Turbo Rotary Nissan Datsun 510 Datsun 1600 Street
Show Car –
"Yellow Fever" – World's Best Street 510
1969 510 2-door sedan
VIN: PL510-075841
Manufactured: April, 1969
This page can also be viewed at www.bryanf.com/510/ebay.htm.
Contents
This 1969 Datsun 510 is widely recognized as the best street 510 in the world. It was recently featured in Mark Warner's 2007 book, Street Turbocharging. This car was designed, fabricated, and constructed with great attention to detail. I did not rush or skimp on building this car and the quality is apparent in the final result. I have owned many other customized, high-performance 510s. Four of them had engine swaps and were turbocharged. I have also worked on many more 510s for customers over a period of many years.
Most of the photos of the body, engine, and interior are recent (taken in or after August, 2007). Some of the fabrication, construction and component part images are older.
The condition of this car is excellent. Because it was conceived and built as a show quality car, it has been driven very little – just enough for testing purposes. It has been driven in 3 phases as follows.
After initial construction, but before painting: 3 miles
After painting, before engine rebuild: 5 miles
After engine rebuild (July 2007): 2 miles
The engine didn't really need to be rebuilt, because it ran fine, but I wanted a ported and blueprinted engine and recently found the opportunity to take this step.
All welding on the car was done by an experienced weldor using a Miller 300 amp TIG ("Heliarc") welder using Chronatron welding rods, with the exception of body work, which was done with MIG welders.
The car was purchased from Turbo Tom in 1986. It was his personal IMSA RS race car in excellent condition and with low mileage. I have owned it since then. It has since been fully rebuilt and modified, and it has always been garaged and covered.
The basic concept for the body was to make it as smooth and clean as possible while retaining the look and proportions of a 510 rather than making any radical changes. I developed a list of about thirty body modifications that I wanted, in addition of course to making the car "perfectly straight". At least eight body modifications that this car has, I have never seen or heard of on any other 510. I ruled out any top chopping, or any kind of channeling, sectioning, etc., in favor of keeping the basic proportions of the car intact. While I tried to keep this car lightweight, I was not willing to use any fiberglass body panels because they always end up looking like, well, fiberglass body panels. So the body is all steel.
The items removed from the body in the quest for smoothness and simplicity include the following.
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The car was completely disassembled before it was painted. A custom dolly was made, and it was then thoroughly media blasted, inside, outside, and underneath. After painstaking, professional final body work, the inside, outside, inner fenders, and underside – all sides of all panels – were painted with Ferrari fly yellow Sikkens brand acrylic enamel paint. The body work and paint on this car are stellar. The finish is absolutely gorgeous.
In addition to the outstanding paint finish, the panel alignment on this 510 is excellent. Panels are flush with adjacent panels, and panel gaps are parallel and uniform.
All new door hinges, new front and rear windshield weatherstrips, new trunk weatherstrip, new hood bumpers. Gloss black powder coated hood latch (top and bottom). New hood release cable. All new, gloss black powder coated: hood front molding, front fender front moldings, grill, headlight trim rings and headlight surrounds, bottom grill molding, and rear light frames.
Gloss black powder coated aluminum license plate bracket attaches underneath car and is easily removed. There are no holes in the rear body panel since the license plate attaches only to the plate bracket which is fastened under the car, behind the rear body panel.
Mazda 13B rotary engine, ported, blueprinted, and rebuilt, by Cam Worth of Pettit racing in July, 2007.
Chrome plated front engine mount, alternator pulley, water pump pulley, crank pulley, distributor bracket, and carb adapter bracket. Precision leading and trailing ignition timing marks on front crank pulley. All pulleys have dual sheaves allowing the use of two fan belts to prevent slippage. Gloss black powder coated flywheel covers, oil filler tube (custom shortened), oil pan, alternator mounts and bracket, water pump housing, and throttle cable bracket. The custom made, gloss black powder coated oil pan has a magnetic drain plug.
Gloss black powder coated custom steel oil pan with magnetic drain plug.
Dual external oil filters mounted upright for easy oil changes without spillage. FL-1A oil filters. Oil cooler incorporated into custom Ron Davis custom aluminum crossflow radiator. All Aeroquip braided stainless oil lines with anodized aluminum fittings. Gloss black powder coated aluminum oil filter bypass block on engine. Oil temperature gauge on dash with sender in oil filter adapter housing.
Custom built Ron Davis aluminum double-pass crossflow radiator – an extremely high-quality radiator – with integral engine oil cooler and SPAL electric fan keep this car cool in the hottest weather. Radiator and fan are new as of August, 2007. Gloss black powder coated radiator mounting brackets. Bench tested 180 degree thermostat. Polished aluminum thermostat housing. Moroso gloss black powder coated aluminum filler neck and Stant radiator cap.
RotoMaster T04B turbocharger with ceramic coated turbine housing and gloss black powder coated compressor housing. P-series turbine. Gloss black powder coated compressor outlet pipe and intake manifold adapter. Heated aluminum carb adapter to provide smooth running when engine is cold. RotoMaster adjustable boost wastegate discharges exhaust directly into main exhaust system.
Boost is currently set to about 6 PSI. It can be turned up several more pounds by adjusting the wastegate; more by changing the wastegate spring; and even more by installing a mechanical or electronic boost controller. As light weight as this car is, I feel that it has more than enough power as is. The car has not been dyno tested so I do not know how much power it is making. According to engine simulation software and comparison to similar setups it should be making about 300 HP at about 7000 RPM. That's a power to weight ratio of 5.5 pounds per horsepower, which is better than most any production car you can buy today including Vipers, Z06 Corvettes, Italian exotics, etc.
See-through 8-gallon FuelSafe fuel cell with foam splash-resistant core and aluminum mounting brackets. Quiet, Mallory electric fuel pump. All stainless AN plumbing. Aeroquip aluminum fuel filter. K&N polished stainless steel velocity stack style air cleaner housing and K&N high-flow air filter.
Highly modified, well-tuned, and documented gloss black powder coated Holley 4-barrel double pumper carburetor includes center pivot fuel bowls with solid nitrophyl floats (won't leak and sink like brass floats), chrome hardware and fasteners including hex head fuel bowl screws, reusable non-stick metering block and float bowl gaskets, anti-splash vent whistles, extra-tall anti-overflow vent tubes, anti-pullover discharge nozzles, and power valve blockoff plug (important for rotary engines). Two return springs, one on each side of primary throttle shaft.
The carb setup is far simpler and more reliable than fuel injection and is much easier to troubleshoot and work on. There aren't many disadvantages over fuel injection. This car runs well with smooth and even idle, quick throttle response, good driveability at part throttle, excellent full-throttle performance, and high efficiency. I have plenty of experience with EFI but I selected the carb for this car for many reasons and I have been very pleased with the results.
3-inch mandrel bent exhaust system and muffler. Ceramic coated exhaust manifold, turbine housing, turbine outlet, and tail pipe. Gold foil heat shield. Flowmaster 2-chamber aluminized muffler. Custom tail pipe improves ground clearance and incorporates one additional low-restriction baffle. The exhaust system and muffler have a tunnel alongside the transmission / driveshaft tunnel to provide maximum ground clearance.
Turbocharger, tail pipe, exhaust manifold, and turbine outlet
Daikin heavy duty clutch pressure plate and Daikin heavy duty clutch disc. Mazda RX-7 5-speed transmission with very low mileage. Shortened, gloss black powder coated shifter with Datsun shift knob. Shifts smoothly and quickly. Runs quietly in all gears. Redline MT-90 gear oil. Gloss black powder coated transmission crossmember. Custom shortened driveshaft with heavy duty U-joints. Jaguar Dana differential with aluminum rear cover.
This car was built with light weight in mind. It has not been weighed on a scale, but every significant component has been weighed and added up for a total of under 1700 pounds. You can find this list here.
The roll cage is custom built and TIG welded with lightweight but strong combination of tubing. The cage was welded outside of the car to enable welding of entire circumference of tubing joints. The cage was professionally designed for maximum stiffness with minimum weight. All joints were carefully fitted with minimal gaps before welding. The cage is welded to the car body not only at the floor but also at the main hoop, halo, windshield posts, firewall, strut towers, and rear body panels, making the entire assembly very stiff. The cage is precisely aligned with the body. The main hoop is parallel with the front edge of the rear windows; the windshield posts of the roll cage are parallel with the windshield posts of the body. The entire halo is above the top of the windshield and door openings.
Odyssey battery in photo was replaced with Optima yellow top battery in
2007.
A large portion of the fasteners used on the car are stainless and/or aircraft (AN) fasteners. All fuel and oil line plumbing, wastegate actuator, and water bypass hoses done with stainless braided AN plumbing. All brake lines are teflon lined -3 steel braided hoses – no rubber hoses.
Front struts include Carrera shocks and 3-inch racing springs with adjustable ride height. Tilton strut tops and camber plates. Custom tension rods with adjustable castor and low-friction bearings. Aluminum bump steer reduction spacers correct the camber curve.
Custom anti-roll bar. Adjustable stiffness. Custom end links which include aluminum arms and aluminum rod ends top and bottom.
Gloss black powder coated front crossmember, tension rods, camber plates, and anti-roll bar (including main bar, aluminum arms, and brackets).
Jaguar independent rear suspension. Shortened control arms. Shortened, heavy-duty drive shafts. Rear suspension rebuilt with nylon bushings and new wheel bearings. Four Aldan coil-overs with adjustable ride height. Custom radius rods with aluminum spherical bearing rod ends with ideal geometry. Custom pinion mounts. Gloss black powder coated front and chrome plated rear tie bars on control arm mounts. Polished stainless under tray strengthens entire assembly and makes a great jacking point.
Custom anti-roll bar with adjustable stiffness. Custom end links which include aluminum arms and aluminum rod ends top and bottom.
Gloss black powder coated control arms, anti-roll bar (including main bar and end links), radius rod bracket, coil-over brackets, and pinion mounts. Gloss black powder coated control arm spacer tubes. Gloss silver powder coated control arm mounting brackets.
Geometry of this suspension compared with the original, semi-trailing arm setup, with its terrible bump steer and camber curve, is far superior. The only way to get decent handling from the stock rear suspension is to set it up ultra stiff, so that suspension travel and the associated change in toe and camber is minimized. That extra stiffness involves major compromises in cornering, traction and ride quality. The front and rear suspension on this car are set up with far more reasonable spring rates!
Rack and pinion steering with Coleman square section ultra-smooth, quick-ratio, adjustable ratio rack. Aluminum steering rods with aluminum spherical bearing rod ends. Custom front-steer steering knuckles with adjustable connection to steering arms. Computer designed for ideal Ackerman steering geometry.
Freshly installed steering rack
Steering shaft features gloss black powder coated steel shafts with splined connections, anodized aluminum U-joints, and gloss black powder coated aluminum lower main shaft cover, firewall bearing with gloss black powder coated mounting flanges, anodized aluminum top steering column bearing.
Genuine Momo suede steering wheel from an actual Geoff Brabham Electramotive Nissan GTP car. Steering wheel mounted with quick-release hub.
Simmons modular wheels. 16x7 inch wheels in front and 16x12 in rear. Kumho 205/40-16 tires in front and Goodyear racing tires in rear. The tires are like new with only about 10 miles of wear.
Because the rear wheels are 12 wiches wide with 2 inches of positive offset, they have a 4-inch outer rim and an 8-inch inner rim. If you wanted to use narrower wheels, anything with a 4-inch outer rim would fit perfectly. For example, an 8-inch wide wheel with zero offset.
In the front, Corvette calipers, NASCAR race car vented rotors, and custom aluminum hub adapters and caliper mounts. In the rear, stock Jaguar inboard disc brakes with cross drilled brake rotors. Tilton master cylinders mounted to red wrinkle finish powder coated aluminum pedal bracket with gloss black powder coated aluminum brake and clutch pedals. Separate master cylinders for front and rear brakes with a remote brake balance adjuster. All Aeroquip stainless braided, teflon lined -3 plumbing.
The brake pedal has minimal travel, moderate effort, and good feedback. The brakes work extremely well and the car, with its light weight and sticky tires, stops easily.
There are no brake lines or other braking components under the hood, adding to the amazingly clean appearance of the engine compartment.
One-wire high-output chrome plated GM alternator with internal regulator, with black powder coated mounts and bracket. Optima yellow top deep cycle battery (new in Summer 2007). Battery ground cable connects to roll cage via a battery power cutoff switch. Custom gloss black powder coated aluminum switch panel with Longacre safety ignition toggle switch with pilot light, Longacre starter push button, Longacre fuel pump switch with pilot light, Longacre cooling fan switch with pilot light. Marine ignition key switch with pilot light and two double-sided keys. Pegasus Auto Racing switch labels. All heavy-duty components are used so no relays are required.
Custom ultra-light wrinkle black powder coated aluminum dash with Stewart-Warner gauges and easy access hole for master cylinders. Genuine Momo suede steering wheel from an actual Geoff Brabham Electramotive Nissan GTP car. Steering wheel mounted with quick-release hub.
Custom carbon fiber door panels with foam cores. Carbon fiber sail panel trim. Polished aluminum interior panels and rear wheel tubs.
New, gloss black powder coated door sill scuff plates. Red wrinkle powder coated aluminum pedal bracket and gloss black powder coated aluminum brake and clutch pedal. Gloss black powder coated steel throttle pedal. All pedals are adjustable.
Gloss black powder coated billet aluminum rear view mirror with gloss black powder coated aluminum mounting bracket.
H3R 2.5-pound ABC-rated MaxOut fire extinguisher with aviation style mounting bracket.
The interior is currently minimal. It can be left as-is for maximum lightness, or a custom interior can be added to your taste. Two matching seats are included, but only the drivers seat is currently installed. Currently, RJS 3-inch racing seat belt installed on drivers side. Also included with the car are two complete, new Sparco racing belts with 3-inch lap belts and shoulder harnesses, and camlock quick release buckles.
These paint chips illustrate the appearance of the Sikkens acrylic enamel paint in varying light conditions.
The following additional parts and items are included with the car:
- Two gloss black powder coated hood props - one steel, one aluminum
- 3 right front fenders
- 2 left front fenders
- Hood
- Left side door
- Misc. special tools and fixtures
- Numerous spare rubber body seals and gaskets and chrome moldings
- Huge collection of receipts, instructions, drawings, and other documents
- Original SCCA log book
- RX-7 5-speed transmission, low mileage and very good condition, with shifter and starter
- Oil metering pump
- Spare magnetic oil pan drain plug and drain plug seals
- Passenger seat, identical to driver seat but not installed
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Pair of new Sparco 3-inch camlock lap belts and shoulder harnesses
- Lexan panels that can be used to make lightweight rear side windows if desired. (Stock rear side windows can be easily installed too. All original mounting holes are still in place.)
- Spare engine oil, gear oil, diff oil, original Sikkens Fly Yellow paint (for touch-up purposes), Zaino Show Car Polish, Zaino ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive, K&N Recharger Filter Care Service Kit (air filter cleaner and oil)
The following maintenance was performed in July and August 2007 while the engine was re-installed after it was rebuilt: Changed oil (Valvoline racing oil), oil filters (Autolite FL-1A), changed transmission gear oil (Redline MT90), changed differential gear oil (Valvoline high performance gear oil), changed coolant (Prestone coolant and distilled water). Drained and refilled fuel cell. The following maintenance was completed after engine run-in (September 2007): Changed oil (Valvoline racing oil) and oil filters (Autolite FL-1A). Installed new spark plugs (NGK BR8ET).
The winning bidder may be interested in having additional work performed on this 510, either before delivery or at some later date. I am fully willing to complete additional modifications on this car to the new owner's requirements and specifications. Additional work can be negotiated at fair rates. My previous customers can attest to my fair and honest work ethic and high standard of quality. References are available. I have a fully equipped, 1400 square foot garage available at my home, including a 300-amp Miller TIG welder, compressor, bead blaster, hydraulic press, sheet metal brake, shrinker, stretcher, bead roller, band saws, etc.
More information and many more photos can be found at my personal website: www.bryanf.com.
All details and specifications are correct to the best of my knowledge but not guaranteed. Car is for sale as-is with no warranty.
Prospective bidders are welcome to view and inspect the car at my home in Atlanta, Georgia; however, test drives cannot be allowed until after the car is sold. I hope you will understand my position on this.
Payment must be by cash or by bank transfer. No other form of payment will be accepted. A $2000 deposit is required within three days of the end of the auction. Full payment is required within two weeks of the end of the auction.
This car is for sale locally, and might sell directly to a buyer outside of eBay, so bid now!
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