New to the Forum

[rksumida83]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, I'm interested in buying, building and learning how to do the work myself on a Datsun 510, wagon preferably. I want to use it as my daily driver, well because all of the new cars stink... so had a few questions hopefully some of you Datsun Vets could answer. 

 

- If I wanted to use a 510 as my daily, what would be the best engine swap to use, for the best combination of performance, gas mileage, and fun. 

- if I were to do this engine swap, would it be possible to still install the AC in the car. Like I said, it's going to be my daily, and would like to still be comfortable in the LA summers.

-All in what would a total ratted out 510 cost me round about. 

- are there any good auto shops specializing in 510's or datsuns that would allow me to learn and be involved in the process of doing the project? 

 

Thanks for any and all help on this. 

[datzenmike]

Welcome to Ratsun.....

 

Sounds to me like you don't even have one. Might be better to stick with what you know. There's a pretty steep learning curve starting with zero knowledge on a different make of vintage car. Not having one, not knowing anything about them, not having done this before is a recipe for an expensive disaster. (money pit) Worse the unfinished car gets ruined and scrapped or sold off to someone who has to fix everything because you were in a hurry and did a poor job and/or ran out of money paying a garage to do the work. Not worried about you, I'm more worried about the car.

 

Best bet is to spend as much as you can of your money on the most complete running, built up and modified 510 you can find that is close to what you want. The interest in the 510 has driven prices completely over the top in the last 5-8 years and $4-$6K used to get you an engine swapped and brake and suspension upgraded one, while today you would get a roller. Ones are sold today that were considered scrap back then.

 

The best engine is the stock L16 or a swapped L20B. They fit because they were made to fit the 510 and are simple to keep running and on the road. If you can't keep one of these running you should buy a civic.

 

Talking engine swaps without addressing brakes and suspension is noobish. Doubling the 510s hp on 45 year old brake and suspension technology? Not a good idea. Again buy one already modified with better brakes and suspension.

 

A KA24DE swap would be at least a couple thousand to do right, not take short cuts, and you do the work. An SR several thousand just for the engine. Having a garage do this you better just bend over. Again cheaper to find one already built and just pay for it. 

 

 

 

Read through many of the 510 build threads and see what other people do and how much work goes into it. See what problems there are and how they are addressed and how long it takes. Now imagine paying mechanic's rate for all the work. Research, research, research. Know what to look for when buying a car. Know the problem areas and know when it's done right. Go to car shows and ask questions, hell ask questions here. Know more about what you want than the guy who's selling.

[Ratwagon1600]

Oh dear, a Honda driver.

 

Welcome to Ratsun.

 

Quickly buy a Datsun, post pics and atone for your sins.

[Draker]

If you are serious... go talk to hosestop in Whittier.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/56406-alleycatgarage-so-cal-shop/

[q-tip]

Make it stop good, make it go good, make it look good. IN THAT ORDER!!

[datzenmike]

Make it stop good, make it turn good, make it go good, make it look good. IN THAT ORDER!!

[q-tip]

It's a 510, Mike its hard to make it not turn good.

[ratpatrol66]

Welcome! Screw the 510 and buy yourself a Patrol.

[datzenmike]

Hows this...

 

Make it stop good, make it turn even better, make it go good, make it look good. IN THAT ORDER!!

[paradime]

- If I wanted to use a 510 as my daily, what would be the best engine swap to use, for the best combination of performance, gas mileage, and fun. 

 

I will suspend any skepticism and assume you have the resources and tenacity to build a reliable swapped “Daily Driver” 510.

 

In all reality, if you want to shoe horn A/C into a 510 engine compartment, you need to plan everything from the word go. Unless you have considerable bank, and or fab skills, you'd do better to stick with an L. One benefit of the stock L series motor is, the intake and exhaust are both on right side, leaving lots of room on the left. Relocate the battery and you have room for A/C. Swap a KA or an SR in there and the engine bay fills up with manifolds and hoses real fast. A well built L20 will fit the bill for performance and fun. Keep your foot off the peddle and you might get over 20mpg.

 

- if I were to do this engine swap, would it be possible to still install the AC in the car. Like I said, it's going to be my daily, and would like to still be comfortable in the LA summers.

 

You need to reconsider the whole Datsun thing if your looking for modern comforts like wipers that wipe, headlights the light, or a defogger that doesn’t fog the windows. Discomfort is the 510’s most enduring feature. If you’re not willing to “rough it” a little, the 510 is not your kind of D/D

 

A friend of mine in San Diego has a KA swapped 4 door 510 with A/C (I think out of a Miata). He describes it as almost pointless, because when it gets hot enough to use it, the car overheats in traffic and on surface streets, aka LA.

 

-All in what would a total ratted out 510 cost me round about. 

 

Trust me, you aren’t looking for a ratted out 510 that will cost you more for body repair than what you paid for the car. Get the straightest Dime you can get your hands on. If you're lucky, you'll find an upgraded 510 that someone else sank a ton of money on the chassis. Even then, chances are you'll need to undo all the stupid.  

 

- are there any good auto shops specializing in 510's or datsuns that would allow me to learn and be involved in the process of doing the project? 

 

Sounds like a unicorn. 

[KoHeartsGPA]

All of that ^^^ Paradime is spot on, 510s are for fun and games, making one a dd in my opinion is a travesty.

[Skib]

 510s are for fun and games, making one a dd in my opinion is a travesty.

 

 

Iv DDed nearly all my datsuns.

 

But I also have the know how to rebuild the engine over a weekend and still get to work on Monday if I needed too lol

 

 

If you dont know how to keep things going, have tools, have work space... daily driving a 40 year old car can and will be a pain

[KoHeartsGPA]

Agreed, you need to be mechanically savvy to dd any vehicle that's difficult to find parts readily, gotta get creative sometimes.

[q-tip]

I used to dd mine, not bad at all.

[bananahamuck]

I used to dd mine, not bad at all.

 

 

Did you notice where the dude lives??????  Lots easier to turn on the heater cuz it's chilly than to even sit in a car in the summer there.

 

I think my sisters old easy bake oven was cooler than it is there sometimes during the summer.

[Skib]

Did you notice where the dude lives??????  Lots easier to turn on the heater cuz it's chilly than to even sit in a car in the summer there.

 

I think my sisters old easy bake oven was cooler than it is there sometimes during the summer.

 

 

lol I dont have AC in Cali... T-tops help,

but when its 110 out and youve been on the car for an hour... you really consider fixing the (expensive) AC lol

 

 

Its not always comfortable, but it is manageable. 

just know your prob going to be hot, cold, a little deaf and generally smell like exhaust.  esp when your asking about what a rat costs. ..

 

If you want a perfectly comfortable car you never have to work on get a newer car

[Skib]

If you dont have mechanical know how, tools and a place to work...

A daily driver ratty ass 510 is prob not going to end well for you. 

unless you have the kind of budget that lets you send it off a shop every time somethings gone wrong. even then, it wont be a DD while its sitting in a shop.

[paradime]

In my youth, my D/D was a ratted out BLACK 1968 510, and I lived in San Diego. That car was indescribably fun, and is the reason I have a 510 in my garage to this day. Over the years I've owned many 510s here in Cali. When it gets hot, you roll the windows down. When it gets cold, you roll the windows down so windshield doesn't fog over. It's a Datsun thang. 

[Burabuda]

i thought it was camo?

[paradime]

Second was the camo urban assault vehicle.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/45362-paradime-project/

[banzai510(hainz)]

start out with a Datsun truck first to gain knowledge sp you don't ruin another 510 after you find out how hard to keep a 40year old Datsun on the road.

We do it out of Love and (we fucking have to ) to keep them running.

 

Best buy a KIA as a daily and a Datsun as a hobby.  If I told you what work I done on my Datsun 521 in the last 5 years you would never get one

[paradime]

rksumida83, you got everything you asked for. DatsunMike, Q-tip, Bananahamock, Skib, Banzai510; these are some of the heaviest hitters in the Ratsun/Datsun/510 community. You won't get better, or more knowledgeable advice. Let me ad something, show respect here, and don't let this go to waist.

[Skib]

You can DD a datsun... but its not always easy.

Just trying to give you an idea whats really involved.

 

 

 

I daylied my first Datsun at 17... it was a heap of shit 280zx I drove out of the woods where it had been left next to someones shed.

Prob running on 4 cyl :rofl: and I knew jack shit about cars, but I had some tools, a garage,

and found some local Datsun guys and spend billions of hours doing research

 

and I still wound up having to drop it at a shop a few times because I was new,

in retrospect, it wasn't a very good DD but I did learn how to work on it because I had too. I don't necessarily recommend that lol

[Rhino13]

I have a 720 I daily drive. I picked it up a year ago and other than giving it a tune up with plugs, wires, and fluids not long after getting it, it's been a solid ride. I threw a Weber on it and had to deal with shitty fuel pump replacements until getting a facet. The heat works great, it's pretty quiet inside, and its taken me all over the state of Oregon so overall it's a great daily driver. Granted it is 10 years newer than a 510, but I'm driving that while I work on my 521!

[DanielC]

This is a Datsun 1970 521 that is daily driven.  It can be done.  but I have these advantages.  I also have a 1996 Ford Aerostar as a backup vehicle.  I also have the factory service manuals for the engine, the body, and the emission systems.

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/30606-my-ratsun-datsun-521/

I got my first Datsun when I was in high school.  That was in 1973.  I still have parts to that Datsun 521, the 521 in the thread above, and three others.  I have the space to keep then all under cover.

Five or ten years ago, I still could get radiator and heater hoses for a 521 at a Nissan dealer.  That is not true any more.  I have to make heater hoses from bits and pieces of other heater hoses, and that is complicated by the fact that the engine has 14 MM heater hose fittings, and a 521 heater has 1/2 inch heater hose connections.  Yes, that is correct, a 521 body and chassis has American sized fittings, SAE sized bolts, the engine has metric bolts, but the fluid threads on the engine are a British standard.   That is only one complication of daily driving a 1970's Datsun.

 

I took auto classes after I graduated from high school at a local community college.  I learned a lot about working on cars then and I have taken some refresher courses since. 

 

I also have a little bit of land, on a small ranch, and board horses.  That gives me a chance to drive around in pastures, and find problems before I take a vehicle out on the road.

 

Back to your questions.  Best engine swap, L-18.  Physically the same size as a L-16, L-16 external parts bolt on, same height as a L-16.  The L-20-B engine is taller, may cause problems fitting carburetor, and air cleaner under the hood.  The exhaust pipe may be different, and will sit sightly higher, because of the height of the engine.  The L-18 will be happy with the same rear axle ratio and the L-16 engine, the L-20-b engine may be slightly better with a slightly lower numerically (faster car speed with same engine RPM) rear axle ratio.  Any L series transmission will bolt on to any L engine.  the transmission from a turbo 280 six cylinder will bolt on to a L-16, but may not be the best choice.  Going to the other engines mentioned, you will need the transmission for that engine, and may also need to change the rear axle ratio also.  If you want to daily drive your future Datsun, leave it close to stock.

 

I believe any stock AC you find for a vintage Datsun will have ran R-12 for a refrigerant. You cannot get R-12 any more, the AC will have to be converted to a more modern refrigerant.  Remember, when adding AC to a car, also adds a pre heater for the air, before it goes into the radiator.  Do you want to sweaty in LA traffic, or stuck in LA traffic with a broke down overheated car?  

 

If you have to use a shop to do the work on your future Datsun, the labor rates will be a lot.   You would be far better to find the most complete Datsun you can.

 

Here is another thing to think about.  New Datsuns from the 1970's had 3,000 mile minor service intervals, 6.000 mile a more major service, 12,000 mile, a compete tuneup, and chassis check.

 

How old is your Civic?  Is it fuel injected?  Are you ready to deal with the "personality" that comes with a carburetted car?