'71 510 4 door: Hauled from OR to AZ, then back up to WA

[Conley]

Hello all! Ever since I helped a guy push his KA swapped dime off the road in the mid to late 2000s, I've wanted a 510 so, so badly.
Finally, in May 2021 I found one that wasn't way out of my price range. It didn't run, but it looked pretty solid. My best friend and I hauled ass from Phoenix up to Oregon and grabbed it, a 1971 4 door sedan, out of another Ratsun member's backyard and then towed it back to Phoenix in 2 days total.

 

 

I had too many other cars at the time to even bring it to my house, and was working on a retired Snap On van for my mother, so it sat in storage for a year.

Then in summer last year, the wife and I decided to move to Washington. So, I sold my blue B210, my '85 XJ6, and gave my project Pulsar NX to AZHitman, and hauled the 510 up to Snohomish, Washington.

 

 

The convoy:

 

Here it is in it's new home:

 

 

The car has a dogleg 5 speed, and PO stated it had an L18. However, it looks to be a mystery LZ22 build with a L18 head. The pad that normally has engine info between cylinders 3 & 4 is strangely blank, but further down there's a casting # that says 06W that seems to correspond with a Z22 crankshaft, and the cylinder bore seems to match what I've found for the Z22 engine online.

 

 

I've been beginning to go through the wiring, and it does get power to some components but it won't turn over via the ignition switch. I was able to jumper to the starter and test cold compression, which resulted in about 195 PSI in cylinders 1-3, but a fat zero PSI in #4.

 

 

I thought it may be a valve issue, but after pulling the head there's a big hole in #4.

 

 

I'm currently looking around for an automotive machine shop, hopefully one that's experienced with Datsuns so they can help identify what crankshaft and wrist pin heights the engine has, and find parts. The head is an A87 with open combustion chambers, which isn't ideal for my intentions from what I'm seeing. I wanted to build an engine that's got solid power in the mid to high revs, nothing super peaky, but I don't want it to run out of breath by 4500 RPMs either.

 

I'm trying to figure out what camshaft profile, and pistons to use for appropriate compression without grenading the engine with detonation. Searching the forum, I'm finding people advising piston combinations and build recipes for a closed chamber head, which I don't have, and although I'm looking, seems to be unobtanium nowadays. Speaking with Specialty Engineering in Canada, I was advised that if I keep the engine temps lower with a large radiator, run 93 octane, and get a 123ignitionusa.com distributor with a knock sensor to protect the engine, that the open chamber head would be workable. I'm hoping some of you experienced Ratsun-goers can lend me your wisdom and advice, please.

 

Some goodies I got for it:

 

Mikuni 44s

 

RAYS XRAY 14"

 

Thanks for reading!

[Draker]

Dude glad to see you post a thread on this. Not sure why I thought L18.. but score for you! Bummer about the piston! I’m guessing the walls are messed up to huh?

 

the previous previous owner told me this had a “hopped up” engine. I guess I’m not surprised. He used it for a desert car rallying around eastern Oregon. He also said it had special taller front suspension for additional ground clearance. I didn’t verify that either.

 

looking forward to your progress. Maybe I’ll catch up with you at some of the local Datsun events? 

[iceman510]

A87 open head volume on the larger displacement of the Z22 might yield decent compression ratio for the street.  I don't have any of those numbers handy, but do some calculation.

 

The Z series blocks are marked on the other side I believe.

Edited February 3, 2023 by iceman510

[Crashtd420]

5 hours ago, Conley said:

I'm trying to figure out what camshaft profile, and pistons to use for appropriate compression without grenading the engine with detonation. Searching the forum, I'm finding people advising piston combinations and build recipes for a closed chamber head, which I don't have, and although I'm looking, seems to be unobtanium nowadays. Speaking with Specialty Engineering in Canada, I was advised that if I keep the engine temps lower with a large radiator, run 93 octane, and get a 123ignitionusa.com distributor with a knock sensor to protect the engine, that the open chamber head would be workable. I'm hoping some of you experienced Ratsun-goers can lend me your wisdom and advice, please.

I'm curious about the knock sensor suggestion from Specialty engineering  ....

I have a 10.7 compression L16 with a w53 peanut head and I am using the 123 ignition, (extremely nice unit)...

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Carbs look a bit crusty, but that intake is gold.

[Conley]

Draker,

Thanks! I’m excited to finally get working on it.

From what I’ve found the A87 head came on the L18, so maybe that’s why. But yeah it has dual valve springs so I’m thinking it was somewhat of a hop up. It does look to have a stock camshaft though. And as for the potentially taller front suspension I did get a set of 280zx struts and a weld on coilover kit from T3 anyways.

Iceman, good call. I need to figure out what head gasket and dished pistons to use and what I’ve got going on in the bottom end so I can calculate the compression ratio.

Also weirdly enough the pad on the drivers side of the engine where identification #s should be is blank too. Almost looks ground down.

 

Crash, I need to find more about it. I don’t know how you'd mount a knock sensor to it. But it sounds like a good path. I need to make sure the dizzy will fit a Z block too.

And Stoffregen, yeah I was excited to snag a BRE. The carbs are all complete at least, aside from the single trumpet, but I want to get air boxes for it anyways. It’s going to be a learning experience as I haven’t really had to work on any carbs before, my B210s hitachi was rock solid the whole time i owned it.

 

Thanks all! Anyone in the area that knows of trusty machine shops or carburetor shops, please send your recommendations! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Draker]

9 hours ago, Conley said:

Draker,

Thanks! I’m excited to finally get working on it.

From what I’ve found the A87 head came on the L18, so maybe that’s why. But yeah it has dual valve springs so I’m thinking it was somewhat of a hop up. It does look to have a stock camshaft though. And as for the potentially taller front suspension I did get a set of 280zx struts and a weld on coilover kit from T3 anyways.

Iceman, good call. I need to figure out what head gasket and dished pistons to use and what I’ve got going on in the bottom end so I can calculate the compression ratio.

Also weirdly enough the pad on the drivers side of the engine where identification #s should be is blank too. Almost looks ground down.

 

Crash, I need to find more about it. I don’t know how you'd mount a knock sensor to it. But it sounds like a good path. I need to make sure the dizzy will fit a Z block too.

And Stoffregen, yeah I was excited to snag a BRE. The carbs are all complete at least, aside from the single trumpet, but I want to get air boxes for it anyways. It’s going to be a learning experience as I haven’t really had to work on any carbs before, my B210s hitachi was rock solid the whole time i owned it.

 

Thanks all! Anyone in the area that knows of trusty machine shops or carburetor shops, please send your recommendations! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Z therapy works magic on carbs. Not sure they service these? Worth a call at least. 
 

[Trophy24]

Nice to see another 510 in the Snohomish area!

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Mike Malone does %90 of the carbs you see on 510s and Z cars these days. He's in the Monterey area and on IG as @topkart11

 

Even with an "air box" I would still use the velocity stacks inside the air box.

[Z23T]

The car looks like a good starting point. I'm digging those Rays wheels.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I would just get it running with basic intake and carb fixed pistons  first  then figure out the other stuff later. People have most of that stuff floating around cheap.

[damon]

These 40’s looked like those when I got them.