Gassed Out

While progress was being made with the engine and wiring, an old problem that faces some old cars needed to be addressed. Mark explained, “Datsun might as well have mounted the 510’s fuel tank inside the cabin of the car, as it always seemed to reek of fuel. Nothing seemed to rectify the problem, so we had to come up with another solution, get rid of the stock gas tank.” With the factory unit gone, the cabin was sealed up and insulated with Dynamat sound deadener.

[pullquote]DATSUN MIGHT AS WELL HAVE MOUNTED THE 510’S FUEL TANK INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE CAR[/pullquote]In lieu of a factory replacement tank, a Fuel Safe 16-gallon fuel cell was mounted through the floor of the trunk. To move fuel from the trunk to the engine bay, a Bosch 044 inline pump with an Aeromotive filter ensures steady delivery of 91 octane to the quartet of RC Engineering 750cc/min injectors. With these issues addressed, JDM Concepts could finally tune the engine. On a Dynojet 248C dynamometer, the 510 put down 426.3 horsepower and 335.4 lb-ft torque at 20 psi boost pressure.

Finally, Case Closed

After six long years, Mark could finally consider his 510 project finished. From missing the initial purchase to getting the issues worked out, it has been a challenging path to travel, but it was worth the effort. He stated, “The Datsun 510 is universally respected and known among car lovers. A Ferrari 458 owner came up to me at cars n’ coffee one morning to tell me that my 510 was the nicest car at the gathering. That compliment said a lot about the effort that went into my Japanese ‘gas crisis import’ that cost $2,000 when it was new. It also took first place at the Japanese Classic Car Show in ’09, which further validated the attention to detail of the build. Had I realized the investment of extra money and time that would be needed to make this 510 into the machine it is today, I might have chosen a different build. This car ended up requiring a rebuilt engine, transmission, fresh paint and as many titanium fasteners as I could replace to lighten the chassis. But the pure joy I get from driving the car and the attention it gets made the effort all the more rewarding.” No longer in pursuit of his passion, Mark relishes in the pure driving enjoyment that makes the extra effort worthwhile.