I was just wondering if anyone knows, or has heard of anyone putting 1600 struts on a 1200......

If not why?? There seems to be heaps of readily available brake upgrades and suspension components.

I may try it soon.

I'm putting 280ZX struts in my 1600, so that'll leave me with spares to try on.

I don't remember what it was but something didn't line up properly. I have a friend with a 1200 and a friend with a 1600 (plus I have others ) adn after my 1600 friend got 240k brakes on my other friend tried putting the 1600 struts on the 1200. In the end he went and bought some stanza ones.
Sorry don't know any more than that...

Where do I start...I'll try 'the start'...

510 ones won't fit because of the spring diameter. They also won't fit because the balljoint is different between these models.

Get Stanza Lower Arms and control rods. They use the large balljoint that allows you to use 'whopper stopper' 510 brake conversions. Take your 1200 ones with you to the wreckers. This way you'll be happy that the version of stanza ones will fit. Also with Datsuns, you have to be weary that even though parts are on a wrecked car..doesn't mean the factory put them there...

Once you have them, You'll need to cut off the cups from both your new struts and your 1200 struts and weld the 1200 ones onto the 180B/200B ones.

Word of WARNING. The 1200 struts are smaller diameter than the stanza/180B etc.. Best bet is to get some cheap Stanza struts, they have the same diameter spring size as the 1200 ones, but the strut is larger in diameter. This makes the spring cups from the Stanza more suitable for the transplant. You'll need to mig weld the cups back on. Use a hacksaw and angle grinder to remove the cups from both struts.

You could also get 260Z struts, they use the small springs and mount on the stanza lower arms. I know this because I've heard 240/260/280 Zed car struts have been used in 510 conversions. The problem with using the zed struts is that you are restricted to Zed aftermarket brakes.

I recommend you get 180B large axle struts.
Avoid the scalloped hubs as these don't allow for the Commodore/Verada conversion. See:
http://www.shoeys.com/content/datsuns/datsun2/lnew_23.jpg

Chris

Hey i dont think it was that complecated. I got some 1600 struts off a friend (or at least he said they were 1600 struts) which have king springs with adj.ride hight and spherical top mounts with adj. plates. they didnt come with lower arms so i used the 1200 ones which just bolted on. I then upgraded the brakes to stanza roters which bolted onto the 1600 hubs (255mm i think) and reconditioned the callapers which also bolted straight on and got racing pads and it all works fine.
Quinn
ps sorry there was one thing i had 2 change. the top plates wouldnt fit in the top of the towers so i had to make new ones out of 10mm alloy plate and match up the slotes for the camber adjustment. piece of cake though.

Yeah thanks guys. I'm also building a 1600 so l have all the spares lying around. I tried putting them on, using the 1200 arms, BJ's and TR's but they didn't quite mate up. I think if l used the 1600 arms it would go ok.

Chris, do you run large rims on yours. I see you have the same "rubbing" marks on your inner guard. I presume that the conversion changed castor so this doesn't happen anymore??

I'm running 15x6 and l still want them to fit in the guards ok. I've heard that stanza struts make this possible.

Yeah I have 15X6 with 195/50 R15 on my coupe with the front stanza brakes the front wheels go on without any spacers or any ofd that jazz.
Back driver side still rubs on the inside wheneverI got up driveways sometimes...

Swapped the tops of the struts over with the 1200 ones so that they fit in the holes and also swapped over the the 1200 springs as well so it didn't look like I was doing wheel stands all the time...

i did same as lobster, if you have stanza struts for the 1200 you just put the 1200 springs and top plates on the stanza stuts and they go in fine, no mods to anything!

and the staza struts would sit the 1200 front too high unless you cut them "oops did i say that", that way you would have stiffer springs but would have to bore and elongate top mounting holes in car body to accomadate top plate bolts