hey mate i have just purchased someone elses half finished 1200 ute project and im looking for some advice before i start sinking money into it.
it has as CA18DE motor in it with what appears to be maddat engine and gearbox crossmembers to mount them.it also has a bigger transmission tunnel cut out and welded in. thats about all that it has at the moment. i was told that it had been previously engineered for the tranny tunnel and something else but she didnt have the paperwork as it had been lost, is there any way to see what it is engineered for or just a rego check thing with the rta?
and as for getting the whole car engineered with that motor and gearbox what would be deemed by you as "safe" in regards to brakes? could i just use standard drums with a booster for example or would i have to go a lot larger like commodore brakes with a bigger booster?
and also what other things would you be looking at to engineer it besides the engine and gearbox mounts and brake set up? thanks

drum brake front wouldn't pass the engineering test with an a12 in the car

yeah i was just tryin to give an example to kind of see how far i have to go on the brakes. like would a 120y disc brake set up be adequate to pass or need discs all round or would i just need a booster instead of/or as well as, or do i need to go up to stanza front or something and r31 rear discs or even higher than that. i just want to be able to have it pass the engineering stage so i can get it on the road and upgrade everything later if need be. plus i dont wanna go buy parts that arent good enough or go completely overboard.

if i was to do a rack and pinion set-up in my datsun 120Y using a ke70 rack and pinion what are the laws for engineering something like this?

Lil 1200 - A minimum of s13 front brakes would be required and these are fairly easy to setup in the front of a 1200. There are many other areas to inspect when complying and engine and gearbox etc. Best bet is to get the car running then bring it to me for a first inspection.

Dion120y - There aren't any laws relating to a rack and pinion conversion, there is a code of practice but it doesn't go into much detail on a conversion like this. Basically everything should be as it was in the donor car but stronger. Is there a lot to be gained from this conversion?

Will be giving you a call this week matt..craig