So, in theory, all post-1974 A-series engines with the rear-mounted distributors could use that cam? Interesting. The distributor in my car is definitely located way down and way back, behind and above the mechanical fuel pump.

Argh! Engines can be so aggravating with their changes and differences!

The problem with the A12 is that there are two of them. The firsrt one is the Datsun 1200 engine up to 1973. This one has the distributor at the front, just above the oil pump, & the cam has only one drive gear.

From 1974 onwards, the A12 engine was re-designed with the distributor moved back to where the 1200's fuel pump was previously located, so the cam has a second drive gear.

This cam is physicly interchangeable in all of the A series engines with the rear mounted distributor.

If you use an electric fuel pump, & blank off the original fuel pump mounting, then this later cam can be used in the earlier 1200 engine as well, however the earlier engine's cam with only one drive gear is not useable in the later engine if you want to use the distributor as there is no gear to drive it.

Quote:

As best I can tell the only camshaft they list is for the A12. I am 95% sure that they are different than the A15

There's a Nismo dealer on the East Coast that sells the Nismo camshafts for the A-series motors.

Nismo parts

If 40 thousandths off the head is enough to bring my compression up to 10:1, I might just go to the first standard overbore on my rebuild. No sense farting around with pistons, I guess.

Where are you getting your cam from? Ive been searching quite alot and not found anywhere that does cams for the A15. Plenty for the A12-14 though.

ive been told instead of changing pistons because my bore is in good condition to deck the head 40 thou and therefore it will leave me with 10:1 compression which in that still enables me to be able to pull up to the petrol station and fill my car straight from the pump instead of having to run a much higher octane fuel for higher comp

hope this info helps

As you have already stated, the bore size is 76mm. Nissan list three standard oversizes in half mill increments, namely 76.5, 77.0. & 77.5mm. I believe that the aftermarket industry use the same standards.

Some people seem to use pistons from some Mazda models. [MX5?] These are available in diameters as large as 79mm & are available with either flat tops or with a step down on one side.
The wrist pin diameter is different too, but not by much I believe. A check with a piston supplier should reveal all without too much work.

My A15 is in need of a rebuild. I've found a good local shop to do it, and I intend to go for a performance-oriented rebuild. I plan to have a .487/300 cam put in during the rebuild, as well as the requisite lifters.

I know the A15 is a 76x82mm bore and stroke, and has a 9.0:1 compression ratio. I would like to go up to a 10:1 to 11:1 (Does this sound like a good number for a street A15?) or so compression ratio, and I'm going to have to do this with pistons, because A14 heads with heart-shaped chambers aren't growing from the trees in Wisconsin.

What are people using for pistons to go up in compression? Flat-tops, I'm assuming? I don't know what the factory pistons look like, so I'm not sure how extreme we have to get to see that increase.
I'm not sure where I'm going to get pistons. What vehicles out there have a similar boreXstroke with more aggressive crowns and possibly shorter strokes? What are the standard overbores? 76.5 to 77.5? 77 to 78? There's got to be another Nissan engine or something from Ford or Subaru or something with pistons that can be adapted to fit? I'm open to suggestions guys :D I've been searching and not finding a whole lot.

Finally. My plans are as follows:
-Rebuilt A15 with the .487/300 cam and the 10:1ish compression ratio/bored cylinders.
-MSD 6A + Blaster 2 coil
-Weber 32/36 DGEV carb
-Header/extractor and a straight pipe
What sort of power figures can I expect at the crank with that kind of setup? Thanks for the help!