AKWIKZ Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Like most of you, I've had numerous toy cars over the years. Some of them quite memorable, a few others not so much. I can't speak for anyone else, but there was always that one car that I regretted selling. My 510. But as luck would have it, she's back in my life. I built this car over 8 years ago. I never got her running. I simply had all of the body work and paint done and then sold her. I never heard about it after that until 2 years ago. Another member here, Zhadman, ended up buying her from the guy I sold her to. He did not get very far on the project and last month after some discussion I bought her back. I have a bunch of pics from when I first got her all through the body work process. I will scan them in and post if you guys are interested. She started out as a primered, stripped shell in need of a new core support. It was a long process of almost a year at my friends body shop back in San Diego. It has Classic Datsun Motorsports fiberglass fenders, trunk, hood, spoiler, and rear flares. I had a friend in Australia send me the parts and I converted it to RHD. I also sourced some Bluebird Coupe sequential taillights. The color is Porsche Guards Red. And after 7 years of sitting in the So Cal sun I think she's held up pretty well. I just got her back home last weekend and have only gotten as far as removing all of the old wiring harness and interior. The L20B will be coming out as well. If you look at one of the pics you can barely see the new drivetrain sitting on the floor. I will be rewiring the entire car and building the suspension next. I expect a curb weight of around 2100 pounds when I'm finished. She will not be a firebreather compared to my Skylines, but it won't take much to make her move well. My plan is to make it into a track car for local events. Nothing more grand than weekend warrior stuff. Anyhow, I'm pretty excited about getting it going. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Awesome, your freind must have done a great job on the paint if its still the same from when you had it. Congratulations. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 sw00t! welcome back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwik240z Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Glad to hear that you got it back. It looks really nice. What motor is that sitting there? What are your plans for suspension and brakes? There is a 510 forum called the510realm and also a 510 internet email list called the bluebirds list. Lots of good 510 info at both places. PM me for more info. I have 2 510s and I love them. I don't know what it is like to live without a 510. I have always had at least one since 1987. Good luck with it and keep the updates coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Nice story...now go make a good ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Holy crap there is room in that garage Seriously I can't wait to see it and definitely can't wait to see it run Firebird west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKWIKZ Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 I have been a long time member of the Bluebirds mailing list and have actually been browsing DimeQuarterly all these years even though I did not have a 510 at the time. My plans for the car are rather modest. The motor going in is the often over-looked sibling of the SR20. The mighty CA18det!! Okay, okay, that might be a bit of a stretch. At least in stock form. Now, you may be wondering why I chose this drivetrain. I'm glad you ask. While the CA18 is overshadowed by it's glitsy sister the SR, it is actually a superior motor in many ways. Even though the SR is an aluminum block compared to the iron block of the CA, the SR is around 50 pounds heavier. When set beside one another, the CA is shorter both in height and in length as well. The CA also has a better valvetrain. It uses a cam on bucket design instead of the rocker arm of the SR. The CA is essentially a four cylinder RB. They love to rev. And even though parts are not a readily available as an SR, they are still plentiful. My plans of road racing the car all favor this motor. I intend to install the motor in it's stock form and modify, and document, it in phases. Here is the short list: Tomei Poncams, 450cc injectors, Tomei metal head set, GT28RS turbo, and Z32 mass sensor. I'm looking for 300hp at the wheels. As I said, not that spectacular a number around here, but more than enough to scare the local Porsches and Vettes at the track. I am also toying with the idea of a 100 shot on top of that for the drags. The suspension up front will be all Datsport with sectioned ZX turbo struts and coilovers. The rear will also be mostly Datsport components. I have spoken at length with them, to the chagrin of my phone bill, and I am very impressed with the thought that went into the design. For brakes, I'm lucky enough to have Arizona Z Car only 45 minutes away and expect Daves products to be more than enough for my needs. First step is wiring though. I ordered a universal harness and will re-wire the entire car along with the factory CA harness. I really don't need over half of the stock wiring so this step will really help clean up the car as well as improve the reliability. 36 year old wires tend to be problematic at times. All in all, I hope to have it running by mid summer. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 nice! plans for the wife's 510 include a ka24de.... either w/ ITBs/twin mikunis or ka-t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimetoy Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Hey Brian, Have you still got the 510??? PM me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I want my old 510 back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Funny that someone dug this thread up 2 days ago... I bought this car on Sunday from Eric who bought the car from Brian. Until 12pm today it was in the same condition as the first pictures in this thread... I spent this week gathering parts and today I started assembling it. CA is prepped to go in next after I patch the hole in the floor and fill in some of the extra bulkhead holes... followed by some gloss black paint on the bulkhead. Edited July 19, 2013 by rayaapp2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Did this today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Nice Ray! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) Did this today That's a clean engine bay, any more pics for the 510 Fan Club , I am on the hunt for a clean 2dr with old school engine/tranny mods , I have a very especial glove box waiting >>> Edited July 20, 2013 by PLATA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 http://s81.photobucket.com/user/rayaapp2/library/1972%20Red%20Bluebird see if that works for pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 http://s81.photobucket.com/user/rayaapp2/library/1972%20Red%20Bluebird see if that works for pictures 510 porn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sito Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Did this today That looks amazing! What kind of motor is that? It looks like a mini RB motor hah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 CA18 It really is a mini RB, has the same head design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 yep, 1993 S13 CA18DET. I have made a little progress each day on it. I need to go out to the junk yard and search for an S13 hand brake... I dislike the dash unit... Datsport use to have one that was similar to the S13. Series 92's much better! I stopped by T3 on Tue and picked up a few parts as well. Spare tire cover, camber plates, and coil over bits. I plan on picking up rear coil overs and a strut bar from them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 http://youtu.be/d39c5m_fJ3k It runs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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