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HybridZ

R180/R200 Swap


SmoknR6

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Hey, I have been doing a lot of searching and keep finding different results. I have a 74 260Z, and am looking to do an R200 Swap. Some people say that if I get the R200 out of a ZX I need half shafts from an R200 out of a Z, and others are saying that i dont. Can someone clarify this?

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Take a look here: http://www.betamotorsports.com/benchracing/index.html and click on R200 handling issues.

 

If you have an early 260 I think you'd have this problem, if you have the later body style 260 then I think you're OK.

 

I'm one of the people who made the argument that the R200 shafts were shorter, and now I think I was wrong. I've measured every shaft I have, and come up with the same measurements John has on his website there.

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Yes you will need the half-shafts and mustach bar from a 280Z for this conversion. 260 shafts are a flange and yolk type vs flange on both ends for the 280. Also read John C's web site after my conversion so I went out to the garage removed my springs and measured the half-shaft and found that I still had 1/4 inch of travel left in the half shaft at the point of max shaft compression. NOTE this was a static measurement on my early 260 with coilovers and poly bushings.

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Jon;

 

The 260Z axles were the U-joint style that use a single bolt to secure them to the diff. Nissan continued to use this method of attachment to the diff on all the later R180 differentials (ZX and 810's only as all the 280Z’s had a R200).

 

The 240Z R180 axles were also U-joint but as JFryer pointed, they have a flange on both ends. However, this is the same axle that all the later R200 used, as you mentioned the length (and even the Nissan part number) is the same .

 

Unfortunately, most people refer to the different axles as the “R180 axle” and the “R200" axle. But this is not exactly correct.

 

Clear as mud?

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So all the HALFSHAFTS are the same. The flanges that slide into the diff are different' date=' but they all bolt up to the halfshafts just fine.

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No.

 

The 240Z axle and the R200 axle needs a separate piece that fits into the differential (where it is secured with one bolt). I will call this separate piece the diff output flange. The 260Z and later R180 axles do not use this separate piece or output flange. The diff end of the axle slides just into the diff where it is secured with a single bolt.

 

It’s like Nissan did away with this diff output flange on the later R180's and used the 260Z style axles. My guess is that it made assembly at the factory quicker, as the line worker would only have to tighten one bolt (per side) instead of four bolts (per side).

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, Jon, so please look at the FSM’s.

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So.. from 75 280 to 83 ZX have the same shafts then.. Cause I have a 75, and am swaping in a better (ratio and overall condition) r200 from an 81 zx.. I have had to change the driveshaft yoke (difrent bolt hole circle) to use my 280z driveshaft, but the axles apear (to me) to be identical between both..

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Here's a pic from a 280ZX FSM:

 

 

axleshaft.jpg

 

 

Notice that the the only difference between the axles is the diff side flange. Since this flange is secured by the inboard U-joint, it is considered part of the axle. The diff output flange (used on the R200) that slides into the diff is not shown in the pic as it is considered part of the differential.

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