Hi, Hi! My name is Allie. I just got a 1982 Datsun 210. Was curious if anyone new any performance upgrades for the car. So far my boyfriend, his step-dad, and I have all worked on the exterior (rust spots, paint job). Then we worked on the brakes. I did one of the back brakes myself, and got mad because those brake drums are a pain in the ass!
I think my car has 3 gears, it eventually might need a new transmission. Had the custom engine & is automatic. 1.2 liter. 1800 lbs. but anyhow, if anyone ~ if anyone knows any info. let me know:) I'm also looking for 1 rear brake drum that might need to be replaced :)
ill have to post more recent photos since we put it back together now
peace---Allie

Welcome Allie - our "Tech Wiki" has lots of info to give you an overview on what can be done with these cars - by the way your 210 is also known as a B310, or a Sunny in Australia.

The B210 is different to your car, one of those was known as the 'Honeybee' in the US....

Anyway take a look at the wiki (link on the top left hand side of this site.)

yeah welcome to the datto community allie.. hope you enjoy your datto as much as we all do.

Allie the performance upgrades for your car are numerous: A-Series engine (you should have an A12A) parts span the wild to mild range. This engine is still being used in SCCA National competition, in full race trim they'll put out 140 HP but only last 6 hours of run time before they need rebuilding.....obviously not what you want. Now if your car is an Automatic transmission then yes it is a 3 speed. Currently the motor will put out all of 68-70HP, depending on the smog laws you can upgrade to a Weber 32/36 DGV carb header and slightly more aggressive camshaft which would get you to the 85-90 HP range. Also depending what cylinder head is on the car you can up grade that as well.......check Tech Wiki but you probably have a round port cylinder head which can be upgraded to an oval part head that will bolt right on.
Also the A14 (1.4 liter) & A15 (1.5 liter) engines will drop right in..............you will have to check to see if the A12A auto box will bolt to an A14 or A15 (it should).............the bigger engine will be the cheapest upgrade, add a header and a Weber Carb and your 210 should scoot along nicely.

Finally don't neglect the suspension, you can get sway bars stiffer springs and upgrades shocks, that coupled with some alloy wheels & 185/60 13 tires will make it fun to drive.

The cars are quite contagious, over the last 20+ years we've slowly upgraded the 1200 coupe from bone stock to Autocross car to road race car................these are probably one of the cheapest and simplest cars to fix up. i've been lucky enough to race everything from 125CC GP bikes to open wheeled cars and have driven everything from Beetles, Datsuns to Porsche, Vipers and Ferraris. While there are plenty of faster cars out there you'll not find anything more fun, there is a great feeling knowing that almost anything that goes wrong can be fixed on the side of the road.....we've done water pumps & head gaskets roadside ......................my buddies brother grenaded his engine on the side of I-5 (he ran it for 50 miles while it over heated - he's the slayer of engines) the engine was changed on the shoulder, he and two friends yanked it out without a hoist...............I also seem to recall they left the blown engine on the dirt shoulder.........er they are not exactly model citizens.

Anyway welcome aboard.

Tom

Thank you guys for all of your help, it took me some time to find the posts that I'd written and to find your reply, haha.
Yes, my Datsun 210 is an automatic, we figured it was a three speed since it has a hard time going up steep hills, hehe.
Today it started to rain a bunch in Seattle, and my left windshield wiper stopped working:p I'm ordering front shocks because I think the lady who owned it previously hadn't replaced really anything since 1982:/ but anyhow, thank you for all the advice:) does anyone know if a datsun 2.0 liter truck engine will fit in my car? eventually I will look for a 4 speed, I've looked at a few junk yards but the few datsuns there had, had them taken out already :p
anyhow, thanks thanks:)

---Allie

Hi Allie,

Congrats on getting a nice Datsun 210 (B310).

Yes a Datsun L20B engine can be made to fit with only a minimal amount of fabrication.

Yes the automatics are three speed, just like a 1970 Camaro with 400 horsepower. The reason it doesn't up a hill lickety-split is that you are not pushing the pedal all the way down. These Datsun are designed to run for short periods of time at full throttle, it will not hurt them. Seriously the newer (starting mid 1980s) four-speed automatic is exactly the same but the extra gear is for highway cruising and offers zero extra oomph for acceleration.

An A14 or A15 from Datsun 210 would be great. They have a ton more power, and actually get better fuel economy than the A12A engine you have (when fitted with 5-speed transmission). If you stay with the automatic, I reckon the A14 will get worse fuel economy than the engine you have.

last month there were two Datsun B310 at Pull-A-Part wrecking in Arlington up past Everett. Had the brakes and everything on them (transmission were gone though, I think you'll find the ones 'gone' were all 5-speeds). The brake drum is only $20 new at RockAuto.com special sale while it lasts.

If you need any assistance working on it, I'm in Bellevue. Just PM me and if I have time I'd be glad to help another Datsun owner.

a weber carb ,from pierce manifolds will help. add some gas shocks,and an MSD ignition,and a recurved distributer,and off u,go