Charlotte's 1971 Datsun 1200 Coupe Updates

Update 17th January 2007

Another year, another update!

Due to rising fuel costs, I have been looking into ways to try and reduce the amount I spend on fuel. The coupe isn't too bad on fuel, but like all cars, it can always be better.

In my research, I came across a product called Fuelmate, which is a fuel catalyst that uses tin to produce an extended and more complete combustion. If you want to read more about how it all works, have a look at this technical page on the Fuelsaving website.

I was a bit sceptical at first, as there are a lot of similar products out there that claim to do the same thing, but don't work that well. I decided to give it a go anyway as there is a 12 month money back satisfaction guarantee - can't argue with that!

I went through about a full tank of fuel before noticing the difference, but now after a couple of thousand miles it has really kicked in. The car runs smoother than ever before, and there is even a small but noticeable increase in power.

I am still working out fuel consumption figures, but even without doing the sums I can safely say it uses a LOT less fuel, and can now run safely on fuels with a lower octane rating than BP Ultimate, without pinging.

I would highly recommend this device to anyone who is interested in saving money on their fuel bill - plus all the other advantages! If you are interested make sure you check out the fuelsaving.com.au website - you can even buy online and fit yourself, it's very easy to do!

Update 7th January 2006

Okay so it's been a year and a half since the last update for this car - phew! Talk about slack. The main reason is that nothing substantial has really been done on it that whole time. It has however had a manual conversion and some new tyres.

The engine conversion is still on the cards, but due to starting a business and all the associated costs with that, as well as making a foray into motorbikes, it probably won't be for a while yet. The good news is that when the time comes, it should be a relatively speedy and trouble-free conversion as I now have some great contacts for parts and automotive work.

In the meantime the little coupe is still going well, in fact it's been the most hassle-free motoring I have had in years. A great testament to the reliability of the mighty Datsun!

The datto on one of it's regular journeys on the fun roads in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Update 13th July 2004

Now that the 1600 is sold, I have been making plans for the coupe, however it will be a long term project over about a year, with the engine conversion not taking place until at least 2005. I will be doing some modifications in the meantime to prepare for the CA18DET, including new supportive racing seats, an LSD and rear disc brakes, and better lower profile tyres.

I also managed to score a loan of a 12" sub and amp, until they are required again or until I get my own, whichever comes first! Pics of the install are below and are fairly self-explanatory so I will let them speak for themselves ...

Update 15th April 2004

The coupe has been going very well over the last few months as a daily driver while the 1600 has been off the road, and has had a few long highway runs too. The main issue was engine fan - it was very loud and was draining a lot of power from the motor that being an auto it really needed! I managed to pick up a nice 10" thermo from the Toowoomba Swap Meet for a good price, and it has made a huge amount of difference, the car is now much quieter and there's more power too.

More recent improvements include the mandatory turbophile sticker, seat belt pads, a new stereo, central locking and Viper alarm. It has also been the recipient of the Sigma turbo wheels off the 1600 - they are a great improvement over the old TRX rims!

Oh and I have included pics of the Stanza front brakes and calipers if anyone is interested.

Well I finally managed to get the car I have been after for quite some time! This is a beautiful example, and full credit goes to the previous owner for restoring and modifying it to this extent. Plans for this car include a CA18DET engine transplant.

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