mtnickel Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Hi guys. I'm debating which transmission to put in my 260z with rb25det. It will definately be an FS5R30A (z32, z31T) Transmission...but my question is based on the reliability of these units. I have access to 88 300zxt 30a transmissions from wrecked cars. Quality is not guaranteed and these trans are now 20 years old. The benefit of these z31's are the better shifter placement. Price is $400 Alternatively, i live on the west coast (vancouver) and have access to LOW miled JDM 300zx Z32 NA or Turbo transmissions. So potentially could get a good condition one. Pricing is $500. So, what is the reliability of these transmissions? Are they known to have grinds? Gear lockups? Would it be better to suffer the modification for the z32 transmission for benefit of low miles, or just go with the older one. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze73 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 For that small a price difference it would seem worth it to go for a low mile trans. As for the reliability, they're known to be one of the (if not THE) strongest Nissan transmission made, but higher miles will mean a greater possibility of worn synchros, hard shifting, etc. just the same as any transmission. Who is your source for JDM transmissions (if you dont mind sharing)? Im over on the island and am in the market for one of these as well. Im sure there are a bunch of places that would have JDM parts considering the number of skylines, silvias, etc. you see driving around the island/vancouver these days. Edit: If you need any RB parts/spare engine, I have an R33 RB25DET in my garage thats not being used for anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug71zt Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 I run an 88 Z31 trans in my 240 and would recommend using that transmission. I have done installs of Z32 trans also. The shifter position is so much better in the Z31 trans, and it has a mechanical speedo drive hiding under the VSS. You just have to unscrew the VSS and screw your cable on. I am buying JDM Z32 units for less than $250 in Toronto, and they are in good shape. Personally, I would go with the Z31 unit, take it apart to inspect it and maybe re-bearing it. They are tough trannies, there an not too many problems with them. At worst, you may be putting synchros in 2nd gear. You can always get a Z32 trans for parts to build up your Z31 trans - there are a lot of parts common to both boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnickel Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 For that small a price difference it would seem worth it to go for a low mile trans. As for the reliability, they're known to be one of the (if not THE) strongest Nissan transmission made, but higher miles will mean a greater possibility of worn synchros, hard shifting, etc. just the same as any transmission. Who is your source for JDM transmissions (if you dont mind sharing)? Im over on the island and am in the market for one of these as well. Im sure there are a bunch of places that would have JDM parts considering the number of skylines, silvias, etc. you see driving around the island/vancouver these days. Edit: If you need any RB parts/spare engine, I have an R33 RB25DET in my garage thats not being used for anything. I actually just found a good source today. Used to be nagasaki jdm motors, they went bankrupt and OSAKA japanese bought them out. http://www.osakajdmmotors.com/ Prices look pretty good. Now i can get a low miled 300zx NA trans for $250...that seems good. Funny that the turbo's were $450 for just a different bell housing. Decent price @ $2k for RB25 engine and trans...but probably RB20 trans. Otherwise JK japanese has a good selection although a bit more money. As for parts...right now i think I'm OK...just need to get the transmission thing sorted out. Need those lower tranny brackets and dust cover but the engine place might have those. I'm a little TO'd that when i bought the project car, the engine with it (rb25) was all half taken apart...just hoses, brackets, intake, things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnickel Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 I run an 88 Z31 trans in my 240 and would recommend using that transmission. I have done installs of Z32 trans also. The shifter position is so much better in the Z31 trans, and it has a mechanical speedo drive hiding under the VSS. You just have to unscrew the VSS and screw your cable on. I am buying JDM Z32 units for less than $250 in Toronto, and they are in good shape. Personally, I would go with the Z31 unit, take it apart to inspect it and maybe re-bearing it. They are tough trannies, there an not too many problems with them. At worst, you may be putting synchros in 2nd gear. You can always get a Z32 trans for parts to build up your Z31 trans - there are a lot of parts common to both boxes. I think i'm gonna go for the more widely available z32 NA trans even though shift position is weird. I posted a link in the RB forum about how i might have mine. Instead of using that linkage bar at all, you bolt the shifter right to the output rod...then you need to make a pivot somewhere. Should move the shifter position a good 4" or more forward. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnickel Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 here's what i'm talking about for completeness... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Clever work there Mark, better than what I did which was to shorten the existing connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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