Miles Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 After 8 weeks of work and help from hybrid Z we now have our 72 240Z on the ground and running. The major components include: 82 Camaro radiator with Flex-A-Lite 150 fan, 74 sbc 350 w/performance cam, MSA block hugger headers, MSA motor & trans mounts, Holly 4bbl carb, Ford F150 clutch master, Camaro clutch slave, 89 Camaro World Class T5 trans, and 78 280Z R200 differential, 91 Acura seats. Cost to date is about $4000.00 including the cost of the car and all of the above. We still have suspension and brake upgrades to do, but I think this puts us over the hump. Note the MSA mounts were very easy to install. The MSA trans mount allowed very easy leveling of the trans which is phased almost perfectly with the differential. They are within about 3 degrees. The hardest part was the R100/R200 changeout and the mustache bar. Road tested the car with open headers and it was second best feeling in life. Thanks for all of your help along the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 I would really like to see some pics of the mounts and the motor position. If you have no site I would like email!!! Congrats! You kick way more @ss than me cause I am still collecting parts. I should get to work so that I stop upgrading everytime I see something cooler than what I have already bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Miles, congrats on the install! One thing troubled me in your write-up. You said "they are within 3 degrees" (the trans and differential). I hope what you meant is that the u-joint angles are both 3 degrees, and the same, or that the trans and diff are both 3 degrees relative to the horizontal plane (both in the same direction). The U-jont angles really need to be within 1 degree or so of each other or you can get some bad vibes, etc. I have an extensive write-up on my site under "Drivetrain Mods". I'm not sure what you meant and posted this for your info/query but also to bring this somewhat neglected topic up to those doing V8 swaps, especially with the JTR or MSA mounts. The Scarab placement, with it's higher and forward engine location, exhibits much less of a problem in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Congrats, Miles! Way to go on getting your car on the road! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Congrats Miles, thats really cool. The first drive is soooo cool. I remember stabbing the gas for the first time and just giggling like crazy.. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted October 31, 2001 Author Share Posted October 31, 2001 Pete Re: Drive shaft angles. I measured the tranny level at the output shaft with an angle finder at exactly 90 deg with the car level. The differntial measured at the input flange with the car level was about 92.5 deg from level. I road tested the car, but did not take it over 20 mph. No vobrations at low speed. Hope it will be ok at hwy speeds as I have seen some of trouble some of you have had with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Miles, I'm sorry if it seems I was raining on your parade. I'm real happy you got your car running and I shouldn't have put a negative in my response. I'm really stoked every time we see a new V8Z come online! That said, you may have some easy remedies if the u-joint angle difference of 2.5 degrees does cause vibration problems. The first one is to raise the back of the differential by modifying or removing the rubber washers above the ends of the mustache bar, etc. The JTR manual goes over this, but I heard about this method before it was part of the manual. The other thing is you may be able to raise the front of the motor or lower the rear of the trans a bit to help. The last thing I can think of is to lower the front of the diff the way Simon or jerimio (sp?) did by modifying the front diff crossmember. Can't wait to hear how you like the power to weight ratio of your new Z! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Hey Pete, on removing the rubber washers above the mustache bar, can this be done by removing the bolt, slipping the washers out and replacing the bolt? Or is there a steel tube or something that runs inside that, that would need to be cut as well? I suppose I could just support the diff and drop the mustach bar and do it that way, because I need to get rid of that vibration, it buzzes real strong through the console and makes wanting to really get on it less enjoyable for fear of having U-joint shrapnel in my butt. Regards and thanks, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Lone, if you're using the stock rubber coated washers, yes, you could just remove the nut on the bottom below the mustache bar and then go up inside the hatch/cargo area right inboard of the strut tower and remove the bolt and slide the washer out. Try it one at a time, of course, holding the rear of the diff up with something. Not that you might need to put a spacer or washers below the bottom rubber coated washer, since the bolt is not threaded very far up the shank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Thanks Pete, appreciate it, I might try and do that this weekend. Appreciate the info as always. Regards, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanzo57 Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Congratulations Miles! Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 Congratulations! My first reaction to my first test ride (sans exhaust) was the same as yours. (next best thing) Just want to add two things to Pete's post. 1. If you haven't already built your exhaust pipe(s) hold off until you get the crank/pinion angle parallelism adjusted. Even small changes (one degree) in engine angle greatly changes the fitment of the exhaust pipes. 2. If you can, error on the low side of the angle equation. In other words keep the tailshaft down a degree below the angle of the diff. Here is why. Unless you have a solid diff mount, the "opposite and equal" reaction to forward motion torque at the rear wheels raises the front of the diff upward. I shot some video of this while trying to answer the "best angle question" and found that simply putting the car in gear, caused the front mount to jump upward. ANY application of torque (power braking)stretched the front mount clear up to the limiter strap very easily. Up until that time I had no idea that the OEM mount could move so easily. The point is that the static angle measurements observed at rest are not the ones the car sees during actual use. Placing the driveline angle lower by one degree allows for a total driveline angle deflection of twice that amount before vibration causing misalignment occurs. This vibration is most severe under load, and for good reason. The differential is bucking upward under load, creating a disparity of angles which increases with load and torque. The angle that the motor is in now (assuming you have not already modified it) is actually the worst case scenario for vibration free driveline. For truly long term driveline health, the diff has to be limited to no more than two degees of angle change. (Zero degrees of change would be best, but the noise transfer caused by a solid front mount, is for some an unwelcome irritation.) JTR shows a cable clamp sytem which is simple but difficult to stretch tightly enough. I developed a fix for this problem which solves both the rigidity requirement, with minimal noise transfer. And it costs virtually nothing to build. Further discussion of this probably doesn't belong on this board particularly so I will post the "fix" on the driveline board later. Kim Sticks and stones will break your bones, but plastic cars will kill you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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