Filed under: 510
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on August 31, 2023
We are selling our 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon. It features a 2.4-liter KA24DE engine with five-speed manual transmission sourced from a Nissan 240SX. The car is a wonderful driver and recently completed the 300-mile Tokyo Calling Rally in Napa, Ca.
It was repainted in its original shade of green with a black vinyl interior and re-chromed bumpers by the previous owner. The interior features BMW E30 front seats, Nardi steering and rare Bluebird center console. New carpet, headliner, door cards were installed and all rubber seals were replaced.
The KA24DE uses a Megasquirt engine management system. We dyno tuned it, making 148hp/161tq at the wheels.
You can see this Datsun 510 Wagon in action with dyno runs, in-car and freeway driving in this video below:
For pricing and additional phots/details please visit our FOR SALE page
On Saturday, September 24 we attended the Tokyo Calling 2 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Northern California. The event also featured 200 Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!
Breakfast Club Rally
The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started just over 2 years ago. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group. The monthly BCR is always free/open to all makes and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see my previous BCR reports HERE!
The initial BCR Tokyo Calling event held back in March was a success. We did not want to miss this all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally so I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients and friends to participate in TC2. We left the shop at 6:30am heading to San Rafael, here is a preview of our cars:
Gary’s 1971 Datsun 240Z
Rob Fuller drove our client Gary’s S30 with the Datsunworks KN20 twincam cylinder head. Supporting the 3.1L engine are our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Jenvey ITB EFI with Haltech Elite management, Nissan 6-speed CD009s transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD.
While ZCG has performed many tests with the KN20 engine this was the first time we were able to do a 300-mile trip and really wring its neck. It just keeps getting better and better…watch the video below and turn those speakers up!
Linda Williams drove her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate. Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.
Henry’s supercharged Nissan 370Z
Henry drove his Stillen-supercharged 370Z. This was his first time attending a vintage rally and he had a blast! Henry recently visited ZCG for a re-tune and upgrades, making even more power stay tuned for an update! Rolling photo by Gregory Veizades:
Mr. C, a 1970 Datsun 240Z
Our guest Herbert P piloted “Mr. C”, our stock, one-owner Series 1 Z. We put some 14″ Panasports on this time as the stock hubcaps have a habit of coming off during spirited driving!
Our morning caravan of cars enjoyed cruising up I-280 through the Golden Gate Bridge. Nothing beats driving with fellow Z car owners!
Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!
Our crew arrived at the rally start in San Rafael and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 8-9am (usually 1 hr) so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, and as usual it went by too quickly. Let’s go through some of the highlights, with more photos in the gallery below!
Tom K’s Nissan Fairlady Z432 stunned the crowd. This rare, RHD gem is powered by the unicorn-status S20 engine:
I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns, and roadsters always get my attention. There were at least 8 in attendance including two genuine 1967 2000s. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era.
Ian’s SRL is #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!
Our client Erik drove his hot-rod R16 stroker-powered ’70. We dyno tuned this little beast recently, check it out HERE:
There were handful of Datsun 510s in wagon and sedan form. Our client Jay installed a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles on his Green 510. Jay is a hardcore rally driver (just completing the Faultline 500) and also brought his mint wagon with family! Check out his sweet set of Devil Shadow wheels:
Our very own Nick F drove his 510 wagon and went full rally-style with intercoms:
Back to Z cars, and with many cool examples like this pair of S30s with classy Campagnolo and 432s-style wheels:
Our client Kevin’s Slicktop Z32 on WORK XD9 wheels and Stoptech brakes. A pair of clean Zenki Z31 300ZX, one LS-powered:
Leo’s Nissan Pulsar GTi-R
We were pleasantly surprised to see Leo and his Nissan Pulsar GTi-R at Tokyo Calling 2. This RHD, JDM hot-hatch is known as “Baby Godzilla”, sporting all-wheel drive and an SR20DET drivetrain. What’s wild is that this Pulsar used to be owned by our very own Gary at Z Car Garage! Leo purchased it back in 2017 and drove it all the way from Reno, NV.
Leo is an avid Pulsar fan having owned several and he really kept this one in pristine condition. He added a few upgrades including Stoptech Big-Brakes. He ven kept the Z Car Garage license plate frame!
A pair of S13 240SXs:
It was great to see our R32 Skyline clients Mike’s R32 (TE37 wheels), Miles (Rays wheels) and Kurt W. (in his GC8 Subaru) and . All will be getting zcarblog udpates:
So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…
Kei Classics
Autozam AZ-1 and Suzuki Cappuchino mesmerizing the crowd with their size and neat features:
Honda
Honda was well-represented including late model DC2 Integras and S2000s. A few NSXs, CRXs and EF/EG hatches rounded out the display:
Toyota
Supra (A60 and A80) and even first gen MR2s, turbocharged Beams-powered Celica and AE86s!
Enjoy this walk-around of the pre-rally social hour at Tokyo Calling 2:
Trucks and Vans
Let’s not forget the Japanese classic trucks and vans!
The wildest car I found was this Nissan Leaf with motorcycle engine:
Rally On!
Photo by Gregory Veizades
The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. There was no cell phone reception but I was armed with a turn-by-turn rallye printout. I enjoyed hustling Mrs. Butters through the backroads:
One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides:Alex Nibyt, Gregory Veizades, Everett Lederer, and Zack Hubbell.
Arriving at Point Reyes was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I was just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this Nissan Figaro!
Henry’s 370Z and an FD RX-7
After chatting we resumed the rally. This final stage was my favorite with winding roads going through Petaluma. This is where the KW Suspension, ZCG Big-Brakes and 6-speed transmission in Mrs. Butters really shine. Every gear shift, squeeze of the throttle and confidence of the brakes makes for a sublime driving experience.
The rally concluded in Tomales. Total mileage for our San Jose crew thus far was 200 miles. BCR arranged for lunch at William Tell House as their clever motto is #DoneByNoon. The intersection here was yet another car show with J-Tin everywhere. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.
Many thanks to the organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North. Here are a few thoughts from Rob re-capping the Tokyo Calling 2 event:
“Loved TC2 and my favorite part is connecting with people, seeing their passion and all the other cool cars…I’m a huge Miata fan and NA/NBs were out in full force. Subaru XT…I really wanted one as a kid. Little fun fact…that rear end bolts into a Datsun 510. The Leaf with motorcycle engine was wild. Great to see our clients also on the drive. Got to see Leo and get reunited with the GTi-R, chat with Mike Young…”
“…Such a proud feeling of driving up 280 through the city and looking over to see Linda Wiliams in the OMS Pace Car, Vince S and Jim and Herb driving Mr.C. and Alex in his Sunny. The amount of community we have is tremendous. Loved how organized BCR is, so well thought out. The last 20+ years of my life I’ve been doing car meets/car adventures…the BCR guys got it down….from the registration stickers to rally directions. Little things like making sure there is enough room for folks at the meetup points…or always having clean restrooms available…these are details between enjoying yourself in a vintage car or not. The roads were incredible and scenery unreal. Sounds of L-series everywhere! Cant wait for next Tokyo Calling.”
Photo by Gregory Veizades
The Drive Home
Our adventure was not over as we had to travel another 100 miles South to the shop. We caravanned back, traveling through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco. I’m sure traffic had a field day with our group of Datsuns/Nissans:
At the shop, Rob gave everyone rides in the Datsunworks-powered Behemoth. It was fun to see the permanent smiles on passengers’ faces after returning:
After a full day of driving Mr. C, our stock Series 1 240Z, we gave Herbert the keys to take Butters out for spin:
Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us. Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun!
Z Car Garage is proud to bring this 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car back to life for our long-time client and friend Linda Williams. Only 50 of these Ontario Motor Speedway (OMS) “duplicates” were created and this is one of only two known survivors .
Join us as we revive this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. In addition to documenting ZCG’s work we will look at this Z’s history, our relationship with Linda and share her Enjoying the Ride.
History and Acquisition
Before we dive into the OMS Pace car story let’s take a look at Linda’s Z-car story. We first met Linda in 2008 when she reached out to Z Car Garage for work on her low-mileage 1978 Datsun 280Z:
“I had just bought my blue 1978 280Z and had taken it over to Steven’s Creek Nissan Parts Department to have a replacement key made. One of the guys came out and suggested I show it to “Rob” at Z Car Garage. It was my lucky day as ZONC was having a meeting and a Dyno Day at Z Car Garage! Of course, I didn’t know who Rob was and he was busy but took a few minutes to look at my Z. That’s how I met Rob and began a great friendship and a wonderful working relationship. I also joined Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) that day too!
Linda became a big part of the local Z car community and eventually became (currently) President of ZONC, one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. We have enjoyed helping her keep her Z cars on the road over the years, from Car Show prep to routine maintenance:
“Rob has taken very good care of my car and I have a lot of respect for him as a business person. He is honest, open and I don’t feel pressured to do anything on the car that isn’t necessary. In 2012, Rob called and asked if he could ‘borrow my car’ and of course I said ‘yes’, but can you please explain? He then told me he wanted to display it at the San Jose Auto Show in January 2013. I felt honored having it displayed with another restoration Z Car Garage had done, along with many other client Z’s.”
The OMS Pace Car Duplicates
Nissan Motors created 50 “Pace Car Duplicates” to commemorate the Datsun 240Z being selected by the Ontario Motor Speedway to Pace the 1972 U.S.A.C. California 500 Championship (shown above). The cars were originally brought over from Japan by Mr. K and were all white with red interior. The blue livery was added here in the states with the “O” that represented the Ontario Motor Speedway. After the race, the cars were given to Datsun Dealerships in the Los Angeles area as a promotion and later sold to the public.
Fast forward to 2021 and Linda has located one of the Pace Cars: (shown above) The OMS Pace Car in a period photo from the previous owner in Glacier National Park, and on the day Linda purchased it:
“In August of 2020, a gentleman from Porterville, CA who was handling his father’s estate contacted me and asked if our car club (ZONC) would like to have a car (actually 3 cars) donated to us. I had to explain that we were a 501(c)7 and not a 501(c) 3 and would not be able to accept them, but I was personally very interested in the Z and that began the quest to acquire it.”
We told Linda this was a “must buy” as the car advertised had original paint/interior, 45k miles and above all it was 1 of those 50 “tribute” cars made by Nissan. Of those 50 cars, it is currently one of only two known survivors! You might be wondering what happened to the actual OMS Pace car? This is what makes Linda’s tribute Z special, beyond its rarity…as per Carl Beck and other noted Z-car historians, the original OMS Pace Car car was this Z shown below (L):
Above (R) is a photo of Mr. K presenting the keys to the Datsun 240Z Pace Car to Mr. John Cooper, President of Ontario Motor Speedway. This Z was used as the Official Pace Car for the ” California 500″ held on Sept. 3, 1972. It really is a small Datsun world and amazingly this exact car is in our shop at Z Car Garage…it is none other than the Joel Anderson #49 IMSA GTU 240Z !
After running as the official OMS Pace Car in 1972, it was purchased by Joel Anderson from the Datsun Competition Dept. for $1.00 and Joel picked it up at Sears Point from Bob Bondurant in 1979. Joel prepared the Z for IMSA GT-U competition sporting wide aero and his iconic black livery. Yes, #49 still has the checkered flag holder in the driver’s rear quarter panel from its OMS career. We are stoked to have both Tribute and original OMS Pace Cars at the shop!
Z Car Garage Revival
Linda had the OMS tribute towed to Z Car Garage and we sat down to discuss the future of the car. We both agreed to keep it as original as we could, while updating critical parts to bring it back to life and make it a safe, fun car to drive. Our goal was to have it ready for the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) in August of 2021.
“My plans are to drive the car and enjoy it as a ‘survivor car’. It draws a lot of attention and I love sharing it with the car community, and telling her story to those that haven’t heard anything about the Tribute cars. I have the paperwork back to the original owner, many invoices that corroborate the mileage and original Warranty Book with the ‘credit card’ warranty card.”
Indeed, Linda has a treasure box of period photos/records all relevant to her OMS tribute Z:
Engine
The Z had not been running since 2006 so we went through the fuel and cooling systems, suspension, brakes and supporting parts to make it a fantastic driver. Starting with the engine bay, we performed general clean-up of the inner fender/firewall areas.
A fresh set of Z therapy SU carbs were installed along with an MSA 6 to 1 header and full ZCG exhaust system:
All coolant hoses were replaced and radiator refurbished:
Fuel tank refurbishment with new hoses and all new evap lines:
On the dyno, the stock L24 made 120hp/125tq at the wheels:
Enjoy this video of the dyno run and a walk-around of the Z after our revival:
Chassis
With respect to the low mileage of this chassis and provenance we performed a “sympathetic” refresh to make it road-worthy. The suspension was removed and replaced with new hardware and bushings throughout. New parts from Techno Toy Tuning included adjustable T/C rods and rear lower control arms. Before/after shots below with more in the gallery.
New tie-rods, rack bushings, and engine mounts. KYB strut inserts, Eibach lowering springs trimmed Macpherson bumps stops for full travel and a ST sway bar set:
We rebuilt and replaced all factory brake components including new calipers with Stoptech rotors, rear drums/shoes+wheel cylinders, new wheel bearings front and rear:
Fresh brake master cylinder and booster:
New drum brake components:
Details
Finishing touches for Linda’s Z included completing the OMS livery. We did not repaint the car because of its survivor status. A cut/buff was sufficient, and “O” decals were sourced/applied just before heading to ZCON. As it arrived (L) and after (R):
Interior
The original interior was refreshed with a nicer set of seats from fellow ZONC members Paul and Ann Devor:
All weatherstripping was replaced from hatch to doors.
Small details like a a new shifter gasket, heater core/ducting refurbishment and window regulator sorting make driving enjoyable:
Enjoying The Ride
Linda drives her Datsuns. We got the OMS Pace Car tribute in great mechanical shape and she has been driving it everywhere on local runs and gatherings. Most recently on April 10 she joined fellow Z owner Bryan for a local Bay Area drive and the odometer turned 47,000 miles!
In March she completed a 300-mile Breakfast Club Rally with us in Sonoma, CA. The OMS Pace Car ran like a champ, handling the twisty roads with zero mechanical issues:
In August 2021 we finished preparing the Z just in time for the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA in Colorado Springs. The OMS car was well-received at the show, Pete Brock approved!
At ZCON with the new Z and track laps!
Photographer Larry Chen and Rob Fuller highlighted Linda’s Z in their walk-around from ZCON, enjoy:
“When I bought the car, I did not drive it due to it not being operated for so many years. The last thing that I wanted to do is possibly damage it before I even got to drive it. When I delivered the car to Rob, he went through it and did everything he could to maintain the ‘Tribute Car’ provenance, yet give me a car that I could enjoy driving. She is kept garaged, but she’s driven and enjoyed. The car drives like a “Z” and I am so thrilled that Rob did his magic with her.”
Thank You!
Z Car Garage thanks Linda for her unwavering support. We love your passion Linda and how you wave the flag for Nissan/Datsun history. The OMS Pace Car tribute is in great hands for the next generation to appreciate. From Rob:
“We live for this. Finding these hidden gems that have been sitting and bringing them back to life because Datsuns are Driven. Linda’s Z became a wonderful driver that puts a smile on my face not only when I’m behind the wheel but when I hop out and look back at it. How small and magical is this Datsun world where we can have the actual pace car (1 of 3) and tribute (1 of 50) in the same shop and work on them both. Thanks to Linda for believing in ZCG”
More pictures in the gallery below and…LONG LIVE THE Z!
