RSready

Never had an RB project, just a rusty old 280 and an L28et sitting in the garage begging to go inside it. But I sold it all for this British nightmare. If these are Datsun units, are they decently strong? I'm only going to be pushing 150-160 hp in my little Elan, but I will be tracking it. Do they hold up in track use, or do most people swap to a CV setup?

Thanks I'll look for KOYO. And yes, I DID have a pile of spare parts haha. But then I bought the Lotus that came totally stripped with many many boxes of parts, so all the old Datsun stuff had to be sold!

This spring I sold my Z and replaced it with a new project - a 1969 Lotus Elan +2. I'm starting to build it and one of the weak points of the car is the rear axles that use old rubber 'donuts' that often fail and can't handle any amount of power. It's common to replace the axles with CV joints that stand the test of time (and power). Before those were readily available, people used Datsun half shafts apparently. On the Lotus forum I belong to, one member believes that is what I have. Can any of you confirm or deny that, judging by the photos? I googled Datsun half shafts and they do look similar, but i don't know how similar other manufacturers may look. Anyway, here are the pics.

So is there a definitive answer on this? I've lined up an L28ET from an '81 and found a C cam locally. I'm just going to be running the motor fairly stock - just an intercooler and maybe 12psi. Firstly, will it work on my motor (I don't know what lifters I have) and will it be worth it? Thanks, Dave

Good to know. I'll just keep the stock rad. On the subject of cooling, there was either another cooler on the right side of the car. At the time I assumed it was for the auto tranny, but I realized its an oil cooler. Do people usually swap this over when they do the swap or is it worth it? Is it worth upgrading it?

I went and checked out the motor yesterday and it runs really well. But this is more of a "side project" project car so I don't think I am going to go the megasquirt route. What about the rad? Is there any point in grabbing that as well?

Thanks for the list. This is very helpful. I guess my only questions are about the wiring harness. What exactly do I need? Should I just pull it entirely from the car? Including the harness that is on the passenger side of the car? Where is the FI relay located? Is it the same as on my 280z? Thanks again! I can't believe how awesome this forum is! Incredibly helpful!

Thanks for the quick response! Unfortunately I can't take the shell. The current owner wants the suspension and brakes, I have no room for a shell in my garage and the car is a few hundred kilometres from my house, and I only have a tow dolly, not a flat deck, so I can't take a non-rolling shell. I agree it would make the most sense and would be the easiest, but not really possible in my situation. My plan for the motor is to basically run it with an intercooler and up the boost moderately. Nothing crazy at all. So if what I need from the car depends on my plans, what are some of these optional parts?

Hey guys, I've been doing a LOT of research on the L28ET swap into an S30, but I've yet to find a definitive list of everything you need from the car. The car that will be receiving the transplant is a 77 280z so it has fuel injection already. I have found a donor car that is completely rusted to crap, but has a running turbo motor in it. The guy who owns the donor car is parting it all out and will be pulling the engine himself and selling it to me. When I go to pick it up, I want to ensure I have everything I possibly need from the car. I know I'll obviously need the motor and all the accessories, the MAF, and the wiring harness that leads to the ECU from the engine bay. The car is stripped of its interior other than the dash and I noticed a lot of wiring on the passenger side of the car where I would image the glove box once was. Do I need any of that? Since I have a 77 with fuel injection already, do I need the fuel pump? Any other components or wiring that I haven't mentioned? If there is anything else, I need to contact the seller so that he removes it for me. Also, will my stock tach work with the new motor? Thanks for your help. If there is another thread that discusses this in detail that I have missed, please let me know. Dave

Very awesome! Guys on this forum have thought of everything.

Thanks for the help! Here's the "Post your intercooler" thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/93617-post-your-intercooler-setup/ I didn't find it originally in a search, but it was a big help.

Hey guys, I've done a search but can't really find any info on this. I've got a 77 280z that I am considering a L28ET swap for. There are a few intercoolers for sale locally that are really cheap and I want to pick one up. However, my car is in "storage" (under a cover which is covered by ~6feet of snow, why do I live in Canada?) so I can't measure the dimensions of where the intercooler will go. I'm not going to do anything too aggressive with the engine, just leave it stock, throw and intercooler and BOV on it and up the boost. So I don't need anything massive. Does anyone have measurements and pics of their front mount set ups? Anyone ever used an SRT4 Neon intercooler before? Thanks for your help! Dave

Hey everyone, I found a 280z parts car that I need a passenger door from for my '77. Unfortunately the parts car is a couple hours drive away and my 280 is tucked away in storage where I can't get to it. I need to know how to remove the door and if possible what size ratchet I will need. Do I need to remove the front fender to get at bolts? I've searched and looked online for photos but haven't found anything useful yet. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for that. The car is in Canada now, but I've been told it's originally a Colorado car, and that since it was a US car, it came with a 4-speed manual. That was swapped out for the S130 tranny by the guy who owned the car several years before me. I guess it's an R200 then.

***Admin edit*** I'm also not sure if its an R180 or R200, I have been told both and haven't found definitive info on what would be in the car. Like I said though, it is stock. I know what an LSD is and there were no LSDs in S30s, so I'm not sure we're you're getting that idea from. And thanks, I never thought about changing the oil.

So assuming it is the same as the 240z - I would need the 720 side axles as well? Pretty sure he doesn't have them. Then what? And I can pick it up for $75.

Basically I would want it for the taller gear. I just recently bought the car and have only driven it a few miles before parking it. I bought the car from a guy who didn't know anything about it, but I found out an experienced Z mechanic/race team owner used to own it. I got in touch with him and he told me it has an '83zx 5spd tranny, which I was previously unaware of. He said it had different gear ratios than the original Z tranny, but I don't know what they are... But he said 4.11 gears would help the acceleration quite a bit. Thanks for all the help guys. I'm new to this car and it has quite a few mods that this guy did a long time ago (15+ years ago). Unfortunately he just doesn't remember everything that he did to the car. I actually was told by another guy the 280z's had an R180, I didn't realize it was an R200. Maybe I'll look into an S13 LSD as those are quite readily available around here.

Hey guys, I've tried searching but haven't found too much info on this. I have a 77 280z with a 83 280zx 5 spd tranny and a stock diff. I found this 4.11 720 R180 front diff for sale locally and I want to know how hard of a swap it would be into my Z. I won't be driving on the highway or doing much high speed racing, just looking for a little more quickness off the line. Would this be a straight swap or would I have to remove the guts from this and transplant it into my stock housing? Thanks for your help. Sorry if this has been covered before, I haven't been able to find out much! Here are some pics off the diff: