Blue

Drive-train In !!! ( some pics with my phone and some with my laptop ,,, apologies in advance for variations ) All in and Mounted !!! Tell me this is not ,,, Cool Looking !!! Gauges you see on the left in this picture ,,, work when I hook up my "test harness" from the 1975 Chevy Pickup . I am very happy I took the time to pull all the wiring from that donor pickup !

Getting Ready To Drop in Engine ! At this point , I realized I still needed to change out the Differential from a R-180 to an R-200 (3.54). So I took the R-200 Mustache Bar I had laying around , and drilled out the old rubber bushings. I then cleaned the loops/hoops with a wire wheel on a drill. Next , I installed the upper poly bushings with lube (correct lube) . I then gave differential a quick blast of black paint , and installed the mustache bar on the Differential. I then put it on a jack with the cross-member attached to the differential , and jacked it up in position. I proceeded to bolt the cross-member in , and then lightly pushed in bottom R-200 Mustache bar bushings. Next , tightening down the bolts sucked the bushings up ,and the it all fit nicely ! here's a pic of the differential ( no current pics of Mustache bar ,,, I will have to get some ) This is the part where I do the "Engine Hoist" dance lol ( swing Engine Hoist 180 degrees around the engine that is sitting on blocks/ jack stands ) In this picture I then flopped over the battery cables/wires , and made sure nothing will catch when dropping in the engine ! Picture is getting ready to position engine/trans to be able to be craned in ,,, I really can't remember why I needed this much angle ?,,, haha ! Hard to see this one , and it is from the passenger side ,,, lowering engine in ,,, apologies for the darkness !

Next , I had to look at a Clutch system. Originally this was a mechanical clutch operated system I decided to convert ( or attempt to ) the Datsun 240z hydraulic clutch system. I had to cut off quite a bit of the original SBC clutch throw-out arm. This was done to bring the pivot point closer towards the bell-housing. Hopefully compensating for the shorter stroke of the Datsun slave cylinder ( I know I should be using a larger slave and master ) I then attached a 240z slave cylinder as best as I could. The brackets are following bell-housing lines for strength , and the bolt is shanked/fitted properly. I hope it works ! lol ( no big problem if not , because of the other proven options are out there just more money. I had to build the cylinder as tight as I could. This was due to the firewall , and transmission-tunnel clearances. Arc Welder Booger welds:rolleyes: ,,, ))) The angle of the slave cylinder adjustable push-rod is off just a little bit. If this hybrid clutch system works , then I will correct this "angle". In addition , I have reinforced this bracket since this picture has been taken. If this does not work , then in goes an internal hydraulic throwout slave cylinder. You can see how tight the flat-bar steel is formed to the bell-housing "ears". It is also bolted down on both bell-housing bolts. Also reinforced the rear bracing from the transmission lower ears/bolts .,,,( which is not shown in this picture )

Another Shot of the wiring Harness Loom ,,, Heater Core Bypass specifically orange hose Looking 1.25 inches to the left of the base neck of the distributor. There is a "Black" vacuum hose sticking straight up. This is actually an insulated oil pressure hard tapped gallery line (5/16" wrench). It is is fed directly to the mechanical oil pressure gauge ( located in gauge cluster ) from factory ! (in case someone was wondering , it's important to know for future gauge hook-ups) A better picture of oil pressure-hard-line-to-mechanical gauge (visible fitting) 4-wire Internally Regulated 65amp I believe ? ( I will have to look that up again ) GM Alternator ( Not a "One Wire") . This shouldn't be very hard to wire in. I just have to compute a proper gauge between the conversion , and the GM Alternator Specs. Wiring will come last ! JTR to the rescue Engine negative battery cable grounded to the alternator bracket (top left) from factory ! Factory GM what I believe to be a "junction block ". One side of this block has a Resistor for the H.E.I ? This junction block was mounted to the firewall on the donor 1975 Chevy pickup. The resistor is originally mounted to the firewall as well. ( looks like 3 springs on a block of fire-resistant and non-metallic material ) The resistor is not pictured , and I will have to update this. Motor view from the back ,and transmission attached ! Wooo-hooooo Transmission = GM Saginaw 4-speed (Cast Iron Case , and 3-ring input). Physically picking up this transmission , it feels like approximately 100lbs. It definitely feels lighter than a TH-350 ! Another angle of the 4-speed Saginaw transmission. Saginaw transmission side cover (External Shifting Linkage rods/shifter not currently attached) 3rd-4th gear = Lever on the left 1st-2nd gear = Lever in the middle Reverse = Square Lever on the right

I forgot to mention , that all welds are done with ARC Welder. They look like crap , but they hold !!! ( except for the internal frame rail structural tubing 1/2" crap ,,, that was done with my MIG before it broke ) It was easier for me to stick with the factory H.E.I. Also the plug wires were angled plug wires. Proved beneficial over the straight plug wires on points type distributors. Pictured below is the larger base H.E.I Distributor. This next picture is a look at some wiring at the starter. Positive battery cable , and wiring harness share the same 9/16" nut lug stud. The Starter "Excite" (or signal) wire is to the right of these. It retains it's own 5/16" nut. I will be building a heat shield , and possibly purchasing a gear-reduction starter. Obviously the heat issue will be a threat. Mechanical fuel pump is up next. I had 1/4" of an inch clearance between the fuel pump body , and the top edge of the passenger side motor mount tip. I ended up buzzing off the top of the existing passenger side motor mount since this picture. It was actually a success down in car with a steady hand . The lower radiator hose from the 1975 Chevy truck ,,, will interfere with the sway bar as well as steering rack. I will use it to fire up/test the car , and then attend to proper fitting radiator hose(s) later on when the car is licensed/driven. I ran down to my local "Ace Hardware" , and grabbed four Grade-8 bolts for the water pump pulley. I was certain I would not be able to run a mechanical fan , so I grabbed these in-case I ever wanted/needed to run an electric fan. I have sourced a "High Volume" dual-speed model fan since this picture has been taken. It as cheap so I am very happy ! The Big Orange Hose "looped" at the front of the engine is a bypass to the heater core. I did this as I am sure the current heater core is rotten in the car. This bypass will allow me to run/test the engine swap without another worry. Various wires/cables are strung up over , and ready to drop in engine this way. Obviously this will allow me a faster wiring/accessory hook-up once the engine is slid in ! This "Electrical Plug" (picture)is originally meant to plug straight into a "Fuse-block" in the firewall on a 1975 Chevy 4x4 3/4 ton pickup. Well , I have all of this wiring needed to start/test/run the engine. This is the "end" of the engine harness , and it plugs into the "beginning" of the cab harness (Fuse-block area at firewall on Chevy Truck). It is nice to have this set-up , and I can start/run/stop the 240z outside the car. Picture of Drivers side head , and looking straight down just to the right of the first exhaust tube is the "Temperature Sensor/Sender". I point this out as I will possibly be running new wiring to it through a loom later on. I also had to "notch" The header on this side (just a touch !) This was done , because the sender was interfering with the header flange. All is well now ! Another angle of Temp Sensor/Sender location view. This looks like garbage ,,, but I assure you ,,,, it's reinforced pretty dang good I just love the look of headers !! This particular SBC , has the engine harness wiring loom bolted to the back of the engine. This is achieved via the bell-housing bolts/connectors. This shouldn't cause clearance issues when setting back the motor. I worry that vibration , and motor-rock could potentially rub on something. I say this also since the brake lines are right there as well ! I choose to leave the loom bolted to the engine bell-housing when I set the engine in. This proved to be a close call ! (To be continued),,,,

My 71 240z Build Thread ,,, ---- :Car Back Story : --- This 1971 240z Car was originally white from what can be seen. The Door Jambs , Hinges , Under-body , Rear Hatch Paint all show evidence of this !!! Below are the cars spec's to begin with. This 71 240z was to have had low miles( less than 200,000 probably realistically ). Below is a list of the engine/car specs to begin with when transferred to my hands ! Engine: ---- L24 Head: ---- E31 Carburetors : - Dual Webber Downdraft 32/26 DGV's (Manual Chokes) Ignition: ----- Standard Points Transmission: --- 4-spd Rear Diff: --- R-180 Open (3:36 gears) Suspension: --- Stock ! ( All stock it appears to be ,,, ) Interior : ---Was thrashed ,,, ripped out sort of ,,, some plastic broken ,,, center console was ripped out ,,, center heater control bezel was broken ,,, dash cracked ( always typical of these obviously ) ,,, seats were thrashed ,,, carpet not that good as well ,,, ,,, Exterior: --- The paint was not good ,,, cracked all the way through and coming off ,,, the rear drivers quarter was pushed in ,,, below the marker ,,, so this indeed needed body work as well ,,, Body/Sheetmetal: --- Overall was in very good shape !!! a few minor spots of rust (picky) ,,, but nearly all of them have it ! NOTE : ---> There was concern that the engine possibly overheated at some point. This was was during the previous owners possession. This car did not start when I had bought it. Car did not start when I first got it. I went and bought some basic ignition parts after finding no spark. I purchased new points as well as a condenser were installed. After that I found a new accelerator pump as well as a float were needed , and so I purchased/installed them as well. After intially replacing these parts , it was able to start/run !. A surprise came my way , as the freeze plugs were apparently rotted out. The block almost started crying anti-freeze within seconds after initial start ! I stopped the engine immediately , and drained the coolant to prevent a large mess. I had many negative attempts on replacing the core/freeze-plugs while engine remained in the car. So, Out the motor came after not being able to get "rotten" core/freeze plugs out successfully. Once the motor was out , I decided to re-seal it with fresh gaskets all around. In addition I had the E-31 cylinder head pressure checked , and surfaced checked at the same time. The head checked out good all around. I then installed new bearings , piston rings , and a complete timing set. This was in addition at this point , and it seemed like a logical choice. I was thrilled to have the engine back together. I was planning to put it straight back into the 240z. After serious thought , I decided to do a SBC V8 swap. I really did not wish to have two L-series z-cars , as I like diversity ! I did Not realistically having the funds to afford an RB25det or a 2JZ-GTE for the $2,000 price range ( give or take ) . I opted to use what I had for a motor swap ! Which in my possession is a SBC from a 75 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4. The features of this SBC were a ,4-bolt main , 9:1 compression , mild cam , headers , HEI Ignition , and better breathing cylinder heads ! Here are some initial pictures of this 1971 project 240z ! Body primed over ,,, paint was ,,, bad ,,,, out of rain and in dry storage thank goodness !!! Rear drivers lower quarter panel a bit mangled , but during previous owners possession. I had taken off the Fenders for the V8 conversion ! ( So I do not destroy the body during ) A shot of the empty engine bay after pulling the L24. My SBC swap method required the wiring looms , and brake line hold downs to be ground off the frame rail's. This was in order to be able to "line"(fit) some 2.5x2.5" angle iron pieces onto the frame rails. The frame rails were cleared of wiring/brake-lines/obstructions. Next frame rails were lined with the Angle Iron. In addition the angle iron was drilled with 1/2" hole. This was done straight through the frame and tension control arm bracket. The angle iron was then removed , and 1/2" I.D structural tubing was inserted into the frame as well as MIG welded. The angle iron was re-installed , and bolted down at this point. Looking at the passenger side area cleared of fuel , brake , and electrical tie downs/wires. This was in order to be able to mount the angle iron properly. Passenger's side view again. Both angle iron pieces were C-clamped carefully before being drilled. Later on these will be bolted to the front cross-member. This view is sitting down in engine bay , and looking straight Trans tunnel. Hole on the drivers side is cut out for the External Linkage 4-spd Saginaw Manual Transmission. Drivers side view I then went to find a method to level the engine fairly easily while tacking together engine mounts. I made a "Engine Lift Plate" ( also purchase from Harbor-Freight). The rear the loop , allows an almost completely level engine option. The front loop allows enough "tilt" to pull and install the engine/transmission. In addition , I made the plate wider at two points to allow a magnetic "level" to be stuck on top of the plate to check making sure the engine was level !. Obviously this is critical when making/testing ---> motor-mounts/trans-mount/etc,,, From the beginning I knew I wished to have an engine cradle , and a quick disconnect system. Here are a few pictures of an "Engine Cradle" that wraps tightly under the oil pan. The engine cradle also connects both engine mount plates. These mounting plates ultimately connected to two R-180 Mustache Bar Loops that have been cut off the Mustache bar ends. When the engine is lowered in , they will sit on top of the angle iron pieces for mounting. ( more on that later ) I ultimately lowered the engine in. I then blocked it , and leveled it as best I could. I also used a transmission jack to level the transmission tail/angle. I then checked tail-shaft and pinion angles. Next , I block the sides of the engine with wooden blocks , and a cherry pick supporting the weight on the rear lift plate loop !. Next , I tack welded my engine mount loops/cradle together ! This is a picture of my 350 engine set in after tack welding the mounts together( full weight supported ). One must note the distributor is not installed. The distributor was pulled out in this picture. Engine was set back to within 1/2" inch of firewall (distributor as measurement obviously per JTR specification !) Next, I then purchased some "Block Hugger" Headers ,,, that fit very tightly and snugly around the block/heads/oilpan . The ultimate reason for purchasing these headers was to clear the steering arm with room to spare ! Which it did with great success. Thank you JTR ! Here are the motor-mount ends complete. The 90-degree angled thick washers ends that are bolted THROUGH the R-200 Bushings ,,, SIT on the angle iron that is mounted in the engine bay on both frame rails . This makes the motor-mount adjustable if desired (with shims before and after the bushing) . I will add additional gusseting to the end brackets bolted through the Mustache Bar Bushing if need be ,,, Drivers Side (Longer ,,, since engine off set to passenger's side) I had run this engine on my engine test stand ! . I acquired an engine test stand with poor wheels , and poor motor mounts. Next step was wiring this beast test stand. I pulled all of the cab/engine harness wiring out of a1975 Chevy 4x4 Pickup. I also pulled out as well as used the Radiator , Engine Mounts ( all metal ) , and Engine Mount Cross Member. I proceeded to mount them all to the test stand !. The test stand itself is made from 2.5" round tubing , and pieces of sheet-metal as well as steel plating. I made a plate that attaches to the bell-housing , and this help stabilize the engine during operation. Next , I tack welded a quick radiator mount to the front hoop on the engine test stand ! The entire wiring harness I strapped to a wooden board , and I was able to start/stop/test this engine from outside of a car ! Here's some pictures of it ! Then After testing the engine , I found I had a bad valve seal , and a bad accelerator pump. Everything else checked out ok. The engine operated smoothly , and the oil Pressure was very high ! The Compression was healthy as well ! At this point , I had decided it was ok to go into the car. After this , I then proceeded to attach the correct clutch/flywheel. I had not attached the "clutch" because I did not wish to put back in a burnt disc. During mock-up I left the clutch out. Finding out the hard-way that a car-clutch was used in Van SBC's , rather than Truck Clutches. I needed to use a 10.5" clutch , and not the 11" clutch lol.I proceeded to switch the Bell-housing , Flywheel , Pressure Plate , Clutch Disc , and Starter. After the swap , the Saginaw slipped right in !