chevy v-8 in a 510

[Mr Ayche]

Hey all, new to the forums, and looking at buying a 510 shortly. was hoping to get some pointers from some more experienced datsun folks. i am planning on putting a V-8 chevy into a 510, any suggestions on the best fit to go with? i have seen articles on a 305, but i have also read that 305's dont pack that much gutts, i have heard tales of 350's being shoehorned into 240's but am wondering if one would fit in a 510 as that would be my prefered way to go. the goal is to get the throatiest meanest looking, sounding and running dime i can manage and still maintain a street legal machine. my total project budget will be in the neighborhood of arroun 10k for the car, engine and whatnot and i am planning on doing all the work to the extent possible in my own amply equiped garage, excluding any required milling or machinging on the engine. any thoughts, advice, experience on the subject would be much appreciated. thanks all and i look forward to an enjoyable build!

[Skib]

here.

 

 

your going to need this.

 

 

[I'm BLUE]

Hi, Mr. Ayche !

 

If you have $10,000 budget ,,, and TRULY want a SBC ,,,, Look at the LS-1 or LT-1 series ,,,, of course by suspension ,,, body ,,, and paint are done ,,, you will probably have over-shot your budget

 

Take a peak I believe at Sacremento, CA Craigslist ? ,,, there should be a 305 converted 510 on there ( to give you an idea ) ,,, firewall was cut ,,, engine set back ,,, and sheet-metal re-welded/re-enforced.

 

305 is actually a pretty good option ,,, IF ,,, you have a good set of breathable heads on there to begin with ! Just plan on cutting the trans tunnel/firewall ( even if you don't ) ,,, putting some kind of body reinforcement ( roll-bars/strut tower bars/braces kinda thing ) ,,, etc ,,,350 might rip the hell outta things in your 510 project lol :D

 

What kind of trans ? 4spd ? 5spd ? Auto ?

 

I have my current 71 240z 350 V8 engine swap ,,, not much effort to get it in/out after I was done making the mounts ( yes I made mine lol ) ,,. Take LOTS of measurements ,,, work EVERYTHING out on paper or program before fitting things (What you don't put into the equation now , will bite you in the ass later kinda thing) here's a picture or two( links to this build in my Signature below )

 

If I had the budget ,,, I would be sticking an LS-1 , RB26dett or 2jz-gte in this pig in this order !!! (my zcar) , but doing so takes $$$ lol. Budget builder for me ! lol

 

 

 

 

Of course a good portion guys on this forum will tell you an SR20det or KA24de or det are the way to go since you have the budget ! Nice one-up solid positive side of these last two engine conversions is with dwindling fuel prices the value of your car stays same or goes up ^^^ :) ,,, keep your rear IRS setup ,,, lots of swap info on these engines !!! Lots of power to be had , and weight/handling is ideal.

[screamer510]

http://forums.nicoclub.com/510-swap-choices-sr-or-rb-v8-even-t156800.html

 

http://blogs.motortrend.com/whacky-engine-swaps-part-ii-datzilla-2290.html

 

Get ready to cut the firewall out.

 

I do remember seeing a black primered 510 with a Chrysler (?) V8 at Road Atlanta back in the early 2000s. The guy was an engineering student from GA Tech.

 

I'd have to go with an SR20...

Dan

[EricJB]

The Z car is a much easier swap since you are not adding that much weight, and you can set the motor back in the huge engine bay and not upset the weight transfer so much. The 510 is a much lighter duty platform and a V8 will add a lot of weight to to the nose, None of the other components will be up to the task, so the money you save on a Chevy V8, will be spent on upgrades.

 

I have a 76 280Z with a 406ci sbc and 700r sitting in the back of my shop. I have easily 10k into it. and another 3k to go. It's no where near as fun to work on as my 521 truck. Stick around awhile and see what these guys are doing before you take a sawzall to a 510. The great thing about an old Datsun is the parts interchange between them. You can build a pretty badass car with parts from different models at pick and pull.My .02

[I'm BLUE]

The Z car is a much easier swap since you are not adding that much weight, and you can set the motor back in the huge engine bay and not upset the weight transfer so much. The 510 is a much lighter duty platform and a V8 will add a lot of weight to to the nose, None of the other components will be up to the task, so the money you save on a Chevy V8, will be spent on upgrades.

 

I have a 76 280Z with a 406ci sbc and 700r sitting in the back of my shop. I have easily 10k into it. and another 3k to go. It's no where near as fun to work on as my 521 truck. Stick around awhile and see what these guys are doing before you take a sawzall to a 510. The great thing about an old Datsun is the parts interchange between them. You can build a pretty badass car with parts from different models at pick and pull.My .02

 

I agree with everything you say ,,, except I like working on my 240z:lol:

[DRIVEN]

Stick around awhile and see what these guys are doing before you take a sawzall to a 510.

X1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

[Guest kamakazi620]

Its Easier to use a 4.3 chevy v6 its the same bore/stroke as 350 just 2 cyl less,Hot Rod mag did a MILD build and resulted in 301 hp and 312 ft lbs torque They are cheep and plentyful and smaller than a 350 + NA make more power than a VG and you can Carb it no ecu unless you want FI http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/113_0208_chevy_43l_262ci_v6_engine_build/viewall.html

[john510]

Please dont cut up a 510 and put a chevy in it.

[izzo]

It will totally fit. Hoist the motor up, move it over the engine bay and just let it drop full speed. You'll get the same effect and save some time.

 

SR is a more common swap, FI, and puts out some HP + turbo if you want. Weighs less, and will scream. Hell even a KA would do that. But its your project, do what you wish. This has only been gone over a few times on here. Use google search to search this site and see previous results. Good luck, man.

[MikeRL411]

Aeromotive made the all aluminum V6 blocks for the racing Datsun/Nissan cars. Used standard 3 Liter internal parts. With the mandatory intake restrictor plates, 750 HP, without, 1000 HP, also used for some home built airplanes [and considered but rejected for the non stop unrefueled round the world flight]. Guaranteed to twist the hell out of your 510 unibody. But, it should fit the length of your engine compartment. Unlimited cash?????

[ggzilla]

Did you know that a chevy 400 is the same exterior size as a chevy 305? Ditto for a 350.

 

Dozens of 510s have had V8 swaps. The most favorite is the all-aluminum Buick 3.5 liver V8.

[KC Phirus]

Too heavy too big.

Buick v6

[datzenmike]

Too heavy too big.

Buick v6

 

At almost 400 lbs, it ain't light either. Plus not a lot of power NA.

[ggzilla]

I'd use either the Buick 3.5 V8 (lighter than the Buick V6) or a Ford V8. The 510 engine bay is long enough to fit any of these V8s.

 

The advantage of the 5-liter ford is it's only 50 lbs more than the V6, 50 lbs less than the cheby and narrower than either.

[datzenmike]

Too heavy too big.

Buick v6

 

 

The stock motor is about 260 pounds so you need something close to this to retain the handling and feel of the 510. Say not much more than 300 pounds. The 400v8 is about 470 and the 3.8V6 at almost 400 lbs, it ain't light either. Plus not a lot of power NA.

[JakeWard]

 

Not much info on the swap other than it's an Ls1.