garretthes Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'm wondering if the 5 speed transmission from an 81 Datsun 510 station wagon will fit my daughter's 79 280zx. She lost 5th and 2nd today and I would rather swap than rebuild. Thanksi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Do an S13 swap instead. They are much more plentiful and you should be able to get a low milage one cheaply. There are plenty of threads on the minor mods you need to do for the swap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Help me out a little. What is an S13? I'm only into Nissan/Datsuns a little over a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 240SX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutantZ Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) Or swap the 280zx motor into the 510 wagon! Just kidding. That was my first car. It's amazing how small the front brakes were on that car. It's like they took the rear discs and caliper off of a 200sx and put it up front, literally. edit:Sorry for the threadjack, but had to comment on that wagon. Edited January 31, 2012 by mutantZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 At least tell an interesting story: drifting, speeding, running from the cops... How did she "lose" 5th and 2nd? If she lost a shift fork, the other half should be affected also, 1st and reverse. It might be a simple fix for her broken transmission. The S13/240SX/71C transmission swap requires removal of the front case/bellhousing, some machining, maybe a bearing replacement (depending on how much machining is done), and some measuring and shimming (for the front cover counter-bearing pre-load) to do it right. Minor work to some, maybe not so much for others, plus it can get spendy even if you feel comfortable with what the modifications are. I've wandered the various forums and never seen anyone suggest that 1981 510 wagon transmission will swap to an ZX or vice-versa. What engine does the 510 wagon have? If it's not an L engine, the bolt pattern is probably wrong. Any of the Z or ZX 5 speeds or 4 speeds from late 1971 to 1983 should bolt in, otherwise. There should be one out there somewhere, lots of leftover 4 speeds from people swapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Ya even if the 510 has a 4 cylinder L engine, I'm pretty sure it had a different bolt pattern. Not to mention it will probably not be as strong, since it's designed for a 4 cylinder. The s13 (early 240sx, often called a 180sx) tranny would work, but requires the previously mentioned bell housing swap and machining, in addition to a custom driveshaft. Not what you're looking for. I'd say look for the same tranny, the s130 (280zx) tranny is the "best of the best" of L series tranny's, with the exception of the borg warner t5 that came in 280zx turbo's. These are very very nice, but also require a custom driveshaft, unless you're lucky enough to score a turbo driveshaft with it. That said, these transmissions usually sell for around a grand, and the driveshafts sell for close to half that, so I'd say just try and find a ZX 5 speed. The wider ratio 280z (not zx) early 5 speed is an option too (as are all the 4 speeds), but will be a downgrade from the ZX tranny. Hope this helps. ps- if you scroll down a little ways on this page there is some usefull info: http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Wagon tranny is listed locally on Craigslist. 81 Datsun 510 station wagon with 98k miles. It had a 2.0L Z20 engine. The current tranny was a little hard to shift into reverse when we got it. Then it would slip out of 5th. Now it won't go into 2nd or 5th. I also heard a clunk trying to get into 5th. I'm leaning towards a rebuild. The rebuild kit from Zcar Source ( http://www.zcarsource.com/manual-transmission-rebuild-kit-specify-type-new_8_52709_50147.html ) is $182.00. I don't have a gear puller though so it might be time to buy a new tool. Or do I just need bearings? My Z mechanic told me it was a bolt slipping off the main shaft (I think that's what he said). I'm sorry there is no cool story of running from the cops. This is my daughter's car and we have spent the last 18 months restoring it. It was in pretty bad shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Here is a before after photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I've read of the nut on the mainshaft loosening, causing issues. But that was a problem with the older transmissions, fixed on the newer ones, that you should have in the 79 ZX. There's a full page blown-up diagram of the internals of the transmission in the FSM. Plus a thorough write-up of the disassmbly and rebuilding process. It would be worth reading before you decide. Difficulty going in to reverse is usually a clutch problem. Slipping out of gear, apparently, an insert problem. You should drain the fluid and check the magnet first, to see if the transmission is destroying itself, before buying the rebuild kit. Good luck. If you want to avoid downtime, buy a 4 speed for $50-75 and install it while you mess with the 5 speed. Here's a few of the write-ups that FricFrac mentioned, if you decide to go that route - http://home.comcast.net/~zheimsothtn/transmission.htm http://www.motortopia.com/cars/1973-datsun-240z-11118/car-pictures/240sx-transmission-swap-14041/DSC04293JPG_Thumbnail1.jpg-266482 http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/240sxtransmissioninstall/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 One of my problems is the side plug on the tranny is stripped completely. I tried using a torch but no luck. I might be able to get it off with the tranny removed. I have already browsed through the FSM section. Thanks for the links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutantZ Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I just remembered that the NAP-Z engine that came in the wagon can swap heads with an L engine, but the angle of the NAPZ engine block is different from the L block. The shifter would end up tilted away or towards the driver (NAPZ transmission with a L motor). I can't really remember for sure which direction it was. There's some info here about putting a NAPZ block into a 510. Should be similar. http://www.datsuns.com/Tech/swaps/510/510swaps.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Found a 79 5-speed transmission locally. I asked the guy to check a few things for me because he doesn't know the history of the tranny. Here is what he sent me: I was able to pull the fill and drain plugs. Using a flashlight and rotating the input shaft in several gears, I did not see any damage or excessive wear. There was some small metal shards on the magnetic plug and one small metal piece. I have rotated the input shaft in all gears by hand with no issues. Thanks What do you guys think? He wants $225 Should I just rebuild my 5 speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticky280zx Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I sell good used 5 speeds all day for $150 (actually have 2 right now), I would offer him that and he should take it, they arent made of gold and for that price id rather search more or just rebuild one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I sell good used 5 speeds all day for $150 (actually have 2 right now), I would offer him that and he should take it, they arent made of gold and for that price id rather search more or just rebuild one. Too late now. I talked him down to $200. Installed and running pretty good. Shifts clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Why was there so much debate/conflict in this thread? Nissan transmissions hardly EVER changed much. Nissan did a lot of good work to reuse as much as they could as long as they could. Think about it, we can convert a Z32 trans to a L motor without much serious work involved, why? Because nissan refused to change some of the basic building blocks. MOST A and B series transmissions (which covers nearly ALL of the datsun years in the USA) can be swapped without much fuss. Worse case scenario you're swapping bell housings and/or getting your driveshaft length changed. But you can almost guarantee the input shaft will mate up, and that the distance will mate up correctly when the right bell housing is used and the clutch will work fine when the right throwout bearing is used for a given bell housing... Not that complicated... In the end, I'm glad you got a running replacement working garretthes. So how was the fitment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretthes Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Why was there so much debate/conflict in this thread? Nissan transmissions hardly EVER changed much. Nissan did a lot of good work to reuse as much as they could as long as they could. Think about it, we can convert a Z32 trans to a L motor without much serious work involved, why? Because nissan refused to change some of the basic building blocks. MOST A and B series transmissions (which covers nearly ALL of the datsun years in the USA) can be swapped without much fuss. Worse case scenario you're swapping bell housings and/or getting your driveshaft length changed. But you can almost guarantee the input shaft will mate up, and that the distance will mate up correctly when the right bell housing is used and the clutch will work fine when the right throwout bearing is used for a given bell housing... Not that complicated... In the end, I'm glad you got a running replacement working garretthes. So how was the fitment? Not a problem. The only trouble I had was getting the transmission swapped out. Other than that it was easy. Seriously took me 2 hours taking my time. Not a tough swap at all. A heck of a lot easier than when I swapped my 90 RX7 auto to 5 speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Bit late now, but still: The only major differences between the Z and the L series motors is the deck height, the Z is taller than the L, same L series bolt pattern on the tranny end. Even the Z timing cover will bolt to the L block, an OzDat member used a Z timing cover as part of his KA24E head swap onto a L20B block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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