Thanks for your advice. I found a flare wrench at Auto Zone even after the manager didn't know what it was and said none were in stock. The dern thing worked and didn't tear up the brake fitting.
Now the bearing; it is pressed on tight. I can see it would be awkward to remove & replace with my few tools and abilities. However, I'll get it figured out. The right side was devoid of grease or lube of any kind and the bearing looks like it got "baked" pretty good. The brake backing plate really makes it difficult to get to. Ought to be a challenge that should be overcome without too much trouble (cross my fingers).

Yea man, I've recently picked up a few datsun parts on eBay for my old 1200. I'm glad to see some stuff showing up on there besides the old ads & brochures.

I appreciate the reply. I have a mechanic lined up if needed. The bearings and collars will be in Friday - had to ship them from California. I am looking for a 10mm flare wrench for the brake line but haven't found one, so I may just have to make one. Or resort to vice-grips as in the other post. I've done that before.

I remember changing the seal out once with a friend on his 1200 and everything came off so easy. Mine stuff is really tight. Again I really want to thank everyone for the advice. I catch a lot of flack from people about this car, but I want to see just how long I can make it last.

So far so good. I had to make an inprovised slide hammer and it broke free after a few pulls. The only problem thus far is removing the old brake line connection so I can remove the entire shaft. That thing is really stuck on there. I don't want to damage it. Anyway, we'll see how the bearing routine goes and I'll take your advice there if it is a problem. The shims seem to be made of paper so I can make them if needed. So the right side is about ready to drop loose (just gotta remove that brake line). Many thanks for the support and I'll keep advised of progress. ODM

Sounds great and less intimidating than my manual. One bearing is found and looking for 1 more to do both sides. Speaking of gear oil I just changed that out and am using 80w-140 because of the heat down here. Summers over 100 are common. Many, many thanks for the reply and I'll post how well the repair goes. I first must spend the next 2 days on duty at the local fire station so I will be delayed a bit. Have a great day, ODM in Dallas, Texas

It's always something. Anyway, my right rear bearing is gone. First to locate a bearing, actually two for both sides, and the accompanying parts. Most parts have been located except the bearing proper at this time. I may have one located, but my main concern is any tips or techniques to replace those items with minimum frustration and broke knuckles? This will be one of those shade tree mechanics jobs done in the driveway. Dimlight, I'd drive over for a visit & a few pointers, but the right rear is just grinding away. I would appreciate any tips on this job. Many thanks and happy motoring, ODM

Great to meet you all. I'm in the Casa Linda area of Dallas. Believe it or not O'Rielly's had one in stock and can order many more. Auto Zone quit the part and the dealership(?) is a laugh. Got that job done now trying to figure out the scraping noise coming from the right rear. The brakes look good and not dragging. I just hope it isn't anything serious & hope to figure it out soon. I remember you from last Fall, Dimlight and that's why I got on here looking for the idler part. I figure you might have some ideas as a neighbor that would make keeping this beast alive easier. Feel free to email me sometime.

A 1971 Datsun 1200. Need a steering idler bushing and can't find one here yet. Any ideas where to find one or make one from some other material? Thanks for all your input and I live here in the States. JJ

The part in question is found on page 136 paragraph 14 of the Haynes Datsun 1200 repair manual.

I found the timing mark and it is set at 5 BDC as the manual states for N. America. The carb is a new rebuild manual choke variety. The dwell angle reads 52 degrees. I have no standard air cleaner. The only hose that plugged into the old one was the vent line from the gas tank and it doesn't draw a suction or anything. The PCV works OK, just got through checking it. I was screwing around with the old suction lines (only the EGR and distributor have them) and they need replacement so that should help. It ran better after pushing them on tighter. I replaced the coil and in the process switched the wrong wires to the - and + tension leads. Got those back and it has acceleration again .
There have been no engine tear downs except replacement of head gaskets throughout its life. It is tight and leaks no oil or burns any oil. A very clean exhaust. I just got through with a test drive and it seems strong, just not quite smooth on idle. I'll try to include a photo on the avatar when I get around to getting one.
I certainly appreciate all the help. This old thing will be up and running good again soon I'm sure. Many thanks to all and I'll keep you apprised of the situation.

Thanks for the reply. My idle doesn't smooth out until it is around 1000 rpm. I can never get it down to 800 without the engine jerking around and running rough. Even my 4 cyl Nissan truck runs like a sewing machine but the 1200 is really rough. I'm still trying to confirm the TDC mark on the pulley, but the ignition timing looks correct with the light and all best I can tell. I just changed out the coil now also. I can get the thing to start and run, but again low idle and slow driving under a slight load and the engine runs bad. I'll keep working with it.