Our latest interview is with Keegan Hollister a 32 year old mechanical engineer living in the Seattle area. If you’re a Speedhunter’s fan then that name, or at least his awesome 510, is not new to you. This isn’t the car’s first time in the spotlight but we’re honored to be able to shine the light on it again. As it turns out Keegan and I are pretty close to the same age and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little jealous. I’m not really a fan of using the phrase “built not bought”, I think it’s played out. But I do agree with getting your hands dirty and doing as much as you can on your own project. There’s nothing like the satisfaction that comes from enjoying your own work and not having to give the credit to anyone else. This simple fact, I feel, is sadly becoming rarer and rarer in today’s car scene. It’s easier to buy your way in. Especially with younger enthusiasts who tend to gravitate towards younger cars and bolt on mods. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… But it’s refreshing to see people like Keegan keeping the classic dream alive, and enjoying that feeling of driving a car that’s truly an extension of yourself. We’ll let Keegan do the rest of the talking…
LN: You’re obviously into cars, and you’re also a photographer, what sparked your interest?
KH: I got into cars in kind of a round about way. My family growing up wasn’t really into that sort of thing but I had Lego’s (the car builder’s gateway drug) and that probably started it. While I was always into cars I didn’t have the facilities to work on anything until High School when me and some friends found an old Chevy small block powered ski boat and decided to fix that. I mean what’s better than being the kids with your own boat at fifteen and a half, barely having a drivers license? Fast forward to college and my Mech-E friends talked me into driving across the state and buying an old, fully disassembled, dirt-bike only to shoehorn it into the back of my 90s Subaru Impreza wagon. It fit in the car and I was off down the gear head path. That was 10 motorcycles and several car projects ago. Photography came much later though. I guess it started at the same time as the boat. If I really think about it back then we made wakeboard videos every summer and while we weren’t good at it, it was fun. Anyway we made those videos made with a Super 8 video camera in a homemade PVC tube waterproof housing, then transitioned into a GoPro and eventually a DSLR. My focus shifted with my hobbies landing on shooting cars like I do now.
LN: Why Datsun’s though… and why a 510?
KH: I got into Datsun’s the same way as I imagine it happens for most people, You have that one questionable friend that pulls you aside and whispers “Hey, try a Datsun. Just this once. You can stop anytime you want.” In my case it was my friend Dallas. He had this old 510 sitting fully disassembled in his garage for years and I was always asking about it while over at his place working on other stuff. Eventually he decided to sell it and I was the first person he called. One of the same friends that convinced me to buy that first motorcycle all those years ago so I guess I should have seen this coming.
LN: Hahaha, nice. Good analogy. Alright so tell us about the car, what have you done to the 510? What are your best memories with it so far?
KH: What have I done to my car? That is a short question with a long answer but the simple answer is everything. When I got the 510 it was fully disassembled so over the course of putting it back together I have touched every nut and bolt on it. My best memories with the car are the garage nights spent building or swapping one thing or another with a couple friends. All the long hours, swearing, and busted knuckles that culminate in the sense of accomplishment that you can only really get building something yourself. Don’t get me wrong driving my car is an absolute blast but my best memories are probably building it.
LN: That’s awesome man, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Tell us the current specs! (full spec sheet at the bottom)
KH: Currently my 510 is SR20DET powered with a Tomei turbo and LinkEcu stand alone making 350whp and 290trq. It has the SR20 5speed putting the power to the ground through a STI R180 rear diff. It is sitting on coil–overs all the way around, fully adjustable suspension with the JB Coachwerks steering rack conversion. The wheels are currently SSR Reverse Mesh 15×7 in front with 15×9 in the rear.
LN: Pretty impressive set up and I bet it’s a ton of fun. Do you plan on changing anything in the future?
KH: Actually, not at the moment. After swapping the turbo a month ago and the subsequent tune I have really just been driving it. I imagine I’ll find more to do on it soon enough but for now I am happy with it.
LN: Cool, any other cars in the garage or one’s you’d like to build in the future?
KH: I daily a Tacoma pickup but I have no plans to modify that really. As for the next project I would love to find a Datsun 610 coupe but that is a rare car. While I search for that I may build another motorcycle or a turbo Volvo 122 wagon for a friend or something else I haven’t thought of yet.
LN: A 610 coupe? You sir have great taste. Well we hope you find one so we can see what you do with it!
Spec sheet:
1972 Datsun 510
Engine Mods:
S14 Sr20det Swap
Deatschwerks 550cc Injectors
Link Controlled Water Methanol System
Tomei MX7960 Turbo
Tomei Header
Tomei Outlet Pipe
Custom 3″ Stainless Exhaust
Radium Engineering Catch Can
Custom Low Profile Crank Pulley
Custom Mishimoto Intercooler and Piping
Turbosmart Vee Port Pro BOV
Customized 3 Core Radiator
3 Spal Radiator Fans (Link Controlled)
S13 240sx Fuel Sending Unit Grafted into Stock 510 Tank
Walbro 255 Fuel Pump
Tomei Fuel Pressure Regulator
Drive-train Mods:
Sr20det 5 Speed
Exedy 3 Puck Sprung Clutch
Custom Driveline
2004 Subaru STI Rear Diff
Techno Toy Tuning STI Diff Stub-shafts
ECU/Wiring:
Link G4+ ECU
Link Boost Controller
Innovate LC-2 Wideband Controller
MAP Tune by Jason Oefelein
Custom Wiring Harness front to back
Suspension/Steering:
JBCoachwerks V1 Front Subframe/Steering Rack Conversion with MR2 Steering Rack
Modified S13 240sx Front Strut Bar
1979 280zx Front Struts Sectioned and Coilover Converted by Garage Autohero with Koni Race Inserts and Eibach Springs
Ground Control Camber Plates
Techno Toy Tuning GTX2 Front Control arms
Custom Fabricated Front and Rear Swaybar
Futofab Rear Camber/Toe brackets
QA1 Rear Coilovers with Eibach Springs
Poly Bushings Everywhere
Brakes:
1979 280zx Front Rotors/Calipers
1986 Maxima Rear Calipers w/ Silvermine Automotive Bracket
1984 Nissan 200SX rear rotors
7/8″ Master Cylinder
1979 Datsun B210 Brake Booster
Braided Stainless Lines
Wheels and Tires:
SSR Reverse Mesh Wheels 15×7 +1mm (front) and 15×9 +13mm (rear)
BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 205/50R15 (front) and 245/40R15 (rear)
ARP lug studs
Exterior:
Ford High Performance White Paint
1971 JDM SSS Grill
Vintage BRE Fender Flares
Vintage Dobi Air Dam
1984 BMW E30 Projector Headlights (low)
1983 Mercedes 240D Yellow Headlight (high)
LED Headlight Conversion
Interior:
Recaro LX Seats in Harrier Pattern on Sparco Sliders
Schroth Rallye 4 ASM Belts
Vintage Formuling France Steering Wheel with a G-Corporation Horn Button
Speedhut Custom Gauges
Billet Automotive Buttons (Start, Launch Control, Methanol)
Techno Toy Tuning Aluminum Interior Pannels
Vintage Autopower Rollbar
Custom Trans Tunnel Cover
Words by: Logan Neet
Photography by: The owner, Keegan Hollister.
