FEATURE: MR. J'S FAST DATSUN

Photo courtesy of Saiful Bahari

As fast as a bullet, that’s how you describe this 1976 Datsun B110. During high school, I was informed there is an old car which was able to outrun most of fast cars in Miri. That time, I was really tempted to find out which car was that and how fast it could be.

Photo courtesy of Saiful Bahari

Fate brought me to the owner and his car. The chance to know Mr. Johnny Voon was a great experience that I could never forget in my life. He did inspires me about motorsport scene, the oldskool potentials in drag arena and the never-ending automotive spirit. A very enthusiastic guy who is not reluctant to share his knowledge in cars.

Talking about fast oldskools, there is no compromise on finishing and exteriors. Mr. Johnny is a chrome parts fanatic, so he tried his best to complete the chromes on his B110 and keeps them shining as stars.

Without GT wing and twin pipe exhaust, you won’t expect this B110 to be a 10 second car. It might looks like an ordinary Datsun which is driven around by ah pek to buy market goods. Somehow, the GT wing looks fine on this B110, besides keeping sufficient aerodynamics to aid the traction on drag track.

Yes, we are talking about infamous 4A-GE bolt-on T04E Ball Bearing turbo. The displacement was increased via 5A series block for extra reliability, to withstand the huge power. Cams were replaced with Twin Cam HKS 290 series 8.35" lift. Other performance parts were also installed to increase the horsies such as custom banana manifold, Twin blow-off valves, and HKS waste gate.

The interior is still practical and comfortable to be a daily ride, with proper door trims and seats. Monri gauges were installed to provide engine condition readings. Notice the cut-off switches to prevent excessive damage on the engine during emergency.

Photo courtesy of Saiful Bahari

Once you had the engine loaded with full of performance parts, a factory stock 4A-GE ECU wont be able to handle the complicated job, thanks to the MicroTech MT-8. A reliable source reveals that this setup is able to produce around 450hp, and I heard the owner swapped to Haltech ECU now. 

Drivetrain was heavily modded with custom traction bar for better rigidity, to withstand huge rotational power from the engine. Rear gear box AE86 full time LSD 4.3 gear ratio is trusted to do the job.

Photo courtesy of Saiful Bahari

A true legend with potential, 10 seconds run is now possible and had won over several heavily modded super cars. Kudo’s to Mr. Johnny Voon!