Guest goldraven Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 i am planing on getting the JTR book when swaping the motor but i have a cupple of questions with that book. i have a 1980 280zx and they say 70-78 z cars for the manual. what is the difference between the years and can i just go by what the manual says for a 78? do i need a special oil pan for my 350 for it to fit properly? how much room from the firewall is there? i am worried about my ignition system not fitting. how can i get the engine to sit as low as possible because on top of the intake manifold i have 11in of stuff to put on like carb and a trick turbo system i need a definate yes or no on wheather my stock 5 speed manual trans will fit my 1988 350. i have used the search function but have not gotten definite results on these questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 i am planing on getting the JTR book when swaping the motor but i have a cupple of questions with that book. i have a 1980 280zx and they say 70-78 z cars for the manual. what is the difference between the years and can i just go by what the manual says for a 78? No no no. The ZX is completely different then the Z. The JTR book is good for outlining what steps you take in doing a swap, but the cars are different, as are the conversion pieces. Hopefully Greimann will chime in to thoroughly answer your questions The 5 speed you have will most likely NOT work (very easily anyway) with the V8. You need a World Class T5 from a late 1980's to early 1990's Camaro. A 153 tooth flywheel is necessary. The general rule of thumb is too keep as much of the driveline as possible from the donor car, so mating strange pieces together won't be necessary, otherwise you'll end up spending large $$$$. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goldraven Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 i found a 92 t5 from a firebird. however it was off of a V6, do i need to find one off of a V8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 what is the difference between the years and can i just go by what the manual says for a 78? No you can't just follow the 78' directions. With the ZX's the firewall is 3" farther forward than the Z's. do i need a special oil pan for my 350 for it to fit properly? That all depends on how you mount the engine. If you use the MSA mounts ($225) and and LT1 like I did then no you don't need a special oil pan. I dont know if the LT1 oil pan is different from a regular SBC though. how much room from the firewall is there? i am worried about my ignition system not fitting. I am not sure if you will have a problem with this. I am using the LT1 and the distributor/optispark is on the front of the engine by the balancer. Greimann will be able to tell you this. I know he is using a regular distributor type ignition. how can i get the engine to sit as low as possible because on top of the intake manifold i have 11in of stuff to put on like carb and a trick turbo system With as much as I think you are talking about you might have some hood clearance problems with the MSA mounts. I know Greimann's engine is probably sitting a little lower than mine. I dont have to worry about this though because of the LT1 intake manifold being such a low profile intake. i need a definate yes or no on wheather my stock 5 speed manual trans will fit my 1988 350. Yes your 5 speed will fit. If I can fit the T56(big ox of a tranny but its as tough as an OX!) up under there with NO modifications to the tunnel then you can fit that 5 speed up there. Oh and most guys if they are going with a 5 speed get the World Class T-5. Hope that helps, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goldraven Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 oh, sorry. i should have been more spacific with my last question about the transmission fitting to the 350 engine, not the car. right now i assume it is NO. from davy's answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 Dittio what the guys said above. Additionally, A stock oil pan will work fine. There is about 1/2" clearance to the firewall on a HEI distributor when the motor is mounted straight on to the crossmember. An Edelbrock Performer manifold, carburetor or TBI and a drop base air cleaner just barely fit under a stock hood. Anything taller and you are doing bodywork. And just to confirn, you cannot use the Datsun transmission, and you will need to find a V8 GM T5. The V6 is not strong enough and the gear ratios are wrong for a high torque motor. Check the link in my signature for more words and pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 greimann did you make those strut braces or did you buy them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 greimann did you make those strut braces or did you buy them? Yes. I started out with two panhard bars that comes with a tube, end links and fittings, then made brackets out of 1x2 square tubing. Just cut away everything that doesn't look like a bracket. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CEE%2D2037&view=2047 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 i found a 92 t5 from a firebird. however it was off of a V6, do i need to find one off of a V8? If you want it to hold the power, then yes. The WC is the strongest T5 (stock) at 330# TQ I believe, the normal one is rated for 300#, the 6 cylinder stuff is weaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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