Datsun Nissan history (Read 977 times)

[reallyloud]

I have a fairly extensive collection of UK motoring magazines (What car, Motor, Autocar, Car, Parkers, Which etc) from the late 60's and 70's. There's often useful data that is often sourced straight from the Datsun press office. I am in the process of collecting this information (along with Nigel) and then we could produce something that is specifically relevant to the UK, and more to the point share some accurate information.

A lot of the car reviews (for example Car magazine were particularly damning of most Japanese cars) are not only negative but quite offensive. Over the next year I hope at the very least to post up scans of these articles - be a shame not to share.

[Al Ramone]

Jan 3, 2013 13:13:04 GMT 1 s20 said:

There was never a company called 'Datsun' in Japan. The company's early lineage and bloodline is slightly complicated, but basically the DNA is from Kaishinsha Jidosha Kojo ( note: NOT spelled Kwaishinsha as is often mis-reported ) in 1911, merging with Jitsuyo Jidosha Seizo and changing its name to D.A.T. Jidosha Seizo, then being absorbed by Nihon Sangyo ( via Tobata Imono ) to emerge as Nissan Jidosha KK in 1933/34.

D.A.T. Jidosha Seizo made cars that were badged 'Datson' and then 'Datsun', but the companies that went on to make these 'Datsuns' were never called 'Datsun' themselves. All the cars that we tend to call 'Datsuns' these days were actually Nissan products.

The Nissan name was not used initially for post-war exports as it was seen to be tainted by association with war materiel. Most of the trucks used by Japanese armed forces in the 1930s and early 1940s used the 'Nissan' name proudly on their radiator shells, and Nissan was involved in making quite a lot of other things - including the assembly of aero engines - for the Japanese war effort. The decision to use the 'Datsun' name was an effort to disassociate the 'Nissan' name from an export product. It has nothing to do with 'Nissan' sounding "too Japanese" and it has nothing to do with America specifically either; Nissan was exporting to many countries before it exported to the USA, and they tended to take a WORLD view on such matters. If you hear anything that specifically links such things to the USA, you can bet it was originally written from a somewhat narrow American viewpoint...

[reallyloud]

Can we define the origins of the Nissan A series engines, there's a lot of information online suggesting that the A series engine had been developed from the A series Austin lump. I know which engine I'd rather have.....

[Al Ramone]

Aug 19, 2013 10:29:22 GMT 1 reallyloud said:

Can we define the origins of the Nissan A series engines, there's a lot of information online suggesting that the A series engine had been developed from the A series Austin lump. I know which engine I'd rather have.....

oh god no...


there's a LOT of miss information.

as far as i know. the A series Nissan engine has nothing to do with the A series morris/austin lump except in name.

the Nissan J series on the other hand... seam to be a left over of the A40 Austin and Nissan crossover and is what evolved from the old 1500 B series that was in the A40

this seams a good source of info on that. thou no doubt it's not entirely correct.
www.austinmemories.com/page117/page117.html

also this
www.earlydatsun.com/austina40a50.html

good luck sourcing through all the bad info. it'd be great to have some accurate history. keep at it!

[Al Ramone]

oh. and the Nissan A series specs


lifted from wiki so prob wrong... but

A10: the first A-series engine

The A10 is a 1.0-liter (988 cc) engine, released in September 1966 in the 1967 model year Datsun 1000. The A10 featured a three main bearing crankshaft. Bore was 73 mm and stroke was 59 mm (same as the Nissan C engine). With a two-barrel Hitachi carburetor and an 8.5 to 1 compression ratio this engine produced 62 bhp (46 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 61.5 lb·ft. of torque (83 Nm).

and the BMC lump

Launched in 1951 with the Austin A30, production lasted until 2000 in the Mini. It used a cast-iron block and cylinder head, and a steel crankshaft with 3 main bearings. The camshaft ran in the cylinder block, driven by a single-row chain for most applications, and with tappets sliding in the block, accessible through pressed steel side covers for most applications, and with overhead valves operated through rockers. The cylinder head for the overhead-valve version of the Austin series A engine was designed by Harry Weslake


803 cc 58 mm x 76.2 mm 7.5:1 one SU H2 sidedraft 30 PS (22 kW; 30 hp) 5000 46 lb·ft (62 N·m) 2700
848 cc 62.9 mm x 68.26 mm 8.3:1 one SU HS2 sidedraft 33 PS (24 kW; 33 hp) 5500 44 lb·ft (60 N·m) 2900
948 cc 62.9 mm x 76.2 mm — one SU HS2 sidedraft 37 PS (27 kW; 36 hp) 4750 50 lb·ft (68 N·m) 2500
970 cc 70.6 mm x 61.91 mm — two SU HS2 sidedraft 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp) 6500 55 lb·ft (75 N·m) 3500
997 cc 62.43 mm x 81.28 mm — two SU HS2 sidedraft 55 PS (40 kW; 54 hp) 6000 54 lb·ft (73 N·m) 3600
998 cc 64.58 mm x 76.2 mm 8.3:1 one SU HS2 sidedraft 39 PS (29 kW; 38 hp) 4750 52 lb·ft (71 N·m) 2700
1071 cc 70.6 mm x 68.26 mm 8.5:1 two SU HS2 sidedraft 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp) 6000 62 lb·ft (84 N·m) 4500
1098 cc 64.58 m x 83.72 mm 8.5:1 one SU HS2 sidedraft 47 PS (35 kW; 46 hp) 5200 60 lb·ft (81 N·m) 2450
1275 cc 70.6 mm x 81.28 mm 8.8:1 one SU HS4 sidedraft 57 PS (42 kW; 56 hp) 5300 69 lb·ft (94 N·m) 3000


just from that you can see the bore/stroke relation is totally different.

the cylinder head on the Nissan engine is an alloy 8 port head vrs the BMC cast iron 5 port. obviously the head porting will be completely different. as well as the bore spacing.

both use a three bearing crankshaft though.

the Nissan A series has more in common with Ford's Kent engine in pre crossflow configuration. but then any small bore OHV engine is going to look alike.

i guess the 50's Austin/Nissan collaboration and the A series name is what made people think they were related.


Fiat



Vauxhall



Ford



Renault


you get my point...

[reallyloud]

you get my point...

I do indeed. Good work!

[gainsb1]

Interesting Russian site.Didn't know some of these models existed.

en.autowp.ru/nissan

Leigh (Area rep)