1973 DATSUN 1200 COUPE, RIGHT HAND DRIVE, 510 IRS, A15 5 SPEED, SUNNY

1973 Datsun 1200

Please read the entire description before bidding. I know there is a LOT to read, but I want both parties to be happy with this transaction and that comes from you knowing exactly what you are bidding on before you commit to it. Do not win the auction and then tell me you changed your mind because you didn't know about something that was clearly spelled out in the ad. If you have any questions, please ask them before you bid. I will be monitoring the auction and will answer them quickly.
A friend of mine purchased this car from the original owner around 1995. It had been sitting since the early 80s and only had 62k miles on it. He disassembled it to repaint it and then lost interest in the project. It sat in his shop until 2005 when I purchased it. It has been a labor of love for me ever since and it is unfortunately time to move on. I have easily over 1000 hours of labor in it and I hate to even think about how much money I have spent on it over the last 13+ years.
1973 Datsun 1200 Coupe
Highlights:A15 engine, 5 speed, 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel independent suspension, right hand drive, almost everything is new
Finer details:MadDat Motorsports front crossmember and urethane engine mounts (made for CA18DET or SR20DET)
Rebuilt and balanced A15 bottom endProfessionally CNC ported non-smog A14 head, ported out to GX race specsPorts and combustion chambers coated with SwainTech coatingsNew valves and valve springs fittedBProjects billet rocker spacers installed1200GX intake manifold and dual carbsCarbs professionally rebuilt and modified by Z-Therapy in Salem, OregonRebuilt A15 electronic distributor with new OEM cap and rotor, new NGK plug wires, and NGK spark plugsNismo race header from Kirk Racing retrofitted with V-band clamp at the exitFull custom mandrel bent 2" exhaust with V-band at header and another V-band at rear crossmember for easy disassemblyMagnaflow stainless muffler, 2.25" inlet, dual 3" outletLightened and balanced 12 pound steel flywheelCenterforce Dual Friction Gold clutch (made for the 2.0L Datsun Roadster)63A 5 speed transmission (aka "dogleg"), flushed and filled with new fluidDatsun 620 driveshaft shortened to fit, balanced, cleaned and painted, and new u-joints installedDatsun 510 rear half shafts cleaned, painted and all new u-joints fittedNew radiator (made for an 80-82 210), looks stock but is almost twice as wide as stock.New 14" electric fan fitted. It runs all the time but can be easily switched off with a hidden switch if you preferNew Hella air horns fitted in place of the stock wimpy horn (VERY loud)
Front struts shortened and adjustable coilovers fitted with new Boge inserts and 200 pound springs
DP Racing camber platesLower control arms bushings replaced with spherical bearingsAll new ball joints and tie rods installed with urethane bootsMklotz big brake kit using 280ZX rotors and modern Sentra calipers, with new wheel bearingsARP 2.5" wheel studs all around uses more common 12x1.5 thread pitch instead of the odd Datsun 12x1.25Datsun 510 independent rear suspension custom fitted to the carDatsun 510 R160 3.90 third member with locked diff (better traction but low speed steering is higher effort)New shorter shocks in the rear with 180 pound wheel rate 2.5" coilover springs
Rear disc brake conversion using 280ZX calipers and rotorsHydraulic handbrake fitted and all brake lines replaced with new stainless braided lines from Pegasus Racing14x8 -25 offset Bassett Racing wheels
185/50-14 tires with less than 50 miles on them
The car's level of ride comfort is surprisingly good for something that is 46 years old and has a lot of race car bits under it. If you want it softer, I would recommend swapping the 200 pound fronts for 175s to match the rear. If you want it stiffer, I'd suggest putting 200 pound wheel rate springs in the rear to match the 200 fronts (I can walk you through how that is accomplished). The balance is good now, but I made the rear a tiny bit softer than the front so the ride would not be too rough.This way the steering/front is nice and tight, but the rear has good grip and a decent ride.
Full set of custom 4" gauges from Speedhut installed in the stock dash face, including:GPS Speedo that tracks 1/4mi ET and speed, and also 0-60 timesTachometer with built-in 4 stage LED shift lightsCombination gauge (oil pressure, volts, water temp, and fuel level)Coleman Racing quick release for the steering wheelMooneyes white rimmed chrome deep dish 13.5" steering wheel from JapanAlso have a vintage Nardi wheel retrofitted with a new white leather wrap from Wheelskins.com if the buyer prefers it to the Mooneyes wheelAnd if neither steering wheel suits your fancy, you can easily use any 3 bolt or 6 bolt steering wheel2010 Mazda Miata leather seats dyed "Shadow Blue" using SEM dyeDoor panels removed, cleaned, and dyed to match the seatsStock rear seat recovered by Guerrero Upholstery in Fort Worth in a matching dark blueTeamTech 6 point racing harness installed on driver's sideI also added an extra "seat belt holder" to the top of the driver's seat for the harness, stock seat only has oneSimpson 2 point lap belt on passenger side (because no one has ever ridden it)Pyle Bluetooth head unit installed with 4" speakers up front and 6.5" speakers in backI can include a JVC bluetooth head unit I purchased for it (but have not installed yet) if the buyer prefers it to the Pyle unit.I bought the JVC for it simply because it has blue lights that match the Speedhut gauges. The Pyle unit works just fine as is.The Sony 4" front speakers are hidden in the sides of the stock heater box, as it was gutted, cleaned, and sealed for this taskThe Lanzar 6.5" rear speakers are installed in a custom package tray I made that goes from the back seat to the rear window to seal off the cabin from the trunkAluminum 10 gal fuel cell is in the trunkBattery relocated to the trunk inside a closed boxThe battery cables exit next to the box and are hidden underneath the carAll new OEM glass seals fitted (windshield, rear window, quarter windows, and door glass)New OEM door seals fittedI have the stainless trim that goes into the windshield seals if the buyer wants them to install at a future point
Refresh60 fender flares from Japan, painted to match, installed with aluminum riv-nuts and stainless fasteners to prevent corrosionBProjects "Hakosuka" front spoiler from Japan, trimmed to fit around the flares, painted to match, installed same way as aboveBProjects "TS Cup" rear spoiler from Japan, painted to match and installed same way as aboveFront spoiler comes off quickly for transport on a trailer or tow truck, just remove the 7 screws along the top edgeOG tsurikawa (subway train handle) from Japan is the real deal, not some cheap Chinese knockoffWindows tinted to 25% all around by Shadow Tech in Grand Prairie, TXBumpers were professionally straightened and rechromed by Al's Plating in Fort Worth, TX.
Front bumper brackets were modified to fit the bumper closer to the body (the '73 bumper sticks out an extra 2")1200 sedan stainless grill fitted, with JDM Bluebird "Coupe" badge.I can swap it out for the original plastic 1200 Coupe grill if the buyer prefers
It was converted to right hand drive using parts sourced mostly from Japan. The steering gearbox, column, pedal box, and dash came from a 1991 model 1200 ute with only 22k miles on it, so the steering feel is nice and tight. I also flushed the gearbox and replaced the fluid in it when I installed it. The dash pad has a few small cracks in it, none of them super bad, and you can still buy a brand new Nissan dash pad from Japan, Australia, or South Africa due to them selling the ute version up until just a few years ago. I added the JDM lower dash package tray and console, also sourced from Japan. Console is currently unattached, but also never seems to move either as it's very light weight. There is a glove box door (sourced from Australia), but no glove box liner. Nissan made these from inexpensive pressboard and they do not seem to hold up. I do have two spare glove box liners that could be used as is (not recommended) or as a pattern for making a better one (highly recommended) from aluminum or plastic . I did remove the VIN tag from the original dash and rivet it to the RHD JDM dash when I installed it.
Build date 11-72Clean Texas title in my name, with current Texas "Antique" registration good for 4 more years
The car is fun to drive and draws a lot of attention, but has a few flaws that may need to be addressed at some point. There are 4 small dents in the roof that are visible up close and would need to be repaired/repainted if you wanted more of a "show car". The paint still shines like new due to the car being stored inside since it's repaint in 1996. There are a few dings and scratches here and though, none very visible from a few feet away, really only when up close. Again, if you want a show car, expect to have to repaint it. If you want something fun and cool to drive to Cars & Coffee, or just cruising the back roads, I think it is fine as is.
Could you drive it as is forever? Probably. Could it use a little more tinkering to be perfect? Also probably. The fuel sender in the tank has stopped working. It can be easily replaced with an AutoMeter unit with minimal fuss if you need it. The Speedhut gauge will ready any style of sender you use. I had honestly just planned to refill it every 100 miles or so until I had a chance to repair it. It starts right up perfectly every time, but you could probably benefit from tuning the carbs a tiny bit more based on the climate where you live. I installed a 160F thermostat in the engine and it typically runs about 162F degrees. You could definitely benefit from running a hotter thermostat for better performance, and to help the carbs a bit as well. That was the next thing on my to do list. I have replaced all the rubber seals in the car except the trunk seal, but the good news is that is the easiest one to change if you feel it's necessary. I do not like the way the quarter panels were modified to install the rear fender flares and to gain extra clearance. It looks 100% fine from the outside as is, and that could be fixed if/when it came time to repaint it.
FYI, because I used the Maddat crossmember, you could also very easily swap in a CA18DET or SR20DET for more power. Using the mounts that are already in it, it should basically be a bolt-in. I did this just in case I felt the need for more power down the road, but it is very fun with just the A15 in it since the car only weighs just under 1600 pounds as is.
I can provide more photos if you desire, and will provide the buyer with a CD full of photos of the entire build process, from start to finish.
This car has no heater and no wipers. I do not drive it when it's cold and rainy and you shouldn't either. :^)

On Mar-10-19 at 14:50:10 PDT, seller added the following information:

Forgot to add that I installed brand new OEM fender mirrors from BProjects in Japan.
Also want to apologize for how bad the carpet looks when I took those photos. I will clean it today and make sure it stays that way.

On Mar-10-19 at 16:11:14 PDT, seller added the following information:

Also installed brand new ignition switch, and Solex locks on doors and trunk.

On Mar-10-19 at 18:23:54 PDT, seller added the following information:

Also forgot to mention the tail lights and front turn signals are new OEM parts bought from a dealership in England.
It also has "HID" fluorescent headlight bulbs in aftermarket smoked housings.

• Condition: Used
• Make: Datsun
• Model: 1200
• SubModel: Coupe
• Type: Coupe
• Year: 1973
• Mileage: 49
• VIN: LB110-999318
• Color: White
• Engine size: 1.5L A15
• Number of cylinders: 4
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Manual
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Blue
• Drive side: Right-hand drive
• Vehicle Title: Clear
Want to buy? Contact seller!