The guys have a lot of passion for the cars. Go to the Shasta show and it's out a hand. You know the story where some guy says his girlfriend says if he work on his car one more time she is going to leave him and the guy says I am sure going to miss her. I see that all the time. It is an obsession.
The reason for the obsession is the cars are still very competitive. They are light, and they were some of the first cars on the road with independent rear suspensions.
The dime has some kind of appeal; people just love the look of it. The kids nowadays don't even know about BRE, Brock Racing, Johnny Morton and the success of the car on the track. They like the look and the untapped potential of these little cars.
I got this 15-year-old kid calling me everyday. He doesn't have any money but he's saving his allowance to do an SR20 swap. His dad is into Maseratis and Ferraris and the kid took his dad to the swap meet and showed him my car and said this 510 will beat all your cars and the dad got mad.
The big engine mods are SR20s; S13, S14, S15 turbo engines and the naturally aspirated SR20 that comes in the base Silvia. But the latest thing is the VQ swap like we did on the Monster Garage Honey Bee B210. After doing the Honey Bee in a week and getting it running the 510 has more space and it should be a slammin' combination. The weight difference is only about 60 pounds. I am getting a VQ30 350Z motor in next week and when time permits I will start prototyping the conversion.
Monster Garage
When I showed up to the show I didn't know much about it. I don't have cable and had never seen the show. I get there, look at Jesse and thought damn that guy looks familiar. He said I know you from somewhere. I remember him when he had a VW Bug shop in Paramount and he would go to all the shows and stuff. He was kind of a different kind of guy, I am different, I am an artist. So he remembers me and asks if I am still into 510s and I said, yep more than ever.
Originally, when the production company called I turned them down and wondered how they got my name. They said they called Nissan, AEM; I used to work there, they went online and the engine swap was right up my alley. So my Mom said I should try it and there were like 2,000 people considered and got it.
So I showed up on Monday, I burned my hand all up, and did, I'd say 75 percent of the fabrication and it looked beautiful on the car. You gotta remember they're rushing you. You gotta bam, bam, bam bang it out.
We got along great the first day, but they don't like that. So they held meetings with everybody but me on the second day. We got to work and they didn't want to help. It was everybody against Mario. I said, I can deal with their plans. That's what they want to do; cool.
I got along great with Jesse then he comes in and says, 'Mario, I don't want you to work on the engine, go to the junkyard and find us a rearend.' Why would I do that when you got guys here that don't know what they are doing. Send them. I know what to do, I'm focused, I said no, I am working here.
But that's part of their deal. If you get comfortable working they shake it up. Jesse said I don't want to F with you and he went through some rage thing. The next day he came over and said he was sorry about yesterday and I said, hey man, its your show you give the people what they want to see, I am going to get this car done.
When that thing started is was like raspy V8 it was spitting fire and ready to roll. We added 222 hp to the Honey Bee; it was rated at 38 hp from the factory. It was amazing how that car moved. It was cool that Jesse was impressed with my welding.
I am still very passionate about what I do. I am an artist, I am not passionate about making money. I am into the process. The money is for buying more tools. I can take a long time because I am an artist but the people get the best possible workmanship and quality. I am aiming for handcrafted artistic pieces with that elusive robotic welding technique that work in the real world.
Five-Ten Tidbits
1968
Rare
All-Stainless Grille
Opposing Wipers
1969
Square Dash
Better Crossmember (3/4-inch Higher Suspension Points)
Auto Tranny Cars Have Bigger Tunnels
1970
Smaller Radiator Opening
1971
Bigger Core Support Accepts 3-Row Radiator
Annoying Seat Belt Buzzer
1972
Later Cars Have Some '73 Spec Parts
1973
Rear Defroster
Backlit Knobs
Heaviest Model Year
Has Tow Hooks
510 Points Of Contention
Bodies Never Zinc Coated = Rust ProblemsFactory Never Removed Rear Fender PlugsRust at Base of Fenders, Rear Rockers, Trunk, Battery Tray, FloorboardsAge of Body = Flex (Stitch Weld Panels)Worn Steering Box Creates Numb FeedbackWeak Rearend = Swap in R200 Z31 UnitWheel/Tire Size LimitationsRear 18x8 +30 (no mods)18x8.5 + 35 (modify step in inner fender)Front 7.5 max w/ 280ZX Strut Upgrade