jaime240z

That looks pretty sweet. I dunno if I want to pay that much though. I guess I'm looking for the low-tech way. Bungee cord here I come!

Any ideas on mounting an Optima battery into hte stock location on a 240z? The Optima is alot shorter than the old one. I noticed jeg's sell a billet mount but it's over $100.

If they do have them at tire-rack, then you should be able to get them from your local America's Tire Co. Their prices are pretty good compared to mail order and you don't have to pay shipping!

OK. I think I've figured it out. I got the starter and solenoid tested and they seem to be in good condition. The guy at the auto parts store recommended checking the ignition switch. Not the lock cylinder but the actual switch behind the lock. I guess the switch got very hot when the battery opened and caused the switch to fail. I got a new switch today but ran out of time to make sure that was the exact cause. I'll keep the progress posted!

Oh yeah, one more thing. I installed new battery wires. I installed the new ones exactly as the old ones had been for years. The pos. is going to the starter solenoid. The neg. is going to a bolt on the transmission housing. My questions: Where did Datsun intend for the neg. battery cable to ground to? Should there be an engine ground strap? Location?

oh yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's a '72 240Z with a L24 About it not starting: Before I bought the new battery it would barely try to turn over. But the starter did engage and the engine turned VERY S-L-O-W. After installing the new battery: I made sure it had a full charge. The guy behind the counter assured me that optima batteries all had full charges when new. With the new battery the engine doesn't turn at all. I hear a clicking noise coming from the engine bay. I think this is the starter soleniod? But. the engine doesn't turn at all. I did hook up a volt meter and the bateery and starter have a full 12.5 volts. All the lights and instruments have power but no starter.....

Please help me. After work today my battery was dead. I replaced the alt. about 4-5 months ago. On the wat to work, I had the heater/def., stereo, and wipers on full blast as well as the headlights and fog lights so I figured that's probably what caused it. I got a jump start and drove home (approx. 30 miles). By the time I got home my battery should've been fully charged, right? WRONG! It was dead once I turned the engine off. I opened the hood to inspect the charging system. The battery was starting to seperate where one of the posts met the plastic. Acid was starting to spill out at this point so I disconnected the terminals and let everything cool down. I figured the battery was the problem so I went down and bought an optima battery to replace my damaged one.I get it installed and turn the key. IT STILL WON'T START! WTF! The battery has a full charge but my car won't even crank at all. Does anyone know what this might be? My guess is either the starter or starter soleniod. Is there any way to verify this before I start pulling them off the car? Please help! Thanks! Jaime

Thanks TempeZ. I just got done with the swap. I guess the R-200 mustache bar does go "outside" of the control arm links. Everything bolted up nice including the mounts for the rear sway bar. It's a pretty tight fit, but it works. I took the Z out for a test-run and everything seems good. The only question I have is about the diff. front brace. I had to "modify" my original to work with the R-200. I am wondering if I need the bar out of a Z that came with an R-200. Well it works for now so I'm happy.

Well the R-200 swap is almost complete. Thank you to everyone who has guided me with answers. All that I have left to do is fasten the front mount brace and tie in the drive shaft. It seems the front diff. brace needs to be modified in order to work with the R-200. Or maybe I need to get a different one altogether. Does anyone know for sure? I can make my old one work until I can find the correct one if I need to. I'm slowly inching toward the V8 swap. I can't wait! Jaime

Ok. So I've got the R-180 OUT. And I'm getting ready to put the R-200 IN. I notice that the R-180's mustache bar was mounted "inside" of the rear bar that ties the control arms together. The R-200's mustache bar seems to need to be mounted "outside" the rear bar, closer to the fuel tank. Is that how it is supposed to be mounted? Also, mounted in that position, will I still be able to re-mount my S/T rear sway bar? I just want to get some feedback before I go crawling under that thing again? Thanks. Jaime

That's the one that hold the rear cover in place, right? 8 bolts in a circle?

Does anyone know the factory recommended torque specs for the rear cover on an R-200????? Can't find it in Chilton's or Hayne's Manuals!!!!

Well I'm already here so I'm throwing in my 2 cents. If you're planning on doing the V8 swap, I would recommend the early 240Z's. They're lighter and smog exempt. That's pretty important here in CA. not sure about Tex. As far as price goes I've heard many people feel the 240's are more expensive than the 260's and 280's but I've seen 240's in decent shape go for a good price. I got mine for $500 running, very little rust, and running good. I would keep an eye on this site's buy,sell forum for a good project car since it seems most everyone here has good knowledge on the Z-cars. Good Luck Jaime

OK. Thanks!

Do I need to put sealant on a new cover gasket for R-200? I just want to be sure I've got this right before I bolt it up!

Thanks Mike. My car is a 5/72. It already had the diff in the set back position so I guess that might make it the "later" type. I've got the diff. and the mustache bar and luckily the poly bushings I bought for the R-180 look like they're going to work with the R-200. Sweet! I'm going to try to do the swap this weekend!

AAHHH.... Found a diff. with very little trouble. Thanks to Eric at ZParts I've got a solid R-200 with 3:54's I got the diff., the mustache bar, and the correct flanges and for Datsun and SBC applications. Do I need any other parts before I start the swap. My goal is to have the least amount of "down time" on the Z. I think I can re-use the front diff. support and rear crossmember. (ties the two control arms together in the rear), but I'm not sure. BTW: My car is a '72 and the donor was a'76. Thanks

Thanks for the info, Scott. I did check out Pete's site (again). I've realized that the wiring harness I have doesn't really translate to the steps Pete described. I probably should have done some research before buying parts (again). Anyone else wired these up ....?

DAMN! That's just one more test I would have FAILED! DAMN! Damn! Damn!

Michael, check with ross c. on the spec's and I also think that info is on his web-site: modern-motorsports.com BTW I've received great service from Ross and highly recommend his company. My adapters are on order now> I can't wait! Jaime.

Here's my story. I put the H-4 conv. headlights in the Z-car. And of course now I need to upgrade the wiring harness so that I don't fry the switch right? Well I'm no expert on this so I went out and bought a "plug-and play" harness from APC. Well to make along story short, their instructions SUCK! Is anyone familiar with this product (jeg's part no. 034-509102)? Just for reference the kit includes: 2 30A realys which seem to need to be wired to the batt. 2 Leads to each headlamp And a harness that has three wires on it: Black (ground I'm sure) Red (12v power?) White (swith signal?) I dunno Hopefully someone can help me with this. I'm not sure how to wire this into the Datsun system? What about high beams?

Cool. Thanks for all the help! I just wanted to be totally clear before I go tearing stuff down at the bone yards The hunt begins this weekend!

OK. I just want to make sure I got this right. I need a 75-78 R-200 AND I need to get a pinion flange off of an 81-83 R-200 in order to get it to bolt onto the JTR adapter.??

Thanks, Jeronimo! Ok just one more question. I did search under R-200 and neapco and adapter flange but I'm still a little unsure about this. Let's say I do find an R-200 and it's a 3.54 AND whattya know the adapter does bolt on! (yeah right, my luck just doesn't work that way). This would mean the diff. is out of an est. '79ish-'85ish Z-car? Also, would this diff also bolt in to the '72 Z? Thanks for all the help!

OK Maybe I need to ask a different question: I have the JTR flange adapter with the 2.25" pilot and I want to run an R-200 with 3.54 gears. What year/model diff. do I need for this? I've heard 75-78 R-200's will bolt in to '72 Z's with the mustache bar? Are these the only years or do I have to mix and match diff. with pilot flanges?