Coupe, sedan and wagon. Trans-Am
champion. Reliable enough for the Baja 1000. Timeless looks. Street cred with
all age groups. Rear-wheel drive. Cheap!
What is this mythical creature,
this answer to all your automotive needs and desires? You’ve seen it before at
vintage races, at Japanese car shows, in old race photos, at autocrosses and
drift events—or maybe rusting to pieces, neglected, in someone’s back yard. It’s
the Datsun 510.
Reliability was its strong suit,
but its looks also never went out of style. This is the car that introduced the
broader American market to the durable Japanese car. It was the first Datsun
that sold in big numbers, though the sales were largely on the east and west
coasts. Not many 510s made it inland.
Introduced to America in 1968 and
sold through ‘73, this car was aimed squarely at mass-market appeal; the
forthcoming 240Z was planned to enter the sports car realm. It was something of
a surprise when the 510 turned out to be an incredibly capable competition
machine, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been: Yutaka Katayama, the so-called
father of the Z-car, was also responsible for the 510.
Sedans and coupes are suspended at
all corners by struts, which is something of a marvel in itself: Independent
rear suspension was still somewhat exotic at the time. Wagons got a live axle
at the back. Teruo Uchino, the man credited with the car’s bodywork, was
influenced by European cars of the era. With its 1.6-liter SOHC engine, the car
aimed squarely at the BMW 1600.
It wasn’t long before the 510 was
called the “poor man’s BMW,” or “the little shoebox that could.” Fans nicknamed
it the nickel-dime (often shortened to just “dime”) for its numeric
designation; in its home market, it was the Bluebird.
Once enthusiasts and racers got
their hands on the 510, its chassis bore fruit. In 1969, it finished fourth and
seventh in a class of 34 entrants in the Baja 1000. Only 10 of those 34 even
made it to the finish line that year. The 510 also wore red, white and blue
livery—a clever PR move to endear Americans to the car—while winning the 1971
and ’72 Trans-Am championships at the hands of John Morton. The cars in both of
these efforts were built by the now-legendary Pete Brock and Brock Racing
Enterprises.
If you want to build a tribute,
BRE is making it easier. You can buy the exact fiberglass air dam that ran on
his Trans-Am cars. They’re even made by the same company. Complete decal
packs—in the original fonts and colors—and reproduction wheels are also
available.
That’s not to say it’ll be a fast
car to drive. With just 96 horsepower to haul around those 2130 lbs., you’ll be
driving that slow car hard—or looking for upgrades. Engine swaps are the hot
ticket here.
Look to other Nissan products for
the easy upgrades. L20B engines fit easily and bolt in place with few
modifications. It’s a 30 horsepower increase, but also brings lots more torque with
little weight gain.
Want more than that? The Nissan world
is your buffet. Everything from Nissan’s SR20-series four-bangers to VG30-series
V6s have been made to fit—even Mazda’s turbo rotaries have been swapped by
ambitious owners.
The ‘68-‘73 dimes are going up in
price, so grab a good one while you can still afford it. It’s a timeless
shoebox in any shape you want. Building one will be a bit of a scavenger hunt,
but the final product will be endlessly rewarding whether you hang with vintage
racers, autocrossers, drifters, or the show-car crowd.
SHOPPING AND OWNERSHIP
Les Cannaday, the owner of Classic Datsun Motorsports, has built many
510s and other Datsuns over the years—including most of Adam Carolla’s
collection. Classic Datsun Motorsports has been running for 20 years. Les
shared some of these tips with us.
A do-it-yourself attitude is
required in 510 ownership. An old car with a young following is a strange place
to be, and the aftermarket isn’t as robust as with, say, the Z car. Look to the
community to answer your questions, and expect to find a lot of old websites
with good information but dead links.
You can benefit the 510 community
by supporting shops that build quality parts. Many owners got into old Datsuns
because they were cheap, and then put cheap parts and modifications into them.
This aided the spread of inferior parts; for example, it’s difficult to find a
rear window seal that actually works.
The Dime Quarterly, a 510-centric
publication, went web-only earlier this year. They’re a collection of 510
enthusiasts who have been writing about the 510 since the mid-‘90s. Their blog has
back-issues and is full of technical information, old articles from mainstream
magazines, and event listings.
If you’re keeping with an L-series
engine, you can build it for street duty to make a reliable 150 to 160
horsepower. Stronger pistons, connecting rods, and high-performance camshafts
are all available. You can get individual throttle body kits and fit it with
fuel injection, too.
A cheaper route to rebuilding an
L-series engine is the modern swap. Many four-cylinder Nissan engines will work
using some combination of OEM Nissan engine mounts. The KA24-series engine is
an easy and cheap way to get horsepower and torque, and modern engines have a
higher performance ceiling than the L-series. Modified crossmembers and engine
mounts are available to make the swap easy.
L-series race engines running 110
octane gas make around 190 horses. Expect to spend about $40,000 to build a
competitive vintage race car. Ongoing costs are low: The driveline is robust,
and the car is easy on consumables.
Expect difficulty with trim pieces
on first and last-year models. The 1968 and 1973 cars had a lot of unique parts
like emblems and grilles. The former also had a horizontal speedometer; the
latter was the only year that 510s had illuminated switches inside, and the
only year that offered no sedans.
Two-door cars are getting rarer
and more expensive. Save a few bucks by going to the sedan or wagon. Each shape
has its own group of aficionados, so there’s kinship regardless which you
choose. Look for decent two-door dimes between $4000 and $8000, with pristine
cars selling in the teens and higher.
SPECS
1968 Datsun 510
layout: front engine, rear-wheel drive
engine: 1.6-liter SOHC L16-spec inline four
horsepower: 96 @ 5600 rpm
torque: 100 lb.-ft. @ 3600 rpm
transmission: four-speed manual
suspension: strut front, strut with semi-trailing arm rear
steering: recirculating ball
brakes: 9.1-in. disc front, 9-in. drum rear
wheels: 13x4-in.
tires: 165S-13
weight: 2130 lbs.
PARTS
Brock Racing Enterprises: reproduction race car wheels and livery,
bre2.net, (702) 558-3374.
Classic Datsun Motorsports: race parts and service,
classicdatsun.com, (760) 940-6365.
Troy Ermish, Inc.: performance and engine swap parts,
ermish-racing.com, (510) 252-1001.
RESOURCES
