QUOTE:"I drove from SF to LA with the struts and they seemed to work well with 300 pound springs, but it turned out that the struts were blown and leaking oil."

300 LB. springs?!! It's a wonder you even NEED shocks with springs that stiff........

I meant to say "The new cartridges/inserts come with..."

I'm a bit confused. Which struts do you mean by 'newer struts'?

VW insert cartridges fit in the original Datsun 1200 struts, depending on the brand. Some Golf/Jetta cartridges are a bit larger diameter than others. As I understood, the original gland nuts were used with VS inserts, but maybe they had to drill the center hole larger?

I'm digging up this old thread because I keep searching for it and refering to it.
I just bought some Bilstein F4-P30-0137-H2 strut inserts for my sedan. They are the heavy duty's meant for a VW Rabbit. My struts are already shortened for VW inserts.
The new struts come with gland nuts for internal and external threaded struts. The plan is to modify the gland nut with the external threads to slip over the strut tube. I'll tack weld it into place and use the other nut to secure the inserts.
Thanks Sundat1200 (daniel) for blazing the trail.





Comparison of Bilstein P30-0137 in rear, Koni 8641-1048SPORTS and OEM length KYB 361005 gas cartridge.

Koni golf shocks are now 42mm body width. called topperformance and he said they used to be 1.5inch but were too loose in the strut housings for the golf hence why they are now 42mm. he said the MR2 8641 1072sport are the most common short shock they sell for 45mm struts.

Does anyone have the KYB part number for the gold mk1 inserts? are they adjustable?

1. Buy the KONI front strut kits from the aforementioned site. Bolt right in, only $200 for both fronts.

2. Buy the Nissan inserts, about $56 each. Non-gas charged -- these are the good ones.

3. Use the search box on the left to find the writeup on using VW inserts in the 1200 struts.
<--- googly search box (don't use the regular search)

I'm digging up this thread once again because I've been getting questions about how I like using Bilstein VW rabbit shocks in my 1200 struts.
I got some very cheap VW rabbit Bilstein sport strut inserts used, and did considerable work to mount the special dust seals on the threaded strut housing cap (required machining and welding). I drove from SF to LA with the struts and they seemed to work well with 300 pound springs, but it turned out that the struts were blown and leaking oil. I haven't done any more development as I've taken the engine out of the car and its been sitting for over a year.
The good thing about Bilsteins however is that they can be revalved by Bilstein to suit the 1200's weight and any spring rate you use. Despite the trouble, I think they are the best option for the 1200 without spending big bucks on shocks. I'm sure Bilstein could also supply a rear shock (they have a extensive catalog online) custom valved for the 1200 to match.

I dug up this thread because I just found an American site selling Koni's and Tokiko's for all four corners of a 1200!

www.classicgarage.com.

I just ordered some Koni's for the rear of my coupe.

Its as simple as a 12mm flat plate with holes. "Kev Rowley" in Qld Australia. markets these brackets for a fair price.
Im not about to post up Kevs brackets on here as they are his intellectual property and it would not be the right thing to do.

Use the search function for Kevs contact details or maybe a few fellow Queenlanders may be able to put you in contact.

cheers
benny