So it seems only right that Steve Pepka of Beaverton, OR, went the '70s route with that most quintessential of '70s Japanese cars, the Datsun 510. In truth, the wheels and tires-17-inch HRE 540s, 8-inch wide in front and a whopping 10 in back, with 40-series Yokohama AVS tires-are the most modern part of this clean build. Carrera coilovers front and rear, offering a near-3-inch drop, and Quickor sway bars (25mm in front, 23mm out back) ensure that this rad runner has a racecar feel to match its look.
This look goes far beyond the widened wheelhouses, mind you. The side marker lights have been shaved, a spoiler has been molded to match the front fenders and the rear license plate has been relocated into a smooth rear panel. Rock Creek Coach Body Works handled the deft application of '84 Honda Navajo Metallic Red paint, while Daniel Daneki sorted out the subtle striping.
Pop the hood and instead of the transplanted SR20DET that seems to have been universally adopted by the Dime community, the iron L16 engine that came in 510s remains. Of course, the entire reciprocating assembly has been balanced, nitrated and shot-peened; compression was bumped to a lairy 11:1 thanks to the combination of flat-top pistons and a hot home-market SSS cylinder head stuffed with competition Datsun valves and springs. An SSS cam lives inside the block, and a pair of 38mm SU carburetors dangle precipitously off the side of the SSS-spec intake. Also, a shorty four-into-one header with 2.3-inch primaries and a 2.5-inch collector blows through a single two-chamber, 2.5-inch Flowmaster exhaust.
Rather than make do with the factory-equipped transmission, Steve swapped in a dogleg five-speed out of a 1980 200SX (or an S11-generation Silvia, if you prefer the Japan-spec name), and added a Centerforce clutch, aluminum flywheel and custom mounting. The rear has been similarly beefed up, with a Subaru limited-slip diff with 4.11 gears now residing within the axle housing, along with custom axles and CV joints, and a diff cooler.
So will the w-i-d-e look of fender flares come back into vogue? Tough to say. But if the results look, sound and drive as sweet as this 510 does, we say, bring it on!