Weight would definitely be a big issue for a swap like this. If anyone did it they should be prepared to follow up with some serious suspension work & weight redistributing. For a start one might take the battery out of the front & replace it with a big back-mounted battery in the trunk.

Battery relocation is a given with any swap.

A V8 swap is pretty ludicrous in a 1200, unless you want to build a drag car. Everybody wants to re-invent the wheel.

An SR20DET (or CA18DET) would get you well over 250-300hp with a turbo, a VG30E would get you over 200hp without it. And it would stay Nissan (to satisfy some) and stay cheap (cheaper than the aforementioned SHO swap) to satisfy others.

So many people look at certain swaps and say it's been done too much, but there may be a good reason for that. A guy I spoke to who builds turbo rotary 510's made the statement, "Everyone says the rotary 510 is too common, but try to find a running one for sale. Either they aren't that common, or the people who have them won't get rid of them".

Ok if I were to swap in a v-8 it would be a Buick aluminum 215.
Bob

Bob, why the Buick V8? Aren't they hard to find these days? Except maybe for the Rover version. The all-alloy GM Corvette engine is similar in weight and has 2-3 times the HP.

Tens and Twenties, you have the straight talk on practicality. Yeah, a turbo four is all-around better choice but there is something about the way a V8 sounds ...

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Well said. Plus performance parts for the SBC outnumber parts for Rover V8's 100 to 1.

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Right on both counts.

The Rover option has been done and with good reason ..cost The alloy Vette motor is still a fairly expensive beast to buy. I would'nt argue about the parts availiability for the SBC either but something you may not know is that as that a lot of Rover parts like pistons , bearings, rods and valves can be replaced by Chev stuff. The Rover came from the factory in 3.5, 3.9, 4.2 and 4.6 litre capacities and there are Aussie built cranks to run over 5 litres. There are also 4 valve heads available in England. And best of all they don't need a computer to run them...