ISPKI

My big "?" that I have not decided on is the rear differential. The car has an R180 in it right now which will not stand up to the 302. I may leave it in and run it briefly after the swap but I will need to replace it with something a little tougher. I know some R200s would work for it, and then there are R230s, but are there any other options beside those? I have read about swapping an 8.8 into it which I have, but, it seemed to be alot more work and money and I would lose my IRS, plus I dont think a 302 really warrants an 8.8 axle.

Yes, I have an 86 302 mostly apart with the roller cam. I will have to do some research amongst the foxbody/sbf crowd to figure out how it will effect the mountaineer engine's performance. I was afraid that the engine control computer also interfaced with the transmission, although I have converted some vehicles from AT to ST and found that bypassing the neutral lockout was the only hurdle which consisted of jumping a couple wires in the harness.

Hey guys, been a loooong time since I was last on here. I am getting back into my engine swap project for my 77 280z. I sold the engine out of the z this year and picked up pieces for the swap. I am shooting for the following setup 302 EFI, W/C T5, unsure about rear differential I have a W/C T5 already but it has no bellhousing, supposedly low miles I have an 86 mustang GT 302 but I just obtained a free, running and driving 2001 Mercury Mountaineer with a 302 that I am told is the best factory 302 I can get, so I will likely be using that for the donor I do not have a rear differential for the swap, that seems to be the only other BIG item that I am missing. I have the solidwork prints from the Laine swap website and will likely be using those to fabricate my mounts. I will be updating with pictures soon. Is there anything else I will need for the swap that I cannot pull from the Mountaineer? I was hoping I could use it's ECU and electrical system in the Z. I would like to be producing over 200hp/325ft/lbs at the wheels with this setup. I was told that the cam in a mountaineer 302 is actually a truck cam and I could gain a decent HP boost (at the cost of a little torque) by swapping the cam out of my mustang GT 302. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Hey guys, I picked up a ford 5.0 out of an 86 mustang for my engine swap into my 77 280z. I came across an ad for headers and I want to know if they will fit the engine bay. They are bassani equal length shorty headers and they measure 6.675" at their widest point. I was reviewing my schematics but they do not show the width of the 280z engine bay at the strut towers, only at the frame and the strut towers center to center. Anyone know if these things will git?

So I tested the pickup and it seems to be OK, measured 385ohms for resistance. I am at a total loss now, the coil is getting power when it should, the dizzy seems to pass it's tests, everything seems fine, but it wont spark. I decided to hookup a jumper cable to the coil after removing all the wires from it. I positioned the end of the high tension wire over one of the bolt heads on the intake manifold, then connected the jumper cable to the battery and started tapping the negative post, and nothing comes out of the high tension cable. I am wondering if the high tension cable is damaged internally somehow.

I started troubleshooting according to the 1979 280zx book, since I have a 280zx dizzy. I measured resistance on the two connectors from the pickup coil to the IC unit, book says that it should read 400ohms, I get no reading. Will be pulling the pickup coil next.

Hook up a vacuum gauge to the intake manifold as well, mine was behaving similarly and I found that it had a vacuum leak.

Still working on this issue. Starter is functioning again, but no spark. I swapped in another ignition coil and tried manually grounding it but it did not produce a spark.

Can anyone confirm the purpose of the Black/blue stripe wire coming out of the igntion switch in the atlanticz diagram? I believe it is the 12v bypass wire from the transistor ignition system which my car no longer has, so I should be able to remove it.

Just soldered wires to the start button and tested it, works great. Cant upload video for some reason though...

JHM, I do not have that schematic, I was looking at http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/before2.gif It is in color but the pin numbers dont seem to make sense, although they say it is the wiring for a 77 280z. It does match the colors on the back of my switch though. I have a 3 button safety switch panel, just want to run this by you guys who have done this: Wire #14 is the 12v supply from the fuses and needs to be wired to the acc switch, "on" switch, and start button. My question is: Does #10 need to be wired to both acc AND "on"? or can it only be wired to acc switch? Finally: The push button would need #14 wire (12v supply), #15, and #18 correct?

Just got the switches, kind of disappointed in the push button. It locks closed if you press it too far in. not sure if it will continue to trigger the starter though.

Well I started testing ground points and found that the strut tower bolts have no continuity to the engine, which seems odd since the manifold ground is right next to them. I positioned the #1 spark plug to one of the bolts next to the hood latch and cranked the engine over and it sparked! But only a couple of times before I heard a crackling sound and the engine stopped cranking. I checked my fuses and could not find a burned one, but it now only cranks once and then stops...

I tested the Ignition coil. Primary resistance measured 1.3, factory service manual calls for 0.45-0.55. Secondary Resistance measured 11.15, service manual calls for 8.5-12.7. Primary is reading high, not sure why that would cause it to not spark at all though.

Do you mean the high tension wire? I have pulled it multiple times and reinstalled it. It feels as though it locks in tight. To generate a spark off the high tension wire, does it have to be touching a ground or just near a ground?

Thanks for the responses ladies and gents! I ordered a 3 switch panel and an illuminated push button from amazon for ~45$. Will post more when I get them.

I followed the atlanticz guide for swapping the 280zx dizzy, so that eliminated the transistor ICM and the ballast resistor.

Hey guys. Trouble shooting my 77 280z, trying to get it on the road... Heres the deal: The car is somewhat stock. The main mods I have done are: 280zx dizzy with E12-80 IM. Fuses upgraded to new fuses and fuse blocks. I drove this car into my garage to work on the body and oil leaks, helicoil the valve cover bolt holes, oil pan and front timing cover gaskets etc. I now have it all back together (minus body work that still needs to be done) but it will not start. Fuel pump is functioning according the gauge in the rail, but I cannot generate a spark. Checked all my engine grounds and they are all new and clean. Looking at page 32 in the bible, I have tested for spark at the plugs and got nothing, checked spark at coil and get nothing. I attached a wire to the coil "-" post and attempted to manually trigger the coil with the high tension wire sitting next to one of the suspension tower bolts and grounding the wire out on one of the bolts next to it. The jumper wire sparks but the coil wire does nothing. I am also having a hard time finding the "ignition lead wire" in the diagram on page 32 of the bible. Tested Pin 1 for bat voltage with key in "on" position. Result: 12.6v. Anyone have any suggestions for the next step? Just tested for Bat voltage on coil "-" and "+" posts with key in the "on" position. Both posts have 12.6v when key is on.

None of the schematics that I have seen have these two wires, they are not part of the 5 pin switch. They are mounted on the side of the lock cylinder housing with spade connectors close to where the key inserts into the cylinder. I took a look at motorsport Auto's push button kit, not sure what you get for 234$ (That seems very expensive) but they are out of stock.

Hey guys, I have been having alot of issues with my ignition lock cylinder. The original that was in the car when I purchased it was broken, pieces of the tumblers were falling out of it and it did not function. I have replaced it twice now with aftermarket lock cylinders, neither of which actually fit correctly and had to be modified. The last one just failed on me as I am trying to get my car back on the road - cracked right down the middle and fell out of the column. So, I looked at the wiring schematic and decided that I would like to wire up a series of switches to replace the lock cylinder. Something like one of those sold by Jegs with safety toggles and a push button start. My question is this: What are the two wires on the side of the cylinder that have contact when the key is not in the ignition? Also - if anyone has any pro tips, I would love to hear them.

what vehicle do you have wayverippah and do you know what vehicle those boots are for? Matt: I am assuming those are NOS boots? 140$ for the pair is steep. thanks for the link though.

I am working on my steering/suspension components and found that replacement steering rack boots (the rubber boots that cover the inner tie rod joint) are extremely difficult to find. None of my local parts stores stock them. Where do you guys go for these?

I will do that nnewzed. Sledz: I had placed some lucas oil on the cam lobes when i removed the valve cover because I was not sure how long i would have it off. Looks pretty clean still but I will take your suggestion. Do you think I would need assembly lube or would some more lucas oil be ok?

Hey guys. Havent been on in a while since i couldnt work on my 77 280z during winter. I am reinstalling my timing cover and oil pan and need to know if i need to prime the motor with oil before starting it. It has not run for about 5 months but nothing is new except the oil seals. I had removed the oil pan to get at a helicoil that fell down behind the timing cover. I did not remove the oil filter either.

His name is FricFrac. Not sure if he still sells the kits but you should shoot him a message if you plan on replacing the electrical connectors.