510 First car (project)

[Rice]

Hi guys, been lurking for a while and finally found myself an old 510 in a junkyard for super cheap!
This is my my first project and technically my first car, here are some pictures of the car when I found it and later picking it up.

 

 

 

 

 

it’s really rusty, front fenders, both rockers the floors and the spare tire well are rusted out so those will need to be fixed and it has been sitting probably at least 25 years. Surprisingly the roof hood and trunk have very little rust.

 

A friend recently wrote off his 240sx with a stock sr20det and is going to give me a hell of a deal alongwith everything needed to run it, so I plan on going down that route.

 

 

PLANS: 
Plans for the car are to fix it enough to safety it and drive it around and slowly restore it. Starting with the body and engine swap to get it moving.

i was wondering if there’s any other parts off the 240sx which could be useful, such as the steering rack or rear diff.

 

More updates to come hopefully, I will begin tear down next week before starting repairing rust and probably making a rotisserie.

[]2eDeYe]

Welcome. Looks like you got all the components for a great build. 

[datzenmike]

Automatic? They tend to be great survivors.

[Rice]

Yeah its an automatic,  which I've heard has a larger tunnel to fit the tranny in. No battery but the key is there so im going to see if the L16 will crank before removing it.

[datzenmike]

It's larger than the standard but just larger, not huge. It's hard to drive the shit out of an automatic, try it some time. It gets boring real quick and you revert to just driving it.

[Rice]

Hopefully can get the engine running and try the dinky column shift before tearing it down too much.

@datzenmike are you near UVic? I have a place 2km from UVic whenever I’m there for classes. Who knows when we are allowed back tho.

[Rice]

Here are some pictures of what I think is completely stock engine bay, a little messy.

 

 

 

 

As well as some picture I got from the 240sx while taking a look at it today.

 

 

 

 

 

And the gauges that came with the engine before the swap into the 240sx.

 

My friend is giving me a hell of a deal on the engine harness ecu and gauge cluster and I plan on getting the rack and pinion as well as the the brakes and hub assembly.

 

Is there anything else I should consider taking off the car? 

[Lockleaf]

Brakes will take custom brackets to make useful, possibly some other work.  Rack and pinion pivots are way too wide, you will end up with massive bumpsteer unless you happen to be a suspension engineer.  Dont bastardize that s13 gauge bezel into the 510 in any permanent fashion.

 

You should be able to swap in a cable driven speed sensor into that transmission.  That will give you stock 510 speedo function.  Coolant temp sensor is as easy as using the 510 sensor (if the s13 signal doesnt match already).  Fuel level is unrelated to engine so that would still function correctly.  Battery lights can be wired correctly as well.  So really, there's no reason for the gauges.

[Rice]

Found an hour to get to the shop this afternoon so I started teardown, just started with the passenger seat and trying clear the front (bumper grill fenders etc) I got the passenger seat out and got some more pictures  of the  interior. Im definitely not  gonna touch or cut anything I think and will try to keep as much stock dash as possible, I really like the old school style.

 

 

floors are gone

 

 

i wonder if any electronics will still work 

 

 

 

 

 

 keys still have this tag on them and a ripped owners manual and a couple pennies.

here are my two cents i guess

 

 

 

 

is this too many photos?

 

[Rice]

@Lockleaf ill see what i can do about fitting the calipers, i have a shapeoko and a ton of aluminum so maybe it cant make something out of it, if not my dad has a machinist friend who can probably help out.

i definitely want to reuse as much stock dash as possible so i may come back to you for some help to reuse gauges and switches.

 

Questions:

 

im not too sure, but the engine is coming with a left hand drive sr20 harness for a 240sx, will i have to do anything to get it to fit or to work in the datsun(connectors or any changes) the engine is also coming with the stock jdm harness so i can snag some extra connectors maybe. im assuming lengths wont be an issue.

 

will a top mount turbo manifold let me use the stock steering so i dont have to mess with it? and any ones you'd recommend.

[hobospyder]

Did you seriously ask if its too many pictures?

 

 

[]2eDeYe]

The motor wiring is stand alone and is not affected by RHD/LHD issues. 

find a nice place to mount the ECU that the harness can reach. Some guys mount it on the passenger side above the foot well.

 

Also you might hit up Icehouse for a can-am box as it makes wiring the motor up pretty simple. 

[hobospyder]

I request more pictures

 

 

 

 

And second the motion of talking to icehouse for a can-am box

[Rice]

Had a few hours after my class said I went to the shop and got some more stuff off. 
 

Started with removing bumper and headlights and trims, before getting stuck on the rusty fenders.
 

 

 

 

 

Opened up the air box to see if we could start the thing, filter looks new!

 We tried to connect a battery And start it, but the engine was seized and wasn’t moving with oil and a breaker bar.

 

since I know I was going to swap the engine I just started clearing the engine bay even though I wanted to try driving the auto once, too bad. I just want to start fixing rust because it’ll take the longest amount of time too. 
 

im pretty new to cars since I’m normally so buys with school but my dad definitely knows what he’s doing as he used to race 510s back in the day and has had quite a few over the years. We are more of a Toyota family though.

 

some pics of a portion of my dads many projects

 

 

 

We almost have too many land cruisers

 

Questions about canam box :

Is it just to easier and cleaner wiring. I read a little about the efi engine wiring being almost completely Self contained and I’m. It sure how hard it is to wire up. My dad has done quite a few swaps and we are currently swapping a 1hdt into the 55 landcruiser and a 7mgte into the Cressida, so I think we would be fine without it.

@Icehouse pls convince me otherwise 😅

would it help to keep the interior stock (gauges and ignition)? Or just make the harness easier to install, keep track of and maybe remove?

 

 

lastly since I’m not using the engine what would I be able to sell anything to hopefully recoup some money for the sr20. Here are a few of the things I’ve removed

 

The horn still works haha
More pics to come👍

[Lockleaf]

The can am box simply gives you a clean prebuilt relay/fuse box to hook up your various connections.  The engine harness will need 12v ignition and 12v battery.  You will need to per the fuel pump.  There's something like 5 connections you need to make.  Where you have experience backing you, it may not be necessary, but they do streamline the process and help it look professional.

[Icehouse]

The CAN/AM box just makes the wiring easier.  

 

I would leave the car as is.  Install the SR and enjoy it.  If you make it to nice you won't want to drive it unless it's a nice sunny day or you will end up getting so deep into the project you might loose interest.  I would keep the shell as is and focus on the drive train.  I can tell you from experience the beaters are the fun cars.  I drive my SR 510 every day, rain or shine.  

 

Me and my good buddy Sam make a rack and pinion kit that allows you to keep a bottom mount turbo setup.  Saves money and time while making it drive nice.  Not sure if you've ever driven a datsun with a steering box....... 

 

rack and pinion conversion

[banzai510(hainz)]

Im digging the FJ70 truck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

those parts in the box are worth about 20$

 

You use the canam box for the new engine harness. and the old harness you keep in the car. But assume your dad will know that

[Rice]

yeah  my dad will help me to figure out the wiring, i think well be fine without but ill keep the canam in mind.

thanks icehouse, i love the racing stories posted

 

@banzai510(hainz) i think its a hzj75 with the diesel engine, either that or my dad swapped the 1hz into it.

 

hes focusing on the hdj55 so its moving to the other shop for storage.

 

 

what should i do with the old l16 as well as its seized and i wont be using it again, could i sell it with all the engine parts i removed from the bay, we have enough engines sitting around here. i may just put it on Kijiji for cheap

 

 

 

ive been stripping down the front of the car and the next steps are engine removal and bodywork. im going to need floors rockers and front fenders for sure, i may get quarter panels for all the dings and classic rust at the bottom. anyone have any experience with futofab shipping to canada how much does shipping and customs duties cost?

is it worth it to buy everything id need in one shipment or 2 different orders, 1 for whatever i need to get it safetied and driving and then a later order replacements for dinged up panels to make the car pretty?

 

left frame rail is a little rusty

 

 

like icehouse said i think its better to just get enough finished to safety it and drive it for a while as that will already take a while.

 

@Icehouse the rack and pinion setup is pretty expensive, im thinking it would be cheaper to buy a top mount and keep stock steering for now as i dont really need power steering just to drive around. id also like to spend some money on some coilovers later for the look i want.

 

a lot of work ahead but reading all the other builds really inspires, thanks for the help guys

[sick620]

updates?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I'd love to take a couple of those LCs off his hands. That way he'd have more time for the 510!

[jeffball610]

I know everyone wants to get in and tear a car down then start fitting up the modded parts. From my own experience, I suggest EVERYONE make the car run and drive first. Unless there is an issue preventing you from using what's there, use it or fix it to get it moving first. A mobile project is much more motivating than a stationary one.

 

It might seem counter intuitive to buy or fix parts you're going to remove later, but in the end, it's worth it. So many people have given up on projects because it was "too much work". Do the small things before you tackle the big things. My 2 cents. (it might be worth those 2 Canadian cents at least)

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

You and I understand this. But so many people think it's easier to tackle everything at once. Motivation is a huge factor in any project and it's easy to keep motivated when you can take it for a drive every once in a while.

[edekalil]

I love my 2 door 510's, enjoy yours I'd get her running and drive her.

[the510keeper]

looks like a fun project.