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B&M Mega-Shifter 80690 (I think. It was a few years ago.) Pretty easy install, using some flat plate for mounting surface in the stock shifter mounting location. Had to do some minor trimming on the center console and the shifter base. I like the ratchet action and reverse lockout, and it's compatible with 3- and 4-speed autos.

Congratulations on your first Z. What month was it produced? The spec plate on the inside of the door jam will provide that info. Yours does appear to be an early 260, just based on the turn signal arrangement, like rturbo said. Many, if not all, late '74 260s came with an R180 (including mine, which was produced Sep 1974). I'm pretty sure that even early 280s often came with an R180, so I would not assume that you have an R200 just based on the production date.

Interested to see how this one turns out -- good luck with it.

Sehr gut!

B&M Mega-Shifter on my 200-4R. For non-OEM, B&M seems to be an industry standard for auto shifters....very beefy construction and easily adapted to wide variety of applications. A lot of people do away with the center console completely, but it's certainly not necessary. Sorry I don't have a better picture.

Welding schmelding.....glue will hold your seats just fine! Nice looking seats there -- lots of adjustability for comfort and support. Thx for sharing! P.S. Just curious....what do they weigh?

Might not be a good assumption that the lights were working correctly previously. Did a PO do the RB swap? If so, they could (and probably did) change a whole bunch of crap that you'll be finding over the next several years (speaking from experience, of course). Electrically, these 40 year old cars can kind of be a nightmare, especially ones that have been highly modified. Probably start with the light switch stalk itself. Pull it and check for correct functionality....it may be jacked up internally, causing full-time "On" condition. Since this is your first Z, check out free FSM downloads for all years S30 at: http://www.xenons30.com/ Good luck.

Nothing there that won't buff right out!

Saw this on CL today and had to share, for anyone out there that might be looking for a nice 260. And it can be yours for the low, low price of $4000. Enjoy the pics. http://eastnc.craigslist.org/cto/4973138661.html

Ditto what RebekahsZ and JohnC said. I use a '92 G20 conversion van I picked up for less than $3K. It's long and heavy for towing; it's got a 350 with a 700-R4 for semi-decent mileage; and it's decked out inside for weekend camping at the track. I also use my 3rd gen 4Runner for occasional day trips to the track, but would never use it for trips with a lot of elevation changes. The auxiliary trans cooler (for auto) is pretty much a must. And contrary to what you may hear from some folks, it's better to run it inline with the side- or bottom-tank trans cooler integral with most modern OEM radiators. The coolant on the cold side of the radiator is typically 30-40 degrees cooler than your engine temp, and contributes significantly to cooling the trans fluid. It also assists in getting the trans fluid up to correct operating temperature after a cold start. Always route your trans cooling lines so that the fluid is being pushed up (against gravity) whenever possible....that will ensure maximum cooling effect from your cooler(s).

Does your seat have a specific hole/slot in the butt plate for the A-S strap? If so, that should keep the strap in place and prevent slipping without the need for other tabs, true? Attached is pic of my Corbeau which should illustrate the slot in the butt plate to which I'm referring.

I thought all the Z/ZX R200s were 29-spline, regardless of whether the diff was LSD or open. You can source used stub axles and half-shafts from another 280 which originally came with an R200; or you can convert to CV shafts; or you can buy new OEM R200 stub axles from Wolf Creek Racing for $200 (which is a pretty nice price IMHO). Hope this helps. http://www.wolfcreekracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=31

For what it's worth, when I had a TH350 in my car, I had the kickdown cable connected to the carb linkage on the lower mounting point (where your throttle return spring is currently hooked to.) If you decide to use this mounting point, you can actually rehook your return spring(s) to the kickdown cable if you want. Attached is an old pic of my engine bay, and if you zoom the photo, you can see how the cable is hooked up. Hope this helps...

Another option for mounting the 5th strap is a horizontal bar integral to your seat brackets....either round bar or flat bar will work, as long as it's sturdy stuff, and positioned as John recommended. Also make sure that the surface is smooth, so as not to chafe and wear your harness strap prematurely.

After selecting an appropriate connection point on the carb linkage, the kickdown cable can be adjusted to your individual driving style and performance needs.

Many aftermarket side mirrors require access to the guts of the door for assembly/disassembly....yours would appear to fall into this group. After removing all the hardware on the inside of your door (door lock knob, door-pull handles, window crank, etc), the entire interior door panel should pop off the metal door frame....be careful popping the little plastic pop rivets as they can be reused many times if treated carefully. Once that panel is off, you should have clear and unobstructed view of, and access to, your mirror mounting points. Hope this helps -- good luck with it.

Sweet! Looking forward to updates as this project progresses. (Here's a little inspiration, for what it's worth. My roadster 280, in the mid-1990s. That's Pikes Peak in the background.)

I recently put the white faces on my gauges and really like the new look and improved visibility. I used a flo orange nail polish on the needles, and removed the green bulb covers in the gauge casings to get more light on the gauge faces. This should help even if you are switching to LED bulbs. An alternative to removing the tach and speedo needles is the following: punch a small hole in the center of the white overlay before removing the paper backing, then feed the gauge needle through the center hole while positioning the overlay on the gauge face. Worked like a charm. Good luck with it and enjoy your freshened up gauges.

"Serious buyers only, please"....I guess that's to keep away the hordes of Z fans that would want to see this thing in person.

Nice seats! (They look nice and light, as well.) Please share how the install goes....thx.

Learn something new every day.....thx, NewZed!

Cool....I was wondering where the heck to get info on Levitra! Thank god for spammers.

There's one or two guys on here that have done that swap. "Search" is your best friend. We have an entire sub-forum dedicated to SBC swaps -- it is chock full of extremely detailed threads from guys that have painstakingly documented their project builds. You will not find a better forum anywhere for V8 Z cars -- welcome to HBZ.

OBX makes an LSD for the R200, but not the R180. If you decide to go with a Subaru R180, you'll need different stub axles. Some guys have fabbed their own; and they are available off the shelf from Wolf Creek Racing. Another option you might consider is an LSD R160, from either a Subaru or older Datsun (like a 510). Very easy, and usually cheap, swap; which uses the 510 stub axles. I think a few guys here are using a 160, and many of the 510 guys use the 160 with a lot of success....and many of them are putting out way more than your HP goals. Search on it and you might find it's a good option for your application. There's a bunch of info on this in the FAQs and the Drivetrain sub-forum. Search and you should be able to find everything you need. Good luck with it and be sure to post your results when you're done.

Hello, and welcome to HybridZ. Sounds like a great project, but you will get better results if you post your thread in this sub-forum (for Ford V8 swaps): http://forums.hybridz.org/forum/15-ford-v8z-tech-board/ You are currently posted in the Gen 1 & II Chevy sub-forum. Good luck with your build and keep the updates coming!