The 510 Realm

Finally. Rear suspension/axle coming off, 280ZX brake conversion to commence, amongst other improvements. Now my son is interested, as he'll be 16 in a couple months. Wish I'd have pushed harder earlier, but that was not my plan- He needed to be the motivated one. I'll post some pics shortly. Car will need a bunch of stuff before I'll be comfortable putting him on the streets with it. I, of course, will be giving it a few good shake down runs to work. Looking forward to that. No cosmetic stuff yet, even though it does need it.

Having the lift is a huge motivator. Makes doing alot of things far easier, and less of a chore.

Darryl

Never had a lift of my own - wouldn't want to get spoiled, it's hard to step backwards
Keep us posted on your project.

Byron

Byron510 wrote:wouldn't want to get spoiled, it's hard to step backwards

Very easy to get spoiled. I work at a shop, and I am very spoiled! I hate crawling on my back, at home, in the drive way.

Someday I would love to have a lift in my garage.

Right on Darryl....let see some pics of her. Show some pics of your RX2 or 3 also. You guys.... his Mazda was waaaay clean the last time I seen it in 1992 or so.

Thanks, guys. I'm not at home so I can't do the pics right now(work-work-work), but I will include a few of the Rx2. Need to bleed the brakes and drive that one.

Question to all-

Any vendors I should be supporting for parts? I didn't see a list of them (but didn't invest any time looking, either). I need things like a clutch slave boot- the one that goes into the bellhousing for a dogleg, steering parts, sway bars, etc. This car is stock underneath- Completley. Looks all but original. Springs aren't cut, rubber is wasted, etc. I think the PO just hot rooded the engine, put on all the look at me stuff, flared the fenders and put on the 15's. It does have KYB's, but other than that- stocker. I'm planning on the T3 camber plates(because of the ZX struts/brakes, and am wondering where to get LCA bushings, sway bars, etc. Ebay is hit and miss, and I'd like to save time with the Realm's knowledge.

ANY help is appreciated.

Darryl

Tried to load a pic, and the file size is too big. I wish I had more time to sit in front of this infernal machine and be better at using it. Anyway, update is as follows:

Suspension is out. Cleaning the underside, looking for rust issues, and have only found a couple minor ones- So far. We will clean, POR15, and undercoat everything that is good, and leave the bad areas clear for repairs. Have the TTT camber plates (Thanks Goichi!), rebuild kits for the ZX calipers, and an ES bushing kit. Have the stub axles out of the rears, getting them cleaned up, and found at one time the pass side had been worked by someone who was a little heavy handed, and the end of the outer part of where the axle goes through is pretty rough. I don't think it will have any effect of the function, but jeez, things don't have to be destroyed to get them apart. Progress is slow, with work and all, and my son is getting close to his 16th. He'll have to wait- good lesson for him not pushing earlier. Biggest pain I see is the headlight situation- PO had the rectangluar conversion that was 'cool' in the 80's (Was it?), and it was a big hack job of an install, both in the mounting and wiring. Have stock set up w/H4's, so I have to get those in and working, before it goes out on the road. The local PD is VERY nosy of ANY new car on the road,(especially an older flared and caged ripper) so I am going to have the WSP do an inspection, and have that report in the car for when Island Co's finest decide to go up my or my son's ass, that paper will be handed over with license, reg, and proof of ins.

Heading to Franks before work tonight to grab some parts, and pick his brain on some things they have done.

More later.....

Camano510 wrote:Any vendors I should be supporting for parts? I

Not for most of the stuff you listed, you'd just have to find it available where you could. There are specific vendors for some of the hard-to-find stuff, but as within any community some people wouldn't recommend Vendor A while others swear by Vendor A. You could search the big names here and find both sides if you were interested and decide for yourself. Rod's Datsun Parts doesn't get dragged through the mud and he has a wider variety of stuff.

The clutch fork boot can likely be gotten from most any RWD Nissan of the 70's and '80's. Front LCA bushings depend on the year - '70+/late stuff is easy to find, and for things like that I'd just go to RockAuto.com. Quickorgarage will have sway bars, but generally are not something anyone will stock aside from Datsun shops like Troy Ermish, DGR, Specialty, etc., and maybe not even then. Aftermarket stuff can still be found on eBay.

Camano510 wrote:

Biggest pain I see is the headlight situation- PO had the rectangluar conversion that was 'cool' in the 80's (Was it?), and it was a big hack job of an install, both in the mounting and wiring.

where are you located and is it originaly a white 2 door? there not rectangle ones from a capri are they? put up some pics you can get them down in size by opening in paint -image -stretch/skew -then put from 100 in horizontal and verticle down to maybe 30? then save and post

edit:
sorry there a Renol headlight that was adapted to a capri then made it into the car.. let see if i can get a pic

Hey Darryl,

Not sure if you saw these, but a lot of what you want can be found using these two threads. Hope this helps


Chris

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10870

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4636

Decided that the engine and trans need to come out for better access to the wiring/brake swap/and headlight repair. And, since its on the lift, I can drop it out of the bottom with ease. Literally a 1 hour job.

I promise to sit down and get some pics in here. Work is a little nuts at the moment- "Boeing takes a $1.6 billion charge against earnings, and the 2 new planes driving it are plagued with delays". I am on the 747-8, and I basically live there.

Got the brake master out (have the whole front stripped, completley, for access) and need to know what to do regarding the actuator rod from the pedal- ZX master needs a separate rod, and the 510 has one attached to it. I did a search and didn't find any specific info. Let me know which way to go. I can buy an adjustable and adapt it, I guess, but wanted to know if the 'fix' has already been found.

Thanks,

Darryl

No fix, the OE 510 rod is held in with a clip. Going to need a bigger washer for the ZX master, just make sure it's not too thick.

That said, even with discs in the rear, you might find the pedal feel a little dead with the 15/16" BMC.

Bigger washer? For? I'm not understanding your answer. Am I buying/creating a new push rod? Adapting the old rod to work with the ZX master? Why would the pedal feel 'dead'? Shouldn't it feel just like the ZX did since I'm using the complete system (less the booster)?

More findings- RUST, right side of trunk floor, through the side of the body, behind where the bumber comes around. Pretty nasty. Pissed that I didn't buy the body on ebay a couple weeks back-Its only about 75 miles away, and it went for CHEAP ($510, ironically), and came with anough stuff to have made it free over all. Also seeing some behind the rear flare where the bodywork is cracked. Looks like they are going to have to come off, before I spend the time and money to paint over it. The ebay body was super nice. Crap.

Camano510 wrote:Bigger washer? For?

You'll need a bigger washer because the ZX BMC is a bigger bore. I adapted the OE 510 pushrod to the ZX BMC when I last installed one and it wasn't a big issue, but it's not as simple as pulling it out of the box and bolting it on.

Camano510 wrote:Why would the pedal feel 'dead'? Shouldn't it feel just like the ZX did since I'm using the complete system (less the booster)?

Without the booster, you're not using the complete system as Nissan intended. The large ZX bore, even with ZX components, is still engineered with the power assistance in mind. The bigger bore pushes more fluid, but at a lower pressure compared to the OE 510, so you'll have shorter pedal travel that you will have to apply more pressure to in order to get equivalent braking forces.

Oh, so I need a bigger 'retaining' washer to hold the OE rod in the ZX BMC? Sorry to sound like a tard, just trying to save time/effort-Never enough of the first, tons burned of the second.

Thanks!