Dropped past KMS tools the other day and ran into a fellow wagon nut. Learned about this site so... here I am. My names Cam I'm 27 and I've owned my goon since 2002? Its gone through a lot of changes since then... and somehow it looks worse not then it did when I started. I blame lack of know how and money when I was younger. Either way after letting the car sit for the last 3 years I pulled it out of the weeds and got to work. Heres my 1972 Datsun 510 the day I bought it from Seattle. The car had a 4 on the floor and 2.0 swap with side draft SU carbs. On the drive home the car started to run a little odd. For some reason I went to grab the choke cable and I burnt my hand because it was so hot. I later learned the previous owner didn't ground the engine.. so the choke became the ground. The orange wasn;t workin for me.. so I dug deep into my very shallow pockets and my buddy and I painted the car in his carport with a spray gun and thinned out Tremclad rust paint. $100 later I had a set of horrible offset rims and some 16" tires. This 4x4 was the result. So out came the cut off wheel and a set of 2" blocks By this point I had been through a # of engines, the first 2.0 popped the HG so out it came and a high comp 2.0 went in. the new 2.0 lasted 4 days before the rear main puked all its oil out and I spun a bearing. In went a 3rd L20B, this engine died of holes in the pistons.... By this point I had run out of two litres so I lightly tweaked 1600 went in. The day I finnished the swap we headed to California for the Mt Shasta meet... that's a story in itself.... The 1600 held strong for a year and the HG let go on a trip home from Oregon. Time to upgrade! After spraying the bay with REAL PAINT!! the 1995 KA24DE from a 240SX was fitted into the engine bay. Twin cam 2400cc, EFI and a five speed should be fun! The cut springs also gave way for a set of Coil overs and some 200SX front brakes. I drove the car for a year like then then yacked the engine and the car got stripped for paint... paint never happened... the body shop that was going to paint the car left my poor a wagon a complete mess and never did the work. Discouraged I let my car sit and rot in the driveway for a number of years. I almost sold it a few times... but I just couldn't. I love my car. So a few months ago I sourced another KA and started all over again with a shell that used to be my car... I kicked my Dads M3 out of the garage and took it over once again.. and he thought he got rid of me when I moved out I hand polished everything I could get my hands on, and this was the end result. (some dirt wad stole my cowl cover while the car sat, I've since sourced a new one) For now the car will continue to look like this... I can do mechanical... but body? Well I'm good with tremclad but that's not happening again...... Anyways theres my car and quick overview of the build so far. I've done MUCH more but its 1AM and I should be asleep...
Welcome to the madness Cam! I have a hot key on my keyboard that types "Poor Kia!" Don't make me set one up that does "Poor Datsun!" j/k. Your Datsun is totally "June unapproved" but I like it anyway. You mentioned various 4 bangers but what are you using for transmission?(I may have missed that while I was ). Your wagon friend(Tedy?) must have tipped you off we like around here. You get a for opening post rating. Hope you enjoy the forum! Oh,
to the wagon train, 510. GREAT intro! I liked following your little wagon's climb from rags to riches! Good for you for not selling it, holding on to it and continuing to upgrade that little toughie!
Wonder if The Rev (Rick) is looking for a commission....... Like the 510, Cam. OK, the NEXT time you blow an engine, try a Mazda rotary from an RX-7........... Welcome to the forum! Marshall
Love the little square Datsuns and yours is really really cool! Great intro and awesome progression pics! Welcome to the forum, really good to see the younger crowd getting into wagons!
to the forum. Great introduction. I still don't know how to add large and mutiple photos. I'll never learn! Great job with your toy!:2_thumbs_up_-_anima
Thanks all! I was assured you guys wouldn't shun me for having an import and I am glad this rings true. Guess wagon people are a special breed I believe the tranny code is a FS5W71C or "c type" from a 240SX. I had to use a custom trans bracket and move the shifter location back 5" and the tunnel 1.5" up to allow it to fit. I gotta get packing though, taking the car down to Portland Oregon for a Datsun meet this weekend... this is the trip that cost me my 1600 years ago.. wish me luck! (I'll get plenty of pics ) just a test to see if I can link photos from G+ if that worked you are seeing a pic of the car the day I got it running again. Hadn't even finished assembling it.
