Hi all. Fabricator ready for sbc V8 conversion

[62 bugzilla]

Hi to everyone on the site and look forward to lots of feedback both positive and negative. I already know that doing a sbc conversion is not the most respected conversion here and is more likely the least but I hope to do one that might change the mind of some and give hope to others who have thought of doing it. I'm not a new school guy with efi and ecu mapping skills but understand a holley carb perfectly and know how to make hp in a sbc with no problem for much cheaper than any other engine and that's one of the reasons I'm doing it. I do want the car to handle well in the end and there is a way to do that and those are my goals. FAST, FUN AND HANDLE!
Heres the history of my car and my history aswell. I used to live in the san deigo area ( vista ca) and bought the 1971 510 4 door in 1994 for $300 and it was a pile with a beat 1600 and a junkyard paint job as first picture shows.
Then after about 4 years of work it had a 1800sss with sidedrafts built to the max with a 5 speed and r 190 5.13 locker. The exterior was stripped to bare metal and painted purple, black and yellow with shaved handles and gas filler and other minor mods. I put on 5 spoke 15" wheels and tires along with complete suspension including tokicos, suspension techniques sawy bars, 280z adjustable struts and brakes and more. I took the car to datsun shows in so cal. with good success and autocrossed on weekends for fun. Then I went to the drag strip with the car for fun and I have been working on drag cars for years at this point ( 13 to 9 second cars) and this was a mistake. I ran a high 15 low 16 quarter and was so mad that I went home and started the conversion that night.2nd pic is the car then.
I did a complete tig welded rollcage front to back and strated the 6" set back firewall. Installed kirkey alum. race seats, alum. dash and race steering shaft. I also put on some 17/7 front and 17/8 rear wheels with 515 and 235 tires. I'm sure I missed some things but this is were the car is today at the start of my conversion here.
At this point I had a big change in plans when I got introduced to offroad cars and racing and decieded to build a offroad car and built the biggest, craziest, fastest offroad baja bug on the planet called bugzilla. Every part of car built in garage with a chop saw and a mig welder for the most part and this should solve and wondering about fabrication skills. Not done using and computer cad drawings or layout just a tape measure. It had a 550 hp ls1 (because I was sponsered by turnkey engine supply originally it had a carbed sbc making 450 hp) and 24" of wheel travel was 8 feet wide and extended the wb 3 feet and gullwing doors to top it off. Pics 3.
So for 13 years the 510 sat in storage until now. I have moved back to wisconsin where I grew up to raise my family and sold my baja bug and want to get back to my 510 were I left off. I know there are alot of haters here about V8 conversions and thats ok everyone has an opinion but for me I think it will put a smile on my face when I'm blow the tires off the car on a freeway on ramp for fun. I know it won't be easy and I'm up for the challenge so bring all your feedback good and bad I can take it. I also think there will be alot of stuff here that are usable on all cars and just hope to help a few people along the way. This is my first proiject that I'm going to do with pictures on a forum and try and go step by step so I hope it to be a fun process.

[okayfine]

Hello and welcome to The Realm. If you could put your location in your profile, that'll help us know where you are.

As to your preconceptions of what "we" think of SBC 510s, you would be surprised. As clarified in the other thread you bumped, anyone doing any swap beyond their knowledge and ability is what we're trying to avoid. People that can don't ask how, and so won't get advised that they shouldn't. We already know it can be done, but those able to do it are exceedingly few. A few multiples of 510s have been trashed under the idea that 510+freeSBC=fast+fun.

There's also a massive amount of work to be done to get a SBC510 to handle, and it mostly involves shoving the engine back into a front-mid mounting, which presents a laundry list of additional problems to the project, setup, etc., over and above the issues 400+ HP presents in a 510.

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=12575

[62 bugzilla]

I would agree with that but there are always the purist that throws a negative comment in here and there that is not aimed to be constructive just negative. I'll take the good with the bad and Im here to try and enjoy the passion for the hobby I have with others and hope they do the same for for me. This is a hobby that you will never completely master and thats what keeps me coming back for the challenge. I've also been the type of person that likes to swim upstream and overcome things that not many have done. Look forward to many discussions on this site in the future.

[qwik510]

Welcome and thanks for sharing your project.

Sounds like you have what it takes to get it done and done right so as the former owner of a V8 510, I am excited to follow your build and watch the progress.

We are Pic whores here so keep the updates and pics coming.

Good Luck,

David

[McShagger510]

Bring it! WE - LIKE - PICS!

James

[okayfine]

I would agree with that but there are always the purist that throws a negative comment in here and there that is not aimed to be constructive just negative. I'll take the good with the bad and Im here to try and enjoy the passion for the hobby

Less trying to stir things up, more showing how it can be done.

[dislexicdime]

I wanted to do a v8 swap then I ended up with a 4cylander making as much power as a small block. but the v8's do sound sweet

here is a ls swap for motivation

http://omgdrift.com/...hs-datsun-510s/

if you start it finish it . i don't want to see another hacked up dime sold for parts

[62 bugzilla]

Thanks and I will start a thread in projects forum soon. James I like your pic and will look around web for more. Do you have a thread?

[McShagger510]

The 'Purple Grape' was built before this wed site was around. But I do know it was put together by a fella out of Kelowna named Bob Boyer.

James

[qwik510]

I wanted to do a v8 swap then I ended up with a 4cylander making as much power as a small block. but the v8's do sound sweet

here is a ls swap for motivation

http://omgdrift.com/...hs-datsun-510s/

if you start it finish it . i don't want to see another hacked up dime sold for parts

Linky no worky

[510-Trevor]

I wanted to do a v8 swap then I ended up with a 4cylander making as much power as a small block. but the v8's do sound sweet

here is a ls swap for motivation

http://omgdrift.com/...hs-datsun-510s/

if you start it finish it . i don't want to see another hacked up dime sold for parts

Linky no worky

More pics of the "Flying Grape" can be found here: http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/Flyinggrape/vehicles

[dislexicdime]

http://omgdrift.com/hella-norcal-dopene ... tsun-510s/

[okayfine]

"everyone said I couldn't fit an LS1 without cutting the firewall." So I did it anyway, then Shanghaied the rear half of the car for radiator+HVAC ducting.

Job done!

[62 bugzilla]

Great links with the pics of grape and the drifter. The drifter sure thinks outside the box but looks like it works. I think he also kept the motor further forward because of the crossmember placement and he used a gto front sump pan to clear in front of it. I also don't think weright balance is quite as critical with a drifter but I guess he did offset some weight with the radiators on the trunk. Thanks again for the links any info is way better than no info.

[okayfine]

Because of the weight addition, and the effect on weight distribution, you kind of have to decide what's more important when considering a V8510 - (relative) ease of install, or end product. The dorifto LS1510 works...as a dorifto machine, but it doesn't work as a 510. And it doesn't answer your "handling" criteria.

To answer that, it will dictate just about everything else, since you're going to have to address the weight and bias. The only way to do that, while still adding substantial overall weight to the car, is to mid-front mount it, as Pete Brock did:

http://blogs.motortrend.com/whacky-engi ... -2290.html