hi,
i am from aussie, have a budget of about $4500, my dad is a mechanic and i am wanting to know what na engine would be the best and easiest to put into a 1200.

depends on what you want
carby
injected
worked
standard

i would like one with good standard performance and also good potential without going turbo/supercharged

for $4500, i'd pick a worked L18 or a std CA18DE or SR20DE.

or if you don't mind bigger (smaller?) conversions - a rotary.

Quote:To answer the question that was asked, i would suggest that an A14/15 would be at the top of the heap here as the ease of instalation would have the others beat hands down & this comprised 50% of your criteria.
These are very good engines, & while some others can develop more power, they are not automaticly "better" by virtue of the power output.

Your best bet, if you can make it, is to attend the Datsun Nationals in Goulburn in a couple of months, & ask all the diferent owners what they think of their own combination of car & engine. This way both you & hopefully, your father, can see for yourselves just what is involved in doing some of these conversions

get the a15, 5speed box, twin carbs or a webber 32/36 and extractors... maybe electroinc dizzy. for around 2-2.5 grand all set up, it would be ample with some more mods such as cams etc for your dad to do later. depending on driving style... it would also be reliable.
leaves 2k to upgrade brakes, suspension and clutch. easily coming under the budget.
my advise only..... not worth much but i would be happy with such a combo.

i think i might go either a ca18de or a15.
with all the money spent on putting a ca18de in, would it be better putting in the a15 and spend the change on mods.
would a standard ca18de in a 1200 be quicker than a a15 in a 1200 with about $3000 spent on it.

In my view it's better to have a great car with a more modest mechanical spec, which can be upgraded later, than a second rate car that goes fast.
When planing out your budget, have a good look at what it will involve to bring the body & suspension right up to spec BEFORE you repower it. The A series engines will help keep a lid on costs in this area & allow you to do a better job on the rest of the car.
Food for thought.

i agree, im doing my brakes before any thing, mainly because its cheaper, but for safty reasons i want to be able to stop with a near standard car before i power it up. keep it simple.

to have a bigger engine like c18de you will also need the brakes for engineering which will also cost you money out of your budget and the cost of the engineering.