My 77 280 is equipped w/ the 4 speed, and I would like to replace it w/ a 5 speed. I live in a semi-rural area and get on the highway to go anywhere... the overdrive would sure be nice. Questions: are there good sources for the transmission? Am I opening a can of worms?

You have everything you need except the transmission, so the can of worms can be left for something else.

77 and up came with the 5 speed so the only thing you have to do is find the trans. You already have the 3:54 rear which will serve you better than a 3:36 with the 5 speed.

Best places to look for one would be here in the classifieds, or if you have a junkyard nearby give them a call and see if they have a 5 speed for a 77-78 280Z or a 79-83 nonturbo 280ZX. At one time you could buy reman. units from some of the Z suppliers but I don't think they carry them now. Maybe the local auto parts stores do, you might want to check.

Another good place to look would be www.zparts.com or perhaps Arizona Z car. They are out there, just finding one is the hardest part.

BTW, try to stay away from the T-5 from the ZX Turbo, with this one there may be some modifications necessary, but since I've never used one I don't know for sure.

You will need to check to make sure it has the black speedometer drive pinion for the 3:54 rear to re-calibrate your speedometer.

The black speedometer drive pinion comment pertains only to the T-5 (or all)?

A real good place to look is on the Zgarage site. Here is the link

http://geocities.com/zgarage2001/engine.html

I don't know what the T-5 has for drive pinions, I was only speaking about the OEM Nissan units.

Here's the list for anyone who wants to know. The drive gear must be used for the rear end ratio in the car, that will be the only way to re-calibrate the speedometer. This works for the 4 and the 5 speeds I believe.

3:36- Yellow, 16 tooth

3:54- Black, 17 tooth

3:70- Blue, 18 tooth

3:90- White, 19 tooth

4:11- Red, 20 tooth

4:38, Purple, 21 tooth

This is the list from the Z Garage web-site.

MIKE:

You might also try the Z Barn in Maryville, Tennesee - 1-800-247-2795. They claim to have acres and acres of Z's. I've done business with them before and have had only good experiences.

www.zbarn.com