Datsun's 1970s 200B carries a pretty crappy reputation these days. That's probably because most examples you see about the place are multi coloured rust buckets held together with bog. But don't let that sway your opinion of all 200Bs - least of all this immaculate 200B SSS coupe. A very rare beastie indeed.
Bob Nicholls can't help but have a bit of a laugh when he tells how many 200Bs he's owned over the years. "Mate, there's just too many to count!" he says unashamedly. And, for this alone, you could say he's a bit of a lunatic... Lots of people would! Anyhow, somewhere along the track, Bob found himself caught up in an unusual love of 200Bs and simply had to have the cream of the crop - the SSS coupe. These are extra hard to come by these days - especially when most of those delivered to Australia are now being used as chicken shelters! Nevertheless, in 1998, Bob scored himself an original condition stocker coupe - the only problem was, it'd been slammed from behind and was technically written off. Apparently, Bob was the only one that could see the potential that was left in the old gal...
He immediately set to work repairing the damage with a new rear beaver panel constructed from two other wrecked coupes (which were a real job to track down). And of course with the major work being carried out, now was the ideal time to restore the entire body with a bare-metal strip. You might as well do the whole lot properly, eh? But the challenge - again - was to locate the necessary parts. After much searching, Bob found a handful of wrecked coupes around the country and scrounged them for good parts - like side glass and the ever-illusive non-faded taillights... With all the smooth and perfect panels now bolted into place, the car was then sent off for an attack of Ford Stark White - a colour that really lets the SSS's styling reveal itself. High quality re-chromed bumpers, body trimmings and under-bonnet fittings then rounded out the job in total class.
Overall you'd have to say the result looks pretty darn good, doesn't it? So good, in fact, it's hard to believe that the only body mod has been the removal of the side strips and badging. And, of course, the 15 x 7 inch rims aren't factory either - these were sourced from an import wrecker.
After 3 months of hard yakka on the body resto, Bob finally had the chance to drive the fully detailed vehicle. Unfortunately, though, the power of the standard L20 donk couldn't keep pace with even current-model family cars - let alone something high performance. It was Japanese engine conversion time... Originally on the prowl for a FJ20, Bob happened to stumble across a SR20DET (of the highly desirable T28 turbo variety) complete with gearbox and loom - but no computer. This posed no problem though - Bob could always go aftermarket.
The SR-to-200B conversion took Bob and his mate Buz around 2 months to bowl over, with "not much really needing to be done". What was needed were Nissan 200SX engine mounts (reversed) and the front section of a Navara diesel dualcab tailshaft to connect the SR's 5-speed to the diff (which is now a R200 4.4:1 LSD). The fuel system was also altered to EFI spex, with a Holley Blue feed pump, surge tank and a VL Turbo main pump. With no factory ECU, the SRs IQ points come from a Haltech E6S programmable computer (whose software has just recently been up-dated).
Bob immediately went for a monster intercooler - there was no point in farting about here. This big sucker uses an 18 x 12 inch core and custom end tanks, making the most of the available space at the front of the vehicle. Mandrel plumbing takes the K&N filtered induction air to and from the 'cooler, with a Bosch BOV venting build-up pressure along the way. More of that mandrel bent piping used is for the TubeTech 3-inch exhaust system, which incorporates a custom dump off the turbine as well as a stainless Nemesis muffler with a 5 incher tip.
The SR conversion also necessitated an upgrade in suspension componentry. This was found in the form of Nissan Gazelle front struts, which literally went straight in. "That's the beauty of it," tells Bob, "it all just slots together." A pair of R31 Skyline front discs and calipers was then positioned at the bottom of each front strut. These were a good bolt-on improvement, but they're apparently not as good as they could be - not with a pumpin' SR20 turbo flinging the car up to speed! Out back you can find 2½ inch lowered King springs and Bilstein dampers. Bob can recall what the standard independent rear suspension was like once the SR was installed - "the thing used to squat down so much, it bloody scraped the stainless muffler along the road! Rear brakes - strictly for now - are the standard drummies. Eeek!
Following all the attention to the body, engine and chassis, the next job was to re-do the neat but typically Japanese tacky interior. Bob palmed this job off to AMT who gave him a full cream/brown 2-tone leather treatment. A pair of second hand Recaros was then trimmed to match. In all, you're looking at a plump 24 metres of leather - moooo! The dashboard has also been re-trimmed and fitted out with unique contemporary style wood inserts - a theme that extends to the wood/leather AutoTechnica steering wheel and pedal pads. It was also a really good idea to include the Autometer boost gauge and shift light... This 200B absolutely flies!
Boost pressure kicks the SR in the head at around 2000-2500 rpm and holds steady all the way to the programmed 7500 limit. Bob says that limiter is oh-so easy to hit too - in every gear! In fact, on his best quarter mile pass to date, he crossed the line near maximum revs in top cog (recording a scorching 12.4 at 110 mph!). What's almost as unbelievable is that Bob's SSS only runs a 7 psi boost setting. Yep, that's factory boost! Power pulls on the DAT chassis dyno have shown a healthy 175kW at the back wheels, though the injectors are already right up against their limit. Any more than 7 psi and it'd be adios SR20!
Bob plans to remedy this with a set of 550cc injectors that will enable him to safely turn up the boost. Once that's done, he'll fully complete the vehicle (we've heard that before!) with another set of rims, rear discs, aluminium radiator and a big sound system. After all, the lined boot (which presently contains the battery and a fire extinguisher) is just waiting for some subs to fill it out!
Bob, you truly are a lunatic!
Contacts:
Affordable Motor Trimming (AMT)
+61 8 8374 1828
Darlington Auto Tune (DAT)
+61 8 8277 4222
TubeTech Race Engineering
+61 8 8326 6011
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