I'm sure this has been asked before, I want to put a 280z 5 speed in my 74 260z auto I have the pedals and clutch slave and master I know I need a flywheel and clutch and throw out bearing do I also need a shorter drive shaft and are they compatible with the existing drivetrain. Anything else you could think of would be appreciated thanx Rik:beer:

There should be quite a few threads posted that will answer your questions about this. You may want to look into changing out the differential. I believe the autos came with a 3.54 and the later 5 speeds with a 3.90. If you do this, you'll need to change out the speedo pinion gear to match the diff.

Unless you already have the tranny, you should look into gear ratios so that you get the ones that you want.

I swapped the auto for a five speed in my 240, 10 years ago and retained the 3.5 diff. It makes for an excellent cruiser and I doubt it has affected acceleration at all. The so called experts reckon it would be no good, but I proved them wrong. Of course if you plan to race, then thats different entirely, as diffs are changed to suit different tracks.

Brian.

So I guess with the 3.54 it'll have more top end but get there slower that might work maybe little better mileage. Thanx for your help Rik

According to the Internet Z Club, the differential ratios are as follow.

260Z 74 MT (3.364) (R180)

260Z 74 Auto (3.545) (R180)

280Z 75-76 (3.545) (R200)

280Z 77-78 MT (3.545) (R200)

280Z 77-78 Auto (3.545) (R180)

If you keep your existing 3.545 differential with a 75-78 5-speed, you'll retain the factory gear ratios for a 280Z.

FixItMan

The 77-79 5 speeds and 4 speeds used 3.54 diffs. You should check the FSM or the diff itself to be sure which ratio you have.

I think that they changed ratios in the 4 speeds somewhere between 74 and 75, so might have changed diff ratios too.

Edit - Agree with Fixitman. He beat me to it. Still worth double-checking what you actually have.

Edited January 13, 201114 yr by Zed Head
Fixitman beat me.

Thanx guys knowledge is king Rik