Hi i got a 1978 datsun 810 wagon 4-speed for free the other day and it has a cylinder with very bad pitting (it will need to be bored to fix it). So im thinking of trying to find a carburetted l24,l26 or l28 to swap in and so i thounght this would be the place to document the progress and ask for help along the way!


and ive heard that the oil pickup is different in the l28 so that i have to relocate it and us the l24s pan to make it fit in the bay of the 810, is this correct.


some pictures of the car







Oh and im from norway so my grammar might be a bit wonky

ITS nice to see your car from so far , im from trinidad and mines looks very similar but comes with a l18 with su carbs...same body.
lookin good btw

Update ! the past two months progress has been good . The new engine is in the car and running [] some fine tuning and adjustments to the timing has to be done. My biggest problems now is that the fuel gauge and temp gauge dont work anymore . From what could understand in the FSM these two gauges run of the same earth ,but i can seem to find it. The second issue is that my battery light is on even though the alternator is charging and the battery is fully charged. , but other than that in all its good.


Pics of the Laurel L24 i bought to use the block.






The engine was stripped down to the block and then the block and oil pan were painted.




i sanded down and polished the valve cover and the cylinder head has been refurbished.



The valve cover is just loose on top to protect the camshaft and such , as the chain was not installed at this point.




This is the engine at the time of writing , still needs a few bits . Like the elbow for the oil filter etc.



This is the car right before a quick hose down.




In the workshop , hood removed for easy access during swap. Still needs a good polish and detail .



Changed the shifter boot as it just arrived in the mail.




another pic of the engine


As you can see the car needs a good clean up and detail , outside and inside. Other than that its a complete car and it does not have too much rust.

forgot to take pictures of the swap , but here are some pictures from today . Its alive and that L6 purrs like a kitten , well alomst , some fine tuning and adjustments to the timing has to be done ,but all in all its good. My biggest problems now is that the fuel gauge and temp gauge dont work anymore . From what could understand in the FSM these two gauges run of the same earth ,but i can seem to find it. The second issue is that my battery light is on even though the alternator is charging and the battery is fully charged .


Next up is a good interior clean and polish.

Very nice !!