Guest Anonymous Posted December 15, 2000 Share Posted December 15, 2000 Im currently looking for a project Z to start my V-8 conversion. Whats better for this, 240,260,280, or does it matter? I have always liked the 240 just because it started the Z evolution. I also like the 240 dash over the others. I have heard that the trans tunnel is wider on the 280- is this true? I guess the bodies are the same except for the bumpers? Someone please set me straight on this. Thanks ------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 15, 2000 Share Posted December 15, 2000 www.zhome.com can tell you alot about the cars and what makes them dif from each other older they are the more rust they have also the harder they are to find 240 is the best way to go since its 2400LBS the 280 is 2800/2900LBS the 240 is also smaller not as long I think the 240 should have a nissan engine in it tho since its a hard to come by in nice shape car lol Turbo6 is nice for that car the way I think is the older they are the better they should hold up under power right? just my 2c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Martin Richelsoph Posted December 15, 2000 Share Posted December 15, 2000 Although they look pretty much alike, the bodies on a 240 and a 280 are different. The 280 evolved over time from the 240. The 280s are beefier and probably more rigid. The doors on a 280 use a more contempory lock and are NOT interchangable with a 240 or 260. This is a unibody car and if your planning on high performance or racing you'll want the most rigid unibody. In fact you'll probably want to add a roll cage, and further reinforce the unibody for racing. If your concerned with weight, dump the 280 bumpers and consider fiberglass front fenders and hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 There's no "best" car to choose. The later ones have more creature comforts, the early ones less weight. Before you do anything check your local emissions regs. In my area a car must be 25years or older before it's exempt from emissions. Since meeting emissions with a swap is such a PITA and limits performance I chose an older car - a 1972 for me. However, if you look at the interiors the 260Z's have what I think is a nicer console setup. If you want to put in a decent stereo to go with the power the 260 looks to be easiernicer. 260's also got a bad rap because they came with crappy carbs - we don't care about that do we? If it drops the price, so much the better! 240s have ZERO side impact protection, pull the internals from th edoors and you can damn near juggle them - they ring like a bell. For that reason I've got sidebars on my cage - getting T-boned otherwise would certainly lead to bad passenger damage. Even with the cage I'm nervous, later cars had somewhat better side protection but I'd not want to bet my life on it (ahem). I'm not sure when power windows and locks etc. began showing up on Zs - maybe with the ZX. If that's the sort of thing you're looking for an emissions doesn't matter than perhaps the later cars wouold work better. For me the mission was to find a car in GOOD shape first, model was second so long as it was old enough to sneak under the emissions rules. Oh yeah, you might not like the newer car's bumpers - that could be a consideration too. Finding the lightest car around wasn't a big thing for me - building HP is fairly easy with a V8. (shrug) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 Jim (BLKMGK) makes some good points. There are definitely reasons to consider the 240 and 260Z for emissions reasons. And if you are going to add a cage anyway, the 240 is lighter to begin with. The side protection in the 280 door is little better than the stuff in the 73 240Z and 74 260Z. The cage with door bar is FAR safer in a side collision. So why not start with a lighter chassis to begin with, if you are adding the stiffening of a cage? The other thing that makes the 260Z nicer is that it has a decent A/C system from the factory, if that' in your plans. ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 Thanks for your help guys. Im really more concerned with the wider trans tunnel and I also heard the strut towers are stronger on the 280Z- is that true? And the info I got about the R180 vs the R200 makes me think the 280 would be best for my situation. In reality its not like I have a dozen of each to choose from. If its solid and the money is right I will jump on it. ------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 Hello there. If your going to put a 350 in your z, and that's why your looking for the wider tranny hull, it really doesn't matter. There isn't much space to play with any way you look at it. The zx has the r200 which is very nice. I'm getting ready to put one with 3.91 gears in mine, but the fact is it's all a tight space. I'm not sure if the z has more tranny hull or not. If your gonna put a t56 your going to have to modify anyway. I would just get the car you find first that you like the best. If your swapping, your gonna run into problems anyway, so get a car you like first, and then go with the mods you have to make. Your gonna end up making them no matter what you buy. ------------------ "I feel the need, the need for speed!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 The later ones I guess do indeed have a bit more tunnel space, but don't let that stop you on a earlier car. We're not talking iron plate here, it (the tunnel of the car) yields very easily to the appropriate hammer. Inside carpeted you won't see it. Just find the area that is not cooperative, and give it a whack, this is VERY common in all engine swaps. $.02, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted December 17, 2000 Share Posted December 17, 2000 Trans tunnel? Not a concern - whack it and be happy R200? Well, they aren't THAT expensive unless you want an R200 LSD. IF you want that you'll find it only in the 87.5-89 300ZX not in any 2 series Z so.... Look at the interiors, figure on a decent cage no matter what, see what fits you best. The comment about the 260 A/C hurts since I'll be trying to put A/C in my 240 (doh!). Really one is not any better than another but the emissions laws should be a BIG concern. I'd not go older than 1975 personally. Good luck, keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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