The Beginner 510er’s Glossary
This is a basic list of common Datsun terms that may not be too clear at first. Most of these also pertain to non-Datsun. Some of these definitions contain opinions and are by no means to be taken as fact.
A87: Casting number found on (among other things) L-18 heads.
Autocross: class of amateur racing usually done in large parking lots.
Set up as a manuverability course through orange rubber cones.
Participants run one at a time. Also known as SOLO racing.
Bluebird: Name given to '68-'73 510's (and other years of small
Datsuns) in other markets (Japan, South America, etc.)
Bluebirds: Free e-mail mailing list for 510 owners. Good source
of PL510 related info (tech and otherwise) and condescending e-mails by people who think they know more than you. Not friendly to people owning other than 68-73 PL510's even though 510 owners will from time to time will make posts that have absolutely nothing to do with 510's.
Join Today!
BRE: Short for Brock Racing Enterprises. One of the first racing teams to professionally prepare and race 510's. They won the Trans-Am championship two years in the early '70's.
Camber Plate: Adjustable upper strut mount that allows adjustment
of the camber of the (typically front) wheels.
Coil-over: Suspension piece that consists of a shock absorber unit with a threaded sleeve on to which a spring perch treads. A universally sized spring fits on to the adjustable (thread) perch for ride height adjustment and adjusting corner weights.
Crossmember: Front: Chassis piece that the front lower control arms and motor mounts bolt to.
Crossmember: Rear: Chassis piece that the rear semi-trailing arms and the nose of the rear end bolt to. On lowered 510s slotting the mounting points for the semi-trailing arms can help restore the wheel alignment.
Crossmember: Transmission: Chassis piece that supports the transmission in the car also referred to as a rear motor mount.
Datsun Roadster: Line of Datsun convertible sports cars built between 1962 and 1971.
Dime: Slang for 510. Short for five and dime.
Dime Quarterly: Name of 510 tech newsletter run by Bob Beck.
Also a web page containing the promise of many cool tech articles
but no real content, just teasers for the printed newsletter.
Eccentric Bushing: Suspension bushing that has the center hole drilled off center allowing the suspension member it is being used in to be adjusted in relation to the pivot. Allows minor alignment adjustment with out slotting permanent modification to vital pieces.
Electronic Ignition: Ignition using a magnetic pick-up in
place of the traditional points breakers. Requires less maintenance
and has stronger spark for higher performance.
Experimental Engineering: A fictitious[?-ed] company advertising in 510 Again. They seem to have nice products but when you try to order one you find out that no one ever answers the phone.
Factory Tach: Tachometer that in came some 510s. Somewhat sought after by enthusiasts today.
Five Speed, 200sx: Five speed transmission that came stock in '77-79 Datsun 200sx. Require little modification to install in 510.
Five Ten Again: National Datsun 510 Club, run by (currently)
Danny Creech, publishes the 510 Again newsletter monthly.
Five Speed, Z: Five speed transmission that came stock in 280z's
and 280zx's. Requires moderate modification.
FJ-20: Two liter, double overhead cam, sixteen valve, engine sometimes swapped into 510s. Never imported to U.S. by Nissan they are fairly commonly available from used engine importer. Originally came from Nissan Skylines (?) from the Japanese home market.
Halfshaft: The small drive shaft’s that transfer power from the rear-end to the wheels on each side. Consists of two flanges, two u-joints, and a slip yoke.
HL510: The later generation of Datsun 510s built between '78 and
'82. Also sometimes referred to as 510/A10.
Independent Rear Suspension: A rear suspension system where the wheels at either side are not physically connected by a straight axel in between.
Interpart: The company that sold BRE developed pieces to the public.
I.R.S.: short for independent rear suspension.
L-Series: The family of early Datsun four and six cylinder overhead cam engines.
Libre: American Racing four spoke wheel used on the original
BRE Trans-Am 510s (and other BRE racing Datsun’s). Today relatively sought after by 510 enthusiasts.
Live Axel: A suspension piece or system in which the wheels are directly connected to one another through a single axel unit that runs from one wheel to the other.
Long-tail five speed: Five speed transmission from Z-cars and pick-up trucks that are longer than the four speed which came in 510's
LZ-22: Nissan Engine consisting of a NAPS-Z-22 with an L-Series
head retrofitted by owner.
NisMo: Nissan Motorsports Japan.
Nissan Motorsports: The Division of the Nissan Corporation that produced the high performance after market pieces available through the Nissan dealer network. Sometimes referred to as just Motorsports.
NAPS-Z: Literally: Nissan-Anti-Pollution-System. Refers to the later L-series based four cylinders. Consists of a two spark plug per cylinder cross flow head and an emissions laden fuel injection system.
Peanut Chamber: Term used to describe the 40cc combustion chambers on some L-series four cylinder heads. These heads are typically used on higher performance engines.
PL510: The earlier series of Datsun 510. Produced between '68
and '73.
R-160/R-180/R-200: The different sizes of rear end that will relatively easily swap into a 510. The number signifies the diameter of the ring gear in millimeters.
Rabbit Radiator: Engine cooling radiator taken form a Volkswagen
Rabbit. Fits easily into 510s.
Roadster Clutch: Clutch assembly which came standard in Datsun
Roadster. Works in 510s and has higher clamping force on the clutch disk.
Round Port: Exhaust ports on emissions model L-20b's were round rather than square (like the pre-emissions models) and had steel liners in them. Typically not used for performance build ups.
Slotted Crossmember: Rear suspension member which has been modified fro adjustability of the rear wheel alignment.
SOLO Racing: See autocross.
Spook: Mixture or Spoiler and Scoop. In the early days of BRE it was decided that the Datsun roadsters running in (C?) production needed more down force on the front wheels. Front spoilers were not allowed in this class of racing but brake cooling ducts with scoops were. BRE created the spook, a brake-cooling scoop that went across the entire front of the roadster in effect acting like a front spoiler. Subsequently BRE used these on all of their Datsun racers.
SSS: Once thought to literally = Super Sports Sedan but is really Super Sonic Sedan !!!! SSS is Nissan's "high performance" suffix. In foreign markets 510 SSS's came with dual side draught SU type carburetors and other hi-po goodies. In the U.S. SSS was a trim package that came with a fancy steering wheel and a vinyl roof. SSS emblems are some what sought after by collectors. There are still SSS's being made today like the Bluebird SSS Altezza known here in the states as the Altima!!!
U67: Casting number found on common L-20b square port heads.
UFO: United Five-Ten Owners: A National Datsun 510 club from the '80's Today there are three chapters starting with ours New Mexico UFO , NorCal UFO and SoCal UFO.
VG-30: The family of Nissan three liter V-6's that debuted in the '84 Nissan 300zx and continues thought the current Maxima.
W53: Casting number found on some peanut chambered (L-20b) heads.
W58: Casting number found on some round port L-20b heads.
Z-Series: Family of Nissan four cylinders. Consists of slightly modified L-Series block with cross flow head (usually with eight spark plugs).
This list will always be under construction. If you have any suggestions for additions or changes or if you keep hearing people use a term or word that is 510 related that you would like to see defined here,
Email Us .
More to Come... Stay Tuned...
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