J Engine Identification

[wendell42]

I have a '77 B210. I was told when I purchased the car, it had an engine out of a '76 510 pickup. The engine identification reads A12 699854. Is there any way from this number to tell what year the engine actually is an maybe any other information that will make it easier when buying parts??

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[izzo]

what the shit? There is no 76 510 pickup, maybe a 620?

 

Look at the side of the block, right below the 3'rd spark plug, grab a rag and wipe off the flat piece thats there. and you will see what the motor says (given the fact its an L series) I dont know how to on the other ones, never messed with em.

[ggzilla]

A12 is not out of a 510. That would be L16.

 

A12 came in B110, B210 or B310, or even the fwd models E10, F10 and N10.

But the only US model A12 was the B110 (Datsun 1200).

Is the distributor under spark plug #1, or under #3?

 

[wendell42]

The distributor is under # 1 plug.

 

I did some research and the only US car I could find with the A12 was the Datsun 1200. Would still like to figure out what year the engine is though.

 

Wayne

[datsunaholic]

The distributor location means it's no later than a 1973 engine, as the "A" blocks were redesigned starting in '74 to put the dist in the middle. So, when ordering parts use stuff for '71-73 1200s. But I suspect a lot of accessories are the original stuff from the car.

[datzenmike]

I think the A12 was used from April '71 through June '73 on the 1200. The next gen B-210 had an A13 which was just a different stroke motor.

[datsunaholic]

True, the B210 never sold in the US with a A12. But the A12 was still produced for non-US markets and shared the later modified castings. The '74ish-80s A12 was more like a A14 than the original A10. Then there was the A12a, which wasn't the same engine at all.

 

The fact that he has the dist under #1 plug means it's an early, though 1973 model year, A12. All later built A-series engines had the dist under #3 spark plug to clear the relocated alternator.

 

But bolting an early A12 into a B210 wouldn't be an easy thing, at least not without fabricating mounts. The motor mounts aren't in the same place as the A14, nor is the alternator mount (driver's side on an early A12, passenger side on an A14).

[ggzilla]

All the A12s with front distributor use the same parts. It doesn't matter about the year. They were used from January 1970 through 1973. But only sold in USA starting in November 1970.

 

I have two of them here.

[wendell42]

Thanks for all the help. I think I will be able to order parts with a lot more confidence now.