Hey, it's a ute grille!

I bought two of these grilles from Wetherill Park Panels [one for 'the Boss' & one for this car] a couple of years back for about $40 or $45 each from memory. I picked up some new front guards too, one of which was for me.

You don't realise just how cheap motoring can be untill you start buying parts for 1200's
The same parts for other [lesser] cars can easily cost five times whats being asked for new 1200 stuff.

Once again, ... Datsun Saves.

You gotta hear this thing at full song, just on the rev limiter, around Wakefield Park to appreciate just how much fun it can be.

This little beast is usually raced around Oran Park, Eastern Creek and Wakefield Park in the NSW supersprint series, but has made the trip to Bathurst recently for the two hillclimbs there. I'm hoping to take it to Dapto this year for the Huntley Hillclimb and maybe even Fairburn Park in Queanbeyan.

It's powered by an A14 which was built by Chris Petersen some years ago as a backup engine for a speedway racer. It has quad 40mm Keihin carburettors off a motorbike (ZZR1100 I think), 2.5 inch exhaust which exits on the side before the back wheel, and a camshaft that seems to be happiest between 3500-7500 rpm (don't know exact specs). It has a Toyota T50 5-speed with a homemade bellhousing (the original 56 series gearbox was butchered for this) and a H165 ute rear end with a welded differential.

It is owned by me and a mate who works at Chris's workshop, and was bought in 2004 for $400 with no rego, but more importantly, no rust or body damage. It took us about 18 months to build from a stocker to what it is now, working at a fairly leisurely pace every other saturday morning.

Many thanks must go to Chris Petersen for his knowledge and assistance during this build, and for the use of his workshop. Also thanks to Dodgeman for his knowledge and his donations of many essential parts to this project.

Great read mate. I love hearing how other people's cars come together. Sounds like a reliable and fun little race car.
Regards Matty