Vehicle Description
1969 Datsun 510 Coupe for sale! Motorcar Classics is thrilled to
offer this awesome 1969 Datsun 510 Custom Coupe. With a unique
blend of technologies, this car is the creation of Jon Mannila and
his team at Metalworks Classics in Eugene, Oregon, who are known
for building exceptional stuff; hot rods and restorations alike.
Mannila was inspired by the work of Pete Brock, a veteran
sports-car racer, who prepped 510s for, among other events, the
Mexican 1000, precursor to the legendary Baja 1000.Mannila's 510
reflects Brock's style of sports car, including Brock's hallmark,
the red-and-white paint scheme. Mannila followed time-honored
hot-rod practice by shaving the unnecessary badges and side
lights,along with the sail-panel vents.Under the beautiful skin the
chassis is all track. The front rides on a set of T3 coil-over
strut housings with adjustable camber plates. The 510 and the 280
it inspired suffer a bump steer, a dynamic caused by a misalignment
between the control-arm and tie-rod centerlines. MD Machine spacers
minimize the misalignment and restore the roll center upset by
lowering the nose. Datsun steering boxes also deflect, a
consequence of mounting to basically sheet metal; however, a
steering-box brace gives the box a better foundation. Lowering a
510 wreaks havoc with rear-wheel camber and toe. Kelvin Dietz'
penultimate slotted rear crossmember kits restores the alignment
and tunes out a bothersome oversteer issue. The rear of the car
rides on a set of Dodge D50 pickup front coils, springs with an
uncannily ideal rate once trimmed. KYB Gas-A-Just dampers and
Suspension Techniques anti-roll bars further control the wheel
motion.The carburetted Datsun L18 stands out as an old-school
landmark. It's built by Rebello Racing and even wears one of the
company's ported heads. An aggressive mechanical-bucket cam and
45mm Weber DCOE carburetors unlock the L-series engine's high-speed
potential even if at the cost of low-speed grunt. The engine is
mated to a five-speed 280Z transmission. A limited-slip Subaru
WRX-STI gear carrier gives both rear tires nearly equal bite, a
requirement for respectable lateral acceleration, not to mention
the ability to set the car up in a tasty drift. Bearing this
punishment are 195/50R15 hides on Rota RB wheels, near carbon
copies of the eight-spoke Panasports that defined early 510
racers.The car is fitted with a full cage, but the remainder of the
interior reflects the best of hot-rod Americana: cream leather
trim; Billet Specialties wheel, handles, and cranks; Hurst shift
knob; Dakota Digital gauges in a fabricated dash; and German
square-weave carpet. Nothing rolls out of Metalworks Classics shop
without the potential to deafen someone. In this case it's a
Rockford Fosgate system from the marine head unit through P400-1
and -2 amplifiers, a 5 1/4 component set, and a single eight-inch
sub in the console. Beautifully detailed, well-sorted, this 510 is
a thrill to drive.
