twoeightythreez Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hi all, My name is Bryan and I'm currently on station in the Persian Gulf Aboard the USS Nimitz. I own a 1971 Datsun 240z , stock L26 w/ E88 head, 4 speed and a 3.36 R180 rear. The only mod so far is the dual exhaust (with single outlet due to the gas tank). I plan on swapping in a built 283 chevy (dyno'd at 375hp) when I get back. I'm wondering what stick trans to use, I was planning on using a W/C T-5, I don't think the lil' 283 will torque it to death, but I need a couple opinions. I plan on using the stock gauges (to save money) also why I want to go w/ a T-5 instead of a T-56, I will swap out the rear for an R-200 before I run the car. I plan on using the JTR swap kit, anyone out there have good experience with them? If I actually find a T-56, what will I have to do to make it run a speedo cable? I plan on using a carburetor initially. Thank you for any info you may have, I can't wait to start working on the z again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Bryan, welcome to the board! Keep our enemies on the run! The 283 should be fine for a genuine WC T5. My friend Mike D (73BOTIZ) has been beating on his T5 with a 355 putting out way over 375 hp for a while now, and he has not fragged it. I made sure I bought a WC T5 when the opporunity arose. JTR is a good company and they made decent products. However, if any of your buddies are machinists, make the stuff yourself and save a bundle of money--as you know the JTR book has the diagrams for the parts needed. I didn't know ANY machinists at the time, so I bought the whole shebang from them and am happy with the purchase (years ago). The R180 may actually hold up for a while and it has some nice high gearing, so you may want to keep it in while the R200 sits ready to go--just a thought. Use the search function and read a lot of old posts--you'll get most of the answers that way. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Do you already have a JTR manual? If not..I would recomend getting one asap. Use it and this site to pass the time, and you will be ready to dive in to that v8 swap when you get home. I would also suggest hoarding your money like a packrat while you are away. These projects have a way of snowballing from the "while I`m at it syndrome" I think JTR carries almost everything you will need, but if you are interested in saving some money, Many of the pieces can be had from most salvage yards. Good luck on the swap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoeightythreez Posted July 18, 2003 Author Share Posted July 18, 2003 Thank you all for replying! I can't wait to get back to that Z. I love that car, even with the stock 6! Yes, I DO have a JTR manual, I've read it about 3 times, still could read it again. I might keep the R180 for awhile, the only prob w/ that is I want to move the rear to the 1972-up position, the JTR manual says it's better for the longevity of the half-shafts...and if I'm gonna do all that work might as well put the stronger rear in. Does it really matter if it's kept in the '70/'71 position for durability If it dosen't I'll keep the R180 until it frags, I just don't want to have to get two driveshafts made. ( i don't have access to any welding equipment at the base auto shop, no hot work is allowed..plus, my welding skills are...umm...less than exemplary) That's why the JTR kit is so appealing to me, it looks like it makes the swap no harder than , say, dropping an olds engine into a buick ...I did this with my buddy's '66 skylark.(originally a 225 oddfire "fireball" 6, then we dropped in a 300 buick "wildcat" V-8 (bolted in with same trans,mounts, brackets and exhaust!) When that motor finally fragged, had the bb olds lying around... The hardest part was finding brackets, we eventually modified the sb olds 307 brackets, luckily the olds bb and sb are so similar that the only mod needed was to lenghen the top alt. bracket. We used frame mounts from a diesel chevy truck (olds diesel) and sb olds motor mounts. Anyone have a 307 olds-powered G-body? A 455 olds...(actually, almost any mid 60's to early 80's olds motor...) will bolt right in (hint, hint) Can even use the stock exhaust if u swap manifolds. Smog guy probably won't even know the difference, the engines look the same...(you would have to have some awesome eyes to see the 1/2 to 3/4" deck height difference between an olds sb and bb) This will be my first Datsun engine swap, though. Thank you for all your help! This site is AWESOME! sincerely, Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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