The California Datsun community came through for me as I finally found the finishing jewel for my vintage Datsun race motor; a finned, cast aluminum racing oil pan. Design Products Racing is still making a very nice, steel comp pan for the 510 for about $600, but I was hunting for a cheaper, used one, and hopefully an old school looking aluminum one. This one has internal … [Read more...] about 510 COMP OIL PAN
Datsun Racing
ROLLCAGE SUPPORTS
Since I have cut out much of the inner skeleton from the wagon roof, there would definitely be some roofline flex under race conditions. And this would be further exaggerated by running a plastic windshield instead of a glass one. So I welded in a few braces between the rollcage and the A-pillars, and then between the main hoop and the roof itself. I'm taking a friend's Lincoln … [Read more...] about ROLLCAGE SUPPORTS
510 WAGON REAR FLARES
I bought these fiberglass BRE style rear flares from Classic Datsun Motorsports. They cost a little bit more than other brands, but the quality and fit are definitely superior. Ya get what ya pay for... Since all the flares are designed for two-doors, you have to do a bit of work to get them to fit four-doors or wagons. I held them in place with a couple of pilot holes, … [Read more...] about 510 WAGON REAR FLARES
STRIP IT BACK DOWN
Now that most of the fab work is done, it's time to get ready for paint. Unfortunately that means stripping off all the suspension, steering, and brakes again. The good thing is that it makes you fix all the little problems discovered during the chassis fabrication phase of the project. Things like welding up cracks, replacing stripped out captives, and fixing broken hinges. … [Read more...] about STRIP IT BACK DOWN
DRIVER’S DOOR BARS
I've had the last few days off and have completed a couple more projects. We finally finished off the rollcage with the driver's side door bars and the fuel cell cradle. The door bars were done "NASCAR" style, meaning they are bent into the door cavity. This increases driver comfort by creating more elbow room, and improves safety by enlarging the crush-zone envelope. We were … [Read more...] about DRIVER’S DOOR BARS
IT’S A TEAM SPORT
I could not even get close to building my own race car without a lot of help from my friends. My buddies Paul Moore and John Teaby are shown here working on my CV joint conversion project. … [Read more...] about IT’S A TEAM SPORT