Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Anyone ever seen or heard of an A series engine swap in a roadster. Just curious mostly. There is a complete A14 set up near by for good price. Might pick it up just to have?

once. I think it was swapped out for a KA2400.

Yes, there was a gentleman from Socal I think. He always made it to Solvang:

There have been a few

Yes, Crazy Harry from SoCal had one, although I don't remember his car ever looking as good as that one in Alvin's picture.
The "fair b$%^tch" rat rod roadster from CL was an A-14 swap.

Roadsters are a bit heavier and have more rubber on the road than a 1200, probably about the same weight as a B-210, but still gonna be a fun drive, and won't be a fitment problem in the engine bay.

Go with the J-13...a fine engine with unbridled potential, but you will need at least 3" exhaust.... :-0

I am in iowa and stuff like this does not show up all of the time. Its seems like a good deal for a complete set up. What kind of drive shaft modifications would be needed? Guy wants 350 but is entertaining offers.

Figure some welding getting engine mounts and trans cross-member to line up, sometimes can be done with plate stock, but you don't want to have too many bolted joints.
Recipe for driveshafts is usually get the slipjoint from the drive train side and the driveshaft from the car, bring them to the driveline shop to join them and spin balance them. Sometimes you can get lucky with an off the shelf fit, but still best to have it balanced before installation.

A's are actually good little motors. But I think it would most likely devalue the car somewhat. Only bargain basement buyers would be interested I'm pretty sure.

A U or R-stroker would bring the highest return on investment and would preserve the originality of the car. (at least it's all roadster even without matching numbers) By far the easiest - very little hassle.

Next best ROI is probably SR or KA. IMHO...jt

that is pretty clean. does it come with a 5 speed or a 4?
That would make a pretty simple swap into a Spitfire or Midget, and those guys pay bucks for the even just the core of the Datsun 5 speed (called a Rivergate conversion).

If it gets you on the road in a budget that you can afford, go for it. Plenty can be done to wake those motors up. I'd have no problem throwing it in the hole so the car is a driver while I rebuilt the stock drivetrain

Its only a 4 speed. Im not too concerned about the value on my car as it is already far from original with an L18 swap, modified hood, and the list goes on. Maybe i could pick it up just to keep around but if not maybe i could make some money off it down the road.

You will need a 5 speed LOL and they are getting hard to find as they are a common swap into little engine MGs......
They are a great swap with twin SU and a 5 speed....
IMHO, there are NO swaps that end up cheaper than going stock R16

How bad do you want an engine?

Well i really just want an engine that i can depend on and of course cost is always a factor. The l18 i have in it is alright but i keep running into issues and i dont know how much money i want to drop into it. I have not run into a lot of datsun parts in iowa.