Well said and good choice! Some of the guys also fit English SUs and I actually prefer the way they look and that they are available in all sizes with excellent aftermarket support.

Thanks again for everyone's ideas and input about which direction to go with my lil ute. As clyons8 said a few back it's all about the bank building up to start the mods... I am defiantly going to chase down the a15 option and build it to a running point and bolt it in, thanks D I'll keep an eye on mx5 head swap on here but I'd like to keep it original looking without the cross flow head. I'll be happy with what ever I can get out of the 15 with a cam carby exhaust and the elect dizzy... I hope! But at the end of the day I bought the 1200 because it is a 1200 I don't mind going slow ( sometimes) and just love the look of them. If I can work out how to add more than one pic to a post I'll throw a few picks up of my ute on here so u guys can see her...
Many thanks again guys

A15 or a14 and a 32/36 weber was better imho than su carbs. Get elec dizzy and a cam and you will be happier than an a12

Corey dont forget most A15 are old and worn so 78mm bores will change that quickly and not to mention if you are interested there is a Mazda mx5 head that is actually very easy to fit once you have the front plate and headgasket. The pioneer of this conversion will be offering the front plate and headgasket while the rest just falls into place once those parts are sorted. Just something else to consider in case you are chasing more ponies and better optioned head. If you use 78mm Mazda b6 pistons you are set for the Mazda head in the future as its quite a cheap setup to do compared to working an A head.

Thanks everyone for the input, I've been having a bit of a look this morning and I'd like to go to the a15 but my a12 is round port so what time and money I spend setting up the induction for the 12 would have to be done again with the 15 and would need different manifold set up as well... I hope the minister of finance doesn't check the bank in the next month then or she might think she's getting a lot of presents hahaha not to mention if the a15 some how falls into my lil ute... But really thanks for everyone's points, as I said b4 I'm just starting my datsun journey but I'm already surprised at how many enthusiasts are keen to help the beginners out with nit only knowledge but parts as well it's a real plus for everyone involved.
Cheers Corey

Checked my maths and I used 62hp (A10), either way the logic is still the same & you are far better off with a completely standard engine that already makes more power and has better torque characteristics.

As for $1000, I can't see your average punter getting all of those parts plus the engine work donefor anywhere near that. II'm not saying it can't be done I'm just saying that there's a grand in machining etc and other parts that need to be replaced while its apart.

That's a hard one to answer, but the price typically relates directly to condition.

These were the latest for sale on here I think, and quite a good price, minus the manifold, air filter housing etc.

Twin SU type Hitachi's

I've paid $500 for good condition SU type twins and manifold. Without the air filter housing which are hard to find in good condition.

I vote to work the A12, get some experience on how it all goes together. Then upgrade to an A14 or A15 once the cash is back up and transfer the goodies onto the bigger A14 or A15.

A12 69hp
A14 80hp
80/69 = 1.16 (116%, a 16% increase)

A12 1178cc
A14 1397cc
1397/1178 = 1.19

It will cost around $1000 using 2nd-hand parts to make 80 HP from an A12. Change the head, camshaft, manifolds, carbs, distributor, and pistons will do it.

Absolutely, definitely, your best bang-for-buck is keeping an eye out for a larger A-series engine. Info varies depending on which site you get it from, but for example changing from an A12 to an A15 is around a 30% power increase! You will never get that from an A12 without 'investing' a massive sum of money.

Once you have the bigger engine, you can then look at options like carbs, turbos, whatever you like - and any gains you get there will also be larger than gains you would have gotten by modifying the A12.

Next step in my opinion is to look at an L-series conversion - more complicated than an A-series swap of course, but the results are a whole new level. A12 to L16 is a 55% power increase and L20B is 61%... again all of these figures are before modifications... so you have a nice, happy, unstressed engine that is great to drive and pretty good on fuel compared to something with a big cam and twin carbs.

Thanks D I'll keep that on my plate as well... After pricing all the bells and whistles I want for the A12 it seems its going to be cheaper and better for me in the long run to put an A14/15 in it. But I do like the idea of keeping it standard if I do go down that road I'd keep the a12 in the shed to put back in it when I've got it out of my system.