Datsun 510 - Progress

[Honoturtle]

Revell kit # 85-2377 (Tuner series)

Several members asked for pictures of my 510, so here we go....

Lemmie start off with parts/mods & description on the top of my head:
- Roll-cage
- 15" RS Watanabes
- Heavily modded front suspension
- Scratch-built rear coil-overs
- Modified exhaust system
- New, larger radiator w/cap
- Disk brakes
- etc.

















The car will be painted Tamiya TS-08 Italian red.. haven't decided to keep the rims the current color, or paint them silver.

Any questions, comments, opinions, etc. are welcomed.

[EMAXX]

Sounds like it's going to be an awesome build. I love the look of the car already.
If your going to paint the car red, I'd keep the wheels black. They go good together. Keep us posted.

[pre98zetec]

Holy Crap, That's awesome man, Those rims looks great on it. That cage looks great to, Have fun with the front end, It's really hard to get on..


Josh

[86_SR5]

Originally Posted by Honoturtle

[

Just imagine for a moment.......the simplicity.......of a fully moded....... Turbo charged.......RB26DET.......in there^

[SonyMobile]

lookin good so far, nice lookin cage, but if your going to paint it red, i agree, keep the rims black, and like sk8r said, have fun with the front end, its a bit of a biotch..

[Layla's Keeper]

Man that's getting to be a popular kit 'round these parts. I've got one going together. slk320 built a stellar one. I think SpoonmanDos has one from way back. Ratdat has his. Now you've got one.

fuggin a man. Way to go Revell.

Can't wait to see how you approach yours. It's going to be stellar to see.

[slk320]

looks to be a stellar start!! I like the roll cage a lot

[SpoonMan Dos]

Very creative! I just want to know how you modded your front set-up. Looking forward to more progress. And I agree with 86 SR5, an RB26 would be killer in that engine bay. I just havn't gotten one for mine yet.

[86_SR5]

Originally Posted by SpoonMan Dos

Very creative! I just want to know how you modded your front set-up. Looking forward to more progress. And I agree with 86 SR5, an RB26 would be killer in that engine bay. I just havn't gotten one for mine yet.

damn, were both doing lite car high powered projects, your 510 with the RB, and my 86 with the 2jz.

[hypertek]

in 1:1 i dont think rb26 swap would be possible... All I know is 13bt, vg30 and sr swaps into them.

[Honoturtle]

Thanks for the comments! I progressed further today, will post pics tomorrow.

Originally Posted by hypertek

in 1:1 i dont think rb26 swap would be possible... All I know is 13bt, vg30 and sr swaps into them.

I think so too. I'm sticking with the 16L motor... funny thing though, at one of my LHS's they had a 510 with a RB26TT.. the engine is quite long for the engine bay.

[nis.k.a.]

RB26DETT would be nice but really front heavy.....

[86_SR5]

how would it being front heavy affect it? would the back sit 2'' off the ground, and the front down like on bags?

[willimo]

Originally Posted by 86_SR5

how would it being front heavy affect it?

Spoken like a true straight liner.

The beauty of a 510, besides its lightweight, was and is its near perfect poise on the track. It handles like a dream, or so I understand (I've never driven one). If you throw an enormous, heavy engine into the front of a tiny, lightweight car, you're bound to upset the balance.

Why do you think MG only put the V6s in the GT, with its fastback balancing the heavier engine up front (I think, Layla's Keeper help me out)? Why is a first gen RX-7 rotary put into MG Midgets instead of something bigger? Why is anything but a rotary in any RX-7 nothing but silly? Why are Hondas competitive despite their relatively low power? Power is good, but balance is better. You can make any nimble car go fast, but its hard to make a fast car go nimble. Why screw with a good thing?

Edit to not waste space with another post: Yeah, I mean V8. However, I did not know that it was lighter! Thanks for setting me straight, LK.

[Layla's Keeper]

I think Willimo is referring to the V8 MGB GTs. And, for the record, the V8 weighed less than the four. 75lbs less! Of course, we are talking about the difference between an 1800cc iron block four and a 3500cc aluminum block V8.

However, the MGC, which was built by stuffing the Austin-Healey 3000's straight-six into the MGB roadster is a good example. The 2900cc Austin Healey six required a complete redesign of the MGB suspension (they went to torsion bars in place of the old coil spring and wishbone setup) and put a lot of weight in front of the front axle centerline.

The MGC's were horribly balanced at 58/42, the MGB roadster has good 51/49 balance, the MGB GT is 50/50, and the MGB GTV8 has 49/51 distribution.