VinhZXT Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Has anyone done this before? Putting an earlier Z speedometer into a 280ZX speedometer? The earlier Z speedo goes up to 160MPH compare to most of the 280ZXs are just 85MPH. I have both speedos at home and will try to open them up when I have time. Thanks for any info that could save me time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Hey guys.. Since no one have done this I figure I will give it a try. Here is a few pictures of the earlier Z speedo inside the ZX speedo. This is just a mock up. Both the speedo and the tach is out of the ZX back housing. It shouldn't be too hard fitting the Z speedo into the ZX housing. Sorry guys.. the speedo is from a 77 280Z.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Have you tried a km/h speedo? Just paint over the km/h part and have a tranny shop recalibrate it to match up with mph. I am pretty sure that someone here or on zc.c has done it, and I think it goes to about 160 as well. Just a thought, Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Mario, That's a 280Z speedometer inside a 280ZX housing. The 280Z speedo goes up to 160 MPH without calibrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Yes, but I thought they ( the old speedos) weren't very accurate. Plus the needle and the number font would match perfectly. Maybe one of the Canadian, Australian, or European guys can post a pic. Plus, now that I think about it, they might go to 200. Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I know motorsport auto sells the conversion kit for around 160.00 if I remember correctly. This was discussed on zcar.com awhile back I think. I don't see any reason why one couldn't use a 79 spedo. I hate pegging my 82 ZXT out all the time. I know it's off by 5 mph. it reads 5mph faster than what I'm actually doing. Something TonyD said awhile back....the springs in the spedo are what? quite a few years old? no wonder they all need calibrating! But, what the hey, if it works, that leaves a whole new avenue open for us ZX users. Good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I was going to mention the MSA replacement speedo. Specifically intended to replace the 85 MPH units. Also it is my understanding that speedo shops calibrate speedometers by installing a "ratio box" to change the gearing to the speedo. This is not a cheap process either. The speedo shop I talked to wanted some significant money to make my speedo accurate. IMO the best (but not necessarily cheapest) route is an electronic speedo with a pulse sender you hook to the tranny. That way you can calibrate it yourself with a hand help GPS and a screwdriver. You can then recalibrate it should you change gearing or tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afshin Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I'm using a 79 280zx 130mph speedo unit I picked up from the junkyard for $15 . It also reads about 5mph fast, works great and very easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 guys, I actually have 3 of these 130MPH speedo from the 79. Unfortunately none of them display the correct speed. I had a couple of posts asking about calibrating my speedo and get no answer. I have the wrong speedo cog on my other car just to get the thing close to the actual speed. I am sick and tired of playing with the cogs to get the correct speed. So this just an attempt for something new just to see. I've read about the electronic pulse sender. I am interest in that device because I got my digital gauge to display up to 140 MPH but I need to reduce the number of pulses that the chopper wheel is sending to the speedo. What I did was I tape off 8 symmetrical cutouts from the chopper wheel. The problem was I need to tape off 9 but if I do the wheel becomes unsymmetrical and therefore at low speed it won't display correctly. For this one I just played with the cog to get the correct speed displayed so I didn't waste money on the pulse sender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 5 mph off-add 1 more tooth to the speedo gear on end of speedo cable.get gears at nissan dealer -about $15.you can check calibration on chassis dyno or use hand held gps unit.my speedo in my 77z is +2 at 80 mph.car has a 82na trans with 3.7lsd rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Randy, if you do that the speed will not be acurate at a different speed. Nevermind guys... I figured out how to calibrate the speedo.. EASY... check the post below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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