Datsun Cablight

1961 A120, A121 and A122 Models

Whilst the A120 was certainly an improvement over the slab sided A20, it was still a fairly austaire little vehicle. An attempt was made to give it a bit of style, and it now had a bulge line running from under the bonnet and along the doors and a lot more curves, but she was still fairly basic.

Inside the cabin it still had a dashboard with only one gauge and a couple of switches, but it now included a glove box. The previous model had two bucket seats, but the A120 now had a bench seat.
The front bumper is now slightly curved and better finished, though far from stylish. It also has hubcaps on the wheels, something the A20 did not have. It still features suicide doors. The badges say Cablight on the bonnet and a badge with a large D and Datsun underneath it, which sat in the middle of the grille.

The A120 continues to use the old D-10 engine, which was an 860cc side valve engine dating back several decades. The A120 underwent two model updates during it's production run, with the first update called the A121 and the second being the A122. With the introduction of the A122 in 1964 there was also a change in engines. The A122 featured the new rather confusingly named D engine. Unlike the previous D-10 engine, the D was an overhead valve engine with a displacement of 1046cc, which produced 40hp. The D engine can be easilly differentiated from the similar C and E engines from the same era by looking at the location of the distributor. On the C and E family of engines the distributor sits towards the back of the engine, almost in line with number 4 cylinder, on the D engine the distributor is in the middle of the engine.

The last of these little trucks, the A122 model, ceased production in February 1964. It was followed by the A220 series Cablight.

Model Variations

1961 Datsun Cablight A120

The original model featured a grille with six horizontal slots.

1963 Datsun Cablight A121

In 1963 the A120 underwent a minor change and became the A121. The only notable change was to the grille, which now featured two large slots rather than the six smaller ones on the A120.

1964 Datsun Cablight A122

In 1964 another upgrade occured and the truck became the A122. The most obvious change was to it's grille. It no longer had a pressed steel grille that sat in front of the opening, instead this model had a mesh grille that sat inside the opening. The Mesh grille had a chrome strip with a D badge in the middle.
The A122 also featured a new OHV engine, the 1046cc D series engine.

Model Variations

Datsun Cablight A120

The truck version, a two seater with a much smaller cargo tray. The A120 was also available with a steel covered cargo area and also with a removable canvas cover.

Datsun Cablight Double Cab

A 4 seat double cab version with two seperate seats in the back, or a 5 seat version with a bench seat in the back was also built. These trucks had a considerably smaller 1321mm long cargo area.

Datsun Cablight VA120 Delivery Van

A delivery van version. It was available as a 2 seater van, or as either a 4 seat or 5 seat passenger vehicle.

1961 Datsun Cablight A120 Specifications

Length - unknown
Width - unknown
Height - unknown
Wheelbase - 2220mm
Weight - unknown
Top speed - 75kph
Transmission - Floor change 4 speed

Engine Specifications

Model - B-1
Side Valve 4 Cylinder
Capacity - 860cc
Bore & Stroke 60x76mm
Power - 27hp@5200rpm
Torque - 5.5kg/m@2400rpm
Compression - 6.7 : 1
Carburettor - Single throat down draught
Final drive - 6.43:1

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