Blue 510 Vintage Racer

[Byron510]

We’ll, it’s about time to start a thread.

This little project started in 2006, but I didn’t know I would one day be the current care taker. Enter a fella whom was introduced to me a few years earlier. This being 2002. Paul wanted to run a 510 in the East African Safari Rally, and run in the vintage class in a 510. I didn't need to hear anything else, I wanted in. At the time, I was working out of my dads shop when I wasn’t doing side projects at my employers shop. It was all on the level, but East African Safari! In the end, my father and I did a number of small prep jobs, including a bill bar, and various mounts around the car. One structural issue was that the trunk floor was separating from the rear panel - rally cars see rough service.

At any rate, the car ran and finished the 2003 East African Safari Rally. Not a top runner, but of the 110 vintage cars entered, only 39 crossed the finish line. Finishing a race of this calibre is a monumental task in itself.Install new Tach - done

Fwd to 2006, Paul buys an exDRC (Datsun Radial Challenge) car, a spec class that ran at Westwood Raceway. Originally built in 82, the car had been grandfathered for years with just a roll bar. But eventually, the tech gays said - look Paul, for your own protection, we’d like to see a full cage in your car. So Paul called me. Through an unfortunate event right before starting Paul’s car, I was invited to join Paul and his childhood friend Peter at their new shop. A 40x120 commercial space, where they both wanted to spend their retirement years building the cars they always wanted. Nicknamed the Tree Fort, the space ended up bigger that they needed. And in a turn of events, I ended up renting the front space of this shop for the next 11 years.

The first project was to re-cage Paul’s car. It was the first time I touched this 510. Although the car had seem some bruise’s from racing, it was a solid car. Over the years, neat bits that I had went to Paul’s effort, like my R190 diffs, my collection of roaster gearboxes with the original factory come driveshaft. I also machined and fabricated various parts over the years. I had a good knowledge of the car, but Paul truly built it.

Fwd again to 2017. Paul started building a new vintage racer, a White 69 2002. Then he bought another 2002 I. Orange that was already on the track. So Paul kept both the 510 and the orange 2002 racing, while toying with the white 2002 I. The background. Soon it all became too much, and Paul shared with me he was entertaining selling the 510. At the time I said I wanted first crack at it and placed a standing offer.

5 years later, this past spring, Paul called me up and said it was time. We worked out a deal that was more than just the car, and agreed I would take possession in late July.

Now, I had the get my Motorsport licence in order. It’d been nearly 20 years since I held a full competition licence. I needed to start from scratch, and I couldn’t use the vintage 510 as the driving school clearly stated ‘No Race Cars’. The Bronze needed to be put back in action, but it needed a full makeover. I had two weeks to plan and execute. Long story short, I made that driver training in the second week of August, and passed with flying colours while having the time of my life once again behind the wheel.

In the last week of August I entered the first race, and was placed in the novice field. On the next day, I volunteered as a corner worker.This is how the graduated system works at the SCCBC. And it’s pretty darn good system having gone through it all. I needed to stay and finish 3 races, put in a day as a corner worker and a volunteer day at tech. On this day, I managed a best of 1.24.20 On Sept 17/18, I enter the weekends events, double header and the novice class was being offered. So I volunteered at tech on the Friday night. Saturday am I was in the track walk at 7:30, and into the days events. In qualifying I hit a 1:24 flat, improving, the. Broke into a string of low 24’s and high 23’s doing a best of 1:23.62. On Sunday during qualifying I managed a 1:22:24, now my personal best.

We were playing with air pressure trying to get even tire temps, and logging out work. It was helping for sure. I was playing also with rear brake adjustments, trying to balance the car better, still more work needed to be done here. Between the 1st and 2nd weekends, I pulled the motor to address a massive oil leak at the pan. I also swapped out the puck clutch in favour of a tried and true roadster unit that wasn’t oil soaked. I was having gear box issues, and hope this, with a better adjusted clutch, would help that department. Turns out the transmission was the same, but the oil leak was drastically reduced - but still there.

So after my great times posted, I came home and pulled the trans again. What I should mention here is that my good friend Glen (Childhood Toy) has been in my shop since I pulled the Bronze out of the weeds. Glen has put in an amazing amount of work with me, soaking everything up along the way.
So enter this past week, the trans comes out again, the flywheel comes off and the rear main seal gets pulled, and a new one installed. I hope I have beat the oil leak now.

On the bench, I bolt the clutch and PP down, and lay the throw out collar with bearing on top of the stack. With a small level and a ruler, I measured the stack at 78mm from the flywheel face to the collar where the clutch fork contacts. Somewhere out in Datsunland in the last 10 year, the accepted measure there is 92mm I was well short of that, but I did find a longer collar that brought me to 89mm installed height. Figuring I was significantly closer, I installed the flywheel, clutch and transmission with Glen's assistance. One thing is for sure, I’m feeling my age. Years ago I wouldn't think twice about getting under that trans on my back and just pushing it into place. I tried that - not any more! So on the jack and we both get it aligned and in place.

The clutch slave adjustment must have been shortened 1.25”! But that got me to thinking, I was damn near at the min adjustment. Had I hit the manic 92mm installed height, I don’t think I would have got my slave cylinder installed. And that piece is a brand new Nissan cast iron unit with only 1 race on it, so I’m sure it’s right. And I can confirm that the throw out bearing is correct (also Nissan) as is the new Roadster Clutch and PP. the flywheel is Fidanza.

With that back together, I addressed another failure from the September weekend. The 3 3/8” Autogauge tach plain died. I never thought it looked accurate, so what it started reading about 4K when I know I was doing north of 6500, I knew it was going to go. Later that weekend the tach dies altogether. RIP. I bought a 5” Autometer indash unit to replace it, and tonight finished that installation.

I have brakes to check, some bleaching to do and hopefully I can find time to remount my window net as I can’t get my hand out for proper driver signals. I’m now too far back!

Anyways, last race this Sunday. More to come.

Byron

[Byron510]

More to come in this space…
Byron

(Byron, I edited your last piece a bit to clean it up and add some white space to make it more accessible - RF)

[icehouse]

Dang where are all the pictures and in car video? Maybe next summer we can do a track day together at that track?

I always thought gauges looked cool in racecars, turns out they are just for looks. Who has time to peak at them when you are racing? I check here and there but some of our guys will come in and I will ask how hot it got during their 2 hour stint? Most of the time they never looked. To busy not crashing haha.

Just shift when it hits the limiter.

[KiKiIchiBan]

Dang where are all the pictures and in car video?

As above

Bet it felt awesome though being back out.

[Byron510]

More to come in this space…
Byron

(Byron, I edited your last piece a bit to clean it up and add some white space to make it more accessible - RF)

Thanks Rob

This past week, after getting the transmission in, I started on some of the smaller things on the ever- growing to-do list.
I bought a new spring loaded rod for securing the window net. Because my seating position was so much further back, I needed to also love the window net rearward because I could not signal at all if needed (exiting the track or pointing a driver to pass).

My buddy Glen came over a few nights this week, and on Friday we decided to go cosmetic a bit. Personally I’d much rather bumpers on the car. We looked at what I had around the shop, and found a quite good front bumper, and decided on using a new Futofab reproduction rear bumper with new brackets. We started with adding the front bumper. This required removing a bit of aero sheet metal that had been added. One of the stock bumper mount captive nuts were missing on the drivers front, replaced with a regular nut for now. I also had the move the front brake air ducts as they were in the way of the bumper mounts. The rear bumper was a bit more straightforward, but to get access to the 1/4 bolt that holders the bumper side, I needed to drill an access hole right through the battery box that is now sunk in the trunk floor on the pass side. That worked ok.
Coming back to the front, we decided to install an air dam. The car came with two larger front air dams, and what I think is an actual BRE air dam. The BRE one was too narrow to fit properly, and had been previously mounted below the valence panel at one point in the cars life. I had one of my BRE type “spook” air dams kicking around that I made many years back. I know I widened mine to fit up on the valence panel. We started by mounting it using riv nuts into the valence. But after installing the first nut, we realized access to the bolts was going to be a PITA if it ever needed to be removed. Getting the car on and off the trailer was a concern, and I was worried about jacking the front of the car up. So it was decoy to use Zeus fasteners. I had some around with the twist tabs built in. It took four joirs to mount hay spoiler! Anyways, as of this morning it’s hanging from a couple wires in the garage with a couple rattle can coats of paint - along side the mirrors which got a red pain delete!

Yes, I need to get photos, I know and I will insert them here soon.

Byron

[Byron510]

Gone racing today!

Last race of the year. Car is in the trailer, and headed out in a few minutes.

If anyone local want to come watch at Mission today, feel free drop by and say hi.

Byron

[icehouse]

pics or it didn't happen!

[Heinrich]

pics or it didn't happen!

[bertvorgon]

I did not make it to that event, so, I'm usually the one that posts pics.

I know Byron survived, but, on both days there were some SERIOUS crashes with serious carnage. Some of those drivers out there I would not trust as far as you can throw a brake pad.

Tracey and Harry survived. One of the drivers on Saturday, was banned from running on Sunday and lost any chance of the championship in his class, and also quite possibly wrote off the fellows race car he hit. THAT'S A CRASH! A door came off and flew over the fence, landing feet from the technical inspection guys.

On Sunday, the guy that basically drives his "stock car" there, drove like that sport does at times, bump and crash, he took out Jack's MAZVETTE, I have not heard how bad Jack's car is yet.

Why I don't entertain road racing my 510.

[gooned]

Geeze that doesn’t sound good, hope everyone is ok.

[510rob]

Jason, quick, get the Colt dusted off!

[gooned]

lol

Dusted off is an understatement as you well know.

Cheers

[Edm620]

there were some SERIOUS crashes with serious carnage

Auto racing of many types is a contact sport, but truly there are limits. Boneheads need not apply.
I haven't seen the Blue since before that race but hopeful it survived such that the winter will have Byron getting it back into track condition. I hope to come visit for a race weekend in '23.

I'm sure Byron has some pics...

[iceD]

I find it hard to believe nothing has been happening on this project lol

Ice D

[Byron510]

There’s been so much going on, I hardly know where to start.
I raced last weekend, but unfortunately my weekend was done after 4 warm up laps.
Being that it was so early in the day, and with the help of a number of people at the track, I was packed up and back on the trailer in 30 minutes. I came home, and with the help of Glen and It, the motor was out and disassembled by dinner time. On Tuesday the head was pressure checked and confirmed cracked. This was a real let down.
A new cylinder head is a long way away, so an interim head was sent to a local machine shop for a freshening up, and this will be installed to get me out at the historics on May 13/14.

I’ll try and find the time to fill in the gaps on this thread. But rest assured I have been working tonnes on this car and there is a lot more still to go!

Byron