On the other hand the brakes a 1200 comes with stock are nothing special at all, sure they are fine for the daily driver but you wouldnt be reading this if you were a daily driver. Coupe models come with discs on the front but the sedan and utes recieved drums, both will not be satisfactory on a modified 1200 and as in all projects should be the first thing to recieve your attention.

 

This is not going to reap huge benefits, although Im sure it would improve repeated barke operation, i.e. better heat dissapation and therefore less brake fade. Ive actually heard manufacturers braking distances were shorter for drum brake setup, which may be the case for a single stop but surely not multiple.

 

Anyway i started with a coupe so never removed drums but am told taking the entire strut from a coupe, you can just remove the old and bolt in the new. Though it is also required to swap in the twin circuit master cylinder off the coupe as the old runs a single system

 

I installed stanza struts to give me 9.5" discs with huge pad area (single piston though) and also to permit putting wider wheels (14*5.5" maybe 6" can fit not sure) the struts are a straight swap if you use the following components
use the stanza struts and stub axle, 1200 springs and top-plate things, stanza lower control arms, 120y castor rods and 1200 tie rods. all ya gotta do is swap everything over and i think when you put the stanza struts in you reverse the sides they came from but its pretty obvious which one goes on which side when you go to put em on anyway. If you want a stiff front end too change over the oil in the stanza shockers to 20W-50 motor oil (ive done and it works a treat, no body roll) There is 250ml oil in these struts. I am quite happy with the brakes as theyll pull me up instantly without change to master and no booster used. As added bonus stanza struts installed like this give about 1 degree negative camber.

 

The stanza springs can be used in this install but would need to be cut down (legalities involved) and the holes where the strut mounts to the tower need to be bored and elongated out so you can use the stanza top plate, though these springs will be stiffer and its possible to lift the front of you car a little for more squat on launch.

 

There is two stanza struts one has a three bolt ball joint the other has a four bolt, you need the one with the four bolt, also there is notable diffrence between calipers, the four bolt has big girlocks, the three has small calipers similar to the 1200. (i think the change between struts occurs in 1980)

 

 

My brother in law took the brakes to a new level getting U12 pintara (RWD verion) 10.5" vented disks machined to fit and HI-LUX/LANDCRUISER 4 spot callipers but this requires at least 14" wheels, booster and better master cylinder

 

He put these on stanza struts and tellms me:

It is required to machine the inside hub mounting hole to make it fit on, reduce its width (thickness) for caliper to fit over (depends on which caliper from which model as to much, landcruisers maybe not at all diffrent hi-lux calipers require diffrent mounts but all fit on) and machine the inside of the caliper (reduces excess material) where it interferes with the hub.

 

Also with these brakes you will need to upgrade your master and install a booster especially if back brakes are moded too.

 

I've heard this can be done with Audi, 180sx/Silvia discs also but not sure whats required to make em fit. Main problem there though is they have a diffrent stud pattern to the early datsuns. I also heard of tarago discs being used, these would be the same pattern but again not sure of details.

 

 

While your under the front of the car check the diameter of your swaybar, some came with 20mm (very limited amount) swaybars and others 17mm, if youve got a 17mm at the moment do yourself a favour and grab yourself a 120y swaybar as it is 20mm and will dramatically improve your handeling. When you get it grab the u-bolts and rubbers that hold it on too (you dont need the pins that hold it to the control arm but you might aswell grab it and mix and match the better rubbers with your current ones), it will all bolt straight into your 1200 with no mods to anything

 

Not a 100% sure these do a lot but they look good, and maybe if your in a big accident it'll help hold thing together?, in other words if one pops up cheap or you want to have a go at making one yourself do it but im sure there something better to spend you money on if it isnt a particularly cheap.

 

Id say definately if youve got the money for precision steering, but i spoke to a guy about putting them on my rally car and he said for "low-key" rallying its of little benefit on such ruff roads and that i should only bother if the rubbers need replacing anyway.

 

I've heard multiple people say they took them out of the rear leafs as they squeeked too much even when greased so maybe ont bother putting them on the back.

 

Performance pads? do they even make those for drums?

 

Few possibilities here, best ones would be 240Z alloy drums with fins for heat dissapation or for size the vanette drum is pretty big, or bluebird "disc over drums" (series 3 or TRX bluebirds). All of these options will require the brakes to be taken off their axles and put on the ute axles, though as far as handbrake and brake lines go its pretty straight forward, you will need to bend the brakelines but this can be done safely by hand.

 

The main thing against bluebird disc over drums is that they will not fit inside 13" wheels (min 14" diameter). The calipers mount to the backing plate and stuff theres nothing serious to worry about, have completed full conversion in about 5hrs, you will need new wheel bearings whenever changing brakes on axels ($75-100) and about a 4ton press to get em on and off.

 

As above bluebird "disc over drums" is your best option provided you have 14" wheels or larger

 

As far as shockers go, unless you are really lucky at the wreckers id say splash out and grab yourself some new ones (i know there not cheap but!), my experience with the coupe is that you get axle tramp (especially with locked diffs or similar), this effect is reduced on the sedans as shockers are straight up and down

 

With the leafs theres many ways to lower them but if you want to stiffen em up, its possible to put the extra leafs (ie not the one that bolts to the mounts) from a 120y (not the one with borg warner diff) on as these have one more leaf on them, though ive put these on my car and at the moment its two days later and the back of the car seems very high im still waiting for it to settle (will update on this) though ive been told by a guy with 1200 rally experience that id probably better without these as it will prevent the back squatting and therefore getting better traction, so these are coming out again soon.

 

-Rear end didnt settle down and the leafs seem to be causing understeer becuase the rear end is so high, so these are coming out again