Guiltless Swap: 1974 Datsun B210

When properly built, the B210/120Y can be a monumental sleeper. If you want to start with the nicest one you can find minus the guilt of hacking up a clean car, here it is. Though it’s expensive, not having to rip into a runner has gotta be worth some cash, right? Ok, perhaps not. Find this 1974 Datsun B210 roller for sale in Tampa, FL for a steep but likely negotiable $5,000 via craigslist.

Let’s note that we’re dealing with one of our own here. There’s a 720 series truck in the back and another B210 coupe parked alongside our white example. It would appear that the white sedan has had some cosmetic restoration done on the exterior as the paint is very bright and the wheels and bumpers contrast starkly enough to be messing with my pupils.

And here we have the selling point – a totally vacant engine bay waiting for an LS, VG, VQ, SR, RB, or whatever two letter designation you feel like bolting in. I guess you could throw any old L-series 4 banger in there but that seems counterproductive given the opportunity presented. The video linked above gives pretty good formula for the parts used in the VG swap, all of which can be sourced from junkyards here with a bit of cross-reference research.

Aside from the steering wheel, the interior is completely Spec-Grandma. The blue complements the gleaming white quite nicely but sourcing a stock wheel would be icing on the sleeper cake. The carpet looks a little strange but it probably left the factory like it lays now.

See a better place for the guts of a wrecked Z31 300Z? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com

Matt, a self-proclaimed bottom-feeder of the classic car market, spends half of his time buying cars, half of his time retrieving them, and the remaining third on keeping them on the road.