Welcome mate, check out my build thread for pointers, it has pics of where I cut the front end for the rad and cooler. As mentioned your best off getting pre fabricated crossmembers, much faster and easier, but my maddat setup sits the engine around 10mm from the firewall.
And remember it will cost anywhere from $5-15000 for a properly setup ca in a 1200, when you consider driveline and suspension... Obviously depending on how much you do yourself

Good luck with it mate

Buy mine it will save you a lot off time and money all worke has been done just swap everthing over
I have a Datsun 1200 Ute with CA18DET for sale

Body
The Car Body is in good condision it has a rusty drivers door other than that all the rust has been cut out.
It has had a bigger transmission tunnel put in


Drive line
Mad Dat fitting kit
R31 cut down diff with disk brakes
200B front struts and brakes
Remote brake booster under dash
14 inc alloy wheels with good tyres
5 speed gearbox
Cut down tail shaft


Motor
CA18DET
Just had new rings bearings and gasket kit (being done now)
Standard computer
New T25 BB Garrett turbo
VL turbo main pump, pre pump,serge tank and bigger fuel lines


Interior
Sparco race seats (need recovering)
Cracked dash


Spares
2 doors 1 bonnet 2 spare front gauds

All work has been done in a work shop
Have over $14000 in recepts
No rego or engineer papers
Car starts drives and stops great
The car needs a respray that can be done if some one wants me to do it and can pick a colour if a deposit is made

Or if you have a Ute with good paint and interior with a A series this is a very cheap conversion that can be done over a weekend and still sell the body

The motor is getting a rebuild now and will be ready in 3 weeks


Will get photos next week

I want $5000 as is or $8000 with new paint
Call 0400348704 if interested
Car is in lithgow NSW

hey mate welcome,there is alot of stuff you need to know,the best way is refine your internet search skills,google all them questions u thinking in your head and use the the search bar and your will find everything u need almost.i would keep it real with the mighty A series and buy another already converted. ca datsuns been going pretty cheap lately.well cheaper than building one.

visit www.maddat.com.au for a mounting kit it will make things easier

hey fellas..

i bought a 1200 ute in view of doing the ca18 conversion, turns out that i dont know #OOPS# from clay...
can anyone send through some pics of what you have to cut out and how you do it... the main issue i have is trying to mount the intercooler and radiator (with the thermo fan), also where do i mount the engine?? how far back from the firewall etc, etc...

Cheers