hey guys, i've just recetnly came into the ownership of a 71 1200 sedan and was lucky enough to find this site on the net. i have one hell of a project ahead so i'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of me okay now to the story:

i USED to own a 1987 ford thunderbird turbocoupe but just this monday last week something in the wiring (everything on that car is electric) went up and the next thing i knew the fron end of my car was engulfed in 15FT flames. it was so intense that my radiator and AC core actually melted into a puddle underneath the car

luckily i have some nice friends and one hooked me up with a 71 1200 sedan for free. the only bad thing is the interior is gutted except for dash and door panels, also the motor is shot nad the body needs some work but there doesn't seem to be any rot. i also had found a mid to late seventies 210 for free as well in premo shape but it has no title so it is my parts car for now.

right now my plan is to take the A14 and five speed tranny out of the 210 and use it to replace the A12 and auto in my sedan, i also managed to save most of the motor out of my turbocoupe but more on that in a minute. now onto the qustions:

1. what is the rearend ratio of a auto equipped 1200 sedan?

2. will the pedal box from a mid to late seventies 210 swap withthe pedal baox from a 71 1200 (looks like it but i'm not sure)

3. will any front suspension bits from a 79 280ZX be able to fit onto the 1200 will i have to swap spindles? what about swaybars?

4. do any of you guys know of any good aftermarket performance parts dealer that deal in body panels as well as interior bits for these cars?

5. have any of you guys ever heard of somebody swapping in a ford 2.3L turbo motor

right now i'm trying to get the suspension and interior squared away. i also have a 79 280ZX parts car that i may be able to use for suspension bits,front calipers, rotors, spindles, etc. and it looks like i'll just have to get creative with the interior. right now i have the thunderbirds seats in it and just need to "modify" the rails from the 210 to fit better and then bolt them to the seats.

i am going to swap in the A14 and five speed for now, till june 18 anyway. then i am putting her into storage and going off to bootcamp for the nevada national gaurd. once i get back i plan on modding the ford 2.3T and swapping it into this little hellion.

to give you an idea of the performance of these little fours my car weghed in at a whopping 4200LBS!! but i could still run a hihg fourteen to low fifteen in the qarter with almost no money mods just some good tuning a K&N and a free flowing 3" exhaust. with some decent modifacations these little beasts will pump out in excess of 400HP and 450 ft/lbs of torque! and still get you good gs milage when your foots off of the pedal.

also once i get ready to swap in the 2.3 i will probably seel the A14 and 5speed ans well as anyhting else anybody might want from the 210 and even parts off of the A12 for CHEAP. so look out for it, hell who knows i might not even swap in the A14 (i only have a little over a month left anyway) and just sell it for you guys in a week or two.

i would really appreciate any help you guys could give me and would like to say that while ive been a datsun fan for a while now (Z's and ZX's) the brand just keep suprising me with the cars it use to make that are so cool. thanks

<small>[ Edited by 2quick4u on 2002/5/16 22:20:59 ]</small>

ok the diff ratio of any 1200 sedan and coupe is 3.9:1, 4.111:1 for a wagon and ute, unless someone has already swapped it with something else.
Go to this site for possible mods of all sorts for 1200s.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~mpot/DatsunMods/

It has a lot, but u will probably have to consult ppl at this site to get more detailed info

LOL i"ve already checked out everything over there as well as al the links LOL it is a VERY informative site and has already helped me out but oddly enough i can't seem to find any "domestic" engine swaps that have been done.

kinda sucks cause i don't want to be a innovator, i'm too lazy for the job LOL. i would much rather study somebody else who has done it and play monkey see monkey do and try to minimize the mistakes. oh well i suppose i guss i can finally say my car is "one of none"

I have mixed emotions about what you plan to do. First of all, I'm not a big fan of non-Nissan engine swaps into 1200s. On the other hand, I am a closet Ford fan and especially that turbo 2.3 liter. That should prove to be one helluva fast machine. I guess my $.02 is, gopher it!
Make sure that you have adequate hood clearance to fit the engine. With an automatic unibody, there shouldn't be transmission tunnel issues. Intercooler placement might be tough.
You will want the 280ZX brakes to haul the beast down from speed, so do what it takes to fit those. However, the 210 front suspension from your parts car will bolt in pretty easily, done it more than once.
You might want to consider having your Thunderchicken rear axle narrowed and fit it too. Big brakes and it already "knows" that engine's power.
Sounds like fun, keep us posted. Have a day.

1. what is the rearend ratio of a auto equipped 1200 sedan?

3.9

2. will the pedal box from a mid to late seventies 210 swap with the pedal box from a 71 1200 (looks like it but i'm not sure)

Don't Know

3. will any front suspension bits from a 79 280ZX be able to fit onto the 1200 will i have to swap spindles? what about swaybars?

Use the 210 front sway bar.

4. do any of you guys know of any good aftermarket performance parts dealer that deal in body panels as well as interior bits for these cars?

Some dudes in the USA do. See other posts

5. have any of you guys ever heard of somebody swapping in a ford 2.3L turbo motor

No, but sounds good to me

Chris.