Recently acquired a Datsun 1000 wagon. The car is running but the engine is fairly tired.Was wondering which would be the best/easiest engine transplant. Would the a15 engine fit. I'm not familiar with datto's but have done CA18 conversions in Gemini's so a bit of cutting/welding and wiring would not be a problem. Dont want it to be a tyre smokin beast, just reliable with bit of extra punch.

Hi I have a 1000 2 door with a A15 in it.
You have to make new engine mounts on the x member and use a 1200 style gear box and clutch cable thats basicly all the major stuff.It is a fairly simple job if you have already done a conversion before.GREG..

Thanks for that info. Was there a 1200 5 speed box?

Yes there is a 5 speed but are very rare we us a toyota T50 .

Quote:

Unfortunately they go from about $650 up.

Quote:The EASIEST transplant would be the 1200 engine as there is no need to mess with the engine mounts. Just use the brackets from the 1000 engine block & it fits ther chassis without difficulty.
The 1200 engine has a taller block & the stock air filter will rub on the underside of the bonnet, so a sports type will help & sidedraught induction [ie, twin Hitachi's or SU's] is even better.

Option 1. with 1000 gearbox
You will need to shorten the spigot shaft as the 1200 crank is not drilled as deeply & this shaft will bottom out in the crank before the box bolts up. Use the 1200 flywheel & clutch & have a fiddle with the 1200 release bearing in the 1000 release fork. It will work out OK but doesn't look that way at first.

Option 2. with 1200 box.
The clutch arm on the 1200 box is completely different & will hit the trans tunnel, so you will need to do a couple of trial fitups & massage this area with a large hammer & dolly. All of the later [right drive] gearboxes have this same clutch setup.

Other A series engines.
The A14/15 engines are an excelent choice, but require some work with the engine mounts as they are placed differently on the block. These bigger engines usually come with the larger 60 series gearbox & if you use this, then the small trans tunnel will need some work. These engines are even taller in the block than the 1200, so you need to remember this when thinking of the induction system.
Oh yeah, the later engines [from 1974] have the altenator on the opposite side of the engine, so you need to address the wiring problem too.

Diff ratio's
The original diff ratio in your VB10 is 4.375 to 1, which will have you looking for another gear whenever you get it above about 60kph, particularly with an A15. The diffs in 1000's [& 1200's] are what is known the H145 series & the highest ratio available in this series of diffs is 3.9 to 1, & almost ALL 1200 passenger models came with this one. 1000 model diffs used an alloy differential carrier, while the 1200 one uses an iron carrier.

The 120Y & the Sunny models in Australia used the slightly larger H150 differential which has the same gasket, so it will fit into the H145 axle housing, but is best used with a 2mm spacer ring & a second gasket [.5mm thick] to rectify a small dimentional difference between them. These come in 3.9 to 1 ratio [quite common] 3.7 to 1 [late, A15 powered, Sunny Sports Wagons only] & 3.54 to 1 [import from US or elsewhere only]
I don't know of any other rear axle assembly that can be used as a substitute in a Datsun 1000 without narrowing. [$$$$$]

Five speeds
These are available in two basic versions.
Dogleg type, which is direct in fifth gear [like the 4 speed in 4th] Great fun to drive, but rare & expensive, & if the small, original 56 series box is used, they will not tollerate much abuse from a bigger engine. The 60 series one is stronger, but bigger & heavier.

Conventional shift
Available in the 60 series, this one is an overdrive in 5th type. It helps in highway cruise mode, but this box has fewer sporting pretensions as the first four gears are pretty much the same as the four speed box, so it's really just a four speed with overdrive. [yawn]

The 60 series five speeds are often encountered with a hydraulic clutch actuation. This is because they were originally sourced from a left drive car. Right drive ones are cable actuated. None of the five speeds are cheap or easy to find when you want one.

So there you go, you now know as much as anyone on this site when it comes to 1000's. Well OK, almost as much.

Dodgeman... is that in the tech section?? if it isnt maybe it'd be a good addition for 1k's. Just a thought.
Chris

Thanks for all that info dodgeman. You have already answered any of my future questions regarding the drivetrain.