Guest Anonymous Posted May 23, 2002 Share Posted May 23, 2002 Hey all, So far I've been messing around with drivetrain ideas for my '79 zx w/ an l28et.. I'd like to do this as cheap as possible (wouldn't we all).. I think the bw t5 would suit me just fine.. my question is would a z31 tranny from an 84-86 zxt fit in my '79, was the bell housing modified from the late s130 bw's? here's a list of z31 gear ratio's Gears BW T-5 Turbo Nissan Turbo FS5W71C non-turbo Auto non-turbo Auto Turbo Years 84-86 87-89 84-89 87-89 87-89 1. 3.350 3.324 3.321 2.458 ?? 2. 2.056 2.077 1.902 1.458 ?? 3. 1.376 1.360 1.308 1.000 ?? 4 1.000 1.000 1.000 ----- ?? 5. 0.752 0.711 0.759 ----- ----- R. 3.153 3.382 3.636 2.400 ?? I pulled that from z31.com Now here is a less favorable list for a late 280zx bw 1st gear 3.500 2nd gear 2.144 3rd gear 1.378 4th gear 1.00 5th gear .780 Ouch, that's a high first gear. Very limiting, and possibly excessive wheelspin. I think the '84-86 zxt b/w would be great, the 3.350 is a high enough first. By the way, this would be coupled with an 87-89 3.7 clutch type lsd (r200). I'd want to do as little modification/fabrication as possible. I'd also be using the pro-ratchet mustang shifter from b&m. I think those would be a pretty lethal combo for my needs. The question is, can just be "dropped in"-? I appreciate any/all help! -980mak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted May 23, 2002 Share Posted May 23, 2002 IMO, the 82-83 ZXT T5 is a very good choice for a car. Very similar gears to the 4 speed + OD. More gear may give more torque multiplication, but resulting wheelspin is easier to modulate and re-hook the car. I posed this question a couple of weeks ago and got no responses. In looking through my Chiltons book, they show bellhousings for the L series and V engines. The bellhousing for the V appears to have all of the bolts that the L has, plus a couple of more. The clearance bump for the starter is rotated since the V motor has it in a different spot. My guess is you can use the trans if you get an 82-83 bellhousing, but that still requires finding the 82-83 trans most likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 Thanks for the info mike & lockjaw, the reason I asked is because I've had trouble finding a decent priced 82-83 bw that someone would be willing to ship. 'BW for sale' the usual response is something like "Well, I'd take $150, but I don't want to ship it." Well, unfortunatly not everyone is in southern california. I did find an '86 turbo at a JY that still had the tranny, and it looked to be in good shape only 80k (rust outside and rear end damage). I figured I could save about 200 bucks plus a few more weeks of searching if I could use it. But if I had to get an early bw bellhousing, I guess that plan's shot. I really don't mind the 3.5 first, I just like a 3.35 better, also the lower OD for freeway cruising. And the 3.7 I'm pretty set on.. off the line rolls, revs, turbo spools --->>>>>>vroom!! and now wheelspin, hopefully. I'd like to get a pair of drag rads for some lethal street and strip action. I've got a set of 15x10 wheels just waiting to burn the rubber off! If anyone has an '82-83 BW tranny (from turbo 280zx) that they'd sell AND ship.. email me oddenfam@msn.com.. otherwise I guess I'll just keep looking and maybe find something local (in WA or OR).. thanks guys! -980mak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 Sorry guys but the 300zx tranny is not going to be a bolt in type deal. Even with swapping bellhousings the input shaft is quite a bit longer on the 300zx unit and will not work. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockjaw Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 I just put 3.90's in my 83 ZXT and I like it better than with 3.56's. It really goes thru the gears in a hurry, and I bet it would seriously pull something with that short first gear. I kind of think numerically higher gears help with wheel spin. In my case, I could just pull second gear, and with 3.90s in the back, I would probably still be in boost. Since I have drag ta's on mine anyway, it is not like wheel spin is a problem, but I still have plenty of overdrive with my set-up. I would like to know if you could swap out the bellhousing's as I have a good source for the 300 trnasmissions. I would not mind trying one if mine fails. Plus that short first gear will work to your advantage in a stoplight confrontation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.