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[Datsun 1200 encyclopedia]

Transmission Interchange

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Category: Transmission

Which transmissions bolt into the 1200, and what is involved in swapping them? Basically any B110, B210 or B310 gearbox will bolt to any Nissan A Engine, but minor fabrication is needed in some cases. In no case will a custom driveshaft be needed - if you can source the appropriate factory shaft.

Contents

See Also

 * Transmission Swaps
 * Manual transmission conversion for automatic-equipped cars
 * T50 Transmission Swap for countries where Datsun 5-speeds are rare
 * 6-speed Swap

Overview

Interchange

Only these interchange, meaning they can be bolted in place and used as-is with each other no matter which car they came from:

* four-speeds for A14/A15 engines
* four-speeds for A12/A13/A12A engines

The 56 and 60 series transmissions all swap with each other and use the same driveshaft - except the crossmember mounting bolt hole locations differ. Make a simple bracket to adapt the mount. The location of the Reverse Switch can differ though.

Note that this simple interchange list does not include:

  • emission control interchange
  • RHD vs LHD

Swapping

There are several minor differences between most A-series transmissions that prevent a strict interchange, although they can all be swapped with some additional parts sourcing or minor fabrication. Differences include:

* gearbox mount location
* reverse lamp location
* transmission length and output spline
* Strength (torque rating)
* emission fittings (top swith and/or neutral switch)
* Cable-operated clutch (most RHD) vs Hydraulic clutch

Strength

Gearboxes are rated for maximum torque (twisting force). The HP is irrelevant unless engine capacity or RPM are known, from which the torque can be deduced.

* 60-Series Transmission add lightness for best performance
  suitable for the torque of an A12 or A13 engine
* 60-Series Transmission are stronger, but heavier
  suitable for the torque of an A14 or A15
* 63-Series Transmission are larger and very heavy
  Fitted to five-speed B210 with A14 engine
  suitable for supercharged A-series engines

The 63 5-speed gearbox was designed for the 1.6/1.8/2.0 liter class, but used in the B210 because a lighter 5-speed was not available in 1976.

Sources

B10

Datsun 1000 uses 56-Series Transmission, but employ a unique bell-crank clutch release lever system. For this reason they are not swapped with other A-series engined cars.

B110

Datsun 1200 used:

* 3W56R - three-speed column shift
* F4W56L - early 1200s
  1971 USA used either the L or A type. See Hollander.
* F4W56A - lates 1200s
* FS5C56A - Datsun 1200 GX-5

B120

Datsun 1200 pickup used F4W56A exclusively. For a list of the minor differences, see 56-Series_Transmission#Ute.

B140

South Africa Datsun Bakkie (B140) had a FS5W60A 5-speed.

B210

A12-powered
* F4W56A - B210 with A12 engine
* FS5C56A - B210 with A12 engine, five-speed
A14-powered
* F4W60 - 60-Series Transmission, four-speed
* FS5W63A - 63-Series Transmission, five-speed

B310

B310 (markedted as Datsun Sunny, 210 or 140Y/150Y) used these gearboxes:

A12/A12A/A13-powered: 56-Series Transmission
* F4W56A 
A14/A15-powered: 60-Series Transmission
* F4W60 - four-speed 
* FS5W60L - five-speed dogleg shifter (1977-1979)
* FS5W60A - five-speed standard shifter (1980-1982)

A10

1977-1981 Nissan A10 ("Nissan Violet/Auster/Stanza") in Japan were fitted with base A14 engine and used the F4W60 gearbox.

Vanette

C10, C20, C22, C120 Vanette used remote shift (R) gearboxes which can be converted to floor shift (S) by swapping the rear housing. See 60-Series_Transmission#Vanette_Transmission

Swap Notes

60-series gearboxes are same length (both 4-speeds and 5-speeds). The output splines are same. Ditto for the lighter 56-series 4-speed. You only need to fabricate a mount adapter to swap between these transmissions. B310 came with 3 different crossmembers which will bolt to any B310 so factory parts can be used.

See:
5-speeds
* 56-series 5-speed Swap Notes
* 60-series 5-speed Swap Notes
* 63-series 5-speed Swap Notes

4-speeds - F4W60 fitted to A14/A15 - F4W56A fitted to A12A The mount points for the crossmember differ

5-speeds - FS5W63A fitted to B210 - FS5W60 fitted to B310 The mount points for the crossmember differ The output spline and length differs

Driveshaft

All manual gearboxes use the same driveshaft (tailshaft), except for the 63-series. So with most swaps it is no problem.

63-series

The 63-Series Transmission is shorter and so requires a longer driveshaft. It also has larger output splines. The automatic transmission driveshaft will work when swapping this 5-speed into a 4-speed car (except for B310). See 63-Series_5-speed_Swap_Note.

Australia

Australia-assembled B110 and B210 sedans used a BW rear axle assembly, so require the matching driveshafts. For this reason when swapping to a 63-series gearbox a custom driveshaft will be required.

Tunnel

A standard Datsun 1200 has a small central tunnel, limiting the gearboxes that will fit. However, automatic-equipped Datsun 1200s have a very large tunnel that will accomodate most gearboxes and still allow the factory heater to work.

See main article: Tunnel

B210 and B310 have one size tunnel, suitable for all transmissions.

Reverse Switch

The location of the Reverse Switch can differ between all the different transmission. It is generally a problem when fitting any 60-series or 63-series gearbox in to the small 1200 manual tunnel. The reverse-light switch is right where the Datsun 1200 chassis x-member mount is. Options include:

  • Remove the Reverse Switch, discard it, then plug the hole. A spare A12 engine-block drain plug fits (from the side of the engine block). Optionally you can fit a switch to the shifter to activate the reverse lamp.
  • Use a big hammer to beat the chassis out to make room
  • Cut a hole in the side of the tunnel and let the switch protrude into the cabin. Then cover/enclose the switch with custom-bent sheet metal
  • Fit a larger Tunnel
See Reverse Switch

Speedometer Cable

If a longer Speedometer Cable is needed, the following bolt in to B110 and B210:

1500mm 1200 early
1400mm 1200 late
1700mm 1200 USA
1650-1700mm B210
1700? 810 "200B"
2286mm 610 aftermarket

B310 uses a different connector at the speedo head.

Clutch

The stock Datsun 1200 flywheel and clutch is used EXCEPT with the 63-series transmission which requires a special disc. See 63-Series_Transmission#Clutch

Emissions

Note that this simple interchange list does not include emission control interchange. Some year/model/market transmissions include a Neutral Switch or Top Switch - and some include both. For example, a Datsun 210 with same engine, same year, the transmission differs between California and Federal markets. If you need to pass emissions, be careful in sourcing the transmission.

If the transmission has extra switches, just leave them disconnected.

If you need more switches, get the right transmission. In some cases you can drill and tap the boss (if it exists) to install the switch.

Hydraulic vs Cable

Right-hand drive vehicles generally have Cable-operated clutch, while Left-hand drive cars all utlize a Hydraulic clutch system.

Exception: the B210.A14 five-speed is same RHD and LHD
Both use hydraulic clutch system

To swap the others RHD to LHD, you will need:

* Clutch Release Lever
  23599.jpg LHD :RHD
* To use hydraulic gearbox in cable car, cut out the lever hole
  23588.jpg
* To use cable gearbox in hydraulic car, cut out the lever hole
  AND drill and tap the boss to mount the slave cylinder
  23589.jpg
See main article: Release_Lever#Converting