I picked the car up yesterday and it took 12 1/2 hours but it was worth it. today i spent 3 1/2 hours working on it. ive removed 1 1/2 shopping bags of dirt and leaves from the engine bay and front guards. Ive removed the front bumper, grill, both wings and bonnet. i then checked the engine over, it hasnt run in 11 years, and cleaned the distributor and check the oil and bores and sparkplugs. I fulled it up and took the coil lead off and cranked it for about 30 - 40 sec untill the fuel arrived in the carb. pluged it in and it started first time!! stunk like crap and burnt my lungs but its all good. I then cleaned the inside and back boot and jacked it up on axle stands and removed the front uprights. Man the 1200s are easy to work on, if it was another car all that would have taken me twice the time. Because its been sitting since 1992 everything mechanical is rooted so Im just going to throw it all out and get stuff off recent runners rather then try cleaning it all and trplacing all the ball jionts and other seized parts. I cant figure out how to create shortcuts to pic on this site so if you want to see the pics including one of the car when it was one month old go to my photo album in the members section.

I drove a green Datsun 1200 2 door when i was in Fiji back in Sept of '74. It was a rental & was supposed to be a 120Y, but i liked the style of the 1200 much better, so i was glad that they screwed it up.
I have lamented ever since that this body style was never sold here in Australia. They look so much better than the 4 door. so look after it as it is rarer than the coupe & looks just as good,..... in a family car kinda way.
Chris.

I have been told there are only 3 of them left in New Zealand, not sure if this is true but ive never seen another 2 door. This means I have to be very careful with some of the trim!! Still almost all of it is interchangable with 4doors and coupes.

I saw a Silver/grey 1200 2 door deluxe in LA once, when my brother and I were there in 1999. But that's the only time I've seen one.

I'll be going to your album section now for a look.

Cheers,
Chris.

From the look of the photo's. it's a basicly straight, seemingly unrusted core for a project, you lucky bastard. Take care with it & you will be the envy of the club.
Chris

good one Quinn - it does look like a good solid car. glad to see its been rescued before it was too far gone. what are the plans?

Im more lucky than you'd know. Is a ONE owner and it came with the original owners manual with the compleate history from 1972 when it was new through to 1992 when it was put in the shed. I have searched the whole car and Ive found two bits of rust the size of my thumb nail, one in the front gutter and one in the boot and it has had one plate put in the passengers floor. All the crome work is there and the lights are ok. the body work is a bit rimply though. Still its a very good start. If anyone has any good ideas as to what to do with the interior please tell me, I want to make it into a nice comfortable cruzer. I know where to get molded carpets for it but im not sure what seats to put in it or wether to reco the originals. Ive got the centre consol out of my coupe that ill put in but i rember someone saying a holden gemini one will fit and it has cup holders! Any tips? Ive never tackled interiors before.
Cheers

L18_B110 I was going to take the worked a12 out of my coupe and put it in the 2door coz ive got a wicked a14 coming for the race car, but after reading the history i found its had a compleate rebuild, new pistons, rings, bearing, valves head shave, oil pump and seals. all this was done in '88 at 93000mls and its done 13000mls. and when i started it, it sounded fine so for now i'll keep it and if it dies I'll take all the internals and head off my a12 and swap then so the block no. will stay original. I'll derust it and fisholine everything, pannel and paint it white and upgrade the suspention and brakes (nothing big probably just 120y stuff) and get a set of 13x6 minilights. Not sure what to do with the interior yet.

i say as original as possible just take it to an auto trimmer and get them to trim the interior i like a nice charcol and red to go witht the white exterior put in a simple stereo a couple speakers and bobs your aunty!

Quinn,
The guy that put photos up of his ute a couple of weeks ago, it had all white interior.
He said that he tried the console in from his fathers 91 holden barina (aka suzuki swift) it fitted spot on and it had the drink holder.
I can't be 100% sure but I think they had a small glove type compartment with a open out door also.