Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Dad's Datsun 510

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Dad's Datsun 510

    Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there! In the spirit of the holiday I figured this to be the perfect time to begin chronicling my dad’s latest project. I know a lot members enjoy some non-E30 content every now and again, and since we are pretty excited about this one I decided we should share the fun.

    Backstory: Back around the time E30 M3s were new, my pops was beating up on them at local SoCal SCCA autox and track events here in SoCal in this:




    (Funny enough, he often recalls not being very impressed with the E30 M3’s performance when they were first introduced. What’s that old saying about opinions again?) :loco:

    Unfortunately, about 20 years ago, young kids, a lack of seat time and a few too many boxes stacked on the roof took their toll. The white 510 was sold-off for what we now realize was a sinfully low price given its immense sentimental value. We often wax poetically about tracking that car down and bringing it back to its former glory, however, that’s a topic for a different thread.

    Fast-forward years later, Dad gets a call from a work contact saying he knows of a project Datsun he may be interested in. Given the astronomical price levels these rusty old econo-boxes have achieved in recent years we weren’t super optimistic. However, after a quick exchange of a few photos that included fender flares and an interesting looking valve cover, our interest was sufficiently piqued. After hearing an asking price that was too good to be true, a deal was struck. My dad was once again the proud owner of a 1969 510, with, uniquely enough, a JDM Toyota 18RG twin cam engine sitting in its bay.

    The photos below were taken the day the car was towed from the previous owner’s yard. The car has come a long way since, and I look forward to continuing to document progress. Enjoy!




    Last edited by Balleristic31; 06-17-2019, 12:00 AM.

    -NICK

    #2
    Love 510s, looking forward to this!
    1991 318iC
    1989 325i Field Rescue

    Comment


      #3
      So cool! Keep the updates coming!
      Steve • Toronto
      1991 318is • Brillantrot
      Build Thread

      Comment


        #4
        I saw this gem just the other day! Love the 510.


        Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

        Comment


          #5
          ohhh yeaaaa!... this is gonna be good. also gave me an idea
          Simon
          Current Cars:
          -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

          Make R3V Great Again -2020

          Comment


            #6
            oddly enough, 510s were what got me into e30s. So stoked to see this!
            1984 Delphin 318i 2 door

            Comment


              #7
              Can't wait for more updates bro.
              @IRON-E30 aka Edwin:D

              Comment


                #8
                I got into e30s because I couldn't find a 510 to build. Can't wait to see this build.
                Click here to leave me feedback on our transactions. :p

                Comment


                  #9
                  First order of business was of course bodywork and paint. Overall, the car was incredibly straight with minimal body work required. A few small rust patches were needing to be addressed, but other that, the car was in great shape! Front flares are full fiberglass fenders, rear flares are molded/grafted in and needed a bit of clean up. A new hood and front valance/lip were sourced from Troy Ermish (fiberglass of course, this thing is going to be LIGHT). The car was originally Bamboo Tan (closer to Band-Aid color), but had been painted several times throughout its life.

                  Here are a few more pictures from that first day/assessment.







                  Dad wasn’t a huge fan of the original Bamboo Tan, however, he wanted to stay some form of tan in order to keep with the original spirit of the car. After browsing various vintage/modern tans we landed on Toyota Sandstorm Tan (used on modern FJs and Toyota Trucks). He chose a Toyota color to be a bit tongue-and-cheek considering the powertrain. Datsun purists be damned!  :D

                  The body of the car was stripped to essentially bare metal/fiberglass. All panels (hood, trunk, doors) were fit, straightened and blocked out.

                  Unfortunately, I don’t have many pictures of the body work process. Here’s
                  what we have from the body shop.















                  And fresh out of the booth. The guys over at Kirby Kia in Oxnard did an excellent job!





                  Much more to come!
                  Last edited by Balleristic31; 06-18-2019, 05:33 PM.

                  -NICK

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Damn looks really good. What is a ballpark price for a paint job like that?
                    1989 325i LS Swap (Money Pit):https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=244933
                    COTM Feb 2019: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=428404

                    Comment


                      #11
                      that's a good lookin' bandaid! I actually really like the sandstorm color that toyota brings to the table. Good choice.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Balleristic31 View Post
                        Datsun purists be damned!  :D
                        The 510 crowd has done some wild stuff, I doubt there are many purists in that group. Have you signed up to Ratsun yet?
                        Simon
                        Current Cars:
                        -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                        Make R3V Great Again -2020

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Pootis View Post
                          Damn looks really good. What is a ballpark price for a paint job like that?
                          Tough to say exactly as the job was done over many months as a favor from a long time industry friend. I will say that the quality is fantastic all things considered. Based on my limited knowledge I'd ballpark this was a $3-5K job including body work.

                          Originally posted by jeenyus View Post
                          that's a good lookin' bandaid! I actually really like the sandstorm color that toyota brings to the table. Good choice.
                          Thank you, we had similar thoughts/feelings.

                          Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
                          The 510 crowd has done some wild stuff, I doubt there are many purists in that group. Have you signed up to Ratsun yet?
                          My baseline for a properly done 510 has always been the BRE cars. Anything less generally subpar IMO. This car will pay respects to BRE while having its own unique flare.

                          We will be cross posting this thread on Ratsun most likely. Starting it here because this is where I'm most active and because R3v is my home.


                          Here a few more post-paint pictures. I can't say enough how awesome this paint job came out.

                          Pre wet sanding:



                          Note the re-cutting in of the original body line above the rear flare:




                          After wet sanding: Had a little steering help from the GF to get it on the trailer.


                          And on its way home. The tape stripes are a silly indicator of future aesthetic modifications...

                          -NICK

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Ahhh shiet!, you got on the edge of my seat dude.
                            Thing looks sick thus far, the body line molding is the work of true pro and if I were to put a price on the paint and body work job, I'd say closer to $7k with the attention to detail.

                            Real happy for your Pops and the new project.
                            @IRON-E30 aka Edwin:D

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by IRON-E View Post
                              Ahhh shiet!, you got on the edge of my seat dude.
                              Thing looks sick thus far, the body line molding is the work of true pro and if I were to put a price on the paint and body work job, I'd say closer to $7k with the attention to detail.

                              Real happy for your Pops and the new project.

                              Thanks Edwin! Really excited to bring this one around for everyone to see once it's complete.

                              Once home, no time was wasted getting started tinkering and installing various parts that had been accumulating while the car was in paint.



                              New tail light lenses were fit with SEM Black on the trim. With all new hardware/chased threads and gaskets they went on perfectly.




                              Brand new headlight buckets and nice straight grills were tossed on for a quick look. Coming together nicely…


                              Then came test fitting the front valence and lip… WOW was all we could think. Brand new turn signals as well.





                              And finally, just a sneak peak of the seats that were chosen. Something a bit different and fun to keep with the theme of the car…




                              More updates to come after I’m back from the E30 Picnic! :D



                              -NICK

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X