Chappy's Garage 510 project

General Discussion about the Datsun PL510
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drc42
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Joined: 27 Sep 2017 18:31

Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by drc42 »

For years I have been wanting to build a fun street/race car but never really had the shop space to dedicate to it. Last year my wife and I finally decided it was time to build our dream house which of course meant I could build my dream shop. We moved in back in January and I started considering what sort of projects I could then tackle!

I was digging around on craigslist and looking for a good 240Z thinking that was the direction I wanted to go and came across a 510. I hate to admit I had somewhat forgotten about the 510... you just never see them around here anymore, but I always really did like them so I decided this was the direction I would go.

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Now, the car I bought is rough to say the least. It runs but rust has gotten to it really bad. I have always wanted to build a full car essentially from scratch, this one almost feels like I will be doing that!

Now, I am not a professional mechanic or bodyshop guy, I spend my work hours sitting at a computer writing code. But, I have reasonable skills and know the theory of all the needed skills... I just often have not had the chance to get a lot of hands on experience. So I welcomed the challenge!

I decided this would be a great theme for a youtube channel, a regular hobbiest sort of guy finding his way through some challenging car building!

After the initial teardown I shot the first video to show what I have to work with.

So, the initial episode of "Chappy's Garage" was launched: Datsun 510 Project Intro (video)
http://www.chappysgarage.com/
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two_68_510s
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Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by two_68_510s »

Fun video, bring it back alive! Welcome
Joel

2 '68 510 2 door sedans
'95 240SX


“We will either find a way, or make one.” – Hannibal
qwik510
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Joined: 29 Oct 2006 18:51
Location: Maryland - East Coast USA

Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by qwik510 »

Welcome. Looks like a good project. Keep the updates coming.

Let me know if you need any parts. I've got a bunch.
Enjoy The Ride!
David
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drc42
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Joined: 27 Sep 2017 18:31

Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by drc42 »

As you could see from the initial overview video there are some pretty serious rust holes in this car. Some repair panels are available for the 510 but not a lot and they tend to be pricy (which makes sense since these are not exactly high sales volume items!). I have seen how to fabricate most of this... mostly on TV and youtube... and figured this was the perfect project to put that info into practice. Most of my previous rust repair experience was on a Jeep Wrangler which was mostly flat panels so a much easier job.

So, I bought 2 4x8 sheets of 20 gauge sheet metal and a few more shaping tools and got to work.

I am rather out of practice with welding and bodywork so I figured it would be best to start someplace simple that would not be obvious. I figured the trunk floor was a good place to start. I don't care about carrying a spare tire or having cargo space in this car so I figured I would just loose the spare tire well and create a flat floor. Also, I think I might go for a fuel cell and I figured a flat floor would make it easier to mount that later on.

Results on this were not spectacular but glad I got a little practice in before moving on to other parts of the car.

I didn't really take many pics of this but did another video on this. Worked on making this one a little more polished an professional of a video than the original.

The video is here: Datsun 510 Rusty Trunk Floor Repair

Image
http://www.chappysgarage.com/
drc42
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Joined: 27 Sep 2017 18:31

Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by drc42 »

With the trunk floor in better shape I decided to move on to something a little more challenging. The rear window frame was beyond rusty... a major portion of it had completely rusted away. I needed to fabricate a major portion of it.

I already had a sheet metal brake so I bought a shrinker/stretcher set from eastwood to do this fabrication. It took quite a bit of trial and error with the shrinker/stretcher to get the contour of the parts just right but in the end I was pretty happy with the results. The real test of course will come much later when I try to fit the glass back in!

video: https://youtu.be/h6FmFrqi4N0

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http://www.chappysgarage.com/
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KiKiIchiBan
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Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by KiKiIchiBan »

I'm enjoying this. Do like a youtube restoration. Keep it up.
My P510 Bluebird SSS Coupe www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?t=26929

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drc42
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Joined: 27 Sep 2017 18:31

Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by drc42 »

KiKiIchiBan wrote:I'm enjoying this. Do like a youtube restoration. Keep it up.
Thanks, yes I plan on shooting video for the full project. Been busy at work lately so have not gotten back to it in a couple weeks but hopefully in a week or two I will get to work on that big rusty area between the rear window and the trunk lid.
http://www.chappysgarage.com/
drc42
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Joined: 27 Sep 2017 18:31

Re: Chappy's Garage 510 project

Post by drc42 »

Been busy with other stuff over the last few weeks but last weekend I finally got a chance to get back out into the shop to continue my 510 project. I decided it was time to tackle that big rust hole just below the rear window.

End result is a bit of an ugly hack but I think it is close enough that some relatively thin body filler will smooth out.

Video is here: Datsun 510 Patch Panel Fabrication

Image
http://www.chappysgarage.com/
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