Suspension
[ front |
rear ]
Front Suspension:
The standard suspension on a Datsun 1200 is very soft, and leaves a great deal to
be desired. It can be greatly improved with new shock absorbers (front and
rear), as well as some heavy duty coil springs on the front.
Angus has got 200B SX lowered 1" springs, with
180B struts on his 120Y coupe.
A 120Y front sway bar (20mm) is a great improvement over the standard 1200
sway bar (16mm), especially if installed with nolethane or urathane bushes.
When I installed a 120Y sway bar onto my Datsun, with nolethane bushes,
You may have to modify the front of your sump slightly with a hammer in order
to get enough clearance for a 120Y sway bar.
I kept the original sway bar links (the bit that bolts the sway bar to
the lower control arm). However, after breaking several, I've replaced them
with some off a Stanza, as they are thicker and stronger.
If you want your 1200 to have some -ve camber (factory spec is +1.5 degrees),
just move the lower control arm mounts in the cross member. Redrilling the
mounts about 10mm outward from their original position will result in about
0.5 degrees of negative camber, and will definitely make the car handle better,
making it less susceptible to understeer when cornering fast.
Rear Suspension:
The rear suspension can be stiffened by replacing some of the leafs with those
from a 120Y. The 120Y has four leafs, while the 1200 only has three. The 120Y
leaf springs are thicker and stiffer than those on the 1200.
The main spring (the longest one) on the 120Y is longer than on the 1200, so
you can't use it. You can, however, replace the two smaller springs on a 1200
with the three smaller springs from a 120Y.
Chris Shoesmith has installed a Holden Gemini panhard rod on
his Datsun 1200. A panhard rod reduces the side-to-side movement
of the diff relative to the rest of the car.
In his own words:
"The panhard rod was a matter of positioning it in the right place,
making a braket to fit to the subframe on one side and making a mounting
point on the opposite side onto the axle. Nothing too flash, quite
agricultural really."
Andrew has got custom-made leaf springs with reverse
eyes and an extra leaf with built in tramp. The rear of his car sits about
3" lower and launches really well. With his previous suspension setup,
as soon as it came on power in first or second, it would spin, but now
Andrew can rev it to 5000 rpm, dump the clutch, and only get limited
wheelspin and launch really hard.
reverse leafe springs
When cornering, instead of the body rolling, it squats, and is very
predictable, even with a locked diff.
I've been told that an aftermarket 200B SX rear sway bar is a direct
bolt-on for a Datsun 120Y (and hence probably for a 1200).
Steve has installed Toyota Hilux front shocks on the rear
of one of his Datsun 1200 sedans that he rallies in New Zealand. He says they
are a little hard for driving on a sealed road, but are excellent on gravel.
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