1968 Datsun 510 Sedan (Project Datto)

[Komisiripala]

DEpendsmonnwhantyoure looking for. If you're looking to restore into it's former glory, that s a heavy undertaking. Will be consetly and time consuming. If you plan on running it as is, then it's really up to you. I personally am not a fan of diesels

[fatjoe]

Actually its in a very good condition. Thought of making it a daily runner

[Komisiripala]

Actually its in a very good condition. Thought of making it a daily runner

Then go for it. Post some pics will you? Would like to see it. But that car would have had a mean 2 liter twin carb in it!

[Jaliya48]

Is this a four door saloon or the ultra cool two door coupe?

[Devinda_Z]

Mate, I think Devinda was referring to a the classic James May "Good News" on Dacia Sandero...

oh dear lord i just got that reference!

ROTFLMAO

Sorry gentlemen - O.T i know but i just couldn't resist

[Pericles]

oh dear lord i just got that reference!

Chee chee, Komi! What is the meaning of this? I mean, these things don't happen in Germany...

[Komisiripala]

Chee chee, Komi! What is the meaning of this? I mean, these things don't happen in Germany...

Now I did get that reference! Btw have you read my book? Lots more jacko jokes in it. Got me ousted from the OBA for 5 years it did!

[Pericles]

Now I did get that reference! Btw have you read my book? Lots more jacko jokes in it. Got me ousted from the OBA for 5 years it did!

No I haven't. Where do I find it? I know a few people who would love to read some

[fatjoe]

Is this a four door saloon or the ultra cool two door coupe?

Four door Saloon.

[Komisiripala]

No I haven't. Where do I find it? I know a few people who would love to read some

It's called "sainted blue, painted black" was an autobiography about growing up in college. Published in 2002. Short listed for gratiaen literary award 2003. Vijitha yapa. Try crescat or unity plaza.

Trust me you'll love it! College banned the book from its library/archives and I was denied OBA membership for 5 years.

[Devinda_Z]

It's called "sainted blue, painted black" was an autobiography about growing up in college. Published in 2002. Short listed for gratiaen literary award 2003. Vijitha yapa. Try crescat or unity plaza. Trust me you'll love it! College banned the book from its library/archives and I was denied OBA membership for 5 years.

is this the sorta book that would come handy for someone looking for material to use at the annual Roy-Tho debate?

[Komisiripala]

Oh hell yes!

[Gummybr]

It's called "sainted blue, painted black" was an autobiography about growing up in college. Published in 2002. Short listed for gratiaen literary award 2003. Vijitha yapa. Try crescat or unity plaza. Trust me you'll love it! College banned the book from its library/archives and I was denied OBA membership for 5 years.

I have the book bought it for my last class prize voucher. But truthfully speaking it doesn't hurt that person that much rather than a few instances he has been mentioned.

[Komisiripala]

I have the book bought it for my last class prize voucher. But truthfully speaking it doesn't hurt that person that much rather than a few instances he has been mentioned.

To quote him in 2006, when he inquired about my health from a friend who visited him: "so how is that traitor Rajawasan? Did he die from the tsunami?"

Oh the truth hurts. And when men like that run rampant with young boys' hopes and dreams, someone has to stop them

[k9master]

It's called "sainted blue, painted black" was an autobiography about growing up in college. Published in 2002. Short listed for gratiaen literary award 2003. Vijitha yapa. Try crescat or unity plaza. Trust me you'll love it! College banned the book from its library/archives and I was denied OBA membership for 5 years.

Komi, serious respect man, petrol head, a classic car owner and now a published author... of a BANNED Book

Damn...

[Supra_Natural]

To quote him in 2006, when he inquired about my health from a friend who visited him: "so how is that traitor Rajawasan? Did he die from the tsunami?" Oh the truth hurts. And when men like that run rampant with young boys' hopes and dreams, someone has to stop them

I really must pick up this book of yours machan, It sounds most interesting... I keep thinking I have to, but the last two times I went to vijitha yapa i clean forgot!

[Komisiripala]

Banned 12 years ago! Still on the shelves. Wasn't given gratiaen award because I was "too young" to receive the honour at 18. That was their honest reason. Do read it.

Wrote another. About to publish.

[Komisiripala]

looks like its finally time to give the good old datto the makeover she's been waiting for. with project R wrapping up, i can finally start work on this. let me say this at the outset, tho. this is more demure, saner restomod. there's no high performance this and that here. more of a process of bringing an old lady back from the nether.

sadly, i have a few more commitments at the moment, which means to say updates will be less frequent. it does not mean, however, that she will get any less love or attention to detail that the honda got. but it is fun to get involved in some old school motor mechanics, rather than the hi fi electronic hoo ha's of the teg.

so let me start by laying out the blueprints of my grand plan. i present to you, Project Datto!

[Komisiripala]

1. ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN

for obvious reasons, i removed the L13 powerplant. it was running smoothly, but started to compalin when the AC was turned on, when two or more people got in the car, when the incline was over 30 degrees etc etc. of all these, i just need to to stop coughing with an AC. plus of course the SSS spec came with an L16! and that's what's going in. i'm trying to source an L20b camshaft, which was the same as the L16SSS. very very rare, and hoping to get lucky.

also, upgraded the coil with an accel super coil, and planning to get an MSD blaster kit for this as well, with some good plugs, for a cleaner burn. will be redoing the exhaust manifold.

will be installing an external oil cooler. for form and function. it does look hella cool, and the tended to heat up exponentially when the previous AC was turned on. the gauge just kept climbing and climbing. usually the datto ran very cool. so i guess this will help, as long as i don't go knock it somewhere...

as for the intake, i've already sourced a single side draught. but looking for that elusive SSS twin side draught carbs! found the carbs themselves, but not the inlet manifold. more on that as i hunt.

will be doing a shave and tuck job as well to hde all the wires and clutter. no ECU means no harness, so its a lot less wiring to worry about.

planning to dress her up, with a black or chrome valve cover and a spatter paint engine bay. end result will look more or less like this, without the ITB's of course:

during my fiddling with the lady, i found out that the gearbox she's running is off a sunny B310, with closer ratios and weaker clutch/pressure plate. so i sourced a spec datsun 610 box, built to handle an L18, plus i think its 5 forward. so that leaves room to play around a little.

the rear diff, is a direct bolt on for the subaru R160 diff, and axles. both were made by fuji heavy industries, and to the same measurements! trying to source one with an LSD. that would indeed be sweet.

2. BRAKES

datto has none. well four drums in my book equals a prayer!

got the front discs off a silvia S13. huge numbers, those. only fits a 15" rim. the rears can be nicked from a cedric/cefiro. will be going to panshi and hunting for parts with one of indika's men, in disguise. will upload when i get them. also putting in a servo, with lines inside to the hydraulic handbrake i got from imran.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Komisiripala

[Komisiripala]

3. SUSPENSION

will be reverting to stock ride height and replacing the worn out dampers. its too low at the moment for me.

4. TINKERING AND PAINT

there's a lot of cataloy hiding a lot of dings and dents. so have to scrape it down to bare metal and tinker first. in the process have to close the leaks in the drainboard as well. once done, will be going for a flat gloss white finish. after a lot of thinking, settled on white again. somehow the color, to me, is timeless and brings out all the lines and curves of the body. it just never gets old. now i understand mty dad's fascination with white cars!

so it should look a little like this:

will be spraying the rims a gloss or pearl sky blue. for a bit of contrast.

engine bay paint:

as mentioned earlier, will be stripping it down, and laying a few coats of GM's spatter paint. to get that thick, sandpapery finish. i'd like it to be the canvas for the artwork, so to say!

[Komisiripala]

5. DETAILING - EXTERIOR

front and rear bumpers, eyelids will be beaten back to shape, and re-plated. i like a little bit of chrome. gives that vintage look.

the bluebird badge, a super-rare find off Y! japan, will also be chromed and stuck on the bootlid, and not the side fender. because i could only find one, and i already have the delux decal on the quarterpanel. don't want to badge-bomb here. less is more.

the rear might get a datsun logo, since it doesn't say that anywhere. still iffy on that.

front grille will be plastidipped black (thanks to tiv) and will carry the OEM bluebird badge, and the white SSS on either corner.

the alloys will get their lips buffed before paint.

have to fix the rear light lenses and rear garnish. this centerpiece is another rare JDM option most of the gaijins slobber after. lucky to have it. it only came on the delux model.

will be chrome plating the rear C pillar garnish as well. that to oi haven't decided on

1. whether to stick the SSS badge on it

2. whether to go with black, and have a chrome line, as in the photo below. its difficult to hit that perfect mark of how much chrome/black. open to suggestions.

as int he photo i'll be plastidipping it black with two chrome lines which run parallell with the lines on the light. have to tinker and re-plate the chrome on the lights, and remove that godawful tint. and maybe Davy can have a look at the lenses. i think the tint probably helped preserve them!

i sourced a set of E30 BMW ellipsoid projectors for the headlights. will be going with those, and 6000K dims, with 3200K heads. might mount a set of fogs with halogen bulbs also. for that foggy hill climb to horton plains with Bugatti and VVTi.

sourced the bluebird SSS replica turn signals from thailand.

oh and none of that 6- nonsense for this car. will get a proper 6 sri 4411 number plate done the good old fashioned way. the front i will offset. have the plate on one side and the oil cooler on the other. can't wait to see what that looks like!

Edited September 2, 2013 by Komisiripala

[Komisiripala]

6. DETAILING - INTERIOR

now, this should be an interesting bit. i want it in concourse condition. and am gonna sell my liver to get it there. at first i wanted to skimp on it, but then i figured out that that's what most restomods are subjected to. so here goes:

dash: sourced the RPM meter, as described previously, will be moving the radio lower, more out of sight, and replacing that space with three retro gauges. for water temp, fuel level and voltage. mounted on a gunmetal grey aluminium fascia, which fits in a singleDIN space. will be moving the AC a little off center to accomodate the stereo.

sourced the original headlight and wiper switches. sadly couldn't find the fiber optic ones that lit up when you turned them on. those are unicorn balls, as usual. if another goes up on sale, i will definitely grab it. also if i'm going with fogs, i will use the OEM foglight switch. as that's broken need to source that too. surprisingly, the cigarette lighter still works! the little victories, i tell you!

gearknob is sorted. as earlier, an original rosewood SSS knob. if the new box is a 5-fwd, i'll get another, or get the top print redone. i love this knob!!

seats: aah the seats. what mental anguish they have given me! at first, quite blasphemously, i was gonna redo the teg seats and stick em in. but then i decided against it. instead, i plan on doing this:

basically reuphoslter and reshape the existing seats to have more side support and look sportier. in black, with matching blue herringbone stitch. as its rexin its gonna cost me a packet, but i have a feeling, as with the teg, this will set the car off at another level. also, the seats have the original folding mechanism, and that's irreplaceable. lal uphoslters said this can be done, so i'm guessing deens should be able to do one better.

the rear seats are fine, and i'm laving them untouched.

door trim will also be redone, hopefully with the same emboss. and blue highlights instead of the existing tan.

i have half a mind to wrap the nardi wheel in leather. for a chunkier grip. but if i polish the wood and buff the alumium, it might also work. in two minds over that as well.

sourced the original gear boot. the existing one is a tall lanky ugly fellow from a B11 i think. eww.

getting down an original dome light, and new rear window latches. one is broken and the window keeps flapping when i take turns. those are a bit costly tho.

[Komisiripala]

7. ELECTRONICS/ELECTRICALS

alreaedy sourced the original fuse box. and headlights will be as described above.

for in car entertainment, i'm not doing much, as the datto will give an ample soundtrack with its carbs. thought of JBL 6" fronts and 6x9" rears, powered by an amp, with no sub. tweeters too.

i might need a bigger battery and an alternator service. since at the mo, the horn doens't work when lights are switched on. i'm guessing for the load.

the wiper washer bottle right now is hideously mounted and capped with a castrol oil can lid. will be getting a new wiper washer system, with motor, reservoir and water lines. the original washer sprays are there, thankfully!

well, that's it for now. had a chat with indika about it, and he's very excited and eager to start work on it. i think we'll begin as early as next week. so await more updates.

[Jaliya48]

This is shaping up brilliantly! As for white cars, gloss white brings out the lines of the body and is my favourite colour as well. Couple it with white wheels and BAM! Note it HAS to be gloss white and not the metallic, speckled ''Állion'' colour!

We're all eager to read about updates too!

[ferrarif50]

komi, just sharing...

you may have seen this - http://datnut.dfrag.com.au/