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The Dime, Quarterly recently had a chance to talk with Oregonians Bruce Palmer and Chuck Rush about their respective 510 wagons. Both men have gone the build-it-yourself routes in the past, but Chuck’s current ride was purchased nearly as-is from another enthusiast. Bruce’s car (aka “Fridge-II”), on the other hand, was put together the old fashioned way, with Bruce’s DIY-labor and months spent laboring in the garage. Here’s what the two Datsun enthusiasts had to say about their respective cars and the pros and cons of building vs. buying.
Bruce: Fridge-II was built because Fridge-I got its right front corner stuffed under a semi-trailer on an icy bridge during a mid-winter trip to Idaho in 1999. Since Fridge-I had only been completed for about three years at the time, there were still many new and usable parts available for salvaging into a new shell. It made a lot of sense to find a body and go through the motions all over again. Steve Epperly of ZTherapy graciously coughed up a nice shell and away I went, prepping the body down to bare metal, applying lots of ZeroRust, and then swapping over all the usable parts from the wadded-up remains of Fridge-I.
Chuck: Way back in 1994, I was introduced to the world of Dimes by brother-in-law Bruce. At the time, he was driving a 2-door hot rod, but I opted for a more practical wagon that could carry passengers. I paid way too much for a mostly stock white wagon ($1800 in '97) and then I spent the next couple of years in the Epperly’s shop and Bruce's garage down in Salem doing a bunch of the normal modifications, including a low-compression LZ engine, 5-speed tranny, ZX struts, a 200SX rear disk brake swap, a big radiator, and larger than stock gas lines. All the Salem guys helped out immensely, including Bruce, Bill, Bryan, Steve Duinn and, of course, the Epperlys. I did some of the work, but also did a lot of spectating during the process.
Bruce: The goal for Fridge-II was to build a tight, long-legged daily driver that would run on regular without eating itself up. Working with Steve Epperly, we put together a low-compression LZ2.3 with 46mm Hitachis mated to a ZX overdrive 5-speed. The engine has a lot of torque, and will drive the tall gears in the tranny. Highway driving is a breeze without the motor screaming. Seventy five miles per hour is about 2800 rpm.
Chuck: By 2002 my first wagon was getting a little long in the tooth. It was my only car and daily driver, so I put a ton of miles on it. I was commuting to work from Portland to Salem, and then spending some of almost every weekend down in Salem, too. I was racking up close to 1,000 miles a week—and loving it—but the car was taking a toll.
About that time, Bruce let me know that a friend of his, Pat Barret, was moving on to another project and was putting his newly finished wagon up for sale for $5K. Looking at Bruce's recent examples building Fridge-I and Fridge-II up from bare metal shells over a period of months and months, we did a make-vs.-buy analysis, taking into consideration that I don't even have a garage, let alone a shop (other than Bruce's down in Salem).
We had visited the project at Pat’s during several stages and I knew the car (90k original miles) had been completely dismantled and re-built with tons of NOS parts and upgrades. It had a high-compression LZ2.3, SUs, five-speed, was lowered, and had a trick paint job that changed from green to gold in the sunlight. It was essentially a new car for a very affordable price. In fact it was so pretty that I had to think long and hard about taking such a perfect 1971 510 wagon and using it as a daily driver. But when I heard that there was a potential buyer back East, I rationalized that it would get salted and rusted there anyway and so I bought it for my only car.
So for a modest price I got in, turned the key, and, with most of the features that I had in my old wagon, away I went, enjoying the ride. Thanks, Pat, for all your hard work and your short attention span. And thanks, Bruce, for talking me (and my wife) into buying the car.
Bruce: In order to get the new Fridge to handle well, the typical front and rear sway bars (thanks Glen) were installed and the normal big strut ZX & brake combo was installed. Stock drums on the back help haul things down to a stop.
Chuck: I soon discovered that my new "perfect" wagon had some front strut issues, so we installed the ZX struts from my old wagon, which also gave me back the Porterfield pads I like so much. But braking still wasn't what I wanted, so I ended up also moving the rear axle with the Epperly-modified 200sx discs and Porterfields over from my old wagon. Sweet.
Bruce: Special mods include the fact that Fridge-II is a 2-place vehicle with the back seat removed and the floor extending from the roll bar to the deck lid with a tonneau covering the cargo area so prying eyes can't see my "stuff.” Two-tone gray leather Tiburon seats bring the front cabin together nicely and fit like a glove. RJS belts assist during spirited driving. On the maiden voyage to Shasta in 2003, Fridge-II won Best Interior, which blew me away ‘cause there are a lot of "wrecking yard" pieces inside it and as we all know there are plenty of really nice, professionally done interiors that roll into Shasta.
Chuck: My special mods include dual cup holders. The previous owner was also a music guy, so the car has a decent seven speaker system that you can actually hear on the highway. We also put in a four-point harness for autocrosses. We routed the shoulder harness up and over the rear seatback, which is the right geometry, but is a weak attachment for a racing harness. A hard collision could theoretically collapse the rear seatback forward, allowing the driver to fold into the steering wheel and dash. I zip-tie the two seatback latches closed, which makes me feel better. For autocross duties, the harness keeps the driver in position, but for track days I also use the stock three-point as well as the four-point harness to be safe.
Bruce: The question I hear from non-car people is "why do it"? The reasons are several. Driving the Fridge is a hoot. This is a toy that I don't worry about hurting. It's not over-the-top valuable like so many other collector cars. I also get asked what things I like the most about the car. The three things that stand out are: 1) Datsuns fit me; 2) they are a cute box to hang upgrade parts on; and 3) based on the parts selected, performance can be tailored to the owner’s desires.
Chuck: Yeah, what he said. Driving a Datsun is fun. What I also like about 510s is that they make dreams come true. I grew up idolizing Juan Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Dan Gurney. Road racing was my fantasy, but I never played with cars as a youngster and as an adult could never afford the car I wanted, let alone any kind of racing. When Bruce showed me the possibilities of upgrading a 510 and the economics involved, it was literally a dream come true with autocrosses and track days and Shasta. Life was good.
Bruce: It makes people (including me) smile.
Chuck: Again, what he said. Unlike Bruce's POS, my own wagon has a high CDI (Chicks Dig It) factor. I have discovered that either I have become very, very attractive, or else there are a huge number of middle-aged women who have fond memories of early '70s
Datsuns. Guys too, but who cares about them? [Laughs] Yes, yes, I know it is the car and not me, but fantasies Canby fun. I still pretend to be Fangio or Gurney now and then. It does no harm.
Bruce: Lastly, it lets one play with the nicest car people and events you'll find anywhere, such as the two-day run to Shasta '05 with Chuck in his wagon and Ron Clifton visiting from NC. Talk about hitting the highways and byways of northern California!
Chuck: Yeah, hooray for the Datsun people. There is absolutely no way I could afford these kinds of modifications and repairs without the generosity of Datsun enthusiasts like those mentioned above. The value of the accumulated knowledge on the Bluebird list is enormous. And, of course, another factor is the cultish sense of belonging that goes with the Datsun family. Or the sense of family in the Datsun Cult, however you look at it. I am so looking forward to the Arcata drive in August. And also to driving out somewhere to meet Ron Clifton on his way from Bubba Land to Canby in June.
Bruce: Our Datsuns NW club hosts several low stress fun runs during the year, plus the Datsun Driving Canby Fun in June. Good times, great folks, and great cars with reasonable budgets. Without the folks, my Dime would just be transportation. In the words of the new Caddy commercial: When you turn your car on, does it return the favor? The answer for this old boy and his car is ....YES!!!
Chuck: So, clearly the answer to the "Build or Buy" question is: Buy if you can. Driving a 510 every day: priceless.
Bruce: Obviously the only way to go is to build your own from scratch: Old Farts in Wagons Rock... Eventually."
DQ
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