Mike C

Make sure your TC rods are not loose or binding. Check wheel bearings and lug nuts as well as check for worn tire rod ends.

GM has a bracket that goes across the two back bolts with a "hump" in the middle to clear the brake booster line. I'd get one of those and a '70's Camaro throttle cable and adapt it to the Z pedal.

I'd be interested to discover this as well. I believe the 240SX has a shorter pinion gear, but if everything else is the same, that's the way I would like to go. I assume the SX is 12mm ring gear bolts? You'd have to have an '82 (?) and up R200 with the 12mm bolts or somebody to make some precision bushings. Reider Racing said they wre tentative for the end of May for r200 LSD.

I agree with everyone on the 350...for the most part. If you can score a TPI 305 from an 85-92 car for a good price I wouldn't hesitate to go that way. Especially if you could get a 91-92 235hp 5 speed setup. I have a buddy who did the first TPI swap I ever saw back in '87. It was a low mileage 305 from an '86 IROC. He added an SLP cam, Edelbrock intake base (only because the OEM one was warped) a set of headers and a DFI computer and harness. This is the NON roller cam motor that was rated at a puny 215 hp. He dropped this with the TH700r4 in his 3700# '74 Corvette convertible with 3.08 gears and ran 13.97 in Houston, and it drug down 27 mpg on the way there. With 1000# less, this would put a Z in the mid 12's with the same type MPG since the Z has more gear.

Get your self a dialback timing light and start troubleshooting. Rotate the engine around to TDC and make sure the timing mark is in correct location (inertia ring hasn't slipped or you don't have wrong year balancer for your timing tab. Some California motors have different timing point alignment). Check initial timing. Have a buddy move RPM up by about 500 at a time as you check advance with dialback light. Note how much and at what RPM. Find out what your total advance is. I think in all of this you will find something out of whack and when you fix that it'll run fine. Does it have vac. advance at all? If so, check with it both connected and unplugged and compare.

IN looking through my Chiltons manual, they show a torque sequence for the 83 and earlier bellhousing and the 84 and up. The newer one seems to have the same bolt pattern with some additional bolts, but the starter clearance bump is rotated around to the bottom. If the input shaft is same length then you could use the 83 bellhousing, but you'd still have to find an 83 trans.

Not the one for a T5. With the advent of the Ricer Hurst might make a shifter for a 240sx that could be adapted to an earlier Nissan 5 speed. I ended up buying the Hurst Competition Plus for an 83-86 Mustang 5 speed. I'll put it in but will probably either have to modify or replace the handle. Looks like it is too far forward and too tall.

Just for clarification, the only BW trans that use ATF are the World Class trans with paper cone synchros (85 and up Ford and 88 and up GM. The earlier brass ring synchro cars use 85w90. I would drain the 130 and go back with 90 for a start.

I am going to order rotors for my Z to ZX conversion. I want to verify which rotor to use. 84 300zx 4 lug NON_TURBO, correct? Or is it the turbo rotor? Does anyone know a vendor for OEM rotors mfd. by Brembo? Summit racing said they couldn't get them although they listed Brembo rotors in one of their catalogs awhile back. Wouldn't even try to order them which is weird since they special order parts for my Z all the time I have the 240sx caliper/300zx rear rotor conversion from Ross C and I don't like to mix and match manufacturers on rotors, but I may have to. Any other hints on this swap? I know ZX have different REAR calipers depending on the year, but are all of the fronts the same? Which is the best master cylinder? I am planning on using the '79 ZX cylinder. And last but not least (for now), what is best method for drilling the caliper mounts on the struts and did it require spot facing to provide a square and plumb surface for the caliper to mount against?

260 will have a points type ignition. Get a new set and a new condensor and a manual on setting points. 99% of the time no spark with points is the condensor. Bad spark or erratic spark is the points themselves.

Centerline makes wheels with the 4 on 4.5 pattern in almost all of their wheels and Weld racing has some as well. The specialize in muscle car type stuff so maybe one of them will have something you like.

And hope it's not the more difficult viscous diff...

I don't blame you for not wanting to give up any more low end. A bigger cam will only bleed off cylinder pressure at lower engine speeds. As speed increases, so does cylinder pressure. That's why power goes up, because cylinder pressure went up. Obviously a direct correlation between the two. If you have too much compression there are two options. 1. reduce static compression. 2. run more $ fuel.

I'm with Ross. With more info I could DEFINITELY be persuaded at $290.

If I were you, I'd start by getting the Cyberdyne (Summit or Nordskog, same thing $29 plus a $20 parts store sensor) Air fuel ratio gauge and installing an o2 sensor. You just can't read plugs in an unleaded motor the same way you can a leaded gas engine. Next, check ignition timing. Make sure your distributor isn't stuck or the balancer slipped etc. Get a dial back light if you don't have one. My 355 with 236/236 @ .05 cam makes TONS of torque and my 3500# car hauls butt. Switching to 3.70 is a 5% increase in torque in any gear and the 3.90 are 10%. The 3.90 and the OD should be perfectly compatible. Most late model camaro guys I know run 4.10 with no problems.

If you look at the ratios, the later ZX is horrible (80-83) with only a 3.0 first gear vs. the 3.5 of the T5. Also, the .82 overdirve isn't as much as the T5s. The 77-79 has a 3.3 first gear, but once again nothing on the T5. Also the availability of aftermarket shifters and if I have to learn to rebuild a trans, I have 3 other T5s. So I don't need extra tools or parts. I think I have a 79 5 speed now but I'm not sure. The first one I bought was but it was junk and the yard swapped for the one I have now. Either way, 3.7 and the t5 should be as good as 4.11 and the earlier 5 speed or at least 3.90 and better highway manners.

Will bolt right up.

Thanks for the info. The 268 street roller you have is tiny. Figure 268 advertised mechanical is only about the size of a 260 hydraulic when you figure lash into the picture. I think the numbers are excellent. I really like my 280 and it makes a TON of low end torque to the extent I have a massive traction problem. The next size up cam from mine is a 286 if I remember correctly and would easilly put you in the 450hp range at about 6800 rpm. I like the comps without split patterns.

The new summit catalog has a 7qt Hamburgers road race pan that is onlly 7" deep for $199. Also has built in scrapers and windage tray. I know a lot of guys have been looking for pans less than 7 3/4" deep.

You should have no troubles bolting up an LT1 to any Chevy pattern bellhousing. Not 'til the LS1 did GM change the bellhousing bolt patterns. You will have to use an LT1 flywheel for obvious reasons. (Balance and crank bolt pattern because of one piece seal.)

I recently purchased a nissan T5 for my 240 and want to run an aftermarket shifter. Preferably one with a bolt on handle so I can change angle/length fairly easily. Any recommendations? Best price?

I think I would stick with the dual plane intake unless you regularly turn more than 5500 rpm. Since Holley regularly changes the names of its intakes I assumed it was the dual plane 300-36 and NOT a single plane. Usually most Holley single planes are the Strip Dominators.

Nobody worked on both a 280ZX and 300ZX turbo 5 speed cars to compare?

Absolutely. I have a buddy with a built 258 in his CJ-7 and he went to the AF meter to try and cure funky carburetion. Turns out the 390 Holley on his jeep needed all sorts of tuning. I have already added one to the list to tune my Del'Lortos when I swap motors next month.

They are getting too much air all of the time at idle I believe. It just acts differently when it is warm, BECAUSE it is warm. You need to see if you can get a tuning book on the SK. I have one for Webers and Del'Lortos but not on the SK. They are similar to Mikunis, correct?