Datsun 1200 1972

[Luke]

Hey guys.

Brought this datsun about 6months ago. i just came across your website and thought u guys could help me out with a few things. had no problems with engine, starts first pop.

its got quite alot of play in the steering wheel, any ideas on what it could be?

it has disks on front, which isnt standard, and the brakes on it are rediculously soft they dont lock up at all no matter how hard i stomp on the brake, so i dont think it was setup correctly? wat do u think might be the problem?

cheers guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KELMO]

First off, welcome to the site. Second, gotta love the 4dr sedan.

As far as your brakes, in the US coupes came with disc and so did some sedans, can you throw up some oics? Maybe they just need to be bled out(air in the lines maybe). On the steering issue, when you say a lot of play do you mean that you have to turn the wheel way more than the car turns or can you shake the steering wheel up and down and side to side?

 

Also, have you found datsun1200.com yet? Lots of 1200 info on there and most of those guys are from your side of the world :D

[Dirttrack510]

Welcome to the site, Awesome little car. :cool: It looks pretty clean. I have a friend that's been looking for one for years, they're hard to find on our side of the world. Good luck on the build. Keep the pictures coming.

[Luke]

Thanks.

Oh never thought of that, might get round to bleeding out the brakes tommorow. :D

With the steering i can be driving along the main highway, turning the steering wheel back and forth's quite a bit and it will still stay in a straight line.

Cheers for your help.

 

Oh and if anyone knows what it would take to custom fit adjustables into a datty, that would be awsome.

[Dirttrack510]

if your referring to adjustable shocks there are tons of threads on this site about it. Here is a link to one of the bigger strut threads on Ratsun, it's really pic. heavy.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/6776-strut-modspic-heavy/page__hl__%2Bstrut+%2Binsert+%2Bmike

[flatcat19]

Before you go diving into bleeding your brakes...

Lift car at all 4 corners.

Shake front wheels back/forth and top/bottom. Feel for looseness. If somethings wobbly/loose/broke in the steering, you found your answer. Play left/right will be steering components. Up/down will be ball joints or wheel bearings. Have a friend shake the wheels while you climb under to inspect. Get your hand on every joint down there while friends moving. Verify concern twice. Fix once.

If everything there is tight, I'm not sure if steering box can be adjusted...meh.

Next, remove 4 wheels.

Check for fluid leaks in braking system, starting at master cylinder all the way down to hoses and calipers/wheel cylinders.

You may have to go digging to find leaks. Gently pry back rubber boots on calipers/cylinders to see condition.

Check hoses for cracks. Hoses being split or leaks will be cause for poor braking performance.

Perform repairs. Bleed, bleed, and bleed again.

Torque wheels to proper spec.

Drive off into the sunset.

 

Welcome to Ratsun.

Good looking car.