Re-introduction

[philip1]

Hi folks I’m Phil Rodda.

Years ago I was part of the NW Datsun Owners. I had several different Datsuns. I’m finally back in a Datsun, one I’ve owned since the late 1990’s or early 2000’s memory is fuzzy on exact date. This “510” (I use quotes since it is a late 510) was thrown together for my niece to use while at college. Well jobs changed and I relocated to the east coast without a Datsun.

Fast forward 20 years and a family emergency has me back in the NW. My 510 is now parked in my sisters garage and has been for years.

My dad and I drag her out and the reanimation begins.

The engine is filthy and barely runs after much coaxing. We manage
To coax her on a trailer and haul her to dads place. Once there we start tearing into the various problem areas. We start with the carburetor… my brother in law installed a Weber 32/36 dgav. Unfortunately over the two decades he tried to tune it with parts from 3
Other dg style carbs one was a Holley variant. The jets air bleeds and emulsion tubes were all very wrong. Once I corrected all of these errors it runs smoothly.

Next was the alignment well a string alignment works if the strings are parallel with the centerline of the car. However someone mistakenly thought the front and rear track were the same(WRONG!!!) the resulting 1” of toe in destroyed the front tires. I re aligned the car using the centerline and the car was drivable again. Btw 1” of toe in feels like broken parts.

Finally tires I put cheapie 195/50/15 tires on her because they only needed to last one trip.


5 days from being in the garage I pulled out of dad’s driveway for an epic 5 day 4000 mile trip home.


I’m daily driving her for the time being while my SE-R is being repaired. I’ll add some photos in a follow up post.

[datzenmike]

The most memorable road trips are without a safety net and a few hundred dollars in your pocket. Striking out alone with only your wits to get you through and your Datsun to carry you. The stuff you see at 2 am. How I envy you.

[philip1]

On top of making the trip including an 800 mile detour (rock slide in the mountains near Wyoming) the car averaged 31 mpg over 4000 miles. In addition I got to drive the Ike gauntlet (TFL truck fans will know this) I made the climb in 2nd gear with the throttle buried. 86hp engines struggle at 2-3 miles up. It was a fun trip I got to see very remote areas of Utah and Colorado. I climbed to altitudes some airplanes will never see. I saw roads so straight they disappear over the horizon. All through a 42 year old windshield.

The trip proved the car to be very safe and reliable. The only issues on the trip were a punctured tire in Colorado and the oil pressure sender exploded in Utah both were easy fixes with almost no delay.

All in all an epic journey

[philip1]

Here is an album with all the photos and videos from the trip.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/yYfdxPu4gq2zJZaE6

[Byron510]

That's pretty cool.
So I have to ask, your 4000-mile trip originated in the PNW, where did it end if going through Utah, Wyoming and Colorado?
I did like the comment "I climbed to altitudes some airplanes will never see". The comment took me back to a trip I took my father on from Vancouver BC to Colorado Springs to take in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. While standing near the finish line, trying to keep my normal balance while just simply walking at 14,000 feet, I was reminded by one of my father's friends that many fixed-wing aircraft can't even fly this high!! It's an interesting thought.
Cool trip, in the "Last of the Dimes". There sure are not many of these square headlight HL510s left. At least yours has the factory tach in place and likely it's a 5 spd model of that trim level (if not an automatic).

Byron

[datzenmike]

Rectangular headlights began 07 '79 build dates, the beginning of the '80 model year.

2 dr. hatchback had the 63A 5 speed through '79

4 dr. hatchback and the sedan had it in '80

Wagons also had the 5 speed in '80, and continued until the end of the A10

The US switched to Z20S in '80 but Canada kept the L20B and switched in '81.

Z20S equipped A10 with the 5 speed option had a 3.170 first gear and 1.921 second while the L20B 5 speeds were 3.38 and 2.013 making the Z transmission a slightly closer ratio. All other gears were the same.