There is a 510 coupe with no motor and minor rust and a running/driving 710 in good condition with a 2.0 L motor that a guy I know is selling. He is asking $3000 for the pair. I have a few questions. He says it is the "2.0 L truck motor" and says it was swapped into the 710, but I'm thinking it may be the stock motor. I plan on taking the 2.0 L motor out and putting it in the 510 after I get the 510 blasted and painted.

Is the motor in the 710 an L20B? Exhaust/air cleaner mods are all that is required to swap it over, correct?

Is this a good price? How much could I expect to recoup from the sale of the 710 shell after the swap?

What else should I be expecting regarding the 710/510 combo?

Thanks for your help guys, have a good one. I'm really excited about this prospect. I've wanted a 510 for a looooong time. This might be the deal that finally turns out good for me

I'm sorry for all the loaded questions. I will post pics once he emails them to me.

My ultimate plans are to gut the 510 and get it as light as possible with a L20B motor and 5-speed. I would then auto-x it and drive it on the weekends. Just a fun car to have around.

Should I look for stamped model numbers to tell what kind of tranny/motor I'm getting? Are there other ways of telling?

It's probably a 2-door sedan (not a coupe), but that's just semantics (coupe had no b-pillar and a more sloped rear window).

L20b is a sweet motor in a Dime, but you'll have a tough time getting much for the 710 (not much demand).

For $3K, make sure there's LITTLE to NO rust in the 510. What year? Is it complete (aside from engine)? Little things can add up on a 510.

If you can afford it, get it. The $3K will be forgotten a year from now, but they're not making any more 510's and they're increasingly harder to find in good shape.

Ok, I've just re-read your post. I was not aware there was a 2-door sedan. Here is a picture of the car in question:

I don't see $2000 worth of car there.

Not even close. That thing is eat up with rust.

Suit yourself, but a car with that much rust is a parts car. Let's see under the hood - Bet the inner strut towers are swiss cheese. It's been hit in the rear (not a fun repair) and has rust perforation on the floors, fenders, possibly the rear deck seams and maybe even in the drip rail area.

That's what I was afraid of. The engine bay is actually in a lot better shape than I expected.



But I hear what you're saying about the rust elsewhere. He said there's none, but I don't think he's actually done any work on this thing. Well, I suppose I move on. Man, that stinks. I've got a couple other leads I'm working on. You got any ideas?

Hellllllllllll no.

I wouldn't pay $800 for the pair if they both looked like that.

HudsonMC wrote:after I get the 510 blasted.....

I don't think there would be much left

Don't rush the search. I did, and ended up spending way more time doing body work than I wanted. My car had a bad tail-light panel, kind of like the one you posted only a little worse, and some well hidden damage to the quarter panels. If you want a heavy project go ahead, but not for that much $.

$3k can get you a MUCH nicer project

Watch CL and ebay in AZ. We don't have the humidity, so cars don't rust like that.

If you see one you'd like someone to look at in person, I usually try to make time to go do that for people if they're serious.

The strut towers on that car are about to pop, the P side frame rail is compromised, and the pinchweld at the backside of the cowl drain is rusted through.

PLUS, at some point, someone painted the entire engine bay green, did a crappy job, probably painting OVER a couple decades worth of rust.

It's a parts car - Interior, bumpers, trunk lid, grille, etc. He could part it out for $1000.

Thanks for your help, and thank you very much for the offer AZHitman. If I see one, I'll let you know. There's a 4-door on CL right now in AZ, but no 2-door. It'll happen eventually.