hjc74260Z

I'm running the 19X26 Griffin Aluminum with 1" tubes and a Flexalite Black Magic fan (~2600CFM). 355 SBC, 11:1 CR, Performer RPM heads, Comp XE286H cam, 2.25" dual exh, stock body. I run a 180 degree thermostat and the temp gauge hardly ever moves beyond 187 degrees. It did climb to 195 one time last summer in Atlanta gridlock after 2hrs at 95 degrees outside temp. I've been running it like that (daily driver) for three years. The aluminum radiator holds up very well under daily driving.

I used a Keisler t-56 with an included adapter plate that bolted directly to my 1970-style bellhousing. I used a standard 168 tooth flywheel and an 11 inch clutch with a Howe hydraulic throwout bearing (approx $150 at Summit). It has worked very well for 2 1/2 years. Be sure you use the roller pilot bearing. Tremec has a part number for the T-56 with the adapter plate installed.

I'd like one too. Tried to get one made locally this week and they reversed the splay. Thanks, Hubert

Standard transmission sells them too. I just bought a Keisler t-56 with the adapter installed on it and it bolted right up to my old style bell housing. It has the same adapter plate. http://www.standardtransmission.com/BW_T-56.html

I just bought the 1386-000-011 transmission from Keisler for roughly $2300 including the special pilot bearing. It sounds like the same box you bought. Mine should be here in three to four weeks. Got tired of running 4000 rpm on the highway with the Muncie. Have you installed it yet? Are you using the reverse lockout? Any tunnel mods? I also have the small bumper early 260.

Howe makes a pretty good hydraulic throwout bearing that costs less than $150 at Summit. I've had one in my car for two years with no issues. It is truly a daily driver. Currently running a Muncie 4-speed (70ish 355 LT-1) but bought a t56 today from Keisler.

Does anyone have the dimensions for the strut spacer that goes between the strut mount insulator and the top spring perch on the rear struts for an early '74 260Z? I replaced my springs with Tokicos about nine years ago and just realized that the reason the rear fender lip sits about 0.75" lower than the front fender lip could be that I forgot to put them back. I plan to make some replacements, since I appear to have misplaced the originals. I'm guessing it is a donut. All I need are the inner and outer diameters. Thanks, Hubert

I'm pretty sure I just saw them on Autopartswarehouse.com while ordering a new differential mount (keep breaking them). I think they sell individual Tokico adjustables for $130 each.

I'm running the dual input/output delta flow big block Flowmaster on my Z with a 2.25" dual exhaust and crossover. It is supposedly the quietest Flowmaster. It sounds nice but is very loud. There is a particularly loud resonant node at 3000 RPM. All the neighbors know when I start the car and several cops have asked what engine the car is running. The muffler case resonates a lot and the noise is very tiresome when the window is down. I'm running a 4-speed and 3.55 rear, which doesn't help. Cop bait is something you probably don't need in one of these cars. I'll probably change over to something quieter unless I get talked out of it. I would not buy another chambered exhaust. 355 CI, 10.65:1 CR, Edelbrock performer RPM heads, 650 DP, Comp XE 286 Cam, Mallory Unilite Dist.

I did get it figured out. I just got my car on the road last weekend and everything appears to work. The heavy gauge white wire originally ran from the positive terminal on the starter to the shunt where it hooked up to a red/white wire. I cut the plug at the shunt, ran the white wire to the output terminal on the GM alternator and the other end to the starter. I ran the cut end of the red/white wire to the positive terminal at the starter. The positive lead from the battery also naturally connects to the positive terminal at the starter. The starter terminal gets a little crowded, but I simply envision it as a bus bar that enables you to connect battery power to other critical circuitry in the car. The red/white wire formerly connected to the shunt provides power to the fuse block. It works and is pretty simple, though I have to admit that I was puckered up pretty tight when I first connected the battery. The car is pretty awsome, though it runs out of gears pretty quickly. I'm running a Muncie four speed, 'cause I had it on the shelf.

I'm getting close on mine as well. I took the red/white wire from the alternator and hooked it to the hot terminal on the starter so that it gets battery voltage. It supplies power to the fuse box, after passing through a fusible link. I hooked the other end of the heavy gauge white wire (that connects to the starter) to the alternator. The circuit as described has the alternator and fuse panel connected directly to the battery through the hot post on the starter solenoid. I spent a lot of time on the wiring diagram for the car and this makes the most sense to me. I have not fully completed the installation yet and so have not put the battery back in. I pretty well gutted the electrical harness from the engine compartment. The early 74 260 had lots of relays and crap related to the infamous seatbelt interlock system. I also removed the shunt, voltage regulator, EGR relays, ignition relays and a pile of wire that was at least a foot deep.

Thanks BlueOvalZ (nice car, by the way). The differential offset explains the transmission mount offset at 1". The axes of the respective shafts can be different as long as they're nearly parallel. My concern is that the engine/transmission axis is not parallel to the diff. I double checked to ensure that the engine mount spacers are correctly installed (2.25" on driver side, 1.25" at passenger side). I can't see where I may have screwed that up. I guess I will need to modify the tunnel at the firewall so that the bellhousing clears. I'm using a unilite distributor and it is within about 0.5" of the firewall so the engine is well back and this may be why I have interference at the bellhousing. Time for the 4# hammer.

I searched this topic and came up dry. I have an early 70s LT-1 350, factory bellhousing and four speed Muncie mounted in my '74 260Z. I'm using all the JTR mounting hardware. The bell housing is right up against the passenger side of the tunnel near the firewall. I measured the engine offset at the front crank pulley ( to frame rails) and it looks to be 1.5" to the passenger side. The JTR manual indicates that it should be 0.75" and that the original offset was 0.75". It does not say if the offsets add. My question is, should it be 1.5" or 0.75"? Also, what is the ideal measurement for the transmission output shaft relative to the tunnel in the horizontal plane? I measured the Datsun transmission before pulling the engine and the output shaft it appeared to be centered in the tunnel. The JTR transmission mount is offset by 1" to the passenger side, not 0.75" or 1.5". Won't the engine/trans centerline be at an angle to the centerline of the car and presumably the differential. Thanks

Boy, isnt that the truth. I will need to be careful. Thanks for the links to the schematics. I got frustrated with the ones in the Datsun manual so I had reprographics in our engineering department blow them up 400%. I now have them covering an entire wall in the garage. Chasing down circuits is now a great deal easier. Dropped the motor and trans (Muncie) in for a trial fit tonight. I got the mounts from JTR and it looks like a factory fit. Still need to beat on the tunnel to clear the shift linkage. I may actually get this beast on the road by the fall.

Thanks for the reply guys. I got ambitious and removed the voltage regulator, shunt, interlock and transistor ignition wiring from the car. It is a lot of wires and relays etc. I'll also replace the ammeter with a volt meter - that's why I took the shunt out. I measured the resistance across the shunt where the fat white/red wire and the fat white wire (connected to positive starter terminal) used to plug in and found the resistance to be zero ohms. That tells me that they should probably be connected together. The white/red wire that connects to the alternator output would then be connected to the positive terminal at the starter through the fat white wire. The white/red wire also supplies power to the fuse block (after passing through the fusible link and the ignition switch). I'm using an internally regulated GM alternator ('73 camaro). I have not put the engine in the car yet as I wanted to get the wiring sorted out first but I guess I'll go with my gut and thow it in. Hopefully the fire won't fly.

I searched but came up empty on this one. I removed all of the "extra" (interlock, transistor Ign., voltage regulator, etc) wiring and components from my early 260Z and am wondering what to do with the end of the fat white wire that went into the shunt. One end hooks to the starter and then to the fusible link. Where should the other end go? My guess is that I could hook it up to the white-red wire at the alternator. I am using an internally regulated GM alternator. JTR does not seem to cover this.

I'd break the engine in before considering a tear down. You should definitely get some baffled valve covers though. There is so much oil flying around inside the valve covers that it is bound to get sucked into the PCV. That is why OEMs use them. Ring blow-by just increases the flow rate through the PVC and will aggravate the situation. I had some baffle-less M/T covers on my 350 and it sucked a lot of oil on a fresh rebuild. It did not improve until I finally installed a set of aluminum Z/28 covers with baffles.

Thanks for your responses. I bought a Howe model 82870 from Summit for $149.00. The only way to find a listing for this part at Summit is to do a google search. You can't get to the listing by going through their menus. I already had the Howe 7/8" cylinder so I now have every part needed to complete the swap except the drive shaft. I'll wait until the new engine and transmission are in before getting that made.

I plan to use a 1970 LT-1 with a Muncie 4 speed for my '74 260Z. I have everything but the throwout bearing. Is there an alternative to the McLeod hydraulic throwout bearing? They are awfully expensive on the McLeod web site. Those of you using a McLeod bearing - Where did you buy it and what did it cost? I know, I know - I should be using a 5-speed but the car will only be driven once or twice a month and then primarily on back roads. I got very close to buying a TKO but figured I could finish the car for the $2000 I would have spent on the tranny and had a good Muncie laying on the shelf. I did several searches on the site and came up empty.

There are a lot of different torque ratings for the same transmission all over the web. The TTC (Tremec) web site lists the 3550 at 375 ft-lb, the TKO at 425 ft-lb and the TKOII at 475 ft-lb. The TCET 2057 is not listed on the Tremec web site but is described as a TKO by several other sites. One claims a 525 ft-lb torque rating, which sounds a little optimistic to me for a TKO. I currently drive the Z-car once or twice a month to work and ocasionally to run around town. I take the kids to school in the morning so I usually end up driving the Expedition (kiddie hauler) or the Honda to work. I'd like to check out the track session one of these days. I'll probably wait until the Z is finished. Mostly I'll be burning up the back roads between Greenville and Spartanburg. I'll go looking for trouble on I-85 occasionally. I got seriously blown into the weeds by an RSX-R last year and it hasn't been the same driving the Z since. The six has no torque. This little mod should even things up and put the grin back on my face. I have literally been scrounging up parts for years and I'm getting very close. Thanks for the drive shaft info. It will save some time. Hubert

John, I thought it was too good to be true. The price is accurate and the following link http://www.mcleodind.com/catalog_htm/PAGE4.HTM from the Mcleod web site describes the TCET 2057 as a 425 ft-lb rated 3550 TKO. It apparently bolts directly to an older style bell housing and uses a stock clutch. There is one on Ebay for the same price...but no warrantee. It does not come with the yoke at that price. I'll get one with the driveshaft. H

Thanks for the information John. I'm a little surprised there are so few dealers for the GM version of this transmission. The price must be a little too high compared to a T-5. http://www.carshopinc.com has the GM version for $1659.55. I'll probably order it tomorrow. Tried to order one from the McCleod web site this evening but their site doesn't work too well. What bell housing did you use? Did you fabricate the driveshaft? How long does it need to be? Thanks, HC

Finally finished the motor (350-4 bolt, L2304 pistons, edelbrock Performer RPM 64 cc heads, 10.65:1 CR, Comp XE 284 cam) and getting ready to start the swap. Those of you using the Tremec TKO 5 speed. How do you like it? Does it fit in the drive tunnel? Does the shifter line up in the original location (assuming JTR engine mounting location)? Where are the best prices? I plan to use the TCET 2507 which bolts to the standard Chevy bell housing. Any advice would be appreciated?