Wow, nearly 2 years since the last update.
Truth be told my 510 has seen little activity. Part of that was due to lack of time, specifically to Project 635 (
http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=32574) and to other customer builds & parts. The main reason was due to some nagging issues which prevented me from running my 510. At the time I chose not to fix my 510 because I already have several Datsuns disassembled in my garage, and as many of you know, taking a car apart chews up a LOT of space...
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With my 635 nearing completion (85% assembled), but still requiring many more hours for the little things, I decided to take a brake from it and another 510 build to finally fix my 510. Solo2 starts in a couple of months and I really want my younger son to get some seat time. The plan is to commit the entire month of March to address the following issues.
- Complete chassis wiring harness replacement
- Front sway bar to work with JB CoachWerks R&P conversion
- New seats that work with a harness
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First up is the chassis harness. Honestly, it's a real shame there isn't a turn-key kit out there to purchase and save many 510 owners the hassle of reinventing the wheel (ie: figuring out how a ground-switched headlight setup works...) Unfortunately there is nothing out there so my plan is to run with the painless kit and FULLY DOCUMENT / POST the exact steps I went through. Hopefully this will be a quasi turn-key setup for others down the road.
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I decided to replace the harness because my lighting suddenly crapped out, and then several months later I had experienced a short which ultimately caused some moderate damage and prevented the car from running. I'm not entirely certain how the short happened but it appears as though one of my (unfused) accessory circuits was rubbing against, then shorted, a panel mounting bolt. It then created enough heat to melt it's housing then some of the OEM harness housings...
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It didn't take long to remove the stock harness and find some of the collateral damage to my short. This ignition connector is clearly toast, but interesting that the PO had done some work on it. It turns out there was quite a bit of work done to the stock harness so ultimately this was a worthwhile exercise.
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Because wiring isn't exactly the most exciting topic, I'll save the details for a single post. I am a good ways into the task, and so far it's gone fairly smoothly once I figured out how to mount the MegaSquirt stand alone, KA24e CAN-AM fuse/relay box, and the Painless fuse box. Not much room under the passenger dash!
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While I'm redoing the lights I plan on swapping my Hella halogens for LED bulbs. The newer generation bulbs are now designed to work with halogen headlamps and therefore produce a really nice pattern. This will keep the OEM look but provide a much whiter light.
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I've also started (and since completed) an experimental sway bar for the front-sump / rack & pinion conversion setup. Since the stock sway bar doesn't clear my setup I had to find another solution. The picture below shows the Futofab front sump bar, and aftermarket stock mount bar, my OEM 510 bar, and finally my solution - in its designed orientation.
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I've also started modifying my seat rails for the new seats. The plan is to mount my Momo 4 point harness to the un-used rear passenger shoulder mount. Yes, I'm aware that these harnesses are not really intended for street, my plan is to leave the top loose enough so that in an accident my torso will fold over the lap belt to prevent submarining. Should I like the seat & harness setup I will eventually move to a Schroth Rallye 3 setup which is better designed for my setup. Either way, I'm damn certain that my Momo harness is FAR better than the stock 50 y/o non-reclinable belts.
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Finding a seat for the 510 hasn't been easy. I don't mind the S30 seat I had before but the integrated headrest didn't allow for shoulder harness belts. These reupholstered Recaros not only look and feel great, but had the necessary pass-through for should harness.
I'll provide a few more updates in the coming weeks where I'll address each area within a single post.