1968 Rotary 510

I bought this 510 following a tip from a friend of mine. It had been sitting in a machine shop for years and looked pretty rough. It was so covered with tools and sheet metal scraps, it was hard to see the actual car! It turned out to be structurally intact and rust-free though, and I bought it for a very fair price. I had been planning to build a 510 with a Mazda rotary engine, and so this car was purchased specifically for the purpose of building my first 510 rotary engine conversion.

This is a very early 510 - serial number PL510-012479.

Body: 16 coats of lacquer blue flip-flop pearl white paint with clear top coats. This was the first time I did a little experimentation on a 510 body. The horizontal body lines just below the door handles have been removed. The trunk lid was also smoothed. The rocker panel moldings and all emblems are gone too. The car was converted to the later model side marker lights. The body was carefully block sanded and wet sanded before painting.

Paint: I selected a paint that was unusual and eye-catching -- a paint that changes color as the light changes. The effect was not as dramatic as I had hoped but it was very interesting nonetheless. We started with four coats of plain white paint, then four coats of pearl white lacquer paint. At this point the car was beautiful and it might have been tempting to quit there. But next we applied four coats of "flip-flop" blue pearl paint, followed by four coats of clear. All sixteen coats were lacquer. Unfortunately pictures have never done this car justice. On video tape it looks really good though.

Engine: Mazda large-port 13B rotary engine, Holley 4-barrel carb, Racing Beat header with aluminum heat shield, 2-1/2" custom exhaust system, two Racing Beat inline rotary mufflers with stainless steel inserts, one Walker Turbo Muffler.

Drivetrain: Racing Beat lightweight flywheel and heavy duty clutch. RX-7 5-speed transmission. Have used various differentials on this car over the years, and it ended up more or less permanently with a 3.90:1 R180 limited slip.

Suspension: Modified suspension and brakes. Shortened struts with Mulholland shocks. 15-inch Panasport wheels. 195/50 Goodyear VR50 tires.

Chassis: Clean, rust-free chassis/body. All Aeroquip brake, water, oil, and fuel lines. All new wheel bearings, ball joints, steering rod ends, etc. All new rubber seals and weatherstripping.

Electrical: Fully re-wired the entire car. Fuse panel under dash. GM internally regulated alternator. RX7 electronic ignition.

Interior: Tinted windows, aluminum door panels, RX-4 seats with seat covers, RX-4 rear view mirror, factory tach, VDO gauges (mechanical oil pressure and water temp gauges, and volt gauge), new carpet, console with arm rest (unknown origin), completely hidden stereo with equalizer, amplifier, six speakers, and CD player.

SOLD - This car was sold in 1994.

510


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