When we took our last trip to the Bay Area, we already had a set schedule: shoot a couple feature cars, meet a few clients, pretty basic stuff. What we didn't anticipate was being able to contact Tony Ruelas, the owner of this retroactive Datsun 510. During a small conversation we were having with friends, Nads brought up Tony's car, asking if they knew anyone who knew or could speak with the guy. It turns out that one of them just happened to have a connection only a phone call away. At that point, we beamed with excitement as the wheels were put in motion. We would get what we wanted. Tony's return call came within hours after a mere mention of the fellow. However, with one cell phone conversation, it was still unclear whether or not we would be able to meet. Our trip was already booked, and who knew if Tony had the time to meet a couple of photographers from L.A. Did he even know who we were? Maybe we were too late and another magazine beat us to the punch (which, by the way, rarely happens). But we finally settled it; he agreed to meet us the following day.
Showing up on time and as promised was a beautiful silver speedster-loud, low, and hard to miss. Even without seeing this it beforehand, we already knew we had a winner on our hands. Almost too perfect if you ask us. The ghost flames are what you see right off the bat. They, along with the paint, were hand done by Tony. Originally, the car was blue, but an accident a few years back gave him the inspiration to redo the entire car from the ground up. The entire chassis was stripped, repaired of all body damage and rust, and then painstakingly worked on for the next two years until it was worked into what you see now. We're talking inside and out. Every panel, bolt, and screw was removed, just so he could work on every part of the chassis. From the looks of it, you could hardly tell that the 510 had ever been flawed-it's that perfect.
But the bodywork alone shouldn't be enough to complete a masterpiece. In fact, the 2.2L L4 engine is just as much an equally serious setup as the rest of the car. Tony had the bottom end rebuilt and balanced with all new Nissan factory components, and then he had the cylinder head ported and polished by his friend, Rafael Orellana. It runs a four-barrel 390cfm carbureted setup, sucking in air through a K&N air filter and down through an Offenhauser intake manifold. A dual-pattern Erson cam lies beneath the L18 valve cover, while a custom Hooker header hangs off the exhaust ports. A Mallory fuel pump feeds increased volumes of fuel to a Holley fuel pressure regulator, and an MSD ignition box is used to generate extra engine spark. Tony says his engine is capable of producing 175 hp at 5,200 rpm (estimated) and 180 lb-ft of torque 4,700 rpm (estimated). The transmission has been reworked with close ratio gears and surprisingly does not require the use of a stronger clutch disc.