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.
