Guest Anonymous Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Yesterday I took full advantage of the 50% off sale at Pick-n-Pull. My buddy and I grabbed a 5 speed tranny and 3.90 diff with half-shafts from a 1983 280ZX non turbo. I've read Bryan Little's web page on making the swap into my 1977 280 (4 speed) but couldn't find any info on whether or not my drive shaft will work. Do I need anything else to swap the tranny and diff into my car? Has anyone else done this swap before? Is there a noticeable performance increase? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 You should already have an R200 in your car, so the new one will drop right in. In my experience, the 5 speed slips right in as well, but the shifters are different. They are not interchangeable either. My first one I bent the handle to the right shape, but it was too short. The second one I cut the 5 speed shifter right above the pivot and welded a 4 speed handle to it. If you could get a factory 77-78 5 speed shifter, that would be the drop in ticket. As far as performance, especially off the line, it just depends on what first gear you have in the 5 speed how performance will be affected. The best Nissan 5 speed is the 78-79 with the 2.9 first gear (NISMO trannys excluded and the T5). More than likely, the 4 speed and 3.54 will have better off the line performance than the 5 speed 3.90 setup, but overdrive rocks! Once again, depending on the overdrive in your 5 speed, your results may vary as to how much reduction, if any you'll have compared to the 3.54 4 speed setup. IMO, the T5 has the best ratios of the more "common" trannys. I have my eyes open for one for my car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 Thanks for the information. I've noticed that the shifter on the new 5 speed has a slight curve in it. Is that normal? Does every 81-83 5 speed shifter have a slight offset angle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted January 6, 2002 Share Posted January 6, 2002 The ones I have seen did. But like I said, the 4 speed shifter has a BIG bend and the same offset towardds the driver. The length of the shifter BELOW the pivot (inside the trans) is different for the 4 speed. I put my 4 speed shifter in my 5 speed originally, and it would not engage 5th gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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