1972 Datsun 510 Wagon The Goon Buildup Work In Progress

I bought the car back in October of 2007, and have steadily been modifying and restoring it. I swapped the stock L18 motor that was under the hood for a 1995 KA24DE motor. I'm looking to replace the KA with an SR20DET in the near future, as well as dial in both the front and rear suspension for the last time to get this car truly track ready. No stone has been left unturned so far, and that will be continued throughout the rest of the build.

UPDATE - 6/18/2009

The motor will not be swapped for an SR20DET. I will be swapping in a built KA24DE-R (Supercharged) with an Eaton M62 blower. The suspension still needs to be dialed in completely, though it's come a long way from before. The 280zx struts up front are now modified with a custom spring perch and 8" tall, 300# springs. The rear leaf springs have been de-arched and stiffened, and also have 2.5" steel lowering blocks to top it off. The rear shocks need to be replaced with a shorter stroke shock with adjustable damping.

The car is following more of a Bosozoku theme with a front mount oil cooler, JDM "Bluebird" grill, flared front fenders and a massive pull on the rear fenders/doors to make the 15x7 -12 Hayashi Racing 'Talon' wheels fit at this ride height. The rear quarter panels/doors will be cut and custom sheet metal flares will be riveted on in true Boso style. Front fenders will likely be replaced with OEM steel, and treated in a similar fashion.

The front struts need to be cut and shortened and a Toyota MR2 strut insert will be used for the shorter stroke and aftermarket potential for adjustable damping. This way, the car can be lowered another inch front and rear, and a Ford 8.8" rear axle with LSD and disk brakes can be used in rear with use of a custom 4-link setup to keep it in place. The rear leaf springs will be replaced with either Air Shocks or short-stroke coilovers with adjustable height/damping capabilities.

With the flares will come new wheels (sad!), and I've all but decided on Diamond Racing Wheels. They're not only affordable, but they're light, race proven and offered in custom size/offset. Wide and deep are the name of the came in any true Bosozoku ride, and mine will be no different. To offset the red and white paint scheme the car has had over the past year, the wheels will most likely be painted/powdercoated a Teal or a "Mint Chocolate Chip" color to throw a rainbow of awesome into the mix. Plans are open to change when things get to this point.