GAZRNR

In short no. The stock bellhousing on a T56 uses a puller type clutch.

I used a new stock trans mount and the JTR trans cross member. No hammering on the floor pan to make it fit in my 78Z. It is bolted to the floor pan and was an easy fit. I reinforced mine with some 1/4 in steel plates (on top) slightly larger than the cross member.

Thanks to everyone for the input. There are a couple of different ways to go with this that I had not considered. Mike, using your method to secure the gauges have you had any problems with the gauges moving or shifing positions? I was thinking about your method with a small strip of double sided tape to maintain alignment. Rusty

I am installing Auto Meter Phantom series 5 in Speedometer & Tachometer in my 78Z. I removed the stock units and test fit the new units. The fit in the bore is snug but there is nothing for the bezel to secure against. The units can slide all the way thru the bore so the brackets will do no good holding the gauges in place How have others using these gauges solved this problem? Thanks, Rusty

I am using the JTR kit, chevy 350 (5.7) & T56 with the stock bell housing and JTR mods to a T5 slave cylinder. On my 78 I did need to "massage" the tunnel some on the right side and ground down some of the fins on the bellhousing (top & right side). The shifter came up in the rear of stock location, I do not have the car running yet so I cannot tell you if there are any problems with shifter throw and interference with the dashborad. I tried an 81 shifter (when running the Datsun running gear) which was straight and it hit the dash, but the shifter location was in the center of the cutout. Make sure you slot the posts towards the front for the motor mounts, you will need to be able to line up the driveline. It will be lower and closer to the firewall. I used the JTR parts for the hood latch, it's not the prettiest setup but functions properly. My driveshaft is out of a 91 Firebird and I had it cut center to center 19 1/8 long. It fits like a glove. Hope this helps, Rusty

Thanks Jim, The Sherwin-Williams automotive paint people told me that the paint ALL primer, base & clear cure togther to create that tough as nails (hard) finish. Is waiting 6 days to spray base & clear going to affect the paints ability to bond on to the primer?

looks great - I need to do the same thing on my 78 because of the aftermarket speedo & tach. What size LED's did you go with...they look like 5/16? Thanks, Rusty

If possible, why not paint the engine bay the same color as the body of the car? This is how it came from the factory and will give the car a more finished look and less of a "worked on" look. IMO It was a lot of work but I painted my engine bay the same color as I will paint the exterior.

A question for the professional painters. I am painting my car in at home in a "home made booth" that does a pretty decent job keeping the dirt & debris out. Last fall I preped the engine bay, used etching primer on the bare spots, 2 coats acylic primer-surfacer and then the base & clear coats per the direction from Sherwin-Williams. The finished job came out much better than expected given it was my 1st effort at spraying automotive paint. After spraying the primer, letting it dry, then wet sanding, cleaning up the work area & car to be ready to spray base & clear all in a 24-36 hour period took all the fun out of the process. For discussion, can I prime the car this weekend, wet sand it over the following 5 days, then come back on the following weekend with the area prepard to spray base & clear and have the paints work together properly or will to much curing have occured on the primer? The primer will be on the car 6-7 days before base & clear will be applied. I have the material data sheets for the products I am using but maximum number of hours/days between primer & base is not stated. Thanks, Rusty

Before you spend any money on a flywheel you need tio verify that your engine is balanced externally or internally. Then order the flywheel for your application.

1979-1981

I did the auto to 5 speed in my 78. There was a spot in my pedal box for the clutch pedal so I went to a salvage yard and got the full brake & clutch pedals, springs & clips. You will need the master/slave & tubing to plumb the clutch. Also, flywheel & clutch. The same mounts fit and even the driveshaft can be used. Your rear end ratio will determine which trans you should go with. I started out with a 78 5 speed but the syncro's were worn..lack of fluid changes! Went to a 81 NA 5 speed and the car was a slug with the 3.54 gear. Installed the 3.90 and the car was very nice to drive.

I had a similar issue on my FI 78Z & had an experienced Z mechanic look at my car for some advice. He clalled it a lean pop and cleaned it up with an adjustment to air flow meter. With a carb you may want to richen it up a bit by backing out the idle adjustment jets on the front of the carb a 1/4 turn each and see it it goes away.

I looked into that before I went with a carberated application. The motor & electronics were designed for a marine application. I have read a number of posts on various boards about the RAMJET 350 and everyone had issues with black exhaust smoke...running rich on & just off idle. There are a couple places you can send the ecu unit out to be worked on but the lack of being able to reprogram with a laptop or other hand held device & the responses from automotive users turned me off on this application.

Terry, I removed all the relays under the fusible links. Replaced the links with a fuse block. Using the datsun service maunal, which is not as much help as you might think (my ability to read the diagrams) and the JTR manual for getting the engine bay wired. I am using a fuel pump realy kit, oil pressure switch to fuel pump. The addition of an MSD AL6 box and MSD distributor adds to the process but not all that much. I have not yet finished fitting the harness. I saved the removed relays knowing that A/C wiring will be a challenge at some point. Once It get it figured out and working I will post my results and include what color wire I ran to each item. Rusty

I am wiring up my 78 now for a V8 and working thru what to use and what to snip. I removed the transister ignition and all the relays behind the fusable link mount. I also removed the fusable links and will use a fuse block in their place. So far I can't believe how many wires are factory spliced into the stock harness. There is a pile of wires when you skinny the harness down to what you will use. I am using a fuel pump oil pressure switch per JTR. The use of a painless wiring fuel pump 30 amp relay kit and MSD box alter the configuration slightly from the diagram in the book.

I'm using a RAM clutch kit & centerforce flywheel which is good for up to 400 hp. I would talk to a rep at centerforce and see what he recommends, that way you get someting you can live with.

It's nice to have some options when doing this upgrade and some quality vendors to work with. I went with the JSK hats & hardare, Wilwood NDL calipers & street pads, Wilwood 32 vane curved 1.25 rotors, Wilwood proportioning valve, got my custom SS caliper lines & hard lines for the proportion valve and fittings from Orme Brothers. Also installed the 81 ZX master cylinder. One of the main reasons I went with this setup is that I could purchase the parts as my wallet permitted. If I had the cash on hand I would have purchased a complete kit with everything in one box, this would take all the guess work out sourcing the parts.

Your budget is reasonable for a nice safe mild-moderate V8 conversion. It's short if you want an all out radical ride. I started with clean staight 78Z, so far all the work has been done by me and no "special tools" purchased are included in my figures: $1500 in suspension parts, $1300 brake upgrades, $1500 tires & wheels, $400 guages, $2600 for the T56 and all the parts to make it fit & work, $400 MSD box & dist, & $5300 for crate motor short block and all new parts, brackets, bolts, cooling system, fuel delivery system & plumbing parts, SS hoses and other un-thought of but needed parts for a clean conversion including the full JTR kit and manual. No exhaust on tha car yet so I figure another $500 for a good custom bend job. I could have done this build for less and my original budget was $6-$8K, and an 18 month window for the build. I figure that by the time I have it all debugged & tuned with a good working a/c unit and a paint job done my me the conversion will have taken almost 4 years and close to $16K. The old saying of double your time and double your money is valid. You can buy a V8 conversion for a whole lot less than the cost of doing it yourself if you don't have the time or desire to go through the process. I enjoyed the build process...most of the time. Hope this perspective helps.

In short NO, you cannot your your T5 clutch or flywheel. The T56 uses a completely different type of clutch, a puller type. When you press the clutch, the fork pulls the tension off the pressure plate. When you see your flywheel & clutch side by side with the T5 setup you will understand how very different it is. I used a Tilton 7/8 clutch master cyl and did the T5 slave cylinder mod & installation per JTR, but would use the adaptor recommended if I was doing the swap again.

I completely rebuilt the front & rear suspension of my 78 Z. All new hard parts, bushings, struts, springs, tires & all. The car had a terrible shake at highway crusing speeds, had the rims checked for true, made sure the wheels were not over tightened, did the tire swap, had the tires rebalanced a couple of times and got the tire dealer to warranty 2 then the other 2 tires and no relief. Then started to play around with cold tire air pressure. Found that 26 in the front and 30 in the rear gave me a smooth ride up past 100 with no shakes and the car became fun to drive. You may want to try adjusting tires pressures only after a good alignment and proper tire balance & rotation. This worked for me...good luck!

Well done! Did you modify, by-pass or eliminate the stock proportioning valve in your system? Did you upgrade to a 79-81 ZX master cylinder? Have you had a chance to try the car on the road with your new brakes? The reason I ask is that I too recently completed a rear disc conversion, installed a ZX master cylinder but not yet solved the propotioning valve plumbing problem. The inverted flare union to mate the 2 male 10M X 1.0 lines for the front brakes was not a problem but I have not been able to find the 10M X 1.0 female inverted flare to a 1/8 27NPT fittings for the wilwood bias valve. I'm looking at having some custom lines made if I cannot locate the fittings.

I'm also in the process on my rear disc conversion. Teflon tape nor locktite is going on the fittings, I have never used any of that on a brake system. There is sufficent clamping force and the connections should not leak or come loose if everything is as it should be. The swaping of sides on the emergency brake cables works like a charm. I had to cut 3/4 in off the spacer for the sway bar link and get a shorter bolt so that there would be no interference with the calipers ability to move as needed, other than that the kit from Ross is well thought out and is simple R&R. The challenge now is removing the stock proportioning valve and plumbing the wilwood adjustable bias valve. Does anyone know where to get a set of fittings that are male 1/8 27NPT and female inverted flare 10M X1.0? I'd post a pic but have not figured out how to do it...yet. Rusty

When I did my JTR kit installation I slotted the mount towards the fire wall because it looks that way in the book, but found that there was no way to get the GM HEI dist in. Also the motor was right up against the firewall and trans was cocked towards the right rear tire. Pulled the motor and slotted about a 1/4 towards the radiator. Got the motor lined up but still had a problem with the stock HEI fit so I went with an MSD dist and had no fitment issues. I could have ground an arc in the hood latch to get the GM HEI in but I already had it mounted & painted. Hope this helps Rusty

You don't need a C clamp to pull the fork loose. The fork will stay attached to the bell housing after you disengage it from the throw out bearing collar. You will know when you have it disengaged as you will be able to pull it part way out into where the slave cylinder attaches. Make sure you have the slave cylinder spacer out and then just pull the fork loose with your hand. It will not be super tight and you will feel the click. Once you feel the click the trans should come apart as any other trans. Be ready as the T56 is heavy!