Need 510 Motor Swap info.

Discussion forum for the venerable 510, and its non-US counterparts, the Datsun 1600 and Bluebird.
User avatar
Simmsled
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:25 am
Car: TSI GTI - E46 325i
Location: Indy

Post

Hey guys,

So, I am getting a 1970 510 2 door from a guy at work. He has had it in his shop under a cover for years. It has no rust, and it has a bunch of SSS stuff on it (body parts, header, etc.), some sweet SSR 2 or 3 piece wheels from back in the day, and some crazy JDM suspension that I have not investigated yet. The guy I work with parted out some of the stuff on the motor so I want to swap. here is what I am looking for support on...

Repoman is taking out his KA24E now that he has a SR20DET to swap into his 240. Now, I want to put the KA into the 510. I have done swaps before, but never anything like this. I will have the complete motor/tranny/ecu/wiring harness.

What do I do for mounts?

What do I do for driveshaft?

Has anyone here done it?

Any comments? Tell me what you think.

-Matt


User avatar
continental_drift
Posts: 3293
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:47 pm
Car: 1991 240sx coupe - in progress - zeal function V6, ssr formula reverse, trust SP. more to come.

Post

I apologize for how difficult it is to navigate to the datsun articles.

I've heard that someone will make them easier to access when theyhave time to work on the path. at this point in time reaching thoseparticular articles is a little like finding a needle in a haystack. it's notreally anyone's fault, it's just something that needs work.,

to make things easier on you, here is a link to the datsun articleswhere there are various write ups, including putting a KA motor intoa 510 and putting a vg30 into a 510.

zeroforum?id=120

hope you find this helpful, and if you need another guinea pig foryour HID project, I'd be glad to oblige.

cheers,

Micah

User avatar
Simmsled
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:25 am
Car: TSI GTI - E46 325i
Location: Indy

Post

sweet, thanx Micah! I am going to do a kit for Datsun 510s. dual 5 inch round bi-function HID. I cant decide whether or not to go projectors or reflectors... or a combination proj/refl. I have the only 240sx pop-up hid bi-function (single projector) set actually installed and working on a 240 right now. It is sweet. I hope to have pics soon. I am excited about my 510 project. Thanx again for the info!

User avatar
Simmsled
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:25 am
Car: TSI GTI - E46 325i
Location: Indy

Post

So, now that I've read all that... What would be the best thing to do? Use the stock 240 mounts and then buy a crossmember that fits the tranny nice and neat? Also, NTN Driveshaft is just up the road from me. They could build me a carbon fiber drive shaft for the cost of materials. You think there would be any benefit to having it?

Matt

BACARDI_DWB
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:44 am

Post

i am going to buy the crossmember offered from mckinney motorsports when i do the KA swap. there is not a big reason for a carbon fiber drive shaft but knock yourself out. the shaft on the 510 is fine, just get it shortened to your needs. you would find more benifiet to switching to an aluminum flywheel (thats my plan)

User avatar
Simmsled
Posts: 983
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:25 am
Car: TSI GTI - E46 325i
Location: Indy

Post

So tell me this.

When we swap out the motor/tranny from the 240 to the 510, if I have the mckinney crossmember, I can bolt everything up so I dont have to take everything back out? (obviously without the driveshaft that I can put in later by dropping the diff)?

User avatar
datsunboy
Posts: 518
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:14 am
Car: Datsuns
Contact:

Post

You can take the driveshaft in and out EASILY without taking a sinlge other thing ot bolt out of the car.

just undo the 4 driveshaft bolts, and slide it out.

BACARDI_DWB
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:44 am

Post

pretty much you take the mckinney mounts and you drop your engine/tranny in your 510. you take measurements from your diff to your tranny and take your shaft to a drive shaft machinist and have it done. you don't have to take the motor back out or anything you will see it once you get it there

check here they did custom engine and crossmember mounts i like the bolt up idea but check step 8

http://www.geocities.com/Motor....html


User avatar
KAestate
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:26 am
Car: 1971 Datsun 510 Estate
Contact:

Post

I just finished my low-budget ($273) KA24DE swap in my 510 and I can tell you what to look for as far as what bolts on and what needs to be changed. I'll list the big things here and you can IM if you have any further questions. (AIM screen name = FARSILINGUIST).

Engine crossmember: If your KA24E has a front sump oil pan you will need to either buy a custom crossmember or cut your Datsun one and flip it around and weld it back in like I did. You cannot keep the sway bar. Look for one from a '78 620 or just leave it out. My handling sucks because I couldn't find one.

Motor Mounts: On the KA24DE the brackets from the motor will bolt right to the mounts from the 510. However, you have to use the holes on the mount pillars that are closer to the center of the engine bay. Basically you put the motor mount bolts through the top two holes on the mount but thread them into the bottom two holes on the mount pillar on the crossmember.

Tranny crossmember: You can buy a custom one here as well OR do what I did. 1) Without the tranny in the car, bolt the 510 tranny crossmember into the car. Have the straight edge toward the rear of the car. 2) Cut out the center of the tranny crossmember even with the width of the tranny at that point. 3) Bolt the center piece onto the tranny. 4) Bolt the tranny to the engine (which should be the first thing you put in as the engine bay is not as large as the 240SX). 5) Raise the tail of the tranny as high as you can until it hits the tunnel. 6) Mark where you need to cut the tunnel to fit the shifter. 7) Now with some cardboard make some mocks for the metal you're going to cut and weld to the sides of the center piece of the crossmember to the wings of the crossmember that are stillmounted to the car.8) Cut your metal to the shape of the cardboard and tack weld those to the wings and center piece.9) Remove 4 bolts holding the trany crossmember to the car.10) Wrap the welds on the crossmember (shielded MIG works well)11) Cut out either just the hole for the shifter or the rectangle for the entire shifter mold to fit. 12) Hammer on the sides of the tunnel from underneath the car where the two HUGE bolt heads hit the tunnel. This will keep the car from shaking uncontrollably.13) Bolt the tranny to the motor for the final time and bolt up the crossmember.

Drive shaft: Just like Datsunboy said, remove the 4 bolts (2 12mm box-end wrenches) from the rear end and it should drop down with minimal force, depending on the angle. The 4th one you try will be the hardest unless you have the rear wheels off the ground, in which case you can turn the drive shaft by hand to get to it. If your drive shaft is tapered at both ends like mine was it will cost around $190 to have it shortened. This is because they will have to order a new yoke to fit the larger of the two diameters. If your driveshaft is the same diameter from end to end it should only be $60. I had to shorten mine 8".

Intake: We have 4" less of space from the radiator support to the front the engine. You can't use the stock 240SX intake. AEM makes a "cold" air intake that will work. It is the shorter of the 2 they offer for the 240SX. I make my own using the longer of the 2 that I already had and just cut out a 90 degree elbow. Then a coupker and then the MAF. Sounds easy but depedning on your radiator that you are using you will need to measure and try a lot of different setups. I am running a velocity stack with a screen because I couldn't fit an air filter.

Battery: The KA24E intake manifold is small enough to where you shouldn't have relocate yours.

Radiator: I used an old VW Jetta radiator. as long as it has both necks on the passenger side and is less than 13" core height (downflow) it'll work. May I suggest the OEM CRX radiator. It has the right dimensions and neck locations AND you won't have to suffer with the pressurized system I have. By the way, I am using 2 reversible electric fans as push fans. You cat get 2 9" fans at one of the franchised auto parts store for less than $100. I used 12" fans but my radiator support was already pretty cut up.

Wiring: Other than the ECU harness you will need to have the OEM fuse box with the relays for the EGI, EGI pump, Ingition. This will still take you a while to figure out but if you want the wiring diagrams you'll have to hit me up so I can email them to you.

That should do it. Let me know if this helps or if you need more.

User avatar
continental_drift
Posts: 3293
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:47 pm
Car: 1991 240sx coupe - in progress - zeal function V6, ssr formula reverse, trust SP. more to come.

Post

great stuff right there man, thanks. I'm sure that if you wanted to takewhat you wrote right there and add some more info about your swapit could be turned into a nico article for the datsun section. a lot of peoplewould love to do a "KA swap with a $273 budget."

we need more stuff in there


User avatar
continental_drift
Posts: 3293
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:47 pm
Car: 1991 240sx coupe - in progress - zeal function V6, ssr formula reverse, trust SP. more to come.

Post

Simmsled wrote:sweet, thanx Micah! I am going to do a kit for Datsun 510s. dual 5 inch round bi-function HID. I cant decide whether or not to go projectors or reflectors... or a combination proj/refl. I have the only 240sx pop-up hid bi-function (single projector) set actually installed and working on a 240 right now. It is sweet. I hope to have pics soon. I am excited about my 510 project. Thanx again for the info!
no problem, glad to help.

I think my 200sx probably shares the same size as the 240sx.

let me know when there's gonna be a set to pick up.

User avatar
KAestate
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:26 am
Car: 1971 Datsun 510 Estate
Contact:

Post

I forgot to mention about the O2 sensor. It won't fit in the original location on the OEM manifold. The steering box is too close. Remove the O2 senosr from that hole and then remove the fitting as well. Cut the port down flush with the pipe and then weld it shut. Do the same thing to the similar-looking hole below the collector on the downpipe. Then put the fitting for the O2 sensor in the hole where the EGR pipe used to go (I hope you weren't planning on keeping the EGR system). Then just put the O@ sensor in there and wire it up.

User avatar
KAestate
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:26 am
Car: 1971 Datsun 510 Estate
Contact:

Post

I know
continental_drift wrote:great stuff right there man, thanks. I'm sure that if you wanted to takewhat you wrote right there and add some more info about your swapit could be turned into a nico article for the datsun section. a lot of peoplewould love to do a "KA swap with a $273 budget."

we need more stuff in there
They already have an article on what to expect but I think I just may have the time and pictures (if I can refit them to the size this site limits) to do a budgeted/OEM swappable parts swap.

User avatar
KAestate
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:26 am
Car: 1971 Datsun 510 Estate
Contact:

Post

And is it just me or are the KA 5-speed trannies a PITA to engage into the clutch fully?

BACARDI_DWB
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:44 am

Post

yes they are back when i had mine i thought mine was screwed up. had it in the tranny shop like 4 times and they said it was perfect.. sometimes a little rev helps

onefine,fivedime
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:29 am
Car: 72 datsun 510, 71 datsun 510 (both 4dr.)

Post

hey guys! at the moment im doing a ka24e swap into my 72 4 dr. and i would like to do everything on a budget (w/out using cheap crap) w/what ever parts can fit. KAESTATE: u said u recomended an oem crx rad. it wouldnt have the same problems as the vw one? and i was wondering about the 620 sway bar. would it bolt up in the stock location and not hit anything? and i also wanted 2 know what u guys did as far as fuel pump, did u go external electric or in tank? thank you for your help!


Return to “Datsun 510 / Bluebird”