Cruez Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Well guys... the tension is building... The plane leaves tomorrow evening. We will be arriving in Salt Lake City around 2:15 AM Saturday morning.. We hope to start the drive back to North Carolina around lunchtime or so. The current owner says the exhaust has a leak so I think I will have a pipe and muffler put on before starting out.. (don't want to be sucking fumes for 2000 miles ) For those that don't know the reasoning behind this trip, I am buying a '71 Datsun 510 station wagon. You don't see them over here on the eastern side of the US... It costs around 800 or so to have it shipped... so I figured we could get some cheap plane tickets and make an adventure out of the drive back across the US. I have faith in the little car... and the owner seems to be trustworthy.... at least over the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Good luck! I hope it's as road worthy as he says! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I've always loved 510's and have been very interested in the wagons in recent years. They are rare on the east coast, for sure. Good luck with the trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I hope all goes well. Enjoy the trip!!! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Keep a journal, should be an interesting trip/adventure. Good luck and I would love to see the car when you get it out here. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Keep a journal' date=' should be an interesting trip/adventure. Good luck and I would love to see the car when you get it out here. Mark[/quote'] a journal...good idea... We are taking 2 digital video cameras and 2 digital cameras also. I wish we had enough tapes to make a full video of the entire thing and compress it... tapes are only an hour a piece though... that would be over 30 tapes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Did he make it out of Utah yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 Hey guys.... made it back. The car ran perfect the whole trip... the only problem we had was the starter solenoid started acting up halfway through the drive home (and it was a new starter ) .. no biggie though.. The seller picked us up around 7:00 am Saturday morning and we went to get a muffler and exhaust put on and some supplies, etc. and we didn't get to leave Salt Lake City until 2:00 PM or so. We make a couple side excursions along the way and we didn't get to Denver until around 2:00 am. Darrell, I would have gave you a call when we go to Denver but it was a little late. The part of the trip between Utah up to the eastern side of Denver is very beautiful. You guys were right about Kansas.... that state was the worst to go through... hot, dry, long, and pretty much sceneless.... unless you like vast fields. We were on the road pretty much from 2:00 pm on Saturday until 6:00 PM Monday. We stopped in Denver for a few hours of sleep since it was next to impossible on the plane. The first leg we drove from Salt Lake to Denver, slept and drove from Denver to home... the second leg was about 30 hours of straight driving... until I got to the house..... and it was pretty tiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8dats Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 glad to know u made it home safely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Nice job. I would have bet on a glitch or two in a 35 year old car. Nice to hear it was pretty much trouble free. Got any pics of the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'll try to get some pics on later this eveing... I haven't even unpacked... too tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 the second leg was about 30 hours of straight driving... until I got to the house..... and it was pretty tiring. But you brought the Golden Ghrames right? That's the only way you could have made it 30 hours. Life savers too right? Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 Forgot the golden grahams... snacked on sour cream an onion pringles and energy drinks. Here are a few pics.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Man that is so cool! I love road trips. Especially when things go (mostly) as planned. Nice wagon! gonna throw a 6 in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 A V-8 will do very nicely in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 COOL! I was thinking a SR20 for the sport wagon theme, or a GN 6 for the monster wagon theme.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I would LOVE to build a killer high HP sleeper 510 wagon. GN engine, slightly lowered, stock paint, near stock interior, small average wheels, stock looking on the outside and in the interior but a beast from light to light or on the highway. Ahh to have lots of money and time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Well, I am soooo glad that the guy that I bought it from was straight up... There is absolutely NO rust in this car... not even the battery tray.. Unless you want to call surface rust anything.. where the paint has flaked off in 2 spots, one the nose and a spot on the upper fender.. 220 grit sandpaper would erase it.. ...and its never been wrecked... I couldn't ask for better for a base to start with.. Even the frame rails are perfectly straight... not even a single mark from a jack.. The interior needs to be redone, and the paint with some minor dings... other than that.. it is sweet... I can't believe I actually went through with the trip Still don't know what or when to do anything in the engine department... I'll worry about that when the rest of the car is done.. a VG30-DETT sure would look nice in there also .. Its definately going to be a sweet ride when its complete... hopefully fairly soon, I hate dragging things on forever... I have a paint scheme already in my head, so I can picture the finished project already. I talked to the body shop today, to get a feel on how to stage the painting. Those 13" wheels will be the first to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Wow, that is a beautiful little car. Another one finds a good home! I can't wait to follow the project. Keep us in the loop. Nice photos too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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