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I orginally posted this thread a few weeks ago about driveline angles concerns. After a year and half of hard work... I test drove my 71 327 T56 240Z tonight! It runs smooth as glass! No Vibrations at all in the driveline. Thanks everyone! This site has helped so much watching what others do. And thanks Pete, your web site on driveline mods helped a great deal. What a difference! The car feels like it picked up another 10% HP to the back wheels and it just bolts down the freeway with ease! I will become a paying member soon and posting pictures. Brian

Here everyone I orginally posted this thread. Great seeing all the thoughts and variations on this subject. Well I tweaked my DS set up further. I am now running a parallel 1.8 degree driveshaft angle the vertical plane (side view of car). Not bad. I coudn't tell if it vibrated even less this time, its still runs smooth with no half shafts in the car I might add. As I am way into the DS angle stuff doing testing. It's Cool! In the Horzontal plane ( top view of car looking down) I'm off a known .438 degree with the tail shaft pointing to the pass side of car. Less than one degree. It favors pointing to the pinion shaft. All this works well. I should add I have a very intersting front pinion nose mounting system if any of you would like to see it and you are going through what I did. It "traps" the pinion housing from the top as well as from the bottom. Rigid on the bottom. Poly mounted from the top with stops for lifting under power loads. It's not perfect but should work pretty well as I spread the load out as much as possible. Would really enjoy posting pictures here to show you all... but I am too stupid to figure out how. I'm better with welders and tools. lol. I have done much work all over the car for years and like to show others. So could some one tell me EXACTLY step by step how to post them.??Thanks everyone!

I would think about passing it up. Roller rockers shouldnt make any more noise than the typical stock stamped steel ones. I replaced my stock stamped steel ones in my 71 401 amc javelin with rollers. This is the exact same rocker used in the small block chevy motors. The engine was just as quiet as before or even better. So that tells me something else is making the noise you are hearing..... I'd pass. When buying a used engine knowing its History is everything.

You dont need computers or expensive measuring tools at all. In the horizonal plane, (top view of car), you could just use a tape measure and center the trans tailshaft and the front most engine crankshaft pullley in the car. Go off your frame rails. Typically matching the numbers driver and passenger side. (Example, 9 inches trans tail shaft drivers side, 9 inches front engine pulley drivers side. 8 7/8 inches trans tail shaft passenger side, 8 7/8 inches front engine pulley passenger side. Motor might not be 'perfectly' centered in car and it doesnt have to be. Just parallel. This should get you pretty close. Vertical plane. (looking at the side of the car.) Get an angle finder at the home depot. The round plastic type with the red needle, magentic base about 10 bucks. Cheap. Check your shim jacks to get the angle finder to read as close as you can to zero degrees on your frame rails. Then raise/lower the trans tail shaft and /or rear end pinion to make them paralllel or the same angle. For conversation sake lets say after adjusting they both now read 2 degrees with your frame rails at zero degress. Install your driveshaft and now measure this angle. Lets say that number is 5 degrees. That means your actual driveshaft angle is now 3 degrees to the parallel rear end and trans tail shaft. If it comes out to be more than 3 degrees raise/lower/shim the pinion or rear mustache bar to get it to 3 degrees or less. You could also easily shim up/raise your motor mounts if need be. It might take some screwing around but your roughly 20 inch long driveshaft will run much smoother at high speeds. I hope this helps.

I just finished doing the same thing to my car last week. Yes the vertical plane is easier make parallel. A digital inclinometer works great. In the horizonal plane the rear end pinion is shifted to the passenger side. The closest I could get to perfect parallel due to header clearance I was .43 degree off (less than a half of degree) with the tail shaft pointing to the passenger side. I measured the horizontal plane as follows. 2 plumb bobs on strings. (home depot) One hanging from the crankshaft centerline on front of the motor and one hanging from the trans tailshaft centerline. Then markering the touch off points on the floor I used a lazer level to strike a visable line I could now measure. Three areas of basic measurements. The first crankshaft centerline front of motor between the frame rails. This told me the engine was basically centered left to right in the car. it was within an 1/8 inch The next one was at the rear most part of the car. For example I used the bumper mounting holes, measured between the two, divided in half to find the center of the car itself. With this point now marked on the floor I could see the lazer pointing over to the passenger side an inch or two at the back of the car. Made a mark on the floor showing this point too. Trig these three points and you can find your angle difference. I used a computer drafting program to do the math. After that it was just a matter of moving the tailshaft of the trans more towards the driverside the best I could. Keep in mind there are many different ways to "tweak" these angles. Some might even tell you its an art. I dont know. But I do know that some favor a pinion nose down from parallel to compensate for the pinion rasing under power. I didnt get that luxury being I could get my horizontal plane perfect. So in the same way I tweaked it just as if I lowered the pinion nose down. The driveshaft doesn't know the difference in theroy. In reality I tested finally it with no half shafts in the car, just the r200 and the drviveshaft. I did this to just study the driveshaft vibs alone. IT WORKED!!!!!! The car on level jacks I had the T-56 in 6 gear at like 5000 engine rpms. thats pretty fast.... and it was smooooooooth. It was really (way) bad before. I should mention my driveshaft angle ended up to be no more 1.8 degrees. Yup short driveshafts dont like large driveline angles. This was the hardest part of the whole job getting this low driveshaft angle number. Much fabrication and design was spent lowering and remounting the pinion nose.

Is your fuel pressure staying even through your entire rpm range?? Another way of fuel starvation.

Thanks Neil!

I'd keep it... I have the 327 in my 240Z. With high compression and that short stroke you get a really cool sounding engine!

Ok Neil thanks! Cool. If its the older 10mm unit, can I install an LSD? The rear end is in my 71' 240 V8z. I am sure that was not the original rear end so I dont know what car it came out of. I noticed that MSA sells 4-pinion 45 lbs LSD units for the r200. They have four different versions for the r200. 77-83 r200 Non-Turbo 81-83 r200 Turbo 84-85 r200 Non-Turbo 84-85 r200 Turbo, 86-89 Thats how MSA lists them. Which one would match my r200 rear end? How could I find out? If I actually need to look inside the unit what am I looking for?

How can tell what R200 unit I have? I did pencil rubbings on the top of the rear end housing which has a few casting numbers. To my best knowledge they are 383H...N3100...A...8. Hard to tell the unit in is the car and painted. A 10mm or 12mm??? Could I put LSD in either units?? My gear ratio I would GUESS is around 3.6 to 3.7. I am ok with this ratio. Can I get the stronger 4 pinion gear diff carrier in either the 12mm or 10mm units?

I have the R200 in my 71 240z 327 T56. It's an open diff non posi unit. Are you guys saying hear that if I were to ugrade to a posi unit I would pick up more strength?? Going from a 2 pinion spider gear carrier to a 4 pinion spider carrier?? I dont know much about these rear ends. All I know is that I have worked way to hard on mine getting it to run smooth to go out and wreck it. lol. I see these light independant rear end cars as more road racing cars than drag cars with low ets. With a almost balanced car would a posi unit better my already great cornering? I know a detroit locker type diff is too much lock up for cornering and expensive. Any suggestions?

Cool! Thanks for the info!! Can you give me the pro 5.0 part number you used so I am assured to get the right shifter?

Hey does anyone a know of a good aftermarket short throw shifter for the T-56 six speed manaul tranny? The stock one is not so hot. Sloppy slow shifting, missed shifts between 2nd and 3rd etc. Not good. What I do like about the stock shifter is that I can bolt on my custom length chrome stick and shift knob to the shifter itself. Would like to find a new shifter with this same stock bolt on stick characteristic but in a 'short throw' mechanical action. The T-56 in my 240Z is out of a 97 Camaro. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Air Bubbles:?? How I got rid of mine in my 71 240z 327 was to install another radiator cap right in thermostat housing on the engine, Open the second cap and you can see the thermostat. Morso makes a kit for this and others do too. In short most of these V8 cars have an alum radiator mounted on the borderline of being to low with the radiator fill neck in realtionship the thermostat housing. Could cause an air bubble?? With two radiator caps, and two overfill lines now going to your catch can, you can fill up the motor and keep the upper radiator hose and manifold purged of air much better. Gives you a higher level to add more coolant as well keeping this upper hose now filled too. Every bit helps. CHECK your thermostat all the time. I have had problems with these even brand new. If the car sits for much time not being used they have a tendencey of sticking more but still working just with less precision. You could got to lower temp theromstat. Depends if you are racing or siting in traffic going no where. These V8 z-cars are very specializied. When building one many vital decisions about the car depends what speeds your running. A 170 mph car (maybe) will not idle all day in traffic typically and vice versa. You could solve that problem by updating to a Ferrari... hehe. Low speeds..sounds like to me you need to get MORE AIR over the radiator. The engine has more air on the freeway and yet is making more hoarsepower, which means more heat. So I think your cooling displacement system is good you just need a fan system at low speeds. It's all in the details...... Make sure your radiator doesnt have air leaks between the car body and radiator itself. I use closed cell foam for this. This forces more air through the raditor instead of going around it. ..... ""Cadillac Fan full shroud with trap doors that open at highway speed. fan cools great at idle and highway speed."" .....Your shroud that opens at freeway speed is killing your low speed air flow. Get rid of the trap door thingy. Your new, I would imagine stronger engine in now making more HP ...and heat... than your old one, on the average. Get more air over the radiator... at all times I say. The thermostat should mainly controll the temp not the air flow. An Open shroud with no air leaks or VERY FEW of them also helps a lot. This allows the fan to move the amount of air it was designed to move. And all through the raditor I might add. Sure someone could tell me im wrong somwhere but I dont have any more coolong problems. Good luck and I hope you get it figured out and let us all know. "Remember, Only YOU can stop terrorism."

How do I post pictures on here to show my car when I have a question or to help others?

Hey Pyro, Thanks for the information. I'll check one of those pumps out. I think the Mallory 110 would be enough for my 327. Yes the pumps are not cheap but to get rid of the 'buzz' will make the car much more comfortable.

Hey I need an electric fuel pump that is QUIET when running under full pressure. Does anyone know of a pump that accomplishes this feat???? Does such a thing exist? My 71' 240z is powered by a 327 chev which puts out about 380 HP max. Currently im running the typical "Blue" Holley electric pump which makes a ton of noise. Yes I have rubber mounted it many times, in many ways, trying to reduce the noise. No such luck. This "Blue" pump design is almost 30 years old! With techonlogy so advanced since then I would think there is something better these days. Being my motor is not a high HP application I dont need a purge return line, could almost not run a pressure regulator if I choose but I will anyways of course. The common mistake most people make is to install a pump that way too overkill for the application. Any help would be great! Thanks! "Remember, only YOU can prevent terrorism." [/img]

This site is sweet bythe way! Im new here. I have a sweet 71 240z,viper blue, 327 chev T56 R200 Arinoza Car Billet M-Bar. I have been building this car for years. First test run the drivetrian vibrated. I know very typical.. to a short drive shaft car. So im going though setting up the proper angles of alignment. And as of now I am very close to completing that very underestimated feat. So here is what i have so far....In the vertical plane,(side view of the car.) the trans shaft and pinion shaft angles are paralell within .10 degreee with the driveshat angle running 2.5 to 2.3 degrees. Thanks to Petes Driveshaft mods I found online I have fabbed up a front pinion mount similar to his design. THANKS! I will be supporting the bottom of the pinion housing with the 240z crossmember modified with nylon block which will act like a pillow and trap that housing and aid maintaining geometery though braking and old fashion time and gravity. HERE IS MY QUESTIONS...Alignment in the Horziontal plane I have found more difficult to document. (Looking down from the top of the car.) But from my measuring using plumb bobs hanging from the front of the engine crankshaft and trans tail shaft centers, also then alighning these points with a lazer on the floor. The degree from paralell is .883 to .652. Less than a degree off. Being everything else will be dead nuts on will this variation be ok?? Or will is cause massive vibration. I am willing to live with some as long as its ok and wont cause damage to the realted components. The reason I want to get away with this variation is that my long tube hooker headers will hit on the suspension strut rod if I bring into true paralell. Also exhaust and new crossmember refabrication issues. If I dont have to redo these parts it would be nice. In short...Where can I get away with variations and where cant I? I know the rear pinion angle is not one to mess with. Also what is a good way to measure these angle in the Horzontal plane. A digital angle finder works great in the Vertical plane by the way. Any help from someone who really know about this stuff would be great. Thanks