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This is the Datsun B210, last produced in 1978. This car is lightweight at 2000lbs, has great styling and fun handling. It came with a 1.4 liter OHV 4 cylinder engine, known as the A14, making 80hp@6000rpm and 83lbft@3600rpm. It has an 8.5:1 CR, 76mm Bore, 77mm Stroke, and weighs in at 205lbs. Underpowered to say the least, but still very tunable. This particular car has a 4 speed automatic transmission.

This car's first owner was my fiance's grandmother. After she passed away, the car was given to my fiance who drove it for a while before she had to sell it to a close family friend. We recently found that person and got the car back. Because the car has a lot of sentimental value, we are going to try and restore it to nearly stock condition. Though the idea of turning it into something resembling a Donk caused some chuckles. Though Some small improvements will be made however.

I don't like carbs. I'll be honest. I've done some reading, played with the stock carb on the car, and it just isn't worth the effort. Now, carbs can be great. They're simple, and some models like the Webber 32/36 are relatively straightforward to adjust and tune. This factory carb is not one of those. I could take some time to convert the whole engine to EFI. I have a nice intake manifold that would take to it well. There are lightweight valvetrain components, quality pistons, race heads, and other godies available for this engine. The megasquirt is cheap and I could make respectable power from this motor. But I just can't get over how small its 1.4 liters really are. Since one of the goals for this car is to retain an automatic transmission, I think the car simply needs more torque.

So, I'm looking for a KA24DE with an auto tranny from a 240sx to drop in. The KA24DE is rated at 155hp @5600rpm and 160lbft @4400rpm. With 2200lbs, that's a power to weight ratio of 0.07; not supercar material, but certainly enough to put it ahead of most stock cars. With an appropriate rear end, it has the potential to totally transform a tame sedan into a worthy road competitor. The 240sx automatic is a 4 speed, and could mate up well with the 4.10 ratio rear end from an '84/'85 RX-7 GSL-SE. That would also give me rear disc brakes and limited slip. There are enough aftermarket parts for the KA to squeeze a bit of extra power out of the motor, and if that isn't enough the KA is a good turbo conversion candidate.

There are downsides to this kind of swap. At least a few of the car's electrical systems will need to be entirely rewired. The car's factory wiring harness is one piece. From headlights to radio, heater to engine sensors, it's all one harness. If I get rid of the A14 engine, I'm going to have to find a way to adapt and/or cut up the current harness. Or I'll simply have to make a completely new harness. I hate electrical, so this is a big downside.

On the exterior, I will be stripping the entire car down to bare metal and having it repainted in the original HoneyBee yellow. The bumpers will be rechromed, and we're currently looking for replacements for the rubber bumper stops. We're also looking at 15" x 6.5" OZ Superturismo GT wheels to replace the stock steel wheels. 205/50/15 tires will be a huge improvement over the skinny stock 155-13 tires.

On the interior, I have found suppliers for new dash pads, and a brand new complete molded carpet. We'll also have all of the seats reupholstered in microsuede with leather bolsters. I've found a number of kits that make recovering the headliner a relatively simple job. And if all that isn't enough, I work for a company which sells car audio parts. This car will have audio worth hearing. :)