First swap, advice please!

[Guest Anonymous]

I was given a '76 280z by my father in law. I've had nothing but problems with the engine since. My brother in law and me found a 302 from a '72 ford pick up that we want to swap into the Z. The 302 is cast iron block and crank. Are all 302's the same? Does it matter that this engine is not new? The block is still in great condtion. We found a early 80's 300zx with five speed manual for sale. Could we take the rear end from that and put it on to the 280? Are there any other parts that would be valueable? This is the first major project for both of us, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Dan Juday]

Best advice I can give you is read-up. Search the forums and read all the sticky threads, nubie threads, Ford motor swap threads. Get a JTR book and read. It's for the Chevy swap but will cover all the aspects of a V8 swap into a Z. The rearend in your 280 may be just fine for the V8. They came with either an R180 or an R200. The 200 is stronger and many of the guys run them with no problems. Many others also run the 180. If you're not drag racing or building a high HP motor the 180's can last for years behind a V8.

 

Welcome to Hybrid.

[wheelman]

Welcome to the board. The first thing most people will tell you here is use the search function, you'll find more info than you can imagine.

 

As for the 302, what year truck is it from? 89-94 Mustang 302s are the preferred ones but any will do if it's in good shape. You will probably want to rebuild it before the swap so you don't have to pulled it back out later.

 

Is the 280 an automatic? If it's not then you can use the rearend that's in it. It's an R200 which is strong enough to handle anything the 302 can put out. If it is an automatic then you have an R180 and you'll want to swap it but make sure the one you're getting is an R200. Do a search on swapping the rear end as there are things you have to take into account.

 

Use a World Class T5 trasnmission from a Mustang. They are very easy to find and if you don't get to radical with the engine rebuild will hold up just fine. You'll have to figure out a solution for the clutch as Ford uses a cable and the Datsun is hydraulic.

 

Look up a member on the this site named Al Silveria (alsil). He makes a crossmember mount for the Ford Windsor block that solves you're motor mount issues. That is unless you want to run the Ford EFI, then there are some hood clearance problems. You can ask him to modify the mount to drop the engine an inch or so to help.

 

Last piece of advice. Get the JTR (Jags That Run) Datsun V8 conversion book. It's Chevy biased but has lots of good info about issues you'll run into.

 

Wheelman

[Guest Anonymous]

the 280z is a 1976 4 speed manual. The 302 donor is a 1972 Ford F100 pickup. The pick up is a automatic, but we're going to swap it for a manual tranny. We're thinking of a T-5 tranny. I've heard that the later Z's have a ford T-5. Would it be possible to get a tranny from a 300zxt or something? We want to be able to go to the drag strip on the weekends and embarass some mustangs. Thanks for the help

[Guest Muscle Z]

the 280z is a 1976 4 speed manual. The 302 donor is a 1972 Ford F100 pickup. The pick up is a automatic, but we're going to swap it for a manual tranny. We're thinking of a T-5 tranny. I've heard that the later Z's have a ford T-5. Would it be possible to get a tranny from a 300zxt or something? We want to be able to go to the drag strip on the weekends and embarass some mustangs. Thanks for the help

 

i fully support your ideas and whatnot. however, your statement about embarrassing mustangs seems a little ridiculous. 302 is the heart of the mustang, if you want to embarrass mustang guys, do the LT1 swap.