New Zealand Datsun Club

Hi guys

I bought a couple weeks back a 1980 720 with an l18 in it. Had the nikki carb on it so I just put a costum intake manifold and a 32/36 dgav weber on it.

Did run well for a bit. Now I'm overheating. Quite a lot of pressure in the coolant. I suspect the head gasket to be the issue and hope that its just something like a slight warp or a little crack in the head.

Hence you guys have obviously more experience I need a bit help in decision making. Not on a big budget though

My questions are

Has the l18 any common problems in the block or on the crank which would cause that problem and i just waste time and money fixing it?

What pricely reasonable engine would be a good swap to drop in?
Open to swap if I find something not too expensive but from what i seen there's nothing really on the market.

Thanks for help and answers

There shouldn't be any issues with the blocks or cranks, both are very stout (steel crank) and should be able to take horsepower levels well above standard.

Reasonably priced engines abound, making them fit into where an L series was gets expensive.

My advice is just fix the engine you have. Don't forget to make a wedge to stop the tensioner popping out when you take the head off. Also if you have a custom intake manifold it would be a good idea to block off the coolant ports in the gasket area that normally feed coolant into the intake - you can tap them and fit threaded tapered bungs easily enough.