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The stock 1200 front-disc/rear-drum system was good for 1971. In fact, stopping power was better than most 'muscle cars' of the era. However, fading under repeated hard stops was a problem as these were not ventilated rotors. But compared to modern cars ... well, they don't really compare at all -- even the cheapest new import car has better brakes than the 1973 Datsun 1200.

1 Overview
2 Better Brake Pads
3 Brake Booster
4 1200 Brakes
- 4.1 1200 Disc Swap
5 Brake Warning Switch
6 Master Cylinder Choice
7 Remote Brake Cylinder
8 Remote Filler
9 Brake Bias

Overview

There are two easy ways to get better brakes. This article will discuss these methods:

Better brake pads, using premium materials
Simple brakes swaps requiring no machining

There is also more complicated methods, which allows you to have world-class brakes, as good as any new car. For details see Brake Swaps.

Better Brake Pads

Better brake pads can make a big difference. If you are a racer you know this. But for a street car, if you live in a hilly or mountainous area and your brakes fade, consider new pads.

Spend the money and put something good in the coupe- Pagid or Mintex 1155's etc and if you can't get them to fit your caliper then put something else on that you can get a good quality pad for.
And if anyone tells you that they are no good on the street thats simply not true - the new generation compounds work just fine from cold. Sure they get much better when hot, but are more than adequate for driving around the streets on.

reference: BENDIX ULTIMATE FRONT PADS

Brake Booster

A booster will not improve the braking ability of the car. But you may want one so that it is a bit easier to press the brake pedal.

 See main article: Brake Booster Swaps

1200 Brakes

1200 brakes work fairly well if in good shape. The drum brakes will stop as quickly as discs -- IF adjusted correctly.

1200 Disc Swap

If your 1200 has all-drum brakes, take note that disc brakes are:

easier to work on
More resistant to fading -- safer after repeated stops (they dissipate heat far better)

Swapping 1200 drums for discs is easy. See 1200 Disc Brake Swap.

Brake Warning Switch

Don't forget to use a brake warning switch.

Master Cylinder Choice

If you change to all front-discs, you can either use:

master cylinder and brake-line "splitter" (warning light switch)
The "tandem" cylinder is recommended (it has two reservoirs)
IMPORTANT: Don't use a single outlet cylinder. It is less safe as all four brakes can fail at once. A double-outlet cylinder is safer
Alternatively (though not recommended) just remove the check-valve out of the front-feed outlet of the drum-brake master cylinder:

Remote Brake Cylinder

If you are fitting a larger engine or carbs so there is no room for the stock brake cylinder, consider a remote cylinder setup.
no brake cylinder?

Discussion: Wilwood Pedal Boxes has anyone fitted them to their 1200?

Nissan c20 van (Vanette) ???
Ford Escort?
PBR VH44 remote booster

Extended

I had to move brake pump to the front of the engine (no room for carbs), Under air filter goes a metal pipe from brake pedal until brake master cylinder + - 60 cm long

Underdash

Reverse-Mounted Master Cylinder

Fitting an under-dash brake master cylinder is sometimes done to LHD 1200s so we can fit dual sidedraft carbs. It is legal in USA (very few states have any kind of mechanical inspection).

As you can see, LHD cars have little room for both the brake cylinder (on left side of engine compartment) when bigger carbs are fitted:

Take a master cylinder mount from a 510 and weld it to the top of the 1200's steering colum support. Then weld an extension to the top of the brake pedal and makee a rod to connect the master cylinder from the brake pedal.

Changing the position of the rod from below pivot point to above changes the direction from pushing out toward front of car to pushing out towards rear.

280zx master cylinder reverse mounted under dash