240SX with Limited slip dif???

[jbeech]

Does anybody know if the 240SX ever came with a limited slip dif?

 

What about gear ratios?

[Z-TARD]

A lot of the 240sx's I've looked at in the junkyards have VLSD rear ends. All that I have seen have been the R-200 short pinion shaft diff, which is about 6 or 7 inches shorter overall than a R-200 out of a 280Z. The ones I have checked out have all been approx 3.90 ratio. Infiniti J-30's also have this same rear diff. As far as what years have them.....I'm guessing, but I think anything from about 94 and up can have them, look for a finned aluminum rear cover on it. There will also be a little orange sticker with the letters "VLSD" on it located on the rear cover. Hope this helps.

 

 

Mike

[blueovalz]

The HICAs equiped SX has the VLSD, which I've personally never seen (a lot rarer here than where Z-TARD is) in any salvage yard yet. It is as Z-TARD said, the shorter, stubby R200, and basically the same configuration as the 300ZX differential (last model). My 240SX has a 4:11 gear ratio, which I understand was as standard ratio.

[jbeech]

I'm contemplating a dif-swap on my 260's R180. It's between a readily available R200 non-limited slip - which should bolt in and be plenty strong enough for my V-8's power levels and a more complex R230 install which is stronger still and equipped with CVs - but also considerably heavier than the R200. Of course, it involves some minor fabrication too. That's why I was asking about the 240SX - I didn't know they were shorter than the Z-cars R200. If I have to fabricate, I'd think I'd rather fabricate for the R230 and have the peace of mind of a rear that's pretty bulletproof. Then again, the R200 is strong enough and 240SX difs are both LSD and cheap. Does anybody know if VLSD guts form a 240SX dif will retrofit an Z-car's R200?

[Dp351zcar]

Yes they will but remember that they come with 12mm ring gear bolts and most of the S30's and 31's had 10mm. Then there is the problem of halfshafts or should I say sidestubs. The ones that go into the carrier, they are diffrent from the older R200. The diffrence is where the grove for the snapring(don't know what to call it) and the length of the shafts. Try a search on this topic for more info as it has been talked about before.

Maybe a search on VLDS would work.

 

Don

[Z-TARD]

I've been considering this swap as well. I pulled a VLSD diff from an Infiniti J-30, and an R-200 out of a 280Z. The carriers will interchange without any problems as far as I can tell, but you will have to have spacers machined for the LSD carrier as it has the 12mm holes in it for ring gear attachment vs the 10 mm holes of the 280's open diff. The LSD carrier also seems to have a different offset for the ring gear than the 280 diff, it seems to be about 1/8 inch further away from the pinion, and then uses a spacer which is about 1/4 thick located between the ring gear and carrier to space the ring gear into the pinion. So if you use the spacer, you end up putting the ring gear to close to the pinion, and if you decide not to use it, you will have to add about 1/8 inch of spacers to the outside of the drivers side bearing. I havent had much luck finding bearing spacers for these things, so for the time being I've decided just to use the 280Z R-200 diff as is. Guess I'll have to be content with leaving single skid marks wherever I go....

 

 

Mike

[blueovalz]

Guess I'll have to be content with leaving single skid marks wherever I go....

That's one problem I've never had with the OEM Datsun single track differential. In fact, this charateristic of both tires leaving nearly identical marks (on testing) is one of the main reasons I went for so long without an LSD.