one myself with the little time and money I have or should I find one thats a running project and improve it from there. I would like to have one with a KA swap but would be fine with an sr20 or a ca18. The L series doesnt really do it for me. I currently have $5000 and make about $150-200 more every week as a tire changer at Americas Tire. I've been in the hunt for one for about 6 months and have come across many possibilities but was forbidden to buy one by my father. HELP ME PLEASE! At 18 I had a 510, and instead of going to college ... . I thought I could become famous and rich because my Datsun was going to be so cool ... :lol: .... I will tell you that your Dad is right and so was mine ...... . "buy a fucking Honda and go to school ... DumbAss!!!" Even if you have $5 grand,, , you will put the car before your life until it's perfect (which is never) ... .. and in 10 years you'll be posting a warning like this to some kid 1 Quote Link to comment
freekwonder Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Ditto that! You don't find Datsuns, Datsuns find you. Yup, back in 04-05, I was out at the races and talking about being on the hunt for a Dime. Some kid mentioned he had one and I offered him 2gs site unseen. I wanted a dime that bad. He wouldn't sell it to me. Picked up a 4dr from WY instead. Then in '06 I get a call from a friend that the house next door to him has a 2dr 510 that the kid wants to sell. I drive up and it ends up being the same kid I talked to a few years before. Ended up getting the car, and two truck load of parts, engine hoist and stand all for $800. The kid even drove one of the loads of parts to my house. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 At 18 I had a 510, and instead of going to college ... . I thought I could become famous and rich because my Datsun was going to be so cool ... :lol: .... I will tell you that your Dad is right and so was mine ...... . "buy a fucking Honda and go to school ... DumbAss!!!" Even if you have $5 grand,, , you will put the car before your life until it's perfect (which is never) ... .. and in 10 years you'll be posting a warning like this to some kid :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: It's so true. Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 At 18 I had a 510, and instead of going to college ... . I thought I could become famous and rich because my Datsun was going to be so cool ... :lol: .... I will tell you that your Dad is right and so was mine ...... . "buy a fucking Honda and go to school ... DumbAss!!!" Even if you have $5 grand,, , you will put the car before your life until it's perfect (which is never) ... .. and in 10 years you'll be posting a warning like this to some kid Damn, That hit the point. :lol: Perfect!!!!! Quote Link to comment
Guest kamakazi620 Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Datsun DO find you......I'll start with my wagon (not first datsun but..)I wasn't even LOOKING for a 510,At the time i hated them cuz everyone had one,Wagon Dave called me and asked if i wanted to look at a 71 wagon he was thinking of buying for a "parts car" I said sure,I love going to look at cars and helping load them on a trailer blah blah blah,We get to the old mans house BS for a few and he asks me what i want to pay for it? it had a rebuilt L20 with non smog intake/exhaust weber carb 5 speed but had been sitting since a "Fender bender" for over 10-15 years,I said IDK? he says What are these worth? I said Whatever someone will pay!! he replied with 200?? I said SOLD! Then i got the engine running,Sold it and trans for 350 and bought a KA for 200,did some bartering with a friend and had the Wrecked front end repaired(still needs work) KA waiting for timing chain and gaskets,Me waiting for job hahahahah Quote Link to comment
Datenvy94 Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks to everyone for all of the knowledge. I've carefully read all of the comments that have been left on this page and now realize that simplicity is what I need in a car that has to take me through the next 4-6 years of my life. The L series does seem like a good choice. Because in a car that weighs only 2200-2400 lbs 110-135 horses is a lot of get up and go. I've been fantacizing about these cars for a year now and have watched many 240s and trucks pass me by. But I've been saving intently for a 510 a long time and at this point any form of a 510 that goes and stops on a regular basis will make me a very happy obnoxious young adult. I'll stick to my guns on this one. Quote Link to comment
koback68 Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 I would spend the max that i could and get the best driver possible .If it comes with a ka fine if it comes with a L-20 fine start collecting the parts to turbo it and off you go I would put my L motor against most srs and most ka motors . Like i said most . And i know a few people with both Quote Link to comment
screamer510 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Find someone who knows Datsuns and/or has a 510 to go look at any prospective cars. GOOD LUCK! Quote Link to comment
koback68 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thats the best advice I have herd period 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.