I might buy this wagon for $200. It is a titled roller and includes most of the interior and missing exterior pieces. I want to V8 it because Challenge. I have questions before I go look at it this weekend.
I went looking for some inspirational photos...
In reply to maschinenbau :
If this car is anywhere near Indiana, I have three things to say.
RUST, RUST, RUST.
I'm going to send you a text about another bird brained idea I've got floating around for the sub-class....
That looks good waay to nice for $200. Buy now, ask questions later.
I'd recommend a Wankel or f2t swap.
Buy a rusty Chevy express or Silverado and LS swap it!!!
or sell it to me for $250, 25% return on investment
I think I'll buy it and take it straight to BMV for a re-title no matter what, then let it sit for a while until I get the Rice Rod where I want it while patiently shopping for a V8 donor.
It's just too cheap and too close to say no to.
I mean just look at these.
maschinenbau said:I might buy this wagon for $200. It is a titled roller and includes most of the interior and missing exterior pieces. I want to V8 it because Challenge. I have questions before I go look at it this weekend.
- Will a Ford 4.6 fit in this engine bay?
- Will an LT1 fit in this engine bay?
- How weak is the rear axle?
- Where do they rust?
- Will the stock front suspension hold the weight of a V8?
- What else should I know about these?
- Why should I not do this?
- What's a good paint scheme my wife will like?
Ok, now that I got my sillyness out of the way on that text message, Here's some real answers:
1) yes it will fit if you are willing to cut enough metal out of the way.
2) yes, see answer to #1 above, but less metal will be required to be removed.
3) Rear axle is not as strong as a Ford 8.8 (or as cheap, or as available with LSD)
4) Rust, see my answer above. If it lived in Indiana it has cancer.
5) It will hold the weight with proper springs.
6) They rust.
7) I've got nothing. You SHOULD do this.
8) If I real, your wifey is kinda artsy, so let her help you with the paint scheme.
Needs a VG30ET and S13 IRS.
Needs a 302, but regardless of what powers it thats a good looking wagon.
Whatever you do, don’t do a 1uz swap. There won’t be room for headers unless you poke each runner through the subframe.
Trackmouse said:Whatever you do, don’t do a 1uz swap. There won’t be room for headers unless you poke each runner through the subframe.
Just use the unibody 'frame rails' as the exhaust pipes...
Wait, maybe that's not a great idea.
I thought the 310 was the replacement for the F10, and FWD. Learn something new every day.
First go to Datsun1200.com the site caters to all A-series powered cars including 1000, 1200, B210, 210 and B310.
As mentioned by other posters it's a Datsun they rust ferociously.
On the rear axle it should be an H165 aka 6.5" ring gear. Your in luck as the the wagons use leaf springs so you can fit a truck H190 (7.5" ring gear) Since you will only be able to put so much tire under the rear fenders that will limit the stress on the axles. If you grab a Pathfinder rear axle some of those came with a LSD. You also listed by the underside of the car as to how big a rear axle you can put in the car. If you're a good fabricator than you can cut out the floor and weld in a custom piece that allows for more clearance. I use a 510 wagon H190 in my race 1200 but these have weaker axles (different splines than truck). Avoid using the Lincoln locker in these cars as they have a narrow track and the welded diffs suck even worse than most other cars. Read welded diffs suck but they reeeeeely suck in these, clobbers the entry speed.
On the front suspension simple use a 280ZX strut as this is the default for most Datsuns when lowering the cars. Note your car originally weighed 2000lbs. The standard A-Series engine in the car was a shade over 200lbs and the tranny weighed 54lbs. Other than the BOP V8 any of the others will add an extra 250lbs for the motor and 25lbs extra for the tranny.
As for fitting the V8; a Ford 5.0 liter will fit without having to chop the fire wall but it will be mounted right on top of the radiator so you may need to mount the electric cooling fan on the front side of the radiator.
One of the things to look at on 1200.com is the competition suspension manual; everything will translate over to your car even though it's meant for a 1200.
Finally I think some of the Nissan V6s are in the 250-275hp range and a much easier fit. Perhaps you can find a cheap Pathfinder someone has rolled. That would give you motor, tranny & rear axle.
Thats all I can think of for now.
I'm finding from that site that the US market B310 wagons had a coil-sprung 4-link rear end, so that makes the Pathfinder swap easier since it's also coil sprung.
I never knew about the Pathfinder axles! 4.3 or 4.6 ratio plus LSD? Holy cow... And the 01's and up (and QX4) have the 240hp VQ35. So maybe a donor Nissan SUV is in the future.
Do you know if I can use the 4wd transmission in a RWD application? Maybe just lose the front driveshaft and keep it in 2WD?
280ZX struts seem cheap and common enough. Good tips all around, thanks everyone.
We need an update.... and link to the build thread 
Do you need a swap donor? This $800 350z has been taunting me:
If you wanna sell it, let me know!
I ended up buying it last weekend...pictures about halfway down page 11
maschinenbau said:I ended up buying it last weekend...pictures about halfway down page 11
But......
you didn't answer the question.....
Did you score a drive train donor yet? ( I know where a SBC hooked to four-speed transmission is located )
Also, are you looking for team-mates for this build?
Leaning hard towards Pathfinder VQ35 full drivetrain swap.
And of course! I will definitely need team mates. I will organize a "parking lot" style build once I have a donor. Robbie's SaabUte build weekend was really fun!
In reply to maschinenbau :
Like... with AWD? I know it's kind of a hike but I bet you could zero that 350z easily.
They came with 4WD and 2WD. If I end up with a 4WD model, I could just omit the front driveshaft or pull a 2WD trans from a yard.
That Z would be perfect, but yeah it's far from IN and I don't have a real truck and trailer.
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