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Revision as of 08:24, 25 November 2006
B140 - South African Truck
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The Nissan LDV Bakkie
The Bakkie, as the ute or pickup truck is known in South Africa, is the last of the Datsun 1200s. "Bakkie" is a term applied to any brand pickup, although we like to think that the Nissan 1400 LDV is the best of the small bakkies. Sometimes it is called a 'van'. Built in Rosslyn.
According to the article Nissan's 'Champ of Africa' tops 250 000 units (June 4, 2003) from motoring.co.za, the Datsun 1200 Bakkie was first product in 1971, it changed to the Datsun 1400 bakkie in 1980, and became the Nissan 1400 in 1982.
How tough are these bakkie? Well, you can put them in a deep lake, winch it out, drain the engine and drive off. Article: Kiss of life for sunken Nissan 1400 bakkie (July 30, 2000) motoring.co.za:
"It started first time, and ran perfectly. "There's definitely no stopping this engine. You can't even drown it. I want to congratulate Nissan on manufacturing, in my opinion, the best vehicle available in South Africa today," Kruger said.
And:
[quote]
Chris [Snyders] says that the Datsun 1200 ute (called a 'bakkie' in South Africa) were produced in South Africa from 1971 onwards. The name was changed to 120Y in 1976, and they had a slight facelift in 1982, with the engine being swapped for an A14. reference: Martybug's Web site
Earlier bakkies were A12-powered models.
quote:
Little bit of history from SA. the 1200 ute or bakkie like we call them were replaced with the 1400 from 1981 onward - same shape, the cab roof was extended +/- 3 inches from late '85 until now. The 1400 ute/bakkie still uses most of the same parts, Nissan SA changed the interior color a bit -it is grey now and the grill a lot squarer
Notice how the front part is the same as the Datsun 1200 -- same doors,fenders, hood, etc.
Features of 1400 LDV
- Square headlights
<li>raised roof
<li>plastic bumpers
<li>boosted brakes
<li>(Champ) rev counter, bucket seats, spotlights
<li>optional air conditioning
<li>Sporty white-spoke wheels
<li>A14 engine
<li>Hitachi carburetor
<li>5-speed overdrive transmission (FS5W60B)
<li>the base model came with a bench seat - "sport" or "champ" model comes with nice little buckets and a fat little steering wheel
</ul>
B140 is a South-Africa only model. Why B140? I would be surprised if it was not because of the A14 engine. And to show it's newer than the B120. Car makers are not bound to follow previous tradition when it comes to names ... CCG says his is a 1976 "120Y ute". Does anyone know when they changed from B120 to 120Y to B140?
Rallystar
The official name is 1400 LDV, for Light Duty Vehicle with 1400cc engine. "LDV" is used for small commercial trucks for all makes (Mazda, Toyota, etc).
Autostyle Motorsport
Nissan 1400 LDV Champ
The Bakkie is also called the "Botsotso" after the South African Chief's soccer legend "Botsotso" Dladla. A direct translation of Botsotso is 'little short legged one'.
Desmond's Turbo'd Bakkie
1998 B140 Review
RallyStar
Nissan South Africa Web Site
[edit]What size Is the 1400 Bakkie?
The B140 is exactly the same size as the Datsun 1200, but with an integral pickup bed instead of a back seat.
Compare it to an XY Ford Falcon:
Andy's Web site[edit]Canopy Vendors
Putting a canopy on the B140 is very popular.
SA Canopy
Bucco Half door
Bucco Full door
[edit]Photo Index
For scores of pics of bakkies from the Club Photo Album, see B140 - South African Truck Photo Index.
http://www.mmh.co.za/nissan/models/1400/index.html
[www.nitrousandturbo.co.za www.nitrousandturbo.co.za] http://www.um.co.za/nissan/models/1400/gallery.html
Buy parts new from Nissan South Africa, Ship to USA or AU or NZ. Search by part number.
I've bought 2 shipments of parts through nissan ZA over the internet ... $100 worth of parts cost $200 as the banks charge like nothing else to transfer money, then the government puts a 30% duty on top + 25% GST on top of that ...Parts discussion: Bakkie crossmember
quote:
Part: 32010-G1550
Desc: TRANSMISSION ASSY 5 SPEED
Price: R20297.98 = USD$2,707.95
Picture:
4-speed B140s and 5-speeds interchange. 4-speed models used the 56a transmission, which uses a different rear crossmember.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~mpot/DatsunPix/
200 Bakkie Interior
Try this link for that 300km/h bakkie
According to Nissan Global, the B120 was made from Feb 1970 to 1986. The B122 was made from Nov 1986 until 1994.
capricorn parts
FS5W60B Transmission Gear Ratios
1st 3.513 2nd 2.17 3rd 1.38 4th 1.00 5 0.82 Reverse 3.76 
Visit MWeb of South Africa's Motoring section
Still the champion of Africa article at AutoWorld South Africa
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