Datsun 1200 — Ian McShean (Pro-Sport)
One of the first things pointed out to us by the owner of the Rotang Datsun (1200), Ian McShean, was that it’s very evidently a “skid pig turned drift car”. Bear that in mind, and the fact that, with a car of this age and style, there isn’t much in the way of aftermarket support, let alone that which would allow massive lock.
To improve upon the situation, Darryl from EFI & Turbo was employed to graft in a set of modified S14 knuckles; they have been cut down and crack tested, while the front arms remain factory S14 examples that have been transferred over and persuaded to fit.
“We had to get an exemption to run the S14 steering rack because of the mounting points,” said Ian, “but we can’t dial out the camber caused by the set-up due to the regulations around strut towers.”
The amount of room the small-statured wagon offers certainly doesn’t help, leaving much to be desired when trying to craft alternative components. While the front runs S14 coilovers, the rear utilizes a simple flipped leaf-spring system, with custom tramp rods to prevent the live-axle diff from pinioning. “It’s like driving a wheelbarrow … there’s no power-steering, so the arm pump is pretty incredible, and it will grip a lot [when] putting power down, and get loose off the power — it’s a weird concept.”