Hi all, I'm a new member and fellow Datsun owner, I'm restoring my 1971 1200 Datsun ute.
I'm trying to find some info from other datto folks on what the best course of action is when it comes time to rebuild my engine - just trying to get some good tips on the process. My idea is to get an A15, have it rebuilt and get a fairly major carby set up.
At the momemt I just want to know what is possible from an engine rebuild, what can I expect to acheive from this process, what sort of things should I be looking for and what things (if any?) to avoid.
I'm pretty new to engines and have more of a body/paint background. I know that porting, polishing, planing, boring and balancing are important things but can anyone here give me some where to start, what sort of things should I be asking or looking for when undertaking such an important step like this?

Hopefully I can get started on this, cheers - mat

welcome to the site, mat. biggest thing is your budget.its not all about the engine only.other things you need to consider in budget is what type of carb/ignition/exhaust etc.best to set a budget and work from there. cheers

where are you located

Tassie. Thanks for the info: I'm aware of the job including everything else related to the overall completed idea, just a bit new to what is actually possible with an A15, what's the best thing(s) that can be done to it to achieve maximum power, torque, hp ond so on. I'm keen on the idea of using su's, I have a webber at the moment which is cool but want a complete new, refurbished/rebuilt engine, I'm not into turbo stuff or setups, just more interested in expanding on the A15 - getting the most out of it. um... budget is ongoing....: ) I've heard a few times now that electronic ignition is the way to go?

hey have u had a look in the (tech wiki) there is some good thing on that,

http://datsun1200.com/modules/mediawi ... .php?title=Engine_buildup

hope it halps abit

Some pretty broad questions calling for some equally broad and extensive responses.

Quote:Anything is possible, feed the project money and you can achieve anything.

Quote: You will most likely finish the ordeal realising you could have put that money to better use! You will also come to the realisation that pursuing high power from a naturally aspirated a-series is an expensive and laborious process. You will realise that other engine conversions with engines already producing big power from factory may have been a more viable option (financially and time-wise). You will also come to the realisation that you either like these motors or you don't.

One thing you will gain is the understanding that your 1200ute would be more unique than most as you have retained the original engine series. It will stand out amongst all the fizz-bang turbo slugs that people keep dropping into their engine bays, turning their Datsuns into front-heavy rice-missiles (jokes people)

Quote:

Avoid taking your parts to the engine builder down the road; they hate old 4cl two valve pushrod engines and they'll most probably charge you hard and do only half the work.

Avoid getting caught up in getting all the expensive stuff, there are a lot of novelty performance parts which are nice but you can get equal quality items for a fraction of the price.

If you are buying second hand check the quality, don't let anyone walk all over you, ask for details, ask for pictures and be ruthless when you are determining quality and condition.

Avoid expecting huge numbers until you have at least dyno'd the engine and tuned it properly. Some people have literally gotten upset with low figures not realising that they hadn't tuned their engine properly.

Ask questions but do your research, a lot of new members are too lazy to search something so their questions surfaces sometimes only a day after someone has asked the same thing.

To condense it here is what I'd do, in general order of cost stages (lowest to highest) and performance (good power gains to minimal gain):


Electronic ignition
Mild Cam
Upgrade Single Carb Weber DCD, DGV, DGAV etc



Electronic Ignition
Thin Performance Gasket
Moderate Cam + Twin SU style Hitachis
Flat-tops & fly cuts
Mild cylinder Head work



Thin Performance Gasket
Crank-fire ignition kit (ECU?)
Balancing of all reciprocating components
Balancing of conrods, pistons etc
Upgrade of Clutch
Lightened flywheel
High volume oil pump
Lightweight Tappets & Pushrods
Lightweight Rocker arms
Aggressive Cam + Fuel Injection/ Multiple Carb
Flat-tops/Dome-tops
Knife edge crank
Extensive cylinder head work (would have purchased a GX head by now).

I'm sure all of those lists will double in content as I can't list everything and when you actually get round to doing it there is always a budget blowout. Generally once you start looking for decent naturally aspirated power the costs will skyrocket for each and every kw you pursue.

All I can say is that it can get expensive very, very quickly.

One last thing!

Worked A-series are a good looking engine, they sound #OOPS#in great too:

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  A12.jpg (100.42 KB)

And an l series will put out more torque

Then again boofheads balanced a12 was quicker on high revs but twin webbers etc compared to l16 straight LPG... Didn't suprise me but I was hoping wouldn't happen lol

The first poster ^^^^^^after yours is probably your BEST bet mate!
He could give you the answers and probably build the motor your after. A-series Guru

wow, thanks, that's exactly the sort of info I'm after - all of that will help me greatly expand my understanding of it all so far.
I'll properly research each item/idea and term and try to formulate a solid plan as to what I want to build.
I actually just scored a twin su set up, so, I'm looking to go down that road. I agree that it's more original to stick with the A series. I kinda got the idea from a show I saw where this guy restores an MGB roadster, chooses to stick with the original twin su fed engine and have it all rebuilt, so the car's integrity is intact but has the benefit of a stage 2 polish and port, it kinda made more sense to me to stick with what you've got and just make it better.

Thanks again for the help, there's so much to go on with there, I'll get stuck into it - cheers

sort out your member details, get a pm ( you don't have one) ,and if i can help with parts & info , i will. . i've helped out some members in TASSY before.( junior speedway & others). cheers