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
- For swapping of automatic transmissions, see Automatic#Interchange
- 5-Speeds
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
See the relevant sections below
Swapping
There are several minor differences between most 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 * torque rating. The 56 is not recommended behind A14/A15
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
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.
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.
RHD vs LHD
Right-hand drive vehicles have transmissions that differ from Left-hand drive. See
Exception: the B210.A14 five-speed is same RHD and LHD.
To swap the others RHD to LHD, you will need:
* Clutch Release Lever * To use LHD gearbox in RHD car, cut out the lever hole * To use RHD gearbox in LHD car, Drill and tap the slave boss
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
60-series are same length both 4-speed and 5-speed. The output splines are same. Ditto for the lighter 56-series 4-speed. You need to fabricate a mount adapter to swap these in a B210. B310 came with 3 different crossmembers which will bolt to any B310 so factory parts can be used.