I'd have to agree with Dawford. I've been looking at my car for months trying to figure out what I can AFFORD to do with my car. The way gas prices are running now, I may go pull a 4 banger out of some wreck and put it in, no matter what it comes out of. I'd love to have a real fast car, but I want to drive it every day I can and drive that S.O.B until my feet rub a hole through the floorboards.
Racer Brown & Ak Miller were a couple of legends who thought out of the box, go for it. The best engine - is a free engine!!!
back to the topic at hand, I really don't think you need much of anything to make it look "old timey" except like ford grey for the block, and run a normal carb, and a nice exhaust. that engine looks pretty old and growly already, I think it would fit in well between the frame rails....
There was a Model 'A" roadster built down here near me many years ago that appeared at a show with a Mazda rotary, sacrilege. Sounded like S**T when he floored it.
Thanks RussTee ,when I saw this guys post ,I had a feeling he may get a bit of grief .I do believe you can make a Jap 4 Bangger into a neat litte engine for a small rod. Heres what my son & I did with bits we had in the shed.
If Austin/MG A series stuff won't fit then make an adapter to put either 2 small or 1 big SU on to the existing manifold - cheap to buy and easy to set up too. A series finned ally valve covers are cheap as chips and if they don't fit then you can make up an adapter plate. This is hot rodding so you can always swap the A motor back at a later date when you can get it fixed. BTW that orange Kiwi RPU looks hard as nails and ready to kick the arse of any V8.
Ignore the nay-sayers. I'm thinking another like this? What I would do is degrease it, paint it a solid color, probably seafoam or gold or another old engine color, even red. Black header, air cleaner, and done. The engine really doesn't care what's on the valve cover.. unless it's a flathead. The car doesn't care what's under the hood. If you can get it running and drive your car, what's the harm. Do this now and build the 4-banger when/if it becomes feasible.
I remember an article in rolls and pleats magasine a time ago. A toyota engine in an austin bantam frame and body.(with the lack of a radiator) I did some search and find some pics on the web. Personaly i think a rpu with datsun engine must be odd, but cool neverless!!go for it
Just imagine what you some things that will happen with this conversion. No problem finding a radiator that will keep it cool, you will only need an 8 gallon fuel tank ( 8 X 30mpg + 240 miles), no firewall problems. The only problem will be making a spring to handle the light weight and ride good.
rule of thumb Its much more fun driving a slow car fast than it is driving a fast car slow. Whats thr truck going to weigh 1500 to 1800 lbs??? 70 HP should move it all along pretty well.
Great little engines......very durable and far superior to the British "A" engines from which they were derived. Had a lot of exposure to these when they were new. It's get old reading all the posts from naysayers who have very limited capacity for thought outside of what they believe is the orthodoxy. Most of whom weren't even a gleam in the 'ol man's eye when this "old school" stuff was "new school". This should make a fun and economical ride with the Datsun/Nissan 1400. Go for it!! Ray
wow when I posted about putting a toyota motor in my model A I got an email stating my post had been deleted as it wasn't what H.A.M.B. was about. I guess Datsun is :0)
i had a datsun PU with a 1600 OHC loved it. if you put a hood on it nobody would notice. i really liked the datsun 4spd.
I agree with that Mac, looks like they are trying to get their creds by knocking the gent's idea for simple way to get the car on the road. If you put a hood on it and cleaned the unneeded stuff off the engine I think it might be pretty interesting. You might even be able to do it without making any serious mods to the chassis so if you do ever get the cash to fix the banger you can swap back. Right now something that actually runs and gets 25+ mpg and is reliable sounds a hell of a lot better than having a project that is still two years from running and being able to go anywhere. That would be my project I am talking about.
I spun my Datsun 2.0 OHC to 7,000 RPMs at the drags. stock with a weber , offy intake and a header. ran a 17.7 @77 MPH in my 73 Pick up with a 5 speed. try that with a banger.
Headers? http://www.speedyperformanceparts.com/pacesetter-exhaust_ni_b210_c.html Twin Carbs? http://datsun1200.com/modules/mediawiki/index.php?title=Hitachi_Twin_Carb Single Webber? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DATSUN-NISSAN..._CarParts_SM&hash=item2c5cd37fcd#ht_806wt_922 Let us know how you get on. P.
Go for it!! Life is boring if we all build the same identical car. Use the Nissan engine until you change your mind, then have fun changing it out. You might even give the T a Japanese look to it. Have some fun & tell people it's Ferd from Japan. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TGE-A.jpg)
I like the difference factor with running the little engine in it. I don't personally like the valve cover on it at all, which alludes to the origin of the little engine. However, if it were mine, I'd look at building a custom aluminum valve cover for it and then shoot for the cast aluminum look. That'd definitely make it look neater and then you'd also have people guessing what motor is in it. Hell, I've even been contemplating running a 2300 Ranger/Pinto motor in my Dubble A lately due to the fuel issues. I know the 2000cc that's in my RPU will flat scoot and scream!
The Jalopy Journal
