(first posted 7/5/2019) I’ve been seeing this 510 wagon running around town, and I finally caught up with it at Jerry’s. It’s missing a few body parts, but that hasn’t slowed it down any. Maybe the opposite.
Looks like one of those rubber anti-fatigue mats.
We did have some rain a couple of weeks back, but even then I wonder if it’s worth it. Probably.
Another angle for your viewing pleasure.
And one more. It’s nice just to see a 510 on the streets again; they’ve been getting rather scarce.
This one probably wouldn’t pass muster in some states or countries. But all’s good in Curbsidelandia.
A tow hitch too.
Given the outside, the inside is not surprising. Looks like the whole instrument panel is AWOL.
The cargo area is getting put to good use.
Eugene. Love it or…don’t. We don’t care.
Old daily-driven beaters have a way of becoming their own little ecosystems, don’t they? This one is large enough to contain all of the parts and supplies necessary to keep it running. The gear-shift-as-duct-tape-holder is my favorite part of this.
I think that the mini-hood which can be used as a kneepad or ground cover while you work on the lower parts of the car is one of the better examples of multi-use parts. I wonder if the safety-orange spray spots are just for touch up or is the guy marking wiring runs under the body panels like the utility companies do on the streets? 🙂
“Looks like one of those rubber anti-fatigue mats.”
Looks like it needs it, too.
I like that they have a roll of duck tape handy for emergency improvisations.
duct?
look they even have plenty of spare “hood mats”, just in case.
Mad Max…one of your cars has escaped!
I notice that the right front bumper rubber overrider is missing. It’s very distracting.
I noticed that the hitch is painted “safety orange” – is that a safety measure?
Says the guy who’s banged his shin on a hitch hmmmmm… once or twice.
I put reflective hazard tape on all my trailer hitches for the same reason. And one of them (a clevis mount) has a RED hitch pin likewise.
My wife walked past while I had the pic of the interior up. All I heard was…EWWWW…
I think the interior of that wreck qualifies for an EPA Superfund grant…
This could be a rolling-restoration project but it would require a complete donor car.
This one personifies all that has been said about necessity and improvisation. Also about, “It’s got a future,” if only because of necessity and improvisation.
If the rubber on the the bumper guards gets replaced perhaps it will be part of the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in August?!
There is a Concours de Lemons held in conjunction with Pebble Beach every year, though I think this car may be a bit outside the spirit of even that event.
Letting it be messy may be kind of zen and I respect that to a point. But this is past “hippie-beard messy” and into the “hippie-beard with lice and fleas and MRSA” zone.
4th photo shows evidence of a new horn install if you enlarge the photo.
Battery looks new too. Thieves have mercy
Perhaps the owner is very frugal, or in a financial situation that provides an incentive to sell off parts of the car to keep the rest in motion. Because there aren’t many of those cars still out there, parts in good condition could sell at a price that buys a lot of gasoline.
Also note the alternative uses of some of the materials holding the car together. The Romex wire holding the battery down could be shortened a bit if needed to remedy electrical problems elsewhere, and some of the rope holding the engine cover mat on might someday be used to keep the wipers moving when their motor burns out or is sold. In periods between rain events, the engine cover would make a good seat cushion.
In the same way that selling one’s possessions to pay the rent is unsustainable, this strategy has limitations, but it can work for a while. The subject car still has a roof rack, doors and glass that could keep another car in complete condition while financing fuel for this monument to minimalism.
Now that’s a very creative response to this. I very seriously doubt it’s true, but I enjoyed your flight of imagination. If we were to apply your theory to this Toyota pickup, it would suggests the owner has pretty much run out of parts to sell.
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-toyota-lo-lux-pickup-the-minimalist-edition/
It was, of course, a flight of fancy, and I had that truck in mind when I wrote it, but the keywords necessary to look it up and provide the link didn’t come to mind. Thank you for adding that.
Looking in from Europe, it is difficult to understand that this vehicle is on the road and (presumably) legal.
In a country where a worn rear wiper blade will mean the car fails the compulsory annual inspection (the UK MoT), any of missing body parts, broken lights and no instruments would be completely off the scale
Then again, it’s probably more likely to start and keep running down the road once started than many things from Europe of similar vintage…:-)
The rubber mat is all about pedestrian safety. Cushions the noggin of the texting fool who dareth cross the road without looking.
MMM no bonnet, no speedo missing lense that would not pass a WOF here it would be ordered off the road exterior finish isnt very important but safety features have to be fitted and work,
Its got a decent looking cassette player.
This wouldn’t last a week in its owner’s hands in Melbourne. Someone would make that car disappear into a rebirthed VIN. With nitrous.
You couldn’t drive it as is, though.
I keep looking at this thing and thinking about how I would fix it up. It is such a basic shape that I think I could create usable body panels wiith some sheet metal, some shears, a rubber mallet and a lot of brackets. But it would probably look like a Frankenstein monster.
Which might be cool, too.
Probably best I don’t have the chance to find out. I need to cut the grass, it’s hot and my brain keeps looking for reasons to delay it.
If I had been able to keep my ’96 Aerostar after my 2nd–& hopefully FINAL–deer hit, it probably would’ve eventually ended up looking something like the featured Datsun 510 due to the increasing scarcity of proper replacement parts. Here’s what another Aerostar owner did for rear bumper replacement:
Many years ago in their annual 10 Best edition, Car and Driver magazine did a piece called “10 Best Rolling Wrecks.” This vehicle would be a shoo-in for the top spot.
Saw the brother of a friend of mine kill a pedestrian with one of these. Well, she didn’t die on the spot, she had the decency to wait a week to succumb to her injuries.
Finally, someone has a car in worse condition than my ’90 Cavalier. Left rear window has cords looped under it and over the door frame to keep it closed. I made a wooden brace to hold up the driver’s seat. Otherwise, you’d fall backwards if you sat in it.
Any updates Paul? Sightings since 2019?
Chances are it’s either been scrapped or restored, or at least taken off the road either to return to the elements or be set aside as a project. And if it is still driving around Eugene in this shape it’s graduated from Curbside Classic and is now fully worthy of Tor’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
No further sightings. But I’ll keep an eye out!
And ;
_THIS_ is why many states have mandatory annual safety inspections .
Oregon doesn’t get rust much so this is a maybe thing but wow .
-Nate
Really! While I’d never sit in that car I would hate to see where this owner lives. I’ve seen a few cars like this and the outside of the house is a mess so can’t imagine inside.
I keep seeing references to safety inspections. How so, how is that determined? I’m used to that being referred to as brakes and lights. OK, turn signals are AWOL in front as far as I can see and at least one broken taillight. But physically, is a pedestrian any more at risk from this than a pristine one? Well, outside of being able to easily stick your arm into the front wheel well, but if you’re going there why not just lay down in front of it at 60?
Yeah, the interior, I suppose a tetanus shot might be in order after sitting in there, but unlike everyone else I think I see an instrument cluster. Perhaps not secured by anything more than the wires leading to it, but I think I see it.
Assuming the brakes do in fact work ok, is this anywhere near the hazard of a presentable car whose brake pedal goes to the floor without at least 3 pumps? Yes, those cars are out there people! Unless you’re referring to retinal damage from looking at it, which may be a very real threat.
It really depends on the locale, what they inspect, and how much is left to the discretion of the inspector. Some places have no mechanical inspections unless you get a fix-it ticket for something like a busted taillight. Some have regular checklist inspections of certain major functions, which may include visual checks for major corrosion or mechanical damage. Some places (like Japan and Germany) require exhaustive periodic inspections that can be easy to fail even for a car in fairly good shape. (I’d be afraid to present a monstrosity like this to the German TÜV!)
Still runs, thats a bonus, it would be impounded over here on its way to a scrap ship, Ive recently got both my car passed inspection here, that Datsun wouldnt stand a chance.