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Info
I bought my 1971 Datsun 1200 4-door sedan in July 1992, and
it was virtually standard then. I have done quite a few modifications
to it since then.
About six months after I bought it, I installed a Nissan A14
engine in it, because the original 1200 engine was pretty clapped out,
and had blown a valve.
In November 1996, it decided to blow a piston on me. A sizeable chunk was
missing from the crown of the piston, although the rings were intact, and
the other pistons undamaged.
the damaged piston
As a result, I had it rebuilt, and have now got new pistons, rings,
bearings, timing chain, valve seats, and a couple other new bits. It
was bored out 40 thou, and the engine is now painted a lovely blue
colour. I had done 120,000 km with this motor since I first put it in,
and I was planning a rebuild anyway, as it was due for a new set of rings.
In April '97, my gearbox died. One of the bearings collapsed, and part
of the bearing went through the reverse gear, stripping some teeth in the
process. Rather than repair my own gearbox (genuine Nissan bearings are too
expensive...), I put a 120Y gearbox into my car.
I've also now replaced front sway bar supports (the bit between the lower
control arm and the sway bar) with those from a Stanza, as I kept on
breaking 1200 and 120Y supports.
After 5 years and about 130,000 km, the clutch decided it had had enough, so
I've now got a new clutch.
In July 1998, my tailshaft developed a rather serious wobble, and hence required
a new rear universal joint. Shortly afterwards, the gearbox bearings started
making far too much noise, so I installed another 120Y gearbox.
I finally sold my Datsun 1200 in July 1999, after having travelled nearly
150,000 km in the seven years I owned it. I'm very sorry to see it go, but
I finally decided I needed something a bit newer, and I'm now driving an
'89 Nissan Pintara U12 Ti sedan
(2.4L, 5 speed, LSD, cruise, p/s, a/c, electric mirrors and windows,
climate control, etc).
I've now got a
U12 Pintara web site up and running, as
I couldn't find any useful info out on the web
(if you know of any other Pintara info on the web,
please let me know)!
For more details on modifying Datsun 1200's (or any other small Datsun), check out my
Datsun 1200 Modifications web page.
Also have a look at my
Datsun 1200 Photo Gallery.
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Pictures
Here are a few photos of my Datsun 1200.
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Side view of my 1200.
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The engine bay. The electronic ignition is just to the left and behind
the battery. The radiator is from an Urvan.
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The dash. I've installed a tacho to the left of the speedo. The display
for my digital speedo
is sitting on the dash. Just to the right of the
ignition is the audible temp alarm (blue case), and to the right of that
is a voltmeter (round aluminium case. The steering wheel is still original,
but has about 3 covers on it (to thicken the rim).
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A front view. The spotties are Hella Rallye 2000s. The grill is painted
gun-metal grey, with two red pinstripes (at the top and the bottom).
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Specifications
The specs for my car are as follows:
| Model: |
1971 Datsun 1200 4-door sedan.
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| Engine: |
Nissan A14 (bored out 40 thou).
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| Gearbox: |
120Y 4-speed manual.
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| Brakes: |
120Y disk brakes
on the front (1200 sedans have drums on the front),
and a 120Y dual master cylinder.
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| Front Suspension: |
120Y front struts, Munroe gas shocks, heavy duty lowered springs,
120Y sway bar (20mm diameter - an improvement from the standard 16mm) with
nolethane bushes and Stanza links (onto the lower control arm),
nolethane castor rod bushes.
I've moved the lower control arm mounts outward about 10mm in the
cross-member to get some -ve camber (0.5 degrees -ve camber,
1 degree +ve castor, 3mm toe-in).
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| Rear Suspension: |
Munroe gas shocks, second and third leaf springs replaced
with 120Y second, third and fourth springs, and nolethane bushes.
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| Rims: |
5.5" x 14" steel rims from a Datsun 240K.
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| Front Tyres: |
185/60R14 Yokohama A509.
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| Rear Tyres: |
205/60R14 Yokohama A509.
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| Carby: |
modified 120Y carby with larger jets (secondary is a 150, not sure how large
the primary jet is).
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| Ignition: |
DSE high energy ignition kit
(a transistor assisted ignition module which
still uses the points for switching, but provides a much better spark,
especially at higher revs).
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| Exhaust: |
2" with sports muffler and hotdog.
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| Colour: |
Nissan N13 white.
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| Extra Illumination: |
2 Hella Rallye 1000 spotties (one pencil beam and one spread beam)
mounted on the front bumper.
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| Extra Instrumentation: |
tachometer, digital speedometer, audible temperature alarm,
voltmeter.
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