14x15 - 1972 Datsun 510

[bunniefuu]

Meet patient zero of the world's
passion for Japanese compacts.

The 1972 Datsun 510.

Happy banging away.

Once the biggest selling
import in North America,


as project cars and weekend racers.

This is what people want.

A 1972 two-door is a rare
find, but this car is a mess.

It's terrible.

Yeah, I know it's crazy.

And the race-inspired paint job nearly
inspired me to run in the opposite direction.

I just can't believe
somebody's done that to a car.

Big risks can lead to big rewards,
but Antoni may need a time machine

to bring this long neglected
car into the 21st century.

Why don't you drive this one round
out the gate, go back to the Datsun farm,

pick up a nicer one, come back
and... Where's the fun in that?

I'm on my way to go and see a
guy that's a farmer this morning.

Now, he's not a farmer
of cattle or vegetables,

though this guy is
actually a farmer of cars.

He has a farm that's full,
apparently, of Datsun 510s.

He's a Datsun farmer, and I
can't wait to go and meet him.

His name is James, and he
has a two-door Datsun 510,

and I've been desperate to buy
one of these cars for many years.

But there's not that many left
out there in the world anymore.

The problem that people
have with this little car,

and people like me who have been
chasing them, is they were so reliable.

They just kept on going until
there was nothing left of them.

These cars are amazing in
terms of their marketplace today.

They're very hard to find.
People want to get into them.

They're really easy to
work on, very affordable car.

I've seen them sell at the top
end of the game for $40,000,

and I've seen average
ones sell for $20,000.

And for that money, I'm
willing to put in the donkey miles

to go and get there and see if
I can snaffle myself a bargain.

That's a good one.
It looks like I'm at the right place.

This guy's got some serious cars.

James, how are you?

Good, how are you?

James, walking through
your property, right,

you seriously have some kind of illness.

I do. I'm an addict.

How many cars have you got?

I've got about 21, 22 cars.

Wow. OK, well, listen, I have
come, and I'm scared to turn around

because I just caught a
glimpse of it as I walked up.

I've come all the way
to come and see this car.

Oh, dear.

Well, my tetanus shots are in order.

So should we start looking at the car?

Let's start at the front, open the bonnet.

Let's do it.

And I'm dreading what's
going to be underneath here.

No doubt it's going to
be nasty and horrible.

Ah, now you've got me.

Not too bad, huh?

Wow, not too bad at all.

What can you tell me about that?

That's an L16 engine, which is
original to a type of car like this,



However, it's been upgraded
with a header and a bigger exhaust.

Weber downdraft carburetor, super
simple to jet, super simple to drive.

OK, well, now you've sort
of got me smiling a bit more.

Excellent.

I'll be honest with you, I
was nearly running away.

Hold on a minute.

That's not the same wing on that
side as the wing on this side, is it?

No, so that Fender is
an early running light,

and this is a later running light.

US specs required something bigger.

Somebody's changed it
at one point during its life.

This is truly awful.

Did they just brush it on?

No, it's rattle-canned.

It is rattle-canned on, isn't it?

It's horrible.

This car.

Very solid.

Yeah, it's very solid.

I think you're going to find it's got,
well, definitely it's got some Bondo.

There's something right there, yeah.

Yeah, in it down here.

Yep.

So it's got some filler in it.

This car is relatively
rust-free, and it is a two-door.

Right.

Oh, it's a good two-door as well, isn't it?

There you go.

Yeah, that's nice.

Very satisfying.

Oh, dear.

I mean, that is just the nastiest
interior I think I've ever seen.

Right, and the trim at the back.

Wow.

Complete.

Yes, and dare I say, straight.

I know just how popular these
little cars are, and I know why

you've got a farm full of them,
because this is what people want.

They want these little Datsun


market now, I don't think I'm
ever going to get in this market.

Well, listen, it looks awful.

I just need to take it for a
drive, see what it drives like.

Is that okay with you?

Yeah, let's do it.

Great.

Here's the key.

Want to fire it up?

Yeah, you can't wait to get rid of me.

Enjoy.

Little Datsun 510.

It's been years since I've been
behind the wheel of one of these.

I can tell you, almost
immediately, they

are a very nicely balanced,
quite responsive little car.

Although this one looks
awful on the outside

and hideous on the
inside, you can actually

kind of see the appeal, and
the engine seems to be working.

It's all right, isn't
it, little four-banger?

Happy banging away up front, and it
seems to be doing its job quite nicely.

All of a sudden, the
hideousness of this car

is just sort of
disappearing by the minute.

I can tell you one horrible feature
immediately, and it's the gearbox.

It's all over the place.

There is no precise
movement in the gearbox.

It's like stirring a bowl of soup.

Every single bit of this car
needs some kind of attention.

Even things like the
wiring doesn't seem to work.

I'm pretty convinced the lights aren't
working, the indicators aren't turning on,

the fans not working, but this car
has got good structural integrity.

It just needs rescuing.

It needs pulling back.

I don't know, this car's got some kind
of charm that's sort of growing on me.

Now, James clearly
knows he's Datsun's, and he

knows that lots of people
are scrambling around now

trying to get hold
of one of these, and

that's why he's asking
a very healthy $6,500,

which is around 5,000 pounds.

That's a lot of money, so I'm going to
go back and bid him to wish me luck.

Let's see if I can buy
this a little bit cheaper.

How'd you like it?

Well, I think I need a bath now.

How do I like it?

I'm really struggling to find
anything I like about the car.

It's a beautiful car.

I don't even know why I'm going to
do this, but let's try and have a go.

Let's have a go.

Okay, let's see. What do you want to do?

$4,000.

That's what this car,
and I think $4,000 for it,

is like the most stupid thing I've
ever offered somebody for a car.

Check it out.

It's an era-correct 1972, two-door
Datsun 510, and it's complete,

and I'll work you out
a section for the rear.

I know I have another section
for that, and some extra parts,

stuff you need to make this
thing just amazing and beautiful.

Well, that does make a difference.

I got connections.

$4,500.

Five grand, it's all yours.

Come on, Big Daddy.

Just because you called me
Big Daddy, you're having it.

I just bought myself a Datsun 510.

Awesome.

I don't know what my mechanic's
going to say when I roll up with this.

I think he's going to k*ll me.

Well, congratulations.

Oh, what am I doing?

Well, it's a Datsun 510, which is cool.

It's a two-door, which is also cool.

Very good.

Oh, my gosh, it's terrible.

Seriously, look at it.

Pretty awful.

OK, I've got to go
straight to the paint work.

There's obviously a little nod to Trans Am.

Yeah, this is a nod to the Trans Am
racing car that they had back in the 70s,

and it's a very popular thing that
people do with these little 510s.

What, they get their children
to paint it for them with a brush?

It looks like it, doesn't it,

because it's a real mess that
somebody's done on this car,

but don't worry, we're going
to take all that stuff back off.

Now, even from here, from five yards away,

I can see the rear wing
needs a load of filler.

Yes.

The good news is I also
negotiated some parts,

including a whole new
replacement rear wing for you.

So he's got other 510s?

He had loads of 510s, yeah.

So why don't you drive
this one round out the gate,

go back to the Datsun
farm, pick up a nicer one,

come back and...
Where's the fun in that?

Have a look at these front wings.

Look at this one.

Now go and look at one on the other side.

Right, indicator's different,

which means someone's swapped the
wing because it's probably had a crash.

Well, that's what I would have thought.

It's got a wing from a
different year on the front,

which leads me and you
to believe, as car experts,

this car has had a big accident,
and herein lies this car's surprise.

You ready?

Huh?

That's really good.

It's very good, isn't it?

That's really good.

Original firewall, original slam
panel, inner wings are untouched.

Everything under here
is very, very nice indeed.

Engine bay's good.

Now, I've given you
bad interiors in the past,

but just remember, interiors
are no more than carpet,

clips, fastener screws, seat covers,

and there's the interior
to our little Datsun 510.

Come on, it's not that bad.

Come and sit inside.

But look, and I am willing
to help wherever I can,

because you're going to need
some help with this interior.

At least it's a five-speed.

It's not, actually.

It's a five-speed gear knob sat upon the
top of a four-speed gearbox, and it's awful.

Grab hold of the stick.

The gears are in there somewhere,
but it's just hard to find them.

All right, well, if
we're going to have to

sort the gearbox, let's
make it a five-speed.

Change it, yes.

Done, absolutely.

Oh, and the dash gauges,
some of those don't work,

but other than that,
it's not that bad, is it?

Hey, come on, have a look out the back.

And salivate over the rear lights.

Nice and original, the rear
bumper nice and straight.

It'd be nice to keep it in this shape,

and it's going to be a bit
of a challenge with the way

the car is at the moment,
because none of the lights work.

But it was only $5,000, three
and a half thousand pounds.

You spent five grand on that?

Yeah.

If we get this right,
and we tidy it up, make

it look good, we can
sell this for 13, 14 grand.

This is a market we need
to be in at the moment.

These are hot news, these little cars.

Come on, let's get it in.

It's going to be fun.

Now, the problem
with old cars is that over

time, they suffer in the
bodywork department,

and it's made worse on our
car because of this terrible paint.

But before I can even
think about tackling that,

I'm going to start on the worst bit,

that rear wing.

There are a few parts standing
between me and the rear wing.

So once the car is up in
the air, I remove the exhaust,

and the rear bumper.

They fight, they never win.

I also remove the indicator light
and the driver's side rear light.

Now, Mike's already
warned me that this panel's

full of filler, but
actually, I can see it is.

You get a bit of experience, you
can start to listen to what it sounds like

when you tap it, and up here, the
metal sounds good, it's quite tinny.

If I work my way down, suddenly
the sound changes, it becomes denser.

What I need to do now is
remove the paint, remove the filler,

and just see what's going on underneath.

Mike spent 5,000
perfectly good American

dollars on this awful


He wants to rescue this car and
give it some much needed upgrades.

But before I can even think about that,

I'm going to start the healing by
fixing some of the car's body issues.

I've pried, scraped,
and sanded all the paint

and filler off the
bottom of the rear wing.

Time to see what we're up against.

Now that I've removed the paint, I
know exactly where I stand with this panel.

And yes, it's really bad down here, but
actually, the rest of it is quite solid.

Now, Mike's given me a
spare secondhand panel,

and I could just cut a small section
off the bottom and replace the worst bit.

But my worry is that the middle
of the panel here is quite weak.

As soon as I start welding it,
adding heat to it, it's going to distort.

I've noticed that there's a swage
line up here, that fold in the panel there.

That adds strength to the panel.

So what I'm going to do is I'm
going to cut just below there,

capture this little bit of rust in the arch
as well, and replace all of that panel.

Using this piece of
one-inch tape, I'm going

to run the top edge
across that swage line.

And that way, the bottom edge of
the tape is going to give me a marker.

for cutting one inch away from the fold.

Now that I have my measurements,
I cut away the old panel.

and smooth down the rough edges.

Then I move over to the donor panel
that Mike acquired from the cellar.

I prep the surface with a sander, then
measure, Mark, and cut out the part I need.

I always leave an inch or
two of space to begin with,

because it's easier to trim down than
have to add more sheet metal later.

And I constantly check the new
panel against the hole I've cut.

It's like a puzzle.
I need to make sure all the pieces fit.

Right, that should be pretty close now.

So what I want to do is insert it
inside, line that back panel up,

flip that on just to hold it in place,

check that front edge, that's really nice.

Yeah, that's looking really good.

Now what I want to do is Mark this top edge
so I know exactly where to fold and cut.

Now I deliberately want to leave
a half-inch Mark above that line,

so I'm going to use some half-inch tape,

run it along the bottom of the line,

and then do a Mark on the top of that tape.

That is going to give me a cut line
half-inch above where the two panels meet.

The reason I'm leaving
half-inch overlap is

because I'm going to
put a step into the panel.

And I'm going to do it using
this pneumatic step tool.

It's a really cool piece of kit.
It has a pair of jaws here.

Press the button, it
draws them together, and

it's that that puts a
little step in the panel.

Yeah, it's clever.

The step allows me to avoid butt-welding
the panels and minimizes burn-through.

I'm always ready to weld
the new panel in place,

but the trick is to make sure
the panels fit together snugly,

so I need to punch holes in the old
panel and matching holes in the new one.

Now I've just secured
the panel in place using

two grips, one on the
left, one on the right,

and now what I want to
do is draw these two skins

together, and I'm going
to do it using one of these.

These are called panel pins,
and actually they work like a rivet.

You put it in the grips, push it
open, there's these two little fingers,

and when it draws itself
back, it goes against the taper.

It widens, and because
of that hook on the end, it

traps the back panel, pulling
the two panels together.

Now these things are
really, really good, because

unlike rivets, you don't
have to drill them out.

Perfect for doing bodywork.

Once the two panels fit perfectly
together, I tack the new panel in place,

remove the panel pins, weld the
new panel more securely to the body,

and grind down the
welds for a smooth finish.

I'm really pleased with how the
wings turned out. It looks fantastic.

It needs a little bit of prep
before it goes to paint, but

ultimately, the bulky part of
the bodywork is now done.

What I need to do now is
tackle a small piece at the front,

and that small job is the odd
size indicators on the front wing.

Now for whatever reason,
this side has a smaller,

and it looks like a
homemade cut hole here,

whereas the other wing
has a larger hole here.

So what I'm going to
do is I'm going to get a

piece of steel, weld it
in there, smooth it off,

take a cardboard template on the other
side, and transfer that shape to this side,

cut the new hole out
so that both sides match.

What I've got to do first
is remove all that paint.

This is why I love working on classic
cars, because they always reveal something,

and this car has revealed that
the indicator was in fact there,

and for whatever reason, the previous
owner has decided to cut a hole up here.

This is going to save me loads of time.
I now don't need to do a template.

I know exactly where
the indicator needs to go.

I expose the welded
patch with an angle grinder,

then drill holes in the
corners where I'm going to cut.

Then I cut out the patch
itself with a die grinder.

A bit of smoothing with a metal file,
and I'm ready to sort out the old hole.

There's always a bit of scrap
metal laying around in the workshop,

and this is going to be perfect
for filling in that agricultural hole.

So what I'm going to do is line that up.

Using the markings, I
cut out a piece of metal,

secure it with a magnet,
then weld it into place.

And again, I use a grinder
to smooth down the welds.

That's all the metal
work done on the car, and

actually it's turned
out really, really well.

I'm pleased with it. Also, I got a bit
lucky having the indicator hidden in there.

It saved me a bit of
time having to work it out.

What I need to do now
is strip the rest of the

items off the car and
get it ready for paint.

A race car to finish doesn't matter.
It doesn't have to be perfect.

But we're not building a race
car, so all of this has got to go.

We have a rare 1972 Datsun 510 two-door

that Mike is determined to
bring into the modern age.

And this is all ours.

I've sorted out some of the body
issues by replacing the rear wing

and matching the front
wing indicator lights.

But if we're going to properly rescue this
car, body repair is just the beginning.

I get the trans-am livery.

Now, a lot of people want to
make cars look like race cars.

And of course, on a race
car, the finish doesn't matter.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

It gets away with being
a little bit rough, like this.

But we're not building a race car,
so for us, the finish has to be perfect.

So all of this has got to go.

I can't just roll it into
the paint booth like this.

To start with, I'm going
to remove the trim,

beginning with this piece
at the front of the bonnet.

And then the grille.

And the trim around the headlights.

Then I pull out and unplug
the headlights themselves.

Next to go is the front bumper
and the badges on the front wings.

Then the windshield
wipers and the bonnet then.

I'm about to make a
lot of dust, so at this

stage I've deliberately
left the windscreen in,

plus I'm going to do up the side windows
so none of that dust gets inside here.

The good news is I don't have
to take it down to bare metal.

I can just go over the existing
paint job with a grinder and scuff it up

so the new primer has
something to stick to.

It's a much faster and more efficient
way of getting the Datsun ready for paint.

A couple more hours and this
car will be ready for the paint booth.

Time to get the kettle on.

Well, Ant sent me out on a mission.

He's given me the instrument
cluster out of the Datsun 510.

And I know it needs a bit of work,

but I was on the Internet
and I was searching around

and I found this nice little
option that goes in the car.

It's a taco. It was really cheap.

You know why it was cheap?
Because it's broken, it doesn't work.

But I've got a friend
who's a bit of a genius.

He's called Gary, and he
reckons he can fix anything.

Let's hope he can repair this.

Hey, Gary! How are you doing?

Good to see you.

Okay, now, this is that Datsun


It needs a little bit of help.

Now, this is a replacement
or an option, actually.

This is like a rev
counter that goes in there.

Could you?

Can I come round?

Certainly.
Now, this is a tachometer testing machine.

Inside is just like an
ignition system in a car.

There's a mini distributor in there
and points that open and close

and then they send the
signal to the tachometer.

Old technology, but it works.

It does work, yeah.

So you're just going to hook
it up and you'll be able to tell...

Whether the tachometer works or not.

The tachometer tester is hooked up
to an all-purpose calibration machine,

which simulates the electrical
signals from an engine.

So now we turn ignition on
and we should see some action.

Action, zero.

But it's not working, so we have
to take it apart and have a look at it.

Can we test this as well? Yes.

Gary attaches the
cluster directly to the

calibration machine to
test the speedometer.

Here, 1,000 RPM is 60 miles an hour.

And we are doing exactly 60 miles an hour.

So that one is perfect. Lovely.

We go a little bit higher.

Oh, that's as fast as the
car's ever been in its life.

While we're at it, Gary can also
test the fuel and temperature gauges.

So that's all good then? That's perfect.

This instrument cluster is working.

We just need to clean it. That's correct.

Okay.

Gary's magnifying
monocle can get an intimate

look at the wiring
in the broken tacho.

It must have not been sold on
there very good because it came off.

Seriously? Is that all it is?

Yeah, I'm just going to
solder it back on again.

Perfect.

This car must have done an
international rally at some point

because that is one
dirty instrument cluster.

How are you getting on, Gary?

It looks like I got it.

Seriously? Let's see if it works.

Hey!

Look.

Yes!

I've got to tell you, Gary, I
walked in here with two pieces.

One was broken and one looked like
it was parked at the bottom of a lake.

But just one short hour later, we've
got this amazing instrument cluster

that's really going to
make a difference to the car

and the new owners
are going to love the

fact that it's got this
option in there now.

Yeah, it looks beautiful.

Colour choice is one of the
biggest factors in any restoration

and on this Datsun, Mike
and I are actually agreed.

Mike asked me to bring this
long-neglected 1972 Datsun 510 into

the 21st century and fresh
bodywork and a perfect paint job

are going to go a long way towards
making this a car worth buying.

Next stop, our friend Pat's paint booth.

Colour choice is one of the
biggest factors in any restoration

and on this Datsun, Mike
and I are actually agreed.

We've chosen a colour that was
available to Datsun back in the day.

Also, I've noticed that loads
of modern cars are using

the same colour now so it's
had something of a resurgence.

Mixing paint is like baking a cake.

You can't just wing it
and hope to get it right.

I'm keeping a close
eye on the scale to make

sure I'm mixing the
right shade of blue.

I appreciate not everybody's
got a paint booth at

home and I've painted
loads of cars in the past

and what I used to do as a kid was go down
the local body shop, give them some cash

and nine times out of ten
they'd accommodate me.

What I really wanted to do
was make sure I did it myself.

I'm using a two-stage paint.

This means I need to spray the
colour and then the clear coat.

A couple of coats of
colour should be enough.

Any more would be a waste of paint and at
$125 a quart, Mike would have my head off.

Four quarts is all I need.

Ideally I try and keep the spray
g*n to a 90 degree angle to the panel.

Too far off that and it
can leave a dry edge

leading to potential
inconsistencies in texture.

I don't always have time to paint
our cars so this is a real treat for me.

After letting the first coat flash off
for 15 minutes, I head straight back in.

This first coat looks amazing.

Now I've loaded up with enough
paint to hit it for a second time.

That second coat of blue
has given it a really rich colour.

Now I need to leave
that for a little while, let it

flash off and then hit it with a top coat
of clear and that will give it its shine.

I'm so pleased with this colour change.

This blue is exactly the look I was after.

The thing is though the car needs
to drive just as good as she looks

and Mike says the gearbox
on this car is rubbish.

It's sloppy and really hard to find
gear and that's not good enough.

See right now this car is
fitted with the factory 4-speed.

The 5-speed upgrade didn't
come out until much later in 1977.

So that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to whip out
the current 4-speed and

I've left Mike to get
hold of a new 5-speed.

And do you know what?
It's not as daunting as it sounds.

I need to clear anything away that might
obstruct the removal of the old gearbox.

So first I cut away
the rest of the exhaust.

I then unbolt and remove the prop shaft.

And stick a tail plug in the
back of the transmission.

Next comes the starter
which I unbolt from the bell

housing and rest to one
side, safely out of the way.

Now I can wheel over the gearbox lift
and begin unbolting the crossmember.

Oh wow! Look at that colour!
Oh I've got to take a picture of that.

That is fantastic. What a colour.

Sort of retro but forward thinking.
Exactly what the market wants.

Now while it's at this height we've
got to do something with those wheels.

I totally agree yeah.
Alright I'll leave it to you then.

Good. Yeah no worries at all.
So what are we up to now?

Right well I'm right deep in the middle
of gearbox and that's where my mind is.

So I've taken out the old four speed and
no doubt I've got you a fifth gear gearbox.

We can slot straight into top
gear now which is really good.

That should go in nice and simply.

And I've got you all the
gauges for inside the car as well.

Right lovely well put the
gauges on there for me.

I'll take this and I need this
trolley to go and get the wheels.

Alright see you in a bit. Lovely.

Now that's sorted I can crack on
with removing the crossmember.

Then unbolting the bell
housing from the engine.

And just like that the
gearbox is safely out.

After a bit of tidying up I'm
ready to install a new five

speed which bolts right in
along with reattaching the starter.

This gearbox has gone in relatively simply.

It's been quite straightforward to this
point but I've now reached a problem.

And the problem is this, the crossmember.

It doesn't fit.

Now the issue is that I'm going to
have to modify this to somehow make it

work and at the same time I'm going
to have to incorporate a rubber mouth.

So somehow I need to make
this fit that, fit this, fit to the car.

Which is going to be a
bit of head scratching.

The first thing I'm going
to do is give this a clean.

I'm going to save time by using
the old crossmember to fabricate

a new one that's just as strong
with a lower mounting point.

Straight away I can cut
out the centre and discard it.

Then measure, cut and
bore holes in the new centre

piece that will bolt directly
to the rubber mount.

Now I have to connect that piece to the
existing ends while reinforcing the lot.

So I use cardboard to make
templates for new connecting pieces.

Then cut them out and tack them in place.

I also tack in new gussets
at a 45 degree angle.

Then I weld everything together securely.

Grind it smooth and
then give it a coat of paint.

This has worked out really well.

It should all just bolt in
nice and straight forward.

I just need to reattach the prop shaft.

And the exhaust which
is in good enough shape,

it just needs to be
welded back together.

It might warn me that
these lights weren't working

and looking at the rear
loom it's easy to see why.

Because it is a complete mess.

There's some light at the end of the
tunnel for our 1972 Datsun 510 Toodle.

The cracking new paint job will
significantly boost the value of the car.

And the five speed gearbox will improve
what was already a fun driving experience.

On to the next challenge.

It might warn me that
these lights weren't working

and looking at the rear
loom it's easy to see why.

Because it is a complete mess.

The worst bits here where it's
all heated up it's obviously melted.

And then somebody spliced it together here.

I'm not really sure why
but all of this is a mess.

And I could spend some time
tidying it up but I'm not going to.

In fact I'm going to cut my losses.

I'm going to snip it right here and
replace the whole lot from scratch.

And on top of that I've
got a cheeky little upgrade.

It's going to be cheaper
and faster to create a new

loom from scratch rather
than buying a replacement.

And all I need is colour coded 16
Gauge wire and a bit of plywood.

If I use my old loom there's
several critical things I need to copy.

When in this case a pair
of side lights, two light

clusters, two number
plate lights and a nerf.

And I'm going to Mark each one of
those critical points using a screw.

And this is going to make
things really really easy.

I want to match the wire colours
to the original loom so I don't make

any errors when I splice the new
loom back into the car's wiring.

I start with black for the earth
which in America is called the ground.

I run that to every peg apart from
the clusters which I'll tackle later.

I then run a white wire
that will control the side

lights, rear lights and
the number plate lights.

Again I skip the clusters.

These two wires service everything but the
two rear light clusters they require more.

And if I look at the plug for the light
cluster there's three additional wires.

One will be the brake
light, one will be the

reverse light and one
will be the indicator.

Again I need to match
colours to the original loom.

So I run yellow wire
for the brake lights, red

for the reverse and
blue for the indicator.

Then green for the
indicator on the other side.

And that's it, that's the
wiring part of the loom done.

Now before I go any
further I'm going to pin

it all together using
some electrical tape.

It's a nightmare if it all
becomes unravelled so this is just

going to hold it nice and neatly
and stop me getting frustrated.

I'm also going to clip off
the very end of the loom.

Then starting on my left
I clip and strip the wires

to insert them into a
fresh insulated connector.

I'll repeat this process for
everything but the clusters.

That's all the simple crimped
ends finish and I deliberately

left the two light clusters
because I planned ahead.

I got hold of these two little
mini looms that are already

fitted with the plugs that
go straight into the lights.

So I can't crimp these
in, I'm going to have to cut

into the loom and then join
the wires up using a solder.

Once I've soldered and
taped both mini looms I wrap

the entire loom in
electrical tape to protect it.

And there we have it, a brand
new rear loom for our Datsun.

Now I'm going to get it
ready to put back in the car.

While I'm updating the rear end electrics
I'm actually going to go one stage further.

After all Mike has said that this build
is a combination of old and new so I'm

going to do away with the old bulbs and
I'm going to upgrade to these fancy LEDs.

Now the great news is
that this is an aftermarket kit

specific for the Datsun 510 so
it's pretty much plug and play.

That looks the business.

Once I've built the second
light I bolt both back into

the car and reinstate
the rest of the rear lights.

Now that I've plugged in the battery the
new loom and LEDs are ready for testing.

That is exactly the look I
was after and in fact that's all

the electrics done now and I
can focus on the bright work.

Go find a little double
clutch, drop a gear.

Now it's absolutely clinical.

I'm wrapping up work
on our 1972 Datsun 510.

All I need to do now
is put it back together.

Last to go on are a new set of
period correct wheels that Mike bought.

They're bigger and considerably
more attractive than the old ones.

Next up I need to send off
to the interior shop, get the

inside refreshed and then,
well, the pressure's on Mr. B.

The 1972 Datsun 510 is a
wicked driver's car that helped

turn the nascent Japanese
auto industry into a global force.

Powered by a 1.6 litre
four pot, the 510 was a two

time Trans Am champion
and a top selling import.

And it remains popular today for anything
from daily driving to weekend racing.

With all the work we've done both
inside and out to drag this car into

the modern era, I have every
expectation we'll see a handsome profit.

We paid $5,000 for the car.
The new five speed gearbox cost $1,620.

Thanks to Ant, paint
only set us back $1,000.

New wheels and tyres cost $840.

Refreshed interior cost us
$2,500, new LED tower lights

were $300, parts including
sheet metal and a taco cost $670.

With 60 man hours in, our total
cost was $11,930 or nearly £8,800.

And clearly has something
clever in mind since he's invited

me to a rather unusual place
to test our lovely little 510.

Yes! Oh, man, I love it. Love it,
love it, love it. Look at that car. Wow.

I love the wheels and the
other bits of trim. Wow. I mean,

the interior, everything. I
don't know where to start.

You see, you challenged
me to go for that

modern twist with a
retro car. There you go.

You've nailed it. I never
knew you were such a fantastic

painter. That is quality
work. You must be pleased.

I'm really pleased, but what I'm most pleased
with is the colour choice because this blue

was available back in the day when the car
was new and I still see it on new cars today.

It's kind of brought up to speed.

Right, you've nailed
the retro modern feel

that I was chasing
with this car. Nailed it.

So, er, begs the question, why have
you asked to meet me at the docks?

Did you know that when they
imported Datsuns from Japan

to the US in 1968 onwards,
they landed right there?

Just here?

This is the port and the
most amazing thing is

that Nissans today
arrive at the same place.

Seriously? Who would have thought
this little car would be standing here

right now 46 years later with two
English guys who've just renovated it.

It just goes to show the enduring
legacy of the Datsun 510. So

come on, what are the upgrades?
What are we looking forward to?

Right, well, jump yourself round the back.
Tell me what you notice.

Oh yes, LED rear lights in
the original housing. They

are wicked. Let me try
that new five-speed gearbox.

What, you think I'm going to let you drive?
Seriously.

Come on, get in, let's go.

Ah, look at that interior. Beautiful.

Woah!

Oh my God!

The interior of this car has
been transformed. There's

also a nice little touch
that you'll be staring at.

Yeah, the rev counter. So what did you do?

I found one on the Internet and the reason I wanted to
get the Gauge is because back in the day when you went and

bought your Datsun 510, they showed you a catalogue and
as part of the catalogue was this competition package.

And that was one of the
options and not many people

went for it. So I'm really
pleased I found one.

So it's got a kind of a competition edge
to go along with our modern retro theme.

And a competition gearbox.

I'm loving every second of this. Look,
find a little double clutch, drop a gear.

Look, it's just absolutely
insane. I've never drove

the car before so I don't
know what it felt like.

I can tell you what it felt like before.
It felt like the gear stick was basically

a wooden spoon and it was attached
to a bucket of porridge. There you go.

Okay, well now it's absolutely
clinical. Another really

nice touches. This is a
period car. Have you noticed?

Yeah, it's a dog-leg box.

Do you know what this reminds me of?

I know exactly what you're going to say.
Escort Mark 1.

What's the ergonomics? The
steering wheel, the gear stick,

the simplicity, the way it
handles, drives, steers, stops.

Now the market for this car is
so strong. They are out there

on the Internet and I've seen
them advertised at $15,000.

At £11,000. Great.

And I've also seen them
advertised, like this, at $80,000.

Eight zero? Yeah, not one eight.
Eight zero thousand dollars. Yeah.

I'm just going to
advertise it out there and

say offers invited.
Let's see what happens.

Being a genuine Wheeler
dealer is finding that sweet spot

in the market and we have
nailed the market on this car.

We wanted that retro
modern look. Look at our

little Datsun 510. It
just looks fantastic.

Now I put it out there
without being greedy, just

saying offers invited and
have I had some offers.

But this guy behind
me, Turtle, he's first here.

He's been for a test
drive. He can't stop smiling.

So I've got a funny
feeling he likes the car.

Let's just see if I can
put a deal together.

So I did, Turtle. What's not to
like about a little Datsun 510?

It's a light car with a lot of horsepower,
rear wheel drive. It's a lot of fun.

Have you had one before?
No, I wanted one in high school.

But being that I was in high
school, I didn't really have

the money to buy one, let
alone to build anything like this.

There's nothing like it and we
wanted to get the details right.

We wanted to go down that retro
modern theme and I think we've nailed that.

This car just wants to
scream down the road. Right. I

think that this will be the
perfect car for my garage.

Yeah, good for you. So I'm not
being greedy with the car. I've

just put it out there, offers
invited, so make me a decent offer.

Well, I appreciate the
work that's been done on the

car. I know what it's
worth. I know what it costs.

Maybe $19,000? $19,000. That's a great
offer. Thank you very much. Really good.

You know what? You're a car guy. I'm a car
guy. I'm not going to be greedy with you.

Make it $20,000.
You've got yourself a deal.

Come on, what's there to think about?
Just say yes.

Dream d*ck. There you go.
Well done. Thank you.

Congratulations. You just bought a
cracking Datsun 510. Well done. Thank you.

Nice one.

With prices of Datsun


faster day by day, we were
lucky to find a cheap car,

do an amazing amount
of work to it, and then

sell it for a very
decent and fair price.

It was nice to pass on the
goodness of this car to Turtle, who we

know is going to enjoy this little
motor for many, many years to come.

If you want to see more fun, brilliant
little cars like this being turned

around by me and Anne, then join
us again soon on Wheel Of Dealers.

Ta-la!