Well about a month ago, I get a call from a friend that used to own a 510 telling me that someone he knows is thinking about selling his 510 due to relocating to the west coast. He asks if I know anyone looking for a 510. I am always trying to match 510s and new owners so I told him to have the seller get in touch.
The guy calls me and tells me that he really doesn't want to sell it but he thinks it is best for his situation right now. He describes the car to me and it all sounds good. It is a 72 4 door that was originally from Cali, made its way to AZ and then to his place in VA in 2008. He drove it all of 800 miles the first year he had it and then it sat in his garage since 2009. He collected parts to do some upgrades but life and work and kids got in the way and he never touched it. We arranged for me to come down and see it the following weekend. He calls me the next day and says he is can't part with it. He says he will give me first dibs if he changes his mind but is planning on moving it with him. A week and a half goes by and on Saturday afternoon I get a call from him. He says he is going to sell it and if I still want to come down, he could see me the next day.
Sunday Morning, I load up the tow dolly and a pocket full of $100 bills and drive 130 miles to go see it. I get there and the car is in the garage and looks sweet. I check it all out and find a few minor rust spots and the car needs some sorting but overall, it is a really nice car.
Here are the pictures that the seller had sent me.
Did I forget to mention it has a VG30 swap?
So I take a test drive and decide that there is no way I am going home w/o this car. I paid his asking price and got it loaded up and headed for home.
Old Owner saying goodbye.
Gas-ing up on the way home. Thanks to my great GF for loaning me her Jeep to tow it home.
Once home I gave it an oil change and some fresh coolant and a good once over. I changed the stock steering wheel for a grant I had and I prepped and painted the top of the core support. For some reason, it was never painted when the car was painted but the engine compartment was. It was multi colored and ugly. Looks better now.
I took the car to the SPEC510 meet this past weekend and it did great. Small miss in the motor that goes away once it is warmed up, needs an alignment and some other stuff but overall it is ready to be a driver. The VG power is sweet. Nice torque and it pulls to over 6500rpms.
I plan to move the ECU from the passenger firewall to under the glove box to get it out of the way of clumsy feet. Do some other clean up of the wiring, install a nice set of comfy seats and drive the car. It will be my weekend driver while I get the 2 door VG33 project done.
Here are pics.
I never was a 4 door guy but after this weekend at SPEC510, I may have been converted. I took my 19 year old son, my 15 year old daughter and her friend and it was easy in and out of the car, no one complained that is was tight and we all got to do parade laps in it. The VG power and torque is great for a 510. It pulls well with four in it too. I am starting to love 4 doors. This might just have to be a keeper.
I guess I need one of each, 2 door, wagon and 4 door. Do I need to sell one of my 2 doors?
