V8 ZX tach and alt. ?'s

[Kazuya1274]

Been doing some searching but came up short on these two questions. It seems no one has really answered the question of making the stock tachometer in a 280ZX work with a sbc swap. I asked JTR and they told me it was pretty much the same procedure as to make the 280Z tachometer work. After reading the book, I think that the 280ZX tachometer is quite a different setup from the 280Z tachometer. I am also not sure if the 280ZX has the "Adjustment screw" that the 240-280Z have (My car is an 81, btw). I would like to use the stock tach if possible.

 

Second, I am in a dilema on whether to use the stock 280ZX alternator or use the chevy one. A friend says that the ZX alternator will probably line up on the chevy engine, then I could just use the existing wiring to hook it up. Now, I'm wondering if this is the way to go or to use the chevy one. If I use the chevy one, I may have to redo some of the wires? Or can I just take the wires that are existing and hook them up to the chevy alternator? Price is not really an object on the alternator, so in that regard I don't care which one I use, just care about which one will be the easiest to make work.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated! Hope to be putting out in the neighborhood of 400hp backed by a T5 tranny!

[awd92gsx]

If it's anything like the 280Z it's VERY easy to wire up the chevy alternator...the chevy alternator is cheaper and puts out more, plus you don't have to worry about making any kind of custom bracket.

[waynekarnes]

which engine are you swapping into the zx ? i am of the impression that tachs run off the distributor. exception of course, the distributorless engines. though i would think the tach would still be ran off the ignition.

 

my 58 vette has a gear set up off the generator that spins a cable that runs the tach. later vettes of that era, went to a cable drive off the dist. as when the belt slips, the reading at the tach are extremely in accurate.

 

i don't know of any post 50's car that uses a tach drive off the alt/gen.

 

are you using an engine where the alternator is gear driven ??? in which case, it would be accurate, but wouldn't that preclude you from using the stock nissan zx alternator ?

 

i'd go with the info that Mike and Greg at JTR gave you ...

[spdsk8r]

The ZX tach is wired the same as the JTR manual says, and, Yes, there is an adjustment on the back.

 

I used a GM alternator, it's easy to wire. In fact, use a GM one wire alt. which makes it very simple.

[SmoknR6]

I got a chrome 80 amp one wire alternator out of summit for like $90. I just connected the red and white wire to it. Doesnt get any easier.

[COZY Z COLE]

Scroll down to his tach adj. info...... Dave Greiman's V-8 280ZX link...

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~dvgreimann/details.html

 

LARRY

[Kazuya1274]

Thanks for the help guys! Wayne, I am running a 355 SBC, so it will have the HEI ignition on it.

 

SmokinR6, I take it that one of the yellow wires coming from the ZX harness is the "red" wire, and the other yellow wire is the "white" wire. I sure wish Nissan would have actually made these wires different colors, instead of making them all yellow. Kinda makes it hard to trace them back, but I know which one went where on the stock alternator, so I think I can figure it out.

 

Cozy, thanks for the web link, it is a great help. I hope to get this thing figured out in the next couple months. Anyone else with experience, please feel free to chime in!

[COZY Z COLE]

This is another HybridZ member's web site for a 280ZX conversion, send him an e-mail with your questions....

 

http://www.datsun-280zx-lt1.com/

 

LARRY