dodgeman why the hell are you spending three and a half G on an A series???? i know what it costs to "rebuild" a motor but how can you spend those $$$? even if the pistons are custom forged and the rods are H beam or something i could undestand it... maybe. but for a guy who has never stuffed a H145 diff coz he's a carefull driver - no need for those bits? shed some light into you wallet's diet

I've always thought that a rebuilt engine was one with new bearings and rings and not much else..while a reconditioned engine included all the fruit???

i purchased a conversion kit for my a-series distributer which cost me AU$230 which was made by crane cams and was called the fire ball XR700. the kit consisted of a small converter unit, an optical triger and three(4cyl, 6cyl and 8cyl) sloted wheel that were to be adapted to the shaft of the dizzy. it was a simple an effective modification that works excellent with my accel super coil (AU$130)and hks iradium sparkplugs(AU$35each)

not saying mine is beter but it does put out a hell of a spark

datsunb120 what was the actual part number of the one to suit the A-series distributor?

Quote:Well, without going into too much detail, it's the head that makes the power, & it's the total remanufacture of the head that sucked up most of the money so far. With new guides, new larger stainless valves [at $70 each] new valve seats, new springs, some minor welding repairs to fix some corrosion, port work to blend into the larger valves, & mods to the short turn radius, micro polishing of the combustion chambers etc etc.
The spark plugs were $88 alone [NGK Iridium] & the distributor is one of Ferals Bosch L series jobs with all new stuff in it. The timing case was modified to provide access for the adjustable cam sprocket, which is another of Ferrals finest "made to customers order" specials. None of this stuff shows up under my Xmas tree, so i had to pay for it all & quality work doesn't come cheap.
Oh yeah, the roller rockers were about $750 or so from memory, & i still need some custom pushrods.

Current plans call for the block to be sonicly tested & if i dont like the results, i will have all four bores sleved just to guarantee cylinder wall integrity. I dont need to find that a thin cylinder wall developed a crack after it all goes back together & sleving isn't cheap either, so wish me luck.

By the time i have the rods polished, the crank fully fixed, as per the factory book, a custom harmonic balancer made, "new" cam & lifters & the zilions of other things that go into a tidy little street engine, it isn't hard to see that the dollars just roll right out the door.
I dare not tell you what i estimate this engine will ACTUALLY cost once it's in there & running as i can't stand to see a grown man cry, particularly when it's me.

Dodgeman I can now see where your costs have come from. But have what you done really worth it. 700 odd dollars for roller rocker which probably wont see revs over 6000rpm. Adjustable cam gear for a street engine. A few degrees here and there doesnt make that much difference especially to a sedately driven street car. Feral dizzy. Yes a very good product but im sure there are, well I know there are much cheaper and almost as effective ways of getting electronic ignition in an A-series. For the price you paid you could build a S-hithot A-series which I know that you are not after but if you were would also be very reliable without all the fancy gear.

Anyway, good on you for doing it. I must admit it will be a beautiful engine to drive especially in your mint condition 1000 coupe.

Dodgeman if you wernt such a perfectionist you may have come in under budget and had you cheap restoration that you planned.

Is it all worth the money? NO! No it isn't
Why do i do it? Because i want to, & because i can. Yes, yes, i know it is overkill to a rediculous level, but it also buys me freedom of choice. The choice to do something silly with it in th performance stakes at some time in the future without needing to rebuild it all over again. I keep refering to it as a mild street engine, but i guess that it depends on your definition of "mild" Old age & treachery still defeats many unsuspecting drivers.

I would like to think that in another 30 years this engine,... & car, will still be worth owning as a result of its unique combination of parts, & the quality of its construction.

While i may whinge about the cost, the fact is, i don't really care too much about it as i will get over the financial burden eventually, but i will still have the car that i actually wanted, rather than the car i settled for as a result of cost cutting.
I have been down that road before & i still regret it.

It's an expensive policy, but this one, & my '33 coupe, will probably be the last cars i build & i want to get them absolutely right.

#### I say, if you can, if you want it, if you can justify it to yourself, why not. Thats why my 1000 is currently on hold. I would rather it cost an arm and a leg and be the way I want it, than to waste the time on something I dont enjoy in the end.

Fair enough

Wow i say! i can sort of see your point tho. i have had a datsun 1600 in the build for years. when i first started it would have been one of only a handful of very tidy 16's with SR20DET power but now they are everywhere. the car is nowhere near finished but i am waiting to get the cash to do it properly. i wish i had some money to throw at it but i don't.

what you are doing is probably not worth it in terms of bang for buck BUT it will definately be a uniquely built piece of bulletproof machinery that will be worth plenty in terms of money and satisfaction for years to come.

you are a crazy man for doing it tho! i dub you "the chris shoesmith of the 1000 coupe"