New Datsun!

[JustinB]

My first car ever was a 1979 510 wagon. Sadly, at 17 I didn't appreciate how awesome this car really was and I drove it into the ground, but it took everything I could dish out and never really broke down. Final straw was some kids broke in and vandalized the interior so I donated it to the Salvation Army.

I've regretted it ever since, every time I had a problem with a vehicle.

So I was on the lookout for a new car since my Jeep is having electrical problems and I can't figure it out, and I found a little 210 wagon for $300. Has the A14 engine in right now, and it's in pretty sad shape. Also a 5sp tranny (don't know what it is yet, the owner said it was from a GM car). The bonus is, the guy also had an A15 and the original 4sp laying around in his garage. What I hope to do is rebuild the 1.5 and the 5sp, and run those, then re-build the 1.4 and the 4sp and keep them on hand just in case of mishap. Going to be doing some cosmetic work on this also. Hoping to get it painted before the rainy season, and get minor things like door handles/windows/etc all working right. Expect this to be a daily driver when I don't need to go off the road, and I don't ever want to get rid of it, ever! Unless I find a 510. :) If someone can tell me how, I'll post some pics.

[datzenmike]

Maybe post a picture of the 5spd. If it's for a GM it won't fit the Datsun. Welcome.

 

Here is a 5spd for a 210. Does it look like this?

 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q251/datzenmike/Tranny/transFS5W60A81210-1.jpg[/img]"]

Edited September 13, 2009 by datzenmike

[JustinB]

Talked to the guy again about the tranny when I picked it up. He said it had a gearing pattern "like" an old GM. It is a nissan trans, but it's not from a 210. He didn't know what it was out of, he got it up at a junkyard up in Welches OR. It DOES have a weird shift pattern though. Reverse is where first should be, it seems like. Left and up, and then straight down is first, which makes second center top, third center bottom, fourth right top, fifth right bottom.... Kinda confused me for a minute. The gears also seem a lot taller than they should be, like it was made for a motor with a little more in the balls department. Tranny's whiny as hell, so it might be in worse shape than I thought, and the A14 is pretty tired, but it got me home just fine on the highway. Anyway, I took some pictures of the car, though I'd throw them on here (I think I figured out how). Don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but I'm looking forward to whatever it happens to be. :)

[nismo dr]

that is hideously lovely, good to have more wagons

[JustinB]

That's pretty close to what my girlfriend said. "It's so ugly it's cute"

[JustinB]

So I'm going to need to overhaul this sucker. No clue what I'm doing, but it needs to be done seriously on the cheap, so I can't afford to have it done professionally. What I need to know is, can I buy a transmission specific re-build kit once I figure out what tranny this is, and then where could I find the best instructions on what to replace, how to disassemble, reassemble, etc?

[izzo]

Justin

 

 

The pattern you describe is a Dogleg pattern.

 

 

gears are like this,

 

R 2 4

1 3 5

 

 

I know the dogleg fits the L series, but didnt think it fit your series engine.

Edited September 14, 2009 by h2theizzo

[JustinB]

I sure can't vouch for whether it was made to fit it, but... it's on there. :)

 

Unless someone put a 1.4l L engine... it's hard to say. I still need to get in there and get some numbers and such. I'm going to leave it as it is until I get the second motor/tranny put together and get them in and then I'll start playing with the ones that are in it now.

[bonvo]

whhy not look into the l series swap? alot more balls in that little car

[Charlie69]

Nice find. What year wagon is it?

[JustinB]

1979

 

Ultimately I would like to put in the L20 engine, but right now, since I have an A14 and an A15, and I'm pretty well broke, I'm trying to work with what I have. What do these engines go for used? Maybe in the spring I could afford to buy another one. Will the L series bolt straight in? Same mounts/shaft/etc, or are they different dimentions? I'm not set up to do any welding or fabrication right now, as much as I enjoy doing stuff like that.

[JustinB]

So... Looked at the badge under the hood and it's actually a 310.... don't know what this means in the grand scheme of things.... Just thought I'd mention it for when it comes to motor/trans swaps.

 

Will the A15 work with this car? How about an L20? Would it make more sense for the tranny to fit in here where it wouldn't on a 210 or is it just that it shouldn't bolt up to an A-series engine? What's the difference between the two anyway? I know nothing! :) Fixing my brake lights right now. Switch was bad but I can't find one anywhere in town. Anyway, keeping on my project.

[JustinB]

Talked to the guy again. Says the tranny is from a 200sx.