Another 4 to 5 spd swap

[torker]

Ok I've been searching for hours. From what I can tell it appears that any 280z or 280 zx tranny except turbo will bolt right in my sons 74 260. I just want to be sure. I don't want to have to track down mounts or swap/modify driveshafts etc.

The reason this came up is that the 4 spd. vibrates bad in 3rd and 4th and it is getting worse to the point that it can't be driven. It went downhill fast. Any help would be appreciated. Dave

[Arne]

Yes, that is pretty much correct. The only other exception would be if you stumbled across one of the rare early Type A 5 speeds that were used in other parts of the world in '70-71 cars. Those would still bolt up, but would need a custom driveshaft. Chances of you finding one of those in the middle of the country are almost nil. (And if you do find one, I'd love to know about it.)

[Walter Moore]

You are correct in your assumption. Any of the series B transmissions that came in the cars from 73 - 83 will fit in a 260Z.

The widely preferred version is the 82-83 5 speed because it is a "close ratio" transmission where the first 4 gears are more evenly spaced. Going from the 4 speed to the 5 speed is pretty much a bolt in affair.

The only issue you will have is with the speedometer gear in the transmission. You will want to use the gear from your existing transmission or get a new one with the same number of teeth. The housing that holds the gear in the transmission body is different between the 4 speed and the 5 speed and they (the housings) are not interchangeable. The gear itself is held in the housing with a simple roll pin however and if you press out the roll pins you can exchange the gears between housings, then replace the roll pin.

Oh, and be sure to drain the transmission before you remove the drive shaft, because when you pull the drive shaft the gear oil in the transmission will drain out the tail of the transmission all over the floor.

And now that I think of it, the throw out bearing and carrier for the clutch have to match the clutch, not the transmission. So you will want to use the existing parts unless you replace the clutch. Speaking just from my personal experience by the way, this would be a golden opportunity to replace the clutch. I didn't do that when I swapped transmissions and now I am going to have to get under the car yet again this winter to replace the clutch.

[torker]

Thanks guys, this makes me feel a little better. My son has located one within driving distance for 400. Not sure of the exact model though. I didn't talk to the guy. Going to a close ratio with a little steeper rear gear would be sweet. Right now I just want to get him back on the road as painlessly as possible.

[torker]

Ok, We've located a trans. My son posted up pics /Topsykidd We are pretty sure it is late seventies 280Z . I am going to pic it up tomorrow. I have worked with my son on his last 3 cars and showed him what I can. I have versed him on this job as I am sure he will start on it while I am at work Sat. So far I've told him to drive the front on ramps and jack up the back and put it SOLIDLY on jackstands. Shake the car,make sure it is solid. We've already had this car in the air a couple times so he knows where to place the stands.

Then I told him to unhook the batt. - remove the starter and drain the trans. Then unhook the driveshaft and slide it out of the tranny being carefull not to nick it where it slides out. More oil may come out. Also unhook the speedo cable and any wiring/backup light.

This is where I'm not sure what to tell him. I told him he'll probably have to support the back of the engine before unbolting the tranny and remove the tranny mount bolts at the crossmember.

Now.. Is it better to remove the crossmember supporting the back of the tranny allowing it to drop out at an angle or leave it in and unbolt the tranny, slide it back on the crossmember till the front clears then lower the front and slide it off the crossmember? Also not sure if the shifter needs to be removed or not.

As you can tell I haven't had time to look this over for him. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting some calls at work Sat. I just want him to have all the info I can give him.

Thanks for any pointers. Dave

[Darrel]

"vibrates in 3rd and 4th"

Have you checked the ujoints in the driveshaft and the halfshafts?

[torker]

Actually not close. I gave the shafts a shake and glance last time we were under it and everything seemed tight but I didn't inspect them very closely. That's a good call. It is weird that it is so smooth in first and second and then third and fourth vibrate so bad. I know one thing, this car needs overdrive. It really revs on the hiway but you can bet I will be looking it over good once I actually get a chance.

Edited December 17, 2009 by torker

[Darrel]

ujoints don't need to be loose. Once you have the driveshaft and or half shafts off, check for smooth operation in all axis.

[Bonzi Lon]

These engines were made to rev in the upper limits. I don't hit my torque curve till about 3k and take it to 5k. Getting a 3rd gear scratch at 65-70 impresses the SBC guys. It runs like a swiss watch / singer sewing machine all day at 4k with the original 4 speed. Just me, I'm keeping it a four. Have a spare in the garage JIC, (just in case). I did drive Cousin David's 5 speed to Branson and back once and I always had the problem of going from 2nd to 5th. Never did get used to it. I'll be down your way some day, David's Mom is in Oxford.

Bonzi Lon

[torker]

These engines were made to rev in the upper limits. I don't hit my torque curve till about 3k and take it to 5k. Getting a 3rd gear scratch at 65-70 impresses the SBC guys. It runs like a swiss watch / singer sewing machine all day at 4k with the original 4 speed. Just me, I'm keeping it a four. Have a spare in the garage JIC, (just in case). I did drive Cousin David's 5 speed to Branson and back once and I always had the problem of going from 2nd to 5th. Never did get used to it. I'll be down your way some day, David's Mom is in Oxford.

Bonzi Lon

That's awesome. It would be great to meet up. We did have a bad ujoint. I'm an idiot. If it were mine I would have been under it checking things out but I have been working a lot and the way it was vibing in fourth I jumped. Plus my son wanted that 5 speed so bad. We found one in Kansas City for 50 dollars from an individual. We got it in except the dowel pin on the drivers side is hanging up. I cleaned all the holes and dowels really good but I can actually see that it is not quite lined up. So close. So now to figure out if we can get it to wiggle enough to slide in or take it back out and maybe chamfer the edge of the pin. Gotta work again tonight so this has been a pain.

I promise I'll get some pics of this car up soon. Probably around Christmas.

[Darrel]

It's probably not the dowl pin, like all transmissions it takes a bit of wrangling to get in.

Do yourself a favor, get a few longer bolts that will fit in the block holes and cut the heads off, use these as guide pins when fitting the transmission. They will line it up close enough and hold the weight of the tranny while you're trying to line up the input shaft. Then take out the guide bolts out by hand while replacing them with the regular bolts.

[torker]

Actually all the bolts are started. none are tight. It is that close. I wish I had a tranny jack. It is a pain to balance on a floor jack. We are kinda re grouping and It'll probably be Wed. my first day off before we get back to it:ermm:

But, you did call it right Darrel, the rear u joint was pretty bad:stupid: It should be pretty smooth when we're done. Oh and we made a bushing for the shifter . The old one had NO bushing at all.