The Datsiata; Typical Hive Mentality.

Every 6 months or so I have typical Hive style thoughts about how to build the ultimate low bucks Datsun 1200.

This time is was get a beat to hell NA Miata and use the front and rear crossmembers to replace the 1200 suspension and also use the modified 1.6 as those are somewhat unloved and cheap. I could even take the flat slide carbs of the Datsun and add them to the Miata motor for effect.

The end result would be a 1700lb car with about 160whp. While it wouldn't be super fast it would be a whole lot of fun and quite a bit faster than the 1200 is now.

Thankfully I have the Mustang and the desire to keep the 1200 vintage legal.

Maybe you could have your cake and eat it too. I wonder how light a Miata ghettocet could be made? There have been a few in the GRM Challenge so there might be some info in the magazine coverage...but I suspect that even with a sawzall it would be hard to strip more than maybe 300lbs out of a stock Miata.

It seems like a Miata's track width must be much, much wider than a 1200's. That would cause lots of complications. 

RacerBoy75 said:

It seems like a Miata's track width must be much, much wider than a 1200's. That would cause lots of really cool fender flares!

FTFY....

I don't think the Miata 1.6 is going to get anywhere near that level of power without some significant upgrades.  It's a small bore design with relatively small valves.

Everyone seems to just hang a turbo on it because they're a bit congested for breathing.  Plus, it's also a turbo engine with a little more compression and the turbo removed, so they take extremely well to having a turbo re-installed.

As far as the suspension goes, the chassis rails on the Miata are pretty high up compared to cars designed around struts and leaf springs.  Of course it's totally doable but it requires a bit more fabbiness than just making some tabs to hold the subframes.

RacerBoy75 said:

It seems like a Miata's track width must be much, much wider than a 1200's. That would cause lots of complications. 

A Miata is 6" wider and 5" longer than a Datsun 1200................mind blowing isn't it.

Note the wheelbase is 1/2" longer on a 1200.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

There is an off the shelf turbo kit for 1200s that will make 175whp in streetable trim and 200-255whp in race trim. These things can be made very fast.

If I were only doing SCCA time trials this is likely what I would do but I still vintage race the car so I leave it C-sedan legal.

Yet, I still want to build a Datsiata. LOL

In reply to GameboyRMH :

The easy button here would be to take the Datsun engine and transmission and bolt it into a D-Production Miata.

That set up would be a 1620lb car with a potential 125whp. 

With a turbo set up you could have a 1650lb car with 200whp.

D Production? Does that exist?

I had thought about grafting Miata subframes on a Triumph Spitfire. Those are body on frame, which makes fab a little easier. 

I was also going to power the thing with a Yamaha R1 for even bigger weight savings. I had thought 1300lbs would be realistic...

And yeah, Miata is a good bit wider. Let it poke or do garden edging flares, I was gonna build it as a track rat.

I had even gotten a Spitfire shell for $40 and was looking at possibly challenging it, but sold it and the Miata subframes I found and bought the F500 instead because kids and time for a build.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

 

As far as the suspension goes, the chassis rails on the Miata are pretty high up compared to cars designed around struts and leaf springs.  Of course it's totally doable but it requires a bit more fabbiness than just making some tabs to hold the subframes.

That's why my Challenge Corolla build morphed into a tube frame car. Initially I was going to swap the suspension and drive train of an NB into the Corolla shell. I quickly figured out the frame rail height is drastically different. Also, if you look at pictures of the car, the flares are the first thing you notice, but it's running stock NB Miata front suspension. That shows how much narrower early 70s econoboxes were. Added fact...the rear track is almost the same, but it's a Fox Mustang rear end. I didn't expect it to be that close.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

A fun fact that I like to trot out is that my four door RX-3 had roughly the same wheelbase as a Miata but was five or six inches narrower.  My FOUR DOOR.  Sitting in it was amusing because it was shoulder to B pillar and probably shoulder to shoulder with a passenger 

Expound on that how the RX-3 based RX-7 was longer and wider, and I can already hear the echoes of the keening and wailing like when the FD was "replaced" by the RX-8 that was significantly larger, and longer in wheelbase.