Hi, I've been lurking here for a while since the guys in the MG forums I belong to suggested I look around over here.

I live in NW Washington State (USA).

I bought a 1978 MG Midget about a month ago.
One of the previous owners had replaced the MG motor with a Nissan A15, seemingly out of a B210 Deluxe. That's my guess because when I order parts for it I get the right ones when I ask for them to fit a 1980 B210 Deluxe.

This is a great engine in the Midget, great acceleration and speed. Very reliable, I'm quite happy with it.

However it has an old downdraft carb on it that required a hole be cut in the hood. I want to lose that and ideally put on a pair of SU carbs.
I would need to know what intake manifold to get and which carbs would be the right size for the motor (HS2's?).

If someone here has what I need at a price I can pay I'd be happy to hear about it.
Or if you can point me in the direction where I can find good stuff that would be great. I need to know what intake manifold fits this motor and takes the SU carb.

I'm used to SU carbs, I've owned an MGB and currently have an MGC with twin SU's.

Any help on things I can do with this engine would be great.

Reasonably priced alternatives to the SU that would also reduce the height of the intake enough to close up that hole in the hood would be great.

Ideas that don't cost a lot would be even more gratefully received.

Here are a bunch of pics of the engine & esp the existing carb.

http://www.bastedo.net/midget/engine/

I have replaced the air filter with a new filter & a nice chrome top. I also replaced the fuel pump with an electric.

I'd like to get a blank plate to cover the hole where the mechanical fuel pump is now, but don't know where to get one.

Thanks!

PM sent.

Thanks, PM replied.

I've actually got a pair of SU's not in use right now. They are from my MGC. I'm not sure but they may be HS4's

Are these too big for the A15?
In this case I would only need an intake manifold for my A15.

The "standard" SU's used for the datsun GX engine were HS4 size (1.5" bore). There were no HS2 sized SU type carbs used on any Datsun's that I know of. The datsun Z cars use HS6 size carbs (1.75").

So basically, the HS4 size carbs would be perfect for a 1.5L. I've posted this chart before - maybe it will help (see the 2x1.5" bar):




Also look at this tech article: http://datsun1200.com/modules/nsectio ... p?op=viewarticle&artid=45
Go down to the Hitachi Twin Sidedraft section. And that will point you to the GX tech article: http://datsun1200.com/modules/nsectio ... p?op=viewarticle&artid=33

Oh and webber side-drafts maybe be "shorter" than the SU's and fit better under the hood. Also finding the manifold for the SU's is not easy in the US. They were not standard on any foimported datsuns, so you'll need to look overseas (Aus primarily). You can get a weber setup fairly cheaply for the A15 though I don't really know much about it personally. I suggest you go to the Yahoo! Groups Datsun 210 forum for help in that area, if you don't find it here. There are several regulars there who swear by the weber setup as far as cost and ease of use goes.

Ok, is there a downdraft carb that will bolt on and be shorter than the thing I have now?

Maybe what you need is the manifolds off a van, I think they dipped down for this very reason, anyone know by how much?

Edit I measured one and its flange for the carb is an inch maybe an inch and a half from the top face of the head.

What is the carby flange to top of head face on your manifold?

Thanks Sidedraught

I went out and looked at it and found the heatshield is about an inch above the top of the head.

Is a Weber downdraft really the same height as my Hitachi?

Inch above compared to an inch below, sounds like you definately need a van manifold, I dont know if the exhaust manifold is different to accomodate this though.

Yes the Weber is the same height (roughly) as the Hitachi but you will need an adaptor plate for the Weber (add 3/4 inch).