New Zealand Datsun Club

if you really want twin cam the CA is a reasonable option, but my opinion is go the worked A15 or go directly to a SR20VE

If you want twin cams then the SR20 is the better option, light and lots of aftermarket

I'm not familiar with L20's but they sound heavy and a lot of work

A15's are totally badass so thats always a good option. ( i would do this btw as it keeps a bit of character about a car )

to me the sound is as important as the power, and CA's and SR's sound pretty boring

haha hey thanks all keep it coming still,
what about A14 tho it seems that alot of people look over them.
Im going to spend about 5 grand at most on the project...not just on motor but brakes etc as chris said.

oh and leppa im going to do plumbing not mechanic! lol sorry. But yeah man twin 45's or 50's on the side of a CA would be sick..

I know CA's might sound boring but please let me now if you have ever seen a CA in a sunny. I just think that a CA in a sunny would be alot different than a CA in a sixteen. Im keen on the idea of a CA with twin carbs and sick headers OR quad Throttle body and sick headers.

Dattochriswagon wrote:Its true tho dude. You can get a fair bit of power out of a small light a15 for a couple grand cost.

Trust me there is a whole lot to doing a engine conversion. I thought the hard bit was the initial mounting of it. The driveline upgrade. Suspension then brakes. Then you got fuel system then wiring then on top of that cert.
Id say you need to go for a drive with someone like Damon in his 1200 ute to appreciate the power a A series can deliver then you will make up your mind fast

Lol, It really was a joke

If $5000 is your total budget, an a15 is really your only option. Just to pay for a cert is 10% of your total budget ($500 odd). By the time you buy a ca18 and gearbox, brakes, diff etc you'll be way up there. You could build a nice a15 with a 5 speed for $2-3000 (if paying for all build labour etc). No cert to worry about. Back on the road in a few weeks rather than months/years. And an a15 over an a14 as there's no replacement for displacement

grant76 wrote: And an a15 over an a14 as there's no replacement for displacement

Love it haha! reading this is making me want to work an a15 again!

My CA conversion cost me $2500 from motor out to motor in and running including cert and buying the engine, gearbox, loom and comp for $500 (thanks mike wasowski).

It took roughly 2 months with dad working most nights for an hour and me doing the weekends as cash came available.

The only things that i got hit with which i thought were too expensive were the wiring ( $500 and a rip especially for a cash deal when i knew the person) and the Driveshaft (at $450).
You could get both those done for less than $500 around here.

Id go CA as its 135hp at the engine, standard, so when you do an exhaust, pod and get Dan to whip up a Nis-Tune for it you should have around 150hp. At 150 hp the A series will need a serious cam and head work plus sidies and manifold (which is a thousand bucks to start for a good set). The CA starts every time, idles, and is easy to drive around town and also gets 250km for $30 or 16L of 98 - id love to see a fully worked A series with that economy .

I also am still running the standard H150 diff which has seen its fair share of burnouts etc

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Plus when you want to get serious you can do all the stuff you would do do the a series (cams, head work flywheel etc) for over 200hp.

There's nothing wrong with the A14. People say they're smaller, but they have a better rod to stroke ratio, and both the A14 and A15 are breaathing through the same sized holes. (which is the real limiting factor for how much power you can make) It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the L series motors. I put one in a sunny coupe with headers and twin SU's and I was bitterly disapointed with the performance. (My a15 could walk away from it with ease)
A's are just so simple it's hard to go wrong really.

haha looks like you have fun brocky!! Do you think you should have gone for another motor ? or are you happy with the ca?

A15 sounds like the natural option, not much work getting it in, can be fun, light, sounds rowdy.
but i'd like to explore other options too.

Ideally i want this to be my club/rally car one day. so i want the best power to weight ratio and balance.

What about Z?..its sort of the underdog in a way.
SR is too heavy isnt it..

All the options we have discussed over the last weeee while, each have there own merritt's. It comes down to what you want to do with the car(club/rally car), how much you can/want to spend, daily driver or street legal weapon.

I still think bang for your buck would be either a CA18 or a SR20 on quad throttle bodies. Unlike the 1200/B110, the Sunny/B310 has the room in both the engine bay and gearbox tunnel to let you fit the larger motor/box package. So no messy cutting and welding. Plus fitting a S110 rear end in, is easy as. They are only about 30mm wider over the STD B310 rear end. Making this option(IMHO) the easier one to do, both for a novice and cost. You get the best of both worlds, the sound of carbs with fuel economy and the drive-ability around town. Then in a few years, after you get tired of the NA, it will be easier to bolt on the hair dryer.

The problem I see with making an A14/15 a screamer is the cost of the motor work/parts you will need to find to make it work. Yes they are out there, but the price's of some of the parts is just getting way out of the reach of the average Joe Blow, unless you have a money tree. The worst thing about a screamer A series is the drive-ability of it around town.

But at the end of the day its your car and your choice.

cheers blair, well said. i think i'll have to have a ride in both ca and sr they are looking like a good option at the mo