Got any experience with the Datsun A12?

[bonester]

Been given a Nissan Vanette van last week as a doer upperer. Always wanted a campervan. It has the big block 1200cc A12 engine in it and it is the slowest vehicle I have ever driven. I don't want to fly but would like to sit on 100/110km/h no worries. Haven't tuned it yet. You can imagine the condition it is in being given to me, but have made pretty good progress without spending much dosh yet. Budget is $1000. Half of that will go on trimming the seats.
Any experience/ ideas? Thanks!

[Ratmick]

Wasn't the A12 the donk in the mighty Datsun 120Y?

Seen some pretty good hillclimber 120Ys, alas none of them had the A12 in it. From memory they all had 180B SSS motors as the original A12 was a POS.

Having said that the 120Y would make it to 110km/h...eventually. I don't hold out much hope for getting there with anything much heavier .

Mick

[Frank]

Yeah mate rip out the A12 and replace it with a big block A14

[mike-s]

Firstly how many km has it done?
I'd suggest a couple of basic things.
1) Clean the carbies out as you indicated (also it may pay to check that all the bits & peices aren't leaking or out of spec), change the air & oil filter as well as the oil
2) Get a compression check done. If the compression is down then figure out if its a head (valves/seats, etc) or top end ( rings/bore) job. You never know, you may be able to get by with a bodge of just replacing rings and head gasket. There may be other issues in the engine, but fingers crossed that there's no compression issue.

I had to redo the rings and valves on my gsx and it went from struggling at 90 to happily doing over 120 in 5th

Oh and yeah, if you can get hold of a LS1 you may give gos a run for his money.

[Ratmick]

Jeez Mike carby mate, not carbies. This isn't a high-tech free-revving motorcycle engine, this is a 70s-spec 1200cc Datsun boat anchor .

If you want carbies you'll need the aforementioned 180B SSS motor (or 200B SSS engine - but they're in rocking horse shit territory).

You might be better off cutting your losses, checking exactly how much room you're got and see if you can squeeze a ex-Jap wrecker 1600cc or 1800cc donk in there. When I was a young bloke they used to import these sort of things in droves from Japan, not sure if this is still done (it was a loooong time ago).

Either way you're going to have to learn to polish a sizable lump of manure. Good luck with it, seeing it cost you nothing should be a bundle of fun (just ask Mike about the GSX saga).

Ok, here's a late edit. The truly venerable A12 has been around for a long time, nearly as long as me. There was a twin-carb version in certain models of various Datsuns, but as far as I can tell, the closest place they were sold was NZ:

In New Zealand, a special edition Datsun 1200 SSS 4-door sedan with twin side-draft carburetors and other racy features was marketed

The original A12 gave a blistering 69HP, the twin-carb version 83HP. I'd go for one of these, get on the equivalent of the Trading Post in NZ and start hunting .

More reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Sunny
Gotta love Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_A_engine and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Vanette

Interesting info about engine fires and recalls on that last one .

Mick

[mike-s]

Jeez Mike carby mate, not carbies. This isn't a high-tech free-revving motorcycle engine, this is a 70s-spec 1200cc Datsun boat anchor .

ahrrrr, oops!!!

If you want carbies you'll need the aforementioned 180B SSS motor (or 200B SSS engine - but they're in rocking horse shit territory).

You might be better off cutting your losses, checking exactly how much room you're got and see if you can squeeze a ex-Jap wrecker 1600cc or 1800cc donk in there. When I was a younk bloke they used to import these sort of things in droves from Japan, not sure if this is still done (it was a loooong time ago).

Or just go to a wrecker and point to a motor and say "gimmie that, here'a $200"

Either way you're going to have to learn to polish a sizable lump of manure. Good luck with it, seeing it cost you nothing should be a bundle of fun (just ask Mike about the GSX saga).

I'll pay that one, but now she works quite well! Fug'n took enough effort to get there though!!!

[bonester]

Thanks for the replies. I'm used to turd polishing. GT550 for example.

[waynemorgan]

If you could fit the bigger motor (eg 1800) then that would probably be better. A little more grunt anyway - especially if doing a camper interior.

I had an old 120y - wrote it off on my honeymoon (many years ago). Hit a cow at night so hard we scarred the crap out of it (it's bum came through the back window and sprayed crap everywhere). Cow ran away, car was totalled. Petrol MPG was excellent but oil MPG was a whole 'nother story....

[dutchy]

these motors are popular for morris minor owners. i've even seen one all schmicked up and turbo'd.

[mike-s]

anything as nutty as this?

[bonester]

Caught up with my housemate today who gave me the van. He reckons it used to spin the wheels in 4th! Reckons it goes a lot faster than 100 too. Hopefully things will improve with a tune.

[mike-s]

spin the wheels in fourth. This wasn't under hard braking was it?

[bonester]

Got me buggered.....

[Ratmick]

The only way that thing is going to spin the wheels in fourth is to jack the rear end off the ground...or use oil and bald rears (and jack the rear end off the ground).

Mick

[dutchy]

not true, it'll do skids (in the wet grass)