desertdatsuns.net

We spent our friday the 13th scooping up this 71 2 door!
Its been sitting since 98. I got it to fire up today so thats a good sign. It fired up on starting fluid right away, but the starter gave up shortly after. We ordered a bunch of parts to freshen up the suspension and brakes. After the new starter comes in im going to see what else it needs to get it driveable. Im building this one for my mom so we hope to have it on the road ASAP. The plans are to polish it up, clean up the interior, tidy up the engine bay and make it a reliable weekend cruisee. Im missing a few bits so send me a DM if you have a rear bumper, grill, a passenger 69 fender or any other random bits!

Okay... awesome find, but I'm drawing the line here about the "for my mom" story. lol..

-Guy

insitu_az wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 2:43 pm Okay... awesome find, but I'm drawing the line here about the "for my mom" story. lol..

-Guy

Lol moms into old schools! She wanted my 620 but this seems like a better and cleaner base for her and my little bro to cruise.
Im saving myself for a 68! Lol

Mom sounds like a keeper. Not many around that speak JDM.

A little progress on the 510 today. Pressure washed it to get some of the funk off of it. Now we see the horrible respray job. Its flaking away so were starting to strip it down to whatevers left of the original paint. I dropped the front suspension, sand blasted and painted everything. New tie rods, new center link, idler arm, ball joints, poly bushings and some other bits. Im going to drop the crossmember to clean and paint before installing the fresh suspension. I started coating underneath the car( ignore the ugly rear subframe, it will be painted and coated when i get a bushing set) and it looks way better so far. After i get everything cleaned and painted im going to start rebuilding the hubs and calipers. I ordered a bunch of new parts to freshen up the engine too. More updates soon!

looks good

Nice looking project.
I’ve got a pretty nice grill if you’re interested.

Thanks guys!
After a pressure wash the paint started flaking away so we decided to strip it and try to get back to the original paint. We then learned theres 2 layers of crappy paint so its taking longer than expected lol.
I have all the new suspension mocked up, i think i was sent a wrong ball joint because it didnt seem to fit right, so i stripped it trying to make it fit. So now we are waiting on replacements before tightening everything up. While waiting i swapped out the broken in half spark plugs, chewed up cables, new cap, rotor, swapped the water pump and fuel pump and here is what we got so far!
https://youtu.be/PwQoILCzRIE
I was installing the new radiator and electric fan but it doesnt fit right since the valance is pushed back. I will be straightening that up so i can finish up the cooling system and then get back to the suspension and brakes. If anyone has a 69 passenger fender and a good valance for sale let me know! More updates soon

The new ball joint is on, so the suspension is finally done.
I made my way to rebuilding the brake calipers, i got one of them done so far with new seals (pistons were in good shape so i did not replace them), a sand blast and a coat of paint. I need to finish up the other. Im considering doing the ZX spindle and caliper swap since it seems alot easier to find rotors and what not for a Z than a 510. After the calipers are done ill start rebuilding the hubs. I mounted the new aluminum radiator, electric fan, got a belt that fits(learned that the alternator whines so that is next on the list) and started replacing fuel lines. I was able to snag a weber fairly cheap so that will be going on ASAP.
The last few things on the to do list before our first drive are:
Carb swap
Clean out the fuel tank
Wire in a Fan Controller and temp gauge
Replace clutch slave cylinder and line
Brake lines
I might swap in a new brake and clutch master cylinder while im at it.
We are getting close to having it back on the road after 22 years!
Im hoping to have this one done before the new year so that i can get back to my Rx3. Itd be nice to get them both done before summertime.

Looks like you're doing a good job of bringing another one back from the dead. Keep at it!