[orangeshannon]

Hey guys i picked up a lj80 ute for a little farm run around vehical but the motors no good and i got a datsun a12 motor sitting around heard about people using them in the zooks but cant find info on what needs to be done to fit them anyone done one or know whats involved? And its only a farm ute will never be on the road and wont go over 80 so not to fussed about neatness or anything

[greyghost]

this had to be one of the most crap engine conversions now days. especially as you can buy NEW f10A's which are essentially the same only bigger.

from when we used to do this in the early 90's. the biggest issue was the steering box had to be moved to clear the Datsun starter, usually replaced with a Sierra box.
the jack shaft was two units back to back (big vibration potential).
new engine and gearbox mounts had to be fabricated and welded to the chassis
there is more but i just can't remember it all, as it was so long ago, and not ever worth repeating.

[orangeshannon]

Yeh like i said its only the farm ute and i allready have a complete a12 engine and box laying around

[Dan`]

i dont know specifics for that combination but generally you would lift the motor/box into the engine bay to about where you think it will sit, work out your tail shaft (or jack shaft i guess in this case) length needs to be which will give you the position your g-box needs to be then fab up mounts for the g-box. then move onto modifying/making the engine mounts. once you hold the engine/box in the engine bay it should become a lot clearer what will be needed, what will need to be moved and what will need to be reshaped. when i did my GTI conversion into my sierra i think i had the motor in and out about a 1/2 dozen times while making clearance with the firewall. when i did my V6 commo motor/trans into an L300 van it was very similar situation while i fabbed up all the mounts etc. in the van i managed to make up a bracket that went from the stock g/box mount to the trans but made the engine mounts from scratch using nolothane trailing arm bushes.
hth

[orangeshannon]

Yeh ill see how i go im gonna give the motor one more chance to run and if it dont out it comes. The datto motor that i got is also got an auto behind it so would make life abit easier can just put it in gear and walk behind if i need to spread stuff around the property see how we go or if i can be bothered and can fork out out a 1600efi vitara morot in it

[HarryHoudini]

How much spare time & grief do you have?,if you can't mount the Datsun motor to the LJ80 gearbox,means getting a manual Datsun flywheel,then surely there are easier & better option for the sake of a few hundred dollars.

[1DYX]

Saw an LJ with a 186 Holden red motor in it once... (2WD).
Radiator behind the driver. Anything is possible.

[henno]

1DYX wrote:

Saw an LJ with a 186 Holden red motor in it once... (2WD).
Radiator behind the driver. Anything is possible.

I once saw a guy stick a knife in a toaster and arc out a full whack of 240v and survive just fine.

Anything is possible, but whether it is recommended or not depends on how much you really have your heart set on putting a knife in a toaster and whether or not you can just afford another, better piece of toast.

[Dan`]

HarryHoudini wrote:

How much spare time & grief do you have?,if you can't mount the Datsun motor to the LJ80 gearbox,means getting a manual Datsun flywheel,then surely there are easier & better option for the sake of a few hundred dollars.

hes said he was keeping the datto auto box.....

[HarryHoudini]

Dan` wrote:

hes said he was keeping the datto auto box.....

Yeah i read that but if he can mount the Datsun motor to the Suzi gearbox it saves a lot of drama,similar to when they put the Corolla Motors in.

[Gwagensteve]

? I've never seen a corolla motor installed with the LJ gearbox, only with a corolla box.

[Dan`]

HarryHoudini wrote:

if he can mount the Datsun motor to the Suzi gearbox it saves a lot of drama

i disagree, while that would be the case in something like a mitsi pajero where the transfer is directly connected to the gbox that is not the case in a zook afaik so you can simply make up a new shaft between the gbox and transfer and it should all just work. obviously you have to fab up some sort of gbox mount but that is all much easier than trying to mate a zook box to a datto motor.

[shep]

The problem is the jack shaft ends up being 2 flanges welded together and the rear shaft so small that the uni angles are quite steep.

[HarryHoudini]

Gwagensteve wrote:

? I've never seen a corolla motor installed with the LJ gearbox, only with a corolla box.

I have,not sure how popular it was but a Sydney guy made some adaptor plates for the conversion in the early 1990's. Lismore,Northern NSW, wreckers had a rusted wreck with a Corolla motor in it about 3 or 4 years ago,may still be there as he wanted big $ for the motor.