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[Datsun 1200 encyclopedia]

Rotary engine

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Categories: General Information | Nissan Engines | Historical

Revision as of 07:51, 16 January 2013
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Since then, Datsun 1200 enthusiasts in every land have fitted the ubiquitous Mazda rotary engine into the lightweight 1200 body. '''Result: One fast little car.''' Since then, Datsun 1200 enthusiasts in every land have fitted the ubiquitous Mazda rotary engine into the lightweight 1200 body. '''Result: One fast little car.'''
 +1973 New York Auto Show
 +<br>[http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/NissanRotary.jpg http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/th_NissanRotary.jpg] [http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/NissanRotary133226034.jpg http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/th_NissanRotary133226034.jpg]
 +Oakland Tribune, 16 Nov 1972, page 29
 +<br>[http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/120019721116rotary31623212.jpg http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/th_120019721116rotary31623212.jpg]
 +
 +The Sunday Sun, 27 May 1973, page D8
 +<br>[http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/120019730527rotary55609527.jpg http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm219/ddgonzal/Datsun%201200/newspaper/th_120019730527rotary55609527.jpg]
= Engine Swaps = = Engine Swaps =

Revision as of 21:28, 9 May 2013

Nissan Rotary Power! Whether a factory Nissan rotary engine, or a Mazda rota stuff into a Datsun 1200, excitement is sure to result.

Contents

Nissan's Own Rotary Engine

At the Tokyo Motor Show, October 19, 1972, Nissan exhibited a Datsun Sunny PB110 with a prototype Nissan twin-rotor wankel-type rotary engine.

4949.jpg

This was during the height of the rotary-power frenzy. Wankel had the patent, and every one licensed it, from GM to Mercedes to Mazda, and also Nissan. Nissan's interest started in mid-1965

conceptnissan.com

conceptnissan.com

Datsun Sunny Rotary Prototype

Here is a picture of the prototype being tested in a Datsun Sunny 1200 (B110) coupe:

1972 October: 19th Tokyo Motor Show, Sunny Excellents were fitted with the Nissan rotary.

Datsun S10 Sylvia LS Type X

Reportedly Nissan even sold some rotary-powered Sylvias (S10/S11 models) to the public circa 1978, however, this is not confirmed. reference

b0032035_22424989.jpg

High Performance—120 Horsepower

The rotary efforts definitely did *not* stop because the rotary was a poor design. Au contraire, it was amazing!

quote:
Using peripheral ports, two plugs per rotor and a four-barrel carby its 120hp raised the top speed of the Datsun 1200 to 175km/h or 40 more than the original 1200cc four-cylinder. Nissan was setting up production facilities with the (announced) intention of producing 3000 rotary vehicles per month with either five-speed manual or three-speed auto.

8051.jpg
Driving report: 112mph and still pulling hard ...

1973 Motor Show

Fuel Economy

Note that Rotaries are not more fuel-wasting than other engines of the same power output. But a 120hp rotary does use more fuel than a 69hp A12 engine, as would seem obvious once we think about it. Initially, there were problems with fuel economy, but that problem was solved by 1976.

info

Under the bonnet of this Excellent is the rotary engine used to advance the development of NISSAN's new rotary, which is based on technology from the NSU Wankel corporation. The swept volume displacement is 2 rotors of 500cc each.

End Of the Rotary Era

The wankel design has the benefit of small size, low weight, high power for the size, and smoothness of operation (they routinely rev to 9k rpm). So why did everyone except Mazda and some non-automakers stop making wankel-style rotaries? It appears to be because of a combination of factors (these are my opinions, not necessarily hard facts):

  • Perceived value: at first it seemed that the public would demand these engines, so every automaker figured they better get busy and offer one. The president of Mazda commented something like the following: after Mazda and NSU put these high-power engines into hundreds of thousands of subcompact cars, the economy-minded public—which expected smallcar=econobox—eventually realized that the subcompact car they bought had a high-power engine, not the economy engine they expected. Just like sticking a V8 into a small car, it was enough to give the product a bad rep. Then when the 73-74 oil crisis hit, the manufacturers realized the public was no longer demanding 'rotary' engines. Unfair? Yes, but sometimes the bottom drops out of a market. Unless people start demanding rotaries again, which seems improbably given past history, we'll never seem mass-market rotaries again.
  • During the economic recession caused by the oil crises, manufacturers tightened their belts. One way to save money was to stop developing new engines and new car models associated with it. During such times of financial crisis, most companies cut back in their R & D.
  • The piston engine worked fine (though still not as smooth as a rotary). The wankel only really offers two advantages: low weight and smoothness. For nearly all applications, bean counters can choose a piston engine instead.
  • All the auto makers were in fear of the Piston-Engine emissions control problem. Or should I say they were in fear of too-quickly acquiesing to government regulation and demands. Publicly they stated that they feared that developing slightly different controls for rotary engines would be more than they could handle. This didn't really turn out to be a problem, as the Wankel patent-pool shared the technology which solved the problem in 1972. It seems that US automakers were hesitant to admit to government regulatory agencies that any progess could be made in meeting the anti-pollution demands for piston engines. Yet Mazda met those requirements three years ahead of time, and published the fact to the world. Even so that didn't stop other manufacturers from insisting there were unsolvable problems (even though all wankel licensees had access to the solutions).

Since then, Datsun 1200 enthusiasts in every land have fitted the ubiquitous Mazda rotary engine into the lightweight 1200 body. Result: One fast little car.

1973 New York Auto Show
th_NissanRotary.jpg th_NissanRotary133226034.jpg

Oakland Tribune, 16 Nov 1972, page 29
th_120019721116rotary31623212.jpg

The Sunday Sun, 27 May 1973, page D8
th_120019730527rotary55609527.jpg

Engine Swaps

 See main article: Mazda rotary engine swap

Rotary-Powered Datsun 1200 photo index

Here are some pictures from our club photo album. Click a pic for larger photos, details, and discussion:


93.jpg
rota 1200

158.jpg
project 1200

383.jpg
1200 rotary prototype.

581.jpg
rotor ute

657.JPG
my 2nd datsun

912.jpg
my !st 1200

959.jpg
supercharged 13b 1000

1078.jpg
oh yes ....

1384.jpg
datsun 1200 from guate

1539.jpg
black drag 1

1540.jpg
black drag 2

1545.jpg
13b 2dr blue drag 1a

1546.jpg
13b 2dr blue drag 1b

1547.jpg
13b 2dr blue drag 1c

1548.jpg
13b 2dr blue drag 1d

1549.jpg
13b 2dr blue drag 1e

1756.jpg
1972 1200 datsun w/rot

1757.jpg
1972 1200 datsun w/rot

1787.jpg
13b1000ute bay

1788.jpg
100013b interior tunne

1789.jpg
project 2 13bturbo 100

1820.jpg
rotary coupe w/15&quot

2049.jpg
rotary 1200 ute

2050.jpg
rotary 1200 ute

2418.jpg
my 1000 ute

2558.jpg
1000 dragsedan

2616.jpg
13b mounts

2681.jpg
pic for d

2848.jpg
some of the puertorica

2914.jpg
supercharged 13b 1000

2915.jpg
supercharged 13b 1000

3008.jpg
series 5 13b turbo rot

3078.jpg
very nice indeed!

3427.jpg
8 second 1200 13b turb

3483.jpg
coupe

3548.jpg
avenge

3549.jpg
nother 13b 1200

4484.jpg
1200 drag race coupe

4486.jpg
drag coupe

4655.jpg
rotary powered 1200

4694.jpg
supernats

4949.jpg
early prototype rotary

5006.jpg
1200 ute (perfection)

5448.jpg
rotary mounts in 323 s

5979.jpg
powercruise coup

6757.jpg
yellow rotary coupe

7226.jpg
what noisy exhaust