1971 Datsun 1200 B110 Project

Kevin Kruse

Kevin Kruse

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Picked up something new to empty my wallet into! I’m pretty stoked on this one, it was my friend’s car in high school who I was dating at the time, and I also had a matching 1970 510 but the wagon (really kicking myself for selling that, and unfortunately don’t have any pictures..) It’s been sitting outside uncovered the past 10 years and I’ve been trying to buy it off her ever since, but wouldn’t budge. Finally got it, and it needs some love. It has a rebuilt Toyota Corolla 1800 3T-C engine in it, with almost no miles, and a Motorcraft 2100 carb. The story on the engine is the stock Datsun 1600 took a dump and her uncle was restoring an MG Midget and had the corolla engine rebuilt ready to swap but he passed away before he could finish so they ended up throwing it in the Datsun. Then it sat for about 10 years and here we are. I’ll need to learn how to do body work. I want to put life back into it and see it how it was back in the day, it was mint.. I really loved driving it around, and it’s a 5 speed manual.

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First thing is to go through the fuel system, I was told it ran earlier this year with an external bottle and idled good. This will be my first car project, let’s see how it goes..
 
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I'm a huge fan of the 510. Back in the day you pick them up for a few hundred bucks. I learned to drive a stick on my sister's boyfriend's 510. Heck, my cousins had two of them. We could go from our little town to Malibu and never get off a narrow, curvy road. They are pretty rare nowadays because they rusted away just like the 240Z's.
 
Interesting project! Those 510’s had a reputation as being pretty sporty. Some guys have swapped in some bigger engines in them too.

I was a teenager in the 70’s , back when those small Japanese cars were everywhere. My folks had a Datsun B-210 that I used to drive a lot.
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Then when I was just 17, I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla SR5 for the amazing price of $3850. 😄
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Nobody was ever gonna confuse them with a sports car, but they were fun to drive. 👍🏻
 
In NZ the Datson 1600SSS was the 4 cylinder car to have. Well next a ford escort with an RS2000, or lotus Cortina. NZ roads were built for small cars.

I had a 1970 MK1 escort with a MK2 Cortina 1600 GT engine and running gear with extractors and twin choke webber. Topped out at the ton but it had amazing pick up and cornering was crazy scary. Stuck to the road like shit to a blanket.
 
Kevin Kruse said:
Picked up something new to empty my wallet into! I’m pretty stoked on this one, it was my friend’s car in high school who I was dating at the time, and I also had a matching 1970 510 but the wagon (really kicking myself for selling that, and unfortunately don’t have any pictures..) It’s been sitting outside uncovered the past 10 years and I’ve been trying to buy it off her ever since, but wouldn’t budge. Finally got it, and it needs some love. It has a rebuilt 70’s Toyota Corolla 1600 engine in it, with almost no miles, and a throatier ford carb. The story on the engine is the stock Datsun 1600 took a dump and her uncle was restoring an MG Midget and had the corolla engine rebuilt ready to swap but he passed away before he could finish, they ended up throwing it in the Datsun and from what I heard it had some pep. Then it sat for about 10 years and here we are. I’ll need to learn how to do body work. I want to put life back into it and see it how it was back in the day, it was mint.. I really loved driving it around, and it’s a manual.

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First thing is to go through the fuel system, I was told it ran earlier this year with an external bottle and idled good. This will be my first car project, let’s see how it goes..
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Hey @Kevin Kruse, cool project. Takes me back to my youth, when I had lots of 510's and 610's. Your title says Datsun 510, but I am reasonably sure that's not a 510 that you have. There are too many defining 510 features that are not the same on your car. That said, I can't identify it definitively but I think that you have a Datsun 1200 sedan. Does your car have a solid rear axle or an IRS? All 510 sedans have IRS, 510 wagons are solid axle, as are 1200's, 610's and 710's. Check it out.
 
I’ll be darned, I always assumed it was a 510, Thank you!!

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I’m still learning :laugh:

And I’ll take all the info and tips anyone has about these cars. I should probably make an account on the Datsun forum, I just like the community here so I thought I’d share.

And actually the title doesn’t specify the model, just Datsun.
 
Kevin Kruse said:
I’ll be darned, I always assumed it was a 510, Thank you!!

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I’m still learning :laugh:

And I’ll take all the info and tips anyone has about these cars. I should probably make an account on the Datsun forum, I just like the community here so I thought I’d share.

And actually the title doesn’t specify the model, just Datsun.
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There you go...Datsun 1200 sedan with a Toyo 1600cc hemi. That's cool because you got a 33% increase in displacement. Those Toyo hemis were/are great. Put a pair of Webers, a header and a cam in it and it'll really fly. Should be a great car for you!

I had 510's as street cars and also had a racer, which I ran on the ice in the winter and as an oval tracker in the summer. It would be a car that I would love to have in the fleet!
 
atom4488 said:
So a Holley electric fuel pump and some form of aftermarket carb? I don't recognize that as a Holley 2-bbl but that top-mounted accelerator pump doesn't look like a Japanese or European carb. Any identifying markings on it?
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Motocraft.... a Holley clone.
 
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