My T RPU with a A chassis suffered a setback when we found the mains in the 4 banger were beat out. I can get a 1400 OHV datsun from a 210 free. How can I give this an old appearance besides a generator and custom intake and header? i'd like it to "look" banger ..........
For the amount of time, effort and money you'd spend on the Datsun, you could fix the "A" ticker motor. Sometimes free aint necessarily cheap.
Geez,not like I was going to put a Chevy in it. I DRIVE my rides and mileage is a must. rebabbiting a model A isn't cheap and is just the beginning of the expense. my proctologist said most of the whiners are buttholes and who knows better than him? This is a hobby, and opinions should reflect that. I don't knock someone who has an Edsels brother;just isn't for me. If you can't be constructive,butt out. Opinions are like a** holes,why be one?
Perhaps you could post a picture so those of us who aren't familiar with what a Datsun engine looks like could give some feedback. There are lots of posts about making modern engines look old. A lot of them center on the Oldsmobile Quad Four. -Dave
Datsun had some good little motors back in the day. even a little 1400 would dust the old banger in every respect but the cool factor. find/make/adapt some sort of cool aluminum valve cover for it, and find a factory intake for some sidedraft carbs. if you want to be impractical put an old leaky stromberg on it and a funky vintage air cleaner. these old cars are a balance of available time, money and what parts you got. maybe the folks who think you should fix the banger will help pay for it too.
The B510s were the scourge of the sedan classes back in the day - the B210 was no slouch either. I'm putting a twin cam Alfa 4 in one of my rides. Light economical and decent power. So a Quad 4 or an Iron Duke or Pinto OHV 4 is acceptable but a furrin 4 banger is not? IMO some of you guys need to be a little less judgmental and a little more broad minded. Here's a B210 engine....
Weasel, Lots of FNG's making the negative comments. For everyone else, While this isn't traditional in th purest sense, the idea of putting a stronger engine into a car to make it go faster is as traditional as it gets.
I recall reading about what a road burner the 510s were. If the 210 engine looks like the one Weasel illustrated, all it needs in addition to the aforementioned generator (or, I still say painting an alternator eggshell black is worth a shot) are a pair of SU side-draft carburetors, a vintagey color on the engine block, and to lose the miles of vacuum lines and wires (or at least visually minimize them with neat and careful routing). I might be tempted to highlight the “NISSAN” lettering cast into the valve cover with some paint too. One problem I do foresee is that this engine looks physically smaller than the T or A engine. It reminds me a bit of an Austin 7 engine with an overhead conversion. I’m sure it’s fine on power, but the scale might just end up looking “off” if you don’t run a hood. -Dave
You know, I bet if you change the valve cover and put a stromberg or old holley on it, 99% of people wouldn't know the difference. Using what you have, nothing wrong with it. It's your car, do what you want with it. If you can't do what you want, do what you can afford, as long as doing it safe and right is in your budget.
The A14 engine is a pushrod engine,as a longblock looks very vintage,first cousin to the austin and mg engines. Really rugged and thought SOMEBODY might have adapted a Brit or volvo manifold. I'm way back in the woods and just can't run to a boneyard that has old stuff. This part of florida has few cars older than '90's in the boneryards. posted here for help;didn't expect the number of Dumba** es to respond. Any help appreciated and i'll pay the proctologist for dental work for the clueless.
I did a google search on it and it looks like that's the Nissan A engine, which was introduced in '66 as a one litre. So its older than I thought it was... It might make sense from a economy point of view, but personally, I wouldnt. You still have to put it in the truck, make a driveshaft, etc. There are cooler engines out there. I'd spent some money on one those ( or save up for it ), and then do the work putting that one in...
I have a 210 motor and a 5 speed I've been thinking about putting in something for some mileage. I say go for it.
Yeah, thats what I thought. Early Japanese engines had a really Brit "feel" to them. Not sure I'd want to use a Austin or MG either. But I a '60s Volvo, maybe... ( or a twincam Alfa Romeo, a twincam Fiat, a Ford Kent, or Pinto, a Triumph, or the Saab version of that, Opel, etc... There is a lot of other foreign stuff out there that I would prefer over the Datsun )
It would be a very cool engine in something smaller scale - like an Austin 7 or something scratchbuilt in the vein of a cyclecar. -Dave
I'd remove the Nissian from the valve cover, and stick a Ford emblem on it. That would really mess with some peoples minds, and some people don't have minds as it is!
A '27 RPU, running and driving with an old-school Datsun motor, is better than the same car sitting in garage-potato status forever because you can't find / afford the parts to fix the banger.
Are you planning to put the whole running gear in the car? If not, how are you planning on mating up the motor and the "A" transmission? Just using the motor and transmission, and the "a" rearend? You'll need to either convert to a closed driveline (good luck with that), or convert the rearend to an open driveline...and if you do that you'll have to do something to absorb some of the torque, move the rear radius rods. Was trying to give you good advice, you didnt have to call me a smartass. Good luck with your project.
I say go for it, those are great little motors, and you can get some pretty slick intakes for them, I have seen a few with dual side draft webers, that and a nice header set up and you could look pretty mid to late 60s
Rex,no biggie. I've built dozens of rods,just HATE bellybuttons. This chassis already has open drive,a Volvo 4spd adapted to the banger,which I may use, and a dropped axle. Full fenders;'28 A on an A frame. It will be on here when running/driving. Never will be considered finished,just have paint.
So what's the cost of rebuilding the original banger? What's the cost of rebuilding the Datsun and going through the trans, making a driveshaft and building clutch linkage? Then rewire accordingly, finding radiator hoses that fit, making throttle linkage, new engine/trans mounts, etc. I don't disagree with an engine swap, I just see how much work you're looking at doing to a car that's already together, running and driving. Well, running is subjective at this point. The peekup will have a lot more curb appeal and value with the stock motor in it than the furrin' banger. Just my .02, but I'd take the easy way out on here and rebuild the original. Way less work and way less money for a much better end result!
There was a 20's T Roadster at Bonneville a couple years back running a motorcycle engine. That thing zipped around nicely but it looked a little odd, I won't lie. Converting to open drive is no big issue. It's just a phone call to Hot Rod Works.
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