Jcooper's 1976 Mazda b1600 Project

Hey, I just noticed something on your truck...... Your distributor is on the wrong side!!!!! Must be the 1600 is mounted on the driver side, while the 1800 and the 2.0 is mounted on the passenger side....... Interesting!!!!

To answer both your questions, let me begin with the header. I ordered mine through a company called Bestmufflers.com. link to specific header is as follows https://www.bestmufflers.com/bshop/product_info.php?products_id=2889&osCsid=d937920970f517982d9992aa3da41091
They are based in Australia, and list a header option for the b1600, b1800, and b2000. I believe they had the header advertised as $275.00 AUD, but after converting US dollars to Australian Dollars, the price was close to $201.16. I was able to source a cheap international shipping rate through a friend in the military, so that should save me some dollars- and either way, its going to take some time to get to me. Some people wouldn't go this far to get a header but I had the money and wanted something that would perform better than stock. (and honestly, finding certain parts here in the US has been a little difficult...but I scored on those hubcaps haha.) The only other parts I wish I could get would be OEM b1600 floor pans. (which I have also found for sale online...in Australia...but seller refuses international shipping.)

Now for the distributor I have noticed that they can be mounted on either side. When I purchased my truck it was mounted on drivers side with coil mounted on drivers side (LH) wheel well. Looking at other engine bays I have noticed them on the passenger side with coil mounted close to battery tray. Pictured below I see that I could mount it either way- but just left mine the way it was. I would assume that distributor rotation could change (i.e- clockwise vs counter clock wise or vice versa) depending on which side of the engine it's mounted- so ensuring firing order matched with the rotation of the rotor would be something to contemplate when mounting and timing.

The picture above reminds me...I should really clean up this engine some more.

like your project! I liked the old datsun as well... what are your plans as far as floor board is concerned.

Well, I could go cheap and build my own. The problem is that I want to be able the bend or press the ridges that are in the floor pans, that way it prevents the metal from 'paneling'. The other option would be to have a local car restoration shop to try to manufacture a close to OEM replacement pan. Some of the local shops have to be creative with older cars and rat rod projects so that may be my best bet. Phils rotary has OEM pans for a b1600, but like I said, the company is unwilling to ship to the U.S. due to cost.

I found a 72 Datsun in my area for $1500...... NOT RUNNING!!!! But the body is in excellent shape, so I'm sure it won't take much......Thanks for the link, definitely gonna look into the header now.....

My older datsun didn't take a whole lot to get it running and running strong. I invested a lot into it to get it where it was prior to selling it. I even had fenders shipped from California, and the only rust issue it has were the rockers. miss that truck, and in the future if I ever had a chance to get one for the right price I would consider it. For now, this mazda is a joy to work on and I'm not about to let it go haha

So for those wondering, I just canceled my header order from best mufflers.com (which is based in Australia and chose a local company. They have several header options for the 72-78 ford courier/ Mazda 1.8L P.U. And the pricing is descent. Look up their online catalog if interested at powerbyace.com. I purchased part number #8020 which runs $206.64. (This saved in paying for international shipping). Look them up, will post pic once it arrives.

And found some floor pans after some dealing with an online seller. Good things happening soon!

Here it is, well.. one of them haha