Hey all,
Becuase of insurance (17 y.o) I have decided to upgrade from the L16 to an L18 rather then the 20. I was first of all wondering if anyone in Brisbane has one they can offer me?

Also, what would be the best mods for value of money to carry out on this engine? I have a set of SU's ill whack on, and an electronic dizzy, what else should i put in while im at it? Cam + piston suggestions?

And finally, what gear box would you throw in behind that?
Cheers, Mike.

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We have that datsun difference!
1971 Datsun 1600

i think the best box would be the bluebird 5 speed, failing that the short skyline 5 speed, they have decent ratios, as for the cam, a cheap upgrage on the current one youve got is to find a S2 bluey with all the pollution sh*t on it and get the cam out of that, because nissan made the cam larger to compensate for the crap.. speak to one of the experts about other cam options tho

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"Yes officer.. that shiny piping IS factory.."
Datsun 1600 - Z18T, R31 rear brakes, Commodore/Verada fronts, 4.11 locker, coilovers, more to come.
Mazda 929 - Only DOHC 5 speed ever, slammed on coilovers.
Mazda 121 - Daily

My suggestions are based on the assumptions you are wanting it as a street car...

Leave the cam, i have an L18, twin su's, elec dizzy with a lumpy cam and its annoying as hell to drive on the street.

An L20 would be a better street engine, wont have the rev's, but will have some nice useable torque.

Whats the insurance implications between the three L's (L16, L18, L20)
Surely it wouldnt be THAT expensive for you to choose an 18 over 20.????

An EFI L20 would be a lovely street engine I think.

Your best bet is an SR20DE, but it all comes down to money.

yeah the L18 and 5spd with a pair of 1.5in SUs, long style factory headers with a 2in exhaust, closed chamber A87 or W53 head, elec dizzy and a 25/65 cam (std regrind - make sure you do your lash pads too) should see you humming along and still maintaining decent fuel economy.

great combo for a daily driver i reckon.

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frankenstein projects R us.

The Republic of Western Australia -
Propping up the Nation's Economy since 1901.

terry (tazholio) is actually running my old engine. due to the cam, it had nothing below 3grand, but i was willing to forgive it that cos it fairly screamed at the top end

depends what you're after really.

i personally prefer a screamer to a torque monster, cos i'd get jumped at the start and then go screaming past them. lotta clutch slip (or dumping) required for a fast start tho to avoiding bogging down.

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1971 Datsun 1600 - Z18ET
1996 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22
1996 Suzuki RGV250 SP VJ23

hey
i would think about boring it out and fitting in 86mm toyota flat tops(nice and square) these pistons are cheap as chips and are availible from anywhere also will make your l18 nearly 2 litres anyway with out the longer stroke of an l20 -only use you have an open chambered head, a closed chambered head (A87) will produce too much compression (11:1), a medium cam, long length 4 into 1 extractors and your su's. this would you give you a engine that loves to rev but is still nice and fuel efficient for the street. Go with a 280 z box- they have alright ratios. All other boxes except for the 260z box have Sh!t ratios, but they are cheap??

yeah my old 240K (i think) 'box had a wide spacing between 2nd and 3rd, so you'd have to rev it out in second to make sure you didn't drop of the torque curve in third

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1971 Datsun 1600 - Z18ET
1996 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22
1996 Suzuki RGV250 SP VJ23