yealla 521 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 woo its time to see some thing diff i like it thats a good low and keeping the dime look ood job dude you nailed it Quote Link to comment
Dirttrack510 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Ruby was probably the lowest 510 till Indy took her apart. Yours is really cool though :) Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Sorry it's been a while since my last update- work and home life take priority over garage time lately! I DID manage to rebuild the front suspension- new bearings and seals, new rotors, drop spindles, cleaned and painted the hubs, and built new upper control arms from plate steel. I still have more modifications to make to the lower arm, and then it'll be cleaned up and painted as well. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/206.jpghttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/209.jpghttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/211.jpghttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/212.jpghttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/213.jpghttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/215.jpg I also tried a product called Hot Tires from Duplicolor- it's a tire paint that's supposed to stay white and flexible- we'll see about that. I think it looks alright on there- wish it was a more prestigious tire brand, but nobody else makes these little skinnies! I've been saving my pennies, and I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on an engine and transmission. THAT will get me ready for the next phase quickly, so there's still hope this car will see the road this year! Edited October 27, 2022 by twistedimages oics Quote Link to comment
finney Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 looks damn good, I like the white on the tyres. Quote Link to comment
sedition88 Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I love love love this car, just read through this thread. Can't wait to see the finished project. I love what you said a few pages back and couldn't agree more. "First off, let me say that I acknowledge everyone's opinions. Fortunately, though, it's my car to build as I choose, and I'm not one to be swayed by other people's opinions. I know the car will be polarizing- that's why I'm building it! Some people will hate the frame, some people will hate the air suspension, others will hate that I've left it rusty instead of fixing the body and painting it... point is, it's never going to satisfy everyone, so I'll just keep building it to MY vision!" I've been trying to save up to bag my 620, especially now that I'm petitioning for a =Sunset= chapter. I've also got a ratty 4 door 510 that I've considered putting on bags. Anyway keep up all the great work! 1 Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted April 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 (edited) Okay, I suck at updates. So it's been a couple of weeks since most of this progress was made. Let's get started... To move the car to my friend's house, I needed to tack the front suspension brackets together. My garage's electrical is on the opposite side of my house from the panel, so my welder can't be turned up far enough for a proper weld- happy to say my tacks kept it together long enough for the trip! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/220.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/221.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/222.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/223.JPGWith a shrader valve to throw some air in the 'bags, I finally get to see what this suspension will do! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/224.JPGI'll have shocks on there which will limit the upper travel a bit, but I'll have more than enough lift to get in and out of driveways. I set the upper mounts higher than they need to be, too, so if I go to a taller tire later down the road I'll still be able to put the frame on the ground. With the front suspension together, and some 2x6 boards braced between the roll cage and the rear arms, we loaded the car onto a trailer and headed to the workshop! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/225.JPGI'm going to have to put some better air assist in the rear of my wagon if I'm going to use it as my tow rig- even with this empty shell the hitch was dragging! We started fresh the next morning, with several items on the checklist: First, the rear suspension needed to be moved forward just over an inch, so it lines up better in the wheelwells. We braced up the frame, cut it free, then re-squared and welded it back into place. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/226.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/228.JPG While Miles welded the rear crossmember fully into place, I pulled the front suspension apart so he could weld my brackets up properly. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/227.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/229.JPG With that completed, we got started on measuring up for the rear frame section. On the first stage of the build, we stopped the frame rails just behind the rear end because I still had a rusty trunk floor hanging in the way. With that cut away a few months ago, we had all the room in the world to build out the rest of the frame. I've been eager to get this done, since the entire rear of the car has been basically just hanging with no support! Miles measured and cut some 2x3 box tubing and built the rails on his work table: http://www.twistedimages.us/510/230.JPG Then we squared them up in the car, tacked them into place, and leveled them out before fully welding them to the rest of the frame. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/231.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/232.JPG I offered some additional weight to hold the rails in place as they were welded! With the frame built and welded up, we laid out some cardboard templates for the upper rear airbag brackets. The lowers are just flat plates welded over the spring pocket holes in the trailing arms, so we just had to make upper mounts to match the angle of the lowers. With templates in hand, we went to my shop and cut them on our CNC plasma table- so much easier than hand-cutting! A quick lunch break later, and we got back to the house to weld them in. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/233.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/234.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/235.JPG When I bring the rear tubing down to complete the roll cage I'll probably tie the brackets into it, just for some more strength. After bolting the airbags in and running another shrader valve, the 510 was finally sitting on a complete suspension for the first time in years! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/236.JPG Just as I did with the front suspension, I made sure the rear airbags weren't fully deflated when the frame hit the ground. This will allow me to run a taller tire later on without re-working the brackets, and it also means I'll be running a higher pressure at ride height. My hope is that this will equal a slightly stiffer ride- we'll see how that works out! In the meantime, the rear end has room to go even lower when the front of the car is lifted- I'm almost tucking the center cap! The last item I wanted to address was the front clip. We had just tacked some tubing to the front frame horns to hold the core support in place last time, but I designed and laser cut some proper frame brackets to mount it. We cleared the frame of all of the old welds, lined everything up, and welded it back on. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/237.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/238.JPG I have to machine some sleeves for the bolts to pass through before I fully box these plates, but for now it's holding the front end in place. The fender gaps are nice, too, although I have some adjustment in the brackets if anything settles once there's more weight on it. Edited October 27, 2022 by twistedimages oics 3 Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted April 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 (edited) Apparently I tried to post too many pictures in one posting- so here's part two of the latest progress! So, with all of that work completed, the 510 came back home. Since then, I designed and cut brackets to tie the bumper brackets to the frame: http://www.twistedimages.us/510/246.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/247.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/248.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/249.JPG Now the rear end feels solid! I still need to make brackets to attach the quarter panels over to the frame, but at least I don't have to worry about someone leaning against the trunk and buckling the entire rear clip! Today, I went down to the shop and designed the brackets for the mustache bar, cut them on the plasma table, and mounted them to the rear end. I'll tack them later. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/250.JPG So, I'm just about at the point where I need to build an engine for this thing. I've got something in mind, and I'll pull the trigger once I sell my Toyota Pickup to fund it! In the meantime, here are some more pictures of the suspension and how the car sits: http://www.twistedimages.us/510/242.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/243.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/239.JPGCrazy positive rear camber at full lift! Don't worry- I don't plan on fully lifting it for anything other than tire changes! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/244.JPGhttp://www.twistedimages.us/510/245.JPG More to come as I find the time! Edited October 27, 2022 by twistedimages oics 9 Quote Link to comment
jeph Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 nice work man! cant wait to see a vid of it draggin frame! Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted April 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 nice work man! cant wait to see a vid of it draggin frame! No dragging on this one!! I went through a dragging phase with my 521 years ago, and now the cab is sitting on a pallet waiting for a new frame! I'm going to roll low, and the frame may contact the ground from time to time, but I won't be dragging down the road with this one! 1 Quote Link to comment
the510keeper Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 very nice Mines next Quote Link to comment
Dats Crazy Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 I like , i like. Can't wait to see the finished product. Keep it up dude. Quote Link to comment
sedition88 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I'm loving this more and more. Maybe I'll have you bag my 4 door :D Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted April 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I'm loving this more and more. Maybe I'll have you bag my 4 door :D Keep track of how long this takes before it sees the road, and then you can let me know! 1 Quote Link to comment
Dlip Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 This is friggin' awesome! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted April 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I just changed servers, so my photos will be down for a couple of days while I switch everything over. Thanks for all the kind words, folks! Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted June 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Yay- more progress! I sold one of my other vehicles, which freed up some cash for this project. And of course, right when I have cash is when all of the potential engine donors in the area disappear! Fortunately, I did the opposite of what I normally do, held onto the cash, and waited until the perfect drivetrain showed up... 1989 Mazda RX7, S5 normally aspirated, with a handful of upgrades to boot. Guy had the whole car for sale, and I was able to get him to sell just the egine and trans to me, meaning I've got my engine AND my wife doesn't have to see another shell sitting out front! Win-win, if you ask me! The added bonus was that I was able to drive the thing before the motor was pulled out- always a bonus, but especially with a rotary! So, now the hunt is on for a few additional parts, and then I'll be mocking everything up into the car. In the meantime, I've stripped the intake manifold and all of the smog equipment off the engine, and it's ready for a deep cleaning and some paint. Another key component came my way, and it's waiting for its turn to be bolted in: R200 from a 280Z, which will be welded up sometime soon. I'm also going to run a 240sx diff cover, since I have it here and just to be different. I have to make the rear mount anyway, so what the heck? I've visited The510Keeper a couple of times in the past month to help with a project of his, and I was handsomely rewarded with a nasty grille and front bumper. I twisted the grille back into shape enough to get it mounted, but I'll need to modify some brackets to get the bumper on there. So, that's the latest from me. Still a huge list to check off, but I think it'll start moving quickly once the engine and trans are in place! Since I'm updating, here's a couple shots of my office space. My brother ( Wagdatto on here ) hooked me up with this awesome poster for my birthday, so I got it hung up at the shop And here's the other side of my desk- Datsun Hot Wheels surrounding a photo from the 1998 Mt Shasta All-Datsun Meet (my first Datsun outing- the start of my madness!) I should have the engine looking pretty in the next couple of weeks- I'll post more then! 5 Quote Link to comment
70 goon Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Get yourself an early 12a front cover(timing cover) and oil pan to make your install a whole lot easier. Can sit it lower in the car too. Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted June 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Get yourself an early 12a front cover(timing cover) and oil pan to make your install a whole lot easier. Can sit it lower in the car too. With my Toyota front clip I'm not sure that'll be necessary, but I'll know more after I get it into the car to mock up. Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment
crewy Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 nice build putting a lil mini truck fab into a car like it. Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) Holy crap- a MONTH since my last update?? Oh, well- no excuses. Let's dig in! The big news all happened this weekend- my buddy Miles came over with the trailer, and off we went back to his house... http://www.twistedimages.us/510/270.jpg We squared up the engine and transmission in the engine bay, and decided to run it a bit hgher than usual to help gain more clearance for the header as well as the steering. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/272.jpg With the position decided, we broke out the cardboard and began making templates for the mounts. The goal is to design a mount that will be easy to disassemble from both the frame and engine, so when the firewall and transmission tunnel are in you can still slide everything out. My front clip will be removable, so that makes things a bit easier. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/271.jpg I converted our templates into dxf files for the CNC plasma table, spent an hour at the shop, and came home with these: http://www.twistedimages.us/510/273.jpg Miles threw down some welds after test-fitting, http://www.twistedimages.us/510/274.jpg And we built a transmission mount as well. http://www.twistedimages.us/510/275.jpg http://www.twistedimages.us/510/276.jpg The trans crossmember was built to be removable, and I have an exhaust hole large enough for a v-band style pipe to pass through for later service. With everything dialed in, we welded on the frame tabs, and mounted everything up: http://www.twistedimages.us/510/277.jpg http://www.twistedimages.us/510/278.jpg (Never mind the lug nuts holding this bracket on- I'll find some proper nuts eventually!) http://www.twistedimages.us/510/279.jpg http://www.twistedimages.us/510/280.jpg http://www.twistedimages.us/510/281.JPG Welding done, the car is back home! I threw the front clip back on, and the hood just BARELY clears everything! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/282.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/283.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/284.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/285.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/286.JPG Since I last posted, I also started collecting parts for the 13B. You can already see the Racing Beat intake manifold with a 48mm Weber IDA, as well as a distributor from a 12A, to eliminate the CAS from the EFI system. Also waiting for installation are an MSD 6AL2, three MSD Blaster coils, Holley Blue fuel pump, and a bunch of miscellaneous parts to build my exhaust header. Now that the engine is mounted, I can start designing the firewall and hopefully get these parts onto the car before too much longer! Oh, I also pulled the R200 apart, welded it up, and made a new bracket to mount it. I swapped over to a diff cover from a 240sx, since it has fins and it was just sitting here! http://www.twistedimages.us/510/287.JPG http://www.twistedimages.us/510/288.JPG More updates to come- sooner this time, I hope! Edited October 27, 2022 by twistedimages oics 8 Quote Link to comment
dukerollo Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 This thing is wild. Keep up the quality fab work and definitely keep us posted. 1 Quote Link to comment
housew Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 epic idea and awesome work. super jealous of the cnc plasma table. Looks like your putting it to good use :) 1 Quote Link to comment
twistedimages Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 It's really great for one-off stuff. Laser is always cleaner, but for small orders it usually takes a week- that wasn't an option for this project! Fwiw, if anyone has a need for parts just let me know. I do all of the programming and cutting on this table, and I'll be super-reasonable for fellow Ratsun members! 2 Quote Link to comment
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