Just received my new vintage race car project. Found the car here on the realm: http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13400. The seller was great to work with and really helped make the transaction simple and easy. I had the car shipped coast to coast and it arrived here in Oceanside CA last week. It was stuffed with all the goodies that Jack the seller, could get in the car (safe and sound). Besides all the miscellaneous little stuff and some things that I won't be using, some highlights include a brand new set of 13x7 Libres (which I'll be swapping for Panasports), a 5-speed comp transmission, several rear ends (I'll only use the LSD), a new Isky race cam, a Slover's ported A87 head (and some other heads), fiberglass trunk lid (I already have all the other FG panels), a brand new steering box, and plenty more. Here are some pics of it tucked into our warehouse on the day of arrival:
I'll need to acquire at least the driver's door. If I can find a straight passenger door, I'll get that too (or just pound out this one).
When completed, I'll be running an L18 full race engine. More on that: I just lucked into a stellar deal on race-prepped L18 with all the good stuff (although I'll likely have the crank shaft sent out for knife-edging and lightening). The motor (disassembled) will arrive next week.
The existing cage is, overall, very well done. However, there are some things that I'll be improving. Interesting that the welds are very well done, but the plates that attach to the floor are just bolted, rather than welded, so that is on the to-do list. Also the down bars in the rear are currently attached to the rear wheel wells rather than the rear shock tower mounts, so that will be modified and improved. There are some cosmetic sheet metal issues in the engine bay and firewall which need to be patched. The engine bay already has some stitch-welding done, but I'll be having some more done in there.
The car came with an old fuel cell, but it's old-school, so I ponied up for a new ATL SP108-AC 8-gal aluminum cell and surge tank which is expected to arrive next week.
I've been hemming and hawing over which race seat to get (what a pita!). There are so many choices. I like the old-school look of the aluminum seats, i.e., Kirkey. However, I don't like the idea of having to use a rear-seat brace, so I've decided to go with some FIA approved Racetech fiberglass seats. Either the RT4000 http://www.apexperformance.net/CartGenie/prod-883.htm or the RT4009 http://www.apexperformance.net/CartGenie/prod-883.htm. I'm awaiting recommendation from Racetech to see which size will fit me best (unfortunately, no place to actually try them out around here that I'm aware of).
Once the seat and fuel cell arrive, work can begin on the cage and other metal work. Hopefully, I won't have to modify the door bars, but we'll see how the seat fits.
Even though it's a race car, I've decided to go whole-hog and do it right. Once metal work is done, it's off to the media blaster. The engine bay, interior, cage and bottom of car will all be powder-coated white.
Paint and body next. Car will be painted BRE style, but I'm going with a slightly off-beat combo of green and white (I'm a 911 guy and I love the old 911's in green). I've heard that it's bad luck to paint a race car green. Whatever. If I can get it, I'll take it a step further and run #13. (I was born on Friday the 13th, so it's a lucky number for me).
Here's a representation of what I'm going for (hopefully it's ok to use this image which I've modified):
Suspension will be primarily from DPRacing (yum!).
I completed a basic build sheet the other night. Yikes! Maybe I should have done that before I bought the car..... The costs are a wee bit more than I originally expected. There's nothing like a spreadsheet to put things into perspective. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound - I'm past the point of no return!
So, that's my story for now. Well, actually, there was a Forward to the Main Story. I actually bought another 510, former ITC racer, about two months ago. It was actually running, but has an L16 and I wanted an L18, so the motor wasn't important to me. I brought it home and stripped it down preparing to restore. In the meantime, the aforementioned car popped up for sale and even though it was a great start, the 2nd car was a better start for me. Doing the only thing a sensible addict could do, I bought the Florida car and decided to worry about reselling the first car later. Anyone interested in buying a 510 racer?
Stay tuned!
Shannon
If I did that, I might find myself single again. Currently have six cars and cannot keep this one.
