How did a car like the Datsun 510 get so popular? It started life as a basic car from Nissan and now, it’s a collector’s item and one of the most revered Nissan/Datsun products ever sold. Think of it like a poor man’s BMW 2002: it handled well, it was light weight, and it had a great family lineage that allowed for easy swaps. Didn’t think the power of the stock engine was enough? Yank the L20 out of a Datsun 620 truck, grab the five-speed manual while you were there, and boom…instant pocket rocket. Be dismissive of little Japanese cars all you want, but that combination in the right hands is a giant-killer, and that wasn’t lost on the early adapters of import vehicles. 
When we first saw photos of this 1970 510, we initially thought that it was a cool g-machine build and expected to see a hot four-banger under the hood. Noooope. This car is far beyond some minor tweaking here and there and a big brake kit. Far, far from it. This is a thoroughly re-engineered machine, one that has so many modifications that we’d need a ton of time just to go through the mechanicals alone, not to mention the body work. Here’s the basics: it’s powered by a GM LS6 crate mill and shifted via a Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual. A Moser M9 rear axle on a custom 4-link setup with a Watts link handles the power, while Eibach springs and a mix of QA1 and Koni parts work together for suspension duty. The engine has it’s own custom cradle for drop-out servicing, and the car is fitted with a full-kill cage setup that is full from front to back, including X-bracing, door bars, an under dash bar and more. 440 horsepower is moving about 2,000 pounds of go-kart here, folks. Just look at the photos and ask yourself: what more do you need in life?
eBay Link: 1970 Datsun 510 two-door sedan
One of my all time favorite ricer cages…
Sweet car, well done.
YEP, nice small light car, V8, manual trans.,custom frame and suspension, I like this 510 a lot. Same basic set-up as my MGB, just MUCH more nicely finished.
Just checked out the listing, a little pricey but I know what it would cost to get my MGB to this level so it’s not like he’s trying to make money on the beautiful 510.
Looks like I will have to be Geordie on this one…
I love it except the first time I saw an old Toyota with a modern Lexus V8, I just accept no substitutes. This would be so much better with Titan or Infiniti motor. Anybody with me?
I just knew it!
Yet another complete frothing lunatic with a desire to pollute yet another great classic car with that pile of shit known as an LS. Someone with half a brain would have put in a R26 motor and a great car would have been saved.
Put your money where your mouth is! Show us all your multi dollar projects with that oh-so fantastic Ford bitch engine you keep whining about.
Yeah… we all know you have exact zero, even remotely, cool cars. All you do is fap over pictures of Ferds in that dank basement of yours.
You just can’t grasp the fact that dollar for dollar, the LS gives you the best bang for the buck right now. And since you don’t pay the bill – shut… the… fuck… up!
Yeah it sure would be super cool with a Lexus engine, or a rotary, or a Ferrari engine, or a… But in the real world (not the mildew infested one in your delirious head) there’s something called money. If you want good power, and don’t have a bunch of sponsors, the LS is one of the smartest ways to go.
There’s a lot of cars out there that don’t fit my personal taste, but I can identify good craftsmanship when I see it. And I don’t have any problems giving props to a great car, even tho it’s not exactly to my liking. But maybe that’s because I’m not a ancient, bitter, limp dick alcoholic?
Now go collect your social welfare check, wobble down to the local Aldi and spend it on the cheapest beer you can find. Maybe that will keep you from the keyboard for a day or two.