Guest firebern Posted December 10, 2000 Share Posted December 10, 2000 Hi everybody , looks like I am goig to join the Ford Club. I just bougth a complete 88 mustang with 5 speed manual transmission and 5.0 HO engine for 500$. It runs smooth... The owner put a new clutch one year ago and a new alternator. Next step putting it into my 78 280Z, I have done a totally stupid website with some pictures of it. take a look: www.geocities.com/BERN_ON_YAHOO Anyways, I am really happy cause I will be able to rip off the ECU, wire harness, driveshaft, probably fuel pump and radiator on top of the engine and tranny. It is a lot cheaper then buying everything separate and a lot less hassles. I will put the engine in the datsun as soon as I am finish reinforcing the front frame. Till then, cheers! Fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted December 11, 2000 Share Posted December 11, 2000 Unless it has an aftermarket aluminum driveshaft from SVO don't use that shaft - have one built. You'd have to have it modified anyway and I can tell you from experience that these driveshafts aren't too hot. They have a metal tube inside them with vulcanized rubber on each end - as time goes on the rubber wears out and the pipe inside starts rolling around. Severe vibration and weird sounds ensue shortly afterwards - not cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 11, 2000 Share Posted December 11, 2000 Great, thanks for the advice. I'll take note of every tip I can get. There not too expensive anyways, somewhere around 300$US(500CAN$) I was told lately. How much did yours cost? By the way to put the mustang ECU in place of the Datsun's, is it straigth forward? Can I keep my Datsun ignition or do I have to replace everything? Up to now, I am about sure I can manage to keep this, no? Thanks, Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted December 11, 2000 Share Posted December 11, 2000 Hey Fire, did I see this right? Are your plates from Quebec? If so where? I'm from Montreal originally. ------------------ http://members.tripod.com/~SnowSurfer/mikekz1.html [This message has been edited by Mike kZ (edited December 11, 2000).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted December 12, 2000 Share Posted December 12, 2000 I'm not sure how difficult the swap will be. I'd make my first step getting the wiring diagrams for both the Ford and the Datsun and go from there. Mating the two harnesses could prove challenging - I don't know. Ford and others DO sell swap harnesses but that would raise your cost and you DO already have a nice donor car The engine harness unplugs fairly easily, not sure about the rest. I'd suggest taking pics before you pull things apart and labeling everything. Use th eziplock baggies for freezer stuff that let you write on them and lable all bolts etc. that you pull off. Weeks or months from now you'll be glad you did this last step - trust me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 12, 2000 Share Posted December 12, 2000 Hey, Somebody from Montreal, great! I love that city. I am from Hull, Quebec in the Outaouais region. Super, un quebecois, je suis de Hull en outaouais. Es-tu toujours a Montreal? As-tu un Datsun avec un Ford? Do U still live in Montreal? And do you own a Datsun with a Ford engine? Anyways for this bag and tag thing I will definitly keep this in mind. As for the adapter, how much would they cost, are you talking about the Ford Performance harness they are selling for hot rods? I was talkig to a friend lately and we were trying ti figure it out. If I get thid rigth the ECU cojntrols the injection and collects data from the sensors. I am thinking one side has all the wires for those and then the other side should be one 12v, two grounds, an ignition signal and some other stuff but I willl study this closely. I will get myself a Haynes manual for that 88 mustang. I already have that datsun book. By the way, I strangely find my 79-83 280ZX Haynes manual better for the electronics in my 78. Seems the 70-78 240-280Z only talks about carburators in detail, and the EFI is covered in a short way. Anybody notice this? I guess I was ucky to find this donor car, but I have been looking for a good opportunity for a month and a half. I had the money ready. Do you own a Z Ford with EFI? And what did you do for the engine mounts? I am planning to have them built at a machine shop, If I need those. Do you like my Z? If you have picture of yours tell me where I can see them, I love looking at other Zs. Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 12, 2000 Share Posted December 12, 2000 Hey mike I just saw your Z, sorry i asked you if you had one. I was so excited that I didn`t realize there was you url address. Excellent paint job, nice engine I love those Edelbrock covers. This seems to be a mean machine are you planning to race it? It is a great idea to put those traction bars, do they help a lot? To later, Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted December 12, 2000 Share Posted December 12, 2000 Hey Fire, So your from Hull eh? I love the Ottawa area. Sorry but my french is not that great, that's why I left Montreal 10 years ago. I now live in Georgia! Thanks for the comments, those are not traction bars, if you notice that's a 12 bolt chevy rear end, and suspension.Are you going to the convention in Kingston? Close for you! I and a few people on the board are going to try to make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 12, 2000 Share Posted December 12, 2000 I'll definitely be there to show off my all new redesigned Z, cause a Ford engine is not the only mod I am making. This car is going to be plenty of show and go. I bougth car and hot rod magazines, I have look at all the Z cars on the web, I have studied the mechanical layout of the I6 Zs from 70-83. A real wacko, nobody could talk to me for at least 4 months. I don't know if you read before, but the reason why I'm putting a V8 is that I cracked my SB, driving this machine up to 140mph. I love the way this car handles. I thougth my car was powerful, but one day driving down 200kmh, I passed a 80's mustang, the guy followed me and looked at my car. Then vroum passed me, I never got a chance. I don't know if you ever went on the 50 between Ottawa and buckingham, but this thing is straigth for like 50 km. There's even a section going downhill where you can pick up some extra speed(for example a K car will be max. at 140, this hill will make it go 160 or so). Anyways, next year I'll get those mustangs and I'll be laughing(I am just doing this for fun, don't think that I have this jerk attitude). At a set of ligths I'll get them going and then VROOOMM!!! they'll never believe this. Georgia looks pretty cool, I am planning to go down to texas or Arizona next Summer. I cannot stand winter anymore. Snow is good for snowboarding but I'd rather live in a warm desertic area and take a trip to Colorado once in a while. (I have a nice K2 Ginsu with clickers) So, what is the biggest Z car show in all America? Cause I am planning to show up with my Z. Later, Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted December 13, 2000 Share Posted December 13, 2000 I guess the Z car Convention is the largest, but it moves around every year. This past summer it was held at Las Vegas, next year (2001) it will be at Kingston Ont. How are you planning to move to the States? Do you have family here? If not you won't get a green card unless it's a work transfer. If you do have family and they petition you, it will take at least 6 months to go through the red tape! Good Luck! ------------------ http://members.tripod.com/~SnowSurfer/mikekz1.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 18, 2000 Share Posted December 18, 2000 I was looking at the design of that 88 Mustang, I was amazed of how strong the frame was built. It's just too bad it doesn't have the three link independant suspension, that car could really be a bomb! Anyways too bad, I need that 5.0 in my Z. I have dismantled my EFI harness and comp on my Z. I am just waiting to get the engine out. Up to now, everything has been pretty straigth forward. The next issues will be: 1) mustangs have an in tank fuel pump, I don't know if the amperage and voltage match the datsun's pump? Maybe I'll get those holley fuel pumps. Those anybody know if I can use my standard datsun fuel pump wires. 2)Will my Z AC fit? I know this draws some HP but I have it and I saw that they don't sell for a lot(I saw a complete used system go for 50$!). It would be stupid of me to get rid of it, considering they are very, very expensive new(600$). 3)Getting a new driveshaft. I am planning to tow the car to the shop for them to measure the driveshaft's length. I don't want to order the wrong drive length. Anybody did this? 4)I want to put a strut bar. I think a triangular shaped one, just like they used in the mustangs should be a lot better than a simple bar from the left to rigth, no? Anybody have some other insigth on this conversion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 18, 2000 Share Posted December 18, 2000 Hey, another Canadian! Yes, I thougth they were going to be stronger. But i don't know where I would put it on the firewal with minimal mod. I am really worried about rust: Welding and drilling holes... There is no risk in doing it your way. I thougth of having that bar done too. Did you find SS washers to make those ends or did you make them. I wanted to find the rigth washer and then weld this bar on it. Maybe it's less trouble just to buy one, a friend of mine told me he got his for 150$CAN in Montreal, it's a similar design as yours and chromed. I'll go down this christmas and see if this is the rigth price. Anyways, you have a pretty cool car. I was thinking of taking the front and rear bumper out, but i wasn't sure about the results. Your rear picture is very dark, did you cover the bumper holes at the back? Later, Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 Fuel pump... Use the stock wire with a relay. Run a hot wire of decent guage from the battery (fused!!) to the relay and use the stock wires to turn on the relay. Mustangs sometimes have trouble with the pumps not getting enough juice, I'd be surprised if the Z didn't also have some troubles. Take the load off the stock wiring with a relay, this will also give you the chance to put a killtheft switch on the fuel pump wiring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 Hey Fireburn. You should fill out your profile so we can know where you are from too. As for the firewall to strut tower brace, I'd suggest welding. The beauty of doing this is that if you remove the windshield cowling you can get at the back side of the panel you are welding to, and make sure your paint didn't bubble off. There should be no problems with rust if you go over it all after and make sure you have a quality paint covering it. The brace I built was fun. Its all 316 stainless steel, which isn't the nicest looking (304 shines up better) but the 316 was what we had at work because its extremely corrosion resistant. Anyway, how I made mine: The attachments were made of 1/8" SS plate, with an inner and outer circle cut using a hole saw. (drill for outer, did the inner one using a lathe) I then built up the tabs to attach the bar to, and drilled holes in them, and welded them on to the rings I made. The bar itself is 2 pieces of 1/2" SS tubing, bent to match each other, then TIG welded together in 1/2" long spots along the length. The ends that the bolts go through are another piece of 1/2" tubing, turned 90 degrees to the bar, and welded on. (Quite a tricky weld, thin walled tubing... I believe I used about 7amps to TIG weld it, and mig wire for filler... you welders types will know how extremely low that is) Then just some 316SS bolts and I was done! When I put this on the car felt AWESOME. I could totally feel the difference right away... mostly because of the rust elsewhere. The car has since been parted out, because it was really bad. (I didn't know how bad until I started pulling it apart) As far as bumpers go, I like the idea of having a front bumper that is painted the same colour as the car, and no rear bumper. (the bumper holes should be covered IMHO, and the indents on the rear quarters) ------------------ "Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire, Gimme that which I desire" -Metallica Drax240z 1972 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html http://members.home.net/drax77/newpage.html [This message has been edited by Drax240z (edited December 18, 2000).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 Triangulating the strut towers with the firewall as your are suggesting is definately more rigid than just tying the two towers together. I would suggest you don't overlook the rear strut towers for bracing, hatchback cars tend to have a lot of flex in their rear strut towers. ------------------ "Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire, Gimme that which I desire" -Metallica Drax240z 1972 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html http://members.home.net/drax77/newpage.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 For my 5.0 Z I used the stock datsun fuel pump wiring. I clipped from the datsun harness and attached it to the fuel pump relay that was part of the ford wiring harness. The computer controls the pump. For a pump, I used the MSD inline EFI fuel pump. The MSD pump is inexpensive (109.00), fairly quiet, flows 43 gph @ 39psi, and has been reliable(The car has been my daily driver for 6 months.) Good Luck, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firebern Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 Great I got the info I needed for the pump and strut bar. Is the driveshaft of the Mustang too short to reach the R200 cause I was thinking of getting somebody to make an adapter? Yes I am trying to get my 5.0Z on a budget. I do this so I won't get carried away with the aftermarket stuff. i often get carried away and buy all the top of the line parts and realize at the end of a project that I probably spent too much . Performance pumps, alternators, pulleys, belts, etc... can't be added anytime, 200$ here, 100$ there on the long run it's more fun, I'll always have something to do on the weekend. The most important thing is to get that 5.0Z up and runnning for Summer time. I can't wait to here the sound of this engine. VVVRrrrrroouuuummm!(we should ask the webmaster to make some kind of design for this, like some fire and then smoke) Ok, I'll fill up the info on myself. Yesterday, I took the drive shaft off and I am trying to get the tranny out now. It is stock up there. I read the manual and realize I was doing the wrong way. I'll go back tonigth. (Every nigth, I try to do a little more.) Why did you take your car apart? You have access to the tools to rebuild it. I had to put some new frame rails. Mine were rusted out. Take this tip, rubber coating is the worst rust proofing you can get. After 2 or 3 years, you don't see it but the rubber cracks, the water gets in and bang! your entire car starts to fall apart. I was lucky enough to get two SS rails of 1m30 approximately. I took some pictures but there wasn't enough ligth to really see them.I'll had them to my site today. I used rivets to install them, and self tapping screws in some parts. I couldn't find a tig welder nor somebody that could have handled it. But the job looks great and the car is very solid now. There's a rivet at every two inch all around the rail. This is a great way to fix things. Rivets are very solid. ANyways, I don't want to ear if this is not a good way . I spent a month on these and I don't really care. They are installed and that's it! If I die then let it be by my own mistake. Allrigth, thanks everybody, Fire. I'll put the pictures of my work on my site, take a look. http://geocities.com/bern_on_yahoo/ (It's crapy now but i'll do make something nicer later when I am down with the 5.0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 I'm quite sure I could have fixed my car, i feel I have the skills, and I have the tools, etc. The point was, it was so bad, that in the end it was going to be smarter to cut my losses, buy another car, and part out this one. So I ended up with a 98% rust free car from someone on this site, (thanks drewz) parted out my old one, broke even on the whole affair financially by selling parts... and ended up saving myself a whole lot of labour. To give you an idea of how bad the last car was... frame rails bent, holes in both of them, attachments points to the floor were like swiss cheese, and bent badly. Floors were 75% GONE, and had some metal lying over the holes then carpet over that. Sill rails were rusted and split down the length. Basically the only way to make that car strong again was to start with sill rails, and move my way forward. (we're talking major major hours there) Looking back, I may have done it anyway, but I'm probably better off now with a good solid base. ------------------ "Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire, Gimme that which I desire" -Metallica Drax240z 1972 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html http://members.home.net/drax77/newpage.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted December 20, 2000 Share Posted December 20, 2000 Drax, you've described my car, just about. PLUS the hiding rust in the inner rockers, the holes in the tool box area of the floor, swiss cheese in alot of places. ALOT of fabrication, cutting, welding, grinding. Wished I'd spent those years of my life doing something else! P.S. See my "Stupid Moves" page on my site. ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted December 20, 2000 Share Posted December 20, 2000 Nice to see anothe Canadian in the ranks of this great site. Any help U need should be easily come by on this site. I have a modded 260 and as earlier mentioned by Drax have been lucky in finding a few rust free(mostly) 240's. I hope to be able to find everyone in Kingston in 2001. I am going to get a hat or shirt made with the sites logo on it. Good luck in your endeavor. Everyone have a great Xmas and New Year. Have on for me ,not too many though!!!!!!! ------------------ The only stupid question is one you wanted to ask but never did!!! Drewz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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