Mike C

Welcome! Good choice in cars You'll be happy with the '72. The buyers guide say cars built between Jan and April of 72 are the best to get. (Don't remember exactly why) The r200 swap is easier in a 72 since only the mustache bar needs to be changed. Don't drive that little 6 banger TOO much before doing your swap. The little bugger tends to grow on you... Pete's new frame rails are how I intend to reinforce my cars subframe as well. Thought it was an original idea, but obviously not! Usually one of the first pieces of advice anyone offers, and probably the best, is to spend the $35 on the JTR (Jags That Run) book on V8 Datsun swaps. Tons of good info will pay for the book twice. I am on my third 240 and second copy of the book, but have yet to do a V8 swap. I've even bought several swap candidates. (L79 350hp/327 & Muncie, 250hp/350 & TH400 and a TBI 305 & WC 5 speed)I just get enamored with driving the thing and can't stand the thought of taking it apart for who knows how long! Mine is my daily driver. I have two other complete projects to work on...

Check for a bad plug. If it has an internal failure and the spark cannot clear the gap, it can fire into the coil pack. (Easiest path to ground) Other than that not sure.

Pull the valve cover. In between some of the rocker studs. Should be easy to spot unless it is sludged up. The last 3 digits are also cast on the underside of one of the intake ports if the heads are off, but be careful since several heads had the same last 3 digits but different casting numbers.

Glad to have you. I participate in a 67-72 Chevy truck board as well and have been surprised to find a number of European members there as well. I thought only Americans didn't know what a "Datsun" was or wondered why it said 24 ounces on the side...

That's it.

Changing camshafts for engine sound seems counter productive. Expect to lose some power compared to a 110 degree LSA (all else the same) Even with the wider lobe centers (which are usually found on bigger street grinds, ie Crane Energizer 284)it is still going to sound like a V8. If you want to spin it up high, reduce the LSA donw to 106 or so and HANG ON!

There were some floor pan changes on 240s during 72 as well. My early (November) car did not have retractable seat belts or the bumps to clear them, but my later car (January) does.

Same. I bolted my stock 240z driveshaft to the r200 from a 78 280z. If you get it from a 300zx, I know you have to swap to the 280z flange. No experience with 280zx.

I believe the Quaife is a worm (Gleason) type. Reider racing sells limited slips for $450 for the 12mm ring gear r200.

70 and 71 mounts the diff in a different location from the 72-73 240s. You need the front mount from a 72 and up car. On my 72 all I swapped in was just the mustache bar as everything elses is the same.

180 degree headers pair up the cylinders that are 180 degrees apart. You still have two collectors, but some of the pipes for each collector come from both sides of the motor. Common in dirt track modified cars. Plumbing is a pain because half the tubes have to cross over the motor somewhere. The modifieds are tube framed and plastic or sheet metal bodied so have more freedom for pipe routing.

I'm not sure of availability in OZ, but the GM 3800 is a good 6 cylinder and cheap. Nobody wants 6s here so they can be had for a 1/3 of what a V8 brings in a salvage yard. This is basically the Buick GN motor without the turbo. 200 hp in rear drive trim (Firebird/Camaro)

Sounds like the mixture is too lean. Richen the mixture up by a full turn of the knob at the bottom of the carb and see how it responds. Double check your timing as well to make sure it is in spec...

I'm not positive that an early 280 tank won't fit. There are differrent ones. An early tank with full size spare and smaller capacity (75-76?) might work, but the later tank with space saver and raised wooden floor willl not for sure. Anybody tried this or have parts cars to check out?

180 degree headers will give you a different sound. Plumbing them is a nightmare however. I'd love to do this in a V8 Z as it sounds like a pair of hopped up 4 cylinders side by side and would really help add to a sleepers mystique.

Try and stay between 210 and 216 degrees duration at .050 for camshaft on a low compression motor. The Z/28 cams is too much for a motor with less than 10:1 compression, but the 300hp 350 cam would be OK. You'll make more power with an aftermarket grind. Camshaft theory has changed quite a bit since 1970. I like the Crane 266 as an excellent street grind.

The Mitsubishi T04 and T05 should bolt up to the Z manifold as well. I have a ZX turbo manifold and a T04 and they bolt up. Appears to be same pattern/size as the T05 on my friends Typhoon. Mitsubishis have watercooled center sections as well for better durability, but the T04 is smaller than the stock T3.

Chris Alston has an excellent book. Here is a link to web page, on the right hand side, click on How-To. Maybe you can find the book there as well, it's about 10 years old. Alston Chassis Works

I am assuming an r200 has been swapped in already? If not, that is where to start. Do you have a limited slip? If so, is it a 300zx? Datsun Comp? Gleason? (I would guess strength in that order.) If you are still running a single track, wheel spin from the right rear can soon groove the spider shaft, significantly weakening it. Shaft in a limited slip should have significantly less wear. You could have a machine shop make a hardened shaft out of stronger material. This might be real expensive, but shouldn't be too hard to find someone capable of this. A better choice might be a brand new limited slip from Reider Racing. Note that the only ones available now are for the 12mm ring gear bolts if you have an older r200 (81 or earlier)although it is just an assumption that the pin would be stronger, but at least it is new and would have no grooving or reduced clearances.

280zx turbo motor or small block chevy. Maybe 280zx na , 4.11, and nitrous?

I am thinking of using a conventional bellhousing with a T5 in my 'vette. JTR recommends the 83 and up Camaro bellhousing so you can use the hydraulic cluth setup. As stated above, you have to make some sort of wedge shim for the transmount since it becomes rotated once the tranny is straight up and down. You could use an '84-'87 Corvette bellhousing. I have heard that the camaro bellhousing has more clearance with the throwout arm and the trans tunnel, however SpeedRacers experience suggests otherwise. The 'vette bellhousing is more expensive than the camaro and you have to drill the trans ears out for a standard bolt instead of the metrics that attach the T5 to its rotated bellhousing. [ September 21, 2001: Message edited by: Mike C ]

BLKMGK makes some excellent points. The Buicks only have 4 bolts per cylinder and tend to blow head gaskets before breaking pistons. This is not true for the Typhoon/Syclone which have the small blocks 5 bolts per cylinder and they are always breaking pistons. The OEMs can't tolerate the slightly looser tolerances of forged pistons because of emissions on startup as well as noise requirements. For my money I would run the forged pistons. The TRW forgings have a high silicone content and run tighter clearances than some others. I have several sets and have had no troubles with piston slap on startup. As far as heads, spend the absolute maximum you are willing to. You can get the Vortecs new for about $400 a pair and buy an intake. If you go junkyard (Why at $400?)make sure and not get the Vortec 5.0 heads that have smaller combustion chambers. I don't like the reduced intake bolts in the Vortec heads as I know several people who have had leaky intakes. I would run the Dart SR with 2.02 valves as a cheap head, but honestly, for a couple hundred bucks more you could get a set of Trick Flow aluminum heads.

Just pull the drums and turn the little star wheel with a screwdriver. Keep test fitting the drum until it just slips over the pads.

Temporarily block off the power booster take off on the intake as these units seem to leak quite often. From their just check every hose and fitting. A pain, but eventually you'll find it.

In my experience, mushy brakes in the Z can be caused by rear drums that are not correctly adjusted as well.