5 speed shifter location

[JEFF]

I have a '72 240Z that i would like to put a '78 5 speed trans. into - How do i get the shifter to be in the correct location?

Thanks guys -

- Jeff

[ZmeFly]

it as far as i know, but im not knowing on the 78 trans. with the later trans it should fit just perfectly. you could always adjust with torch and welding to your like.

i had a 72 with a 81 5 speed that came with the car. i do not know if the po had done anything to modify the shifter or not.

didnt seem that way but im sure somone here will be able to help you.

on my 71 i had when i put that same 5 speed in i had to bend the shifter in two spots to make a perfect fit.

[JEFF]

ZmeFly - i installed the '78 5 speed in my '72 - the shifter lever is rubbing hard at the front of the opening ( about 3" farther forward than the older trans. ) does your shifter fit in the console opening correctly? do i only need to make room for the shifter in the trans. tunnel? OR do i put the perfictly good 4 speed back in?

- jeff

[ZmeFly]

what i did to make the shifter fit was take and put the shifter in a vice and heat the shifter itself till a made an almost 90 degree bend in it right where the bushings and bolt that holds the shifter.

of course remove bushings, about 2.5 inches back i made about an 85 degree bend using the same method. it fit in perfectly without any problems what so ever.

if you do this remember to cool the shift with oil as not to hurt the temper in the metal, i had no problems with my shifter at all after doing this and the fit was perfect

[JEFF]

ZmeFly - your suggestion will work to put the shift lever in the center of the console opening without effecting the shifting action??

- Jeff

[Royce]

Jeff,

Was your 240 built in or before September of 1971? Is your ashtray in front of the shifter opening? If so than you have a '71 model 240Z! It was the '72 when the new style trans was used with the shifter further forward. This shifter design transmission was used in 4-spd and 5-spd variations through '83. There were different shift levers used in some of the years but you can interchange the shifter from one to the other as well. If you cannot physically swap shifters from your 240Z 4-spd to the 280Z 5-spd than you either have a '71 model 240Z or your 5-spd is not a standard Nissan Z 5-spd, maybe a Borg Warrner T-5 or ???

I put a 280Z 5-spd in my '71 240Z. I cut the trans tunnel and the console but I have heard of people who have modified the shifter enough that they didn't have to modify either.

One of our member, Mark Magnus, recently put some pictures up of his restoration. It happens to shows a 280Z 5-spd shifter modified to work with the early 240 body. See http://66.155.22.117/Img_0025.jpg.

I would try to avoid modifying the console at all costs, I wish I hadn't. But if you have to modify the trans tunnel it is no big deal. However, if you do modify the trans tunnel you will need to use a later style ('72 - '78) Z trans rubber boot (to seal the trans tunnel opening) and metal bracket. This is not very difficult to adapt and I think it seals better than the early Z type because the later style mounts with a metal bracket and sheet metal screws.

Hope it helps!

[JEFF]

Royce - my Z was built in 10 / '71 as a '72 model. the ashtray is behind the shifter. The 4 speed trans. I took out was from a '73.

My car was originaly a automatic. The 4 speed is fine and it fit correctly. I bought a '78 parts car for the N47 head, electronic ignition and the fuel injection --- now all installed on my 240 block. The 5 speed was there so I took it out - last week when I honed and reringed my block I put the 5 speed in. The spot where the shift lever enters the trans. is differant than the '73. It is almost right under the front of the opening, then the lever goes back on about 45 deg. then straight up. The shifter will shift all 5 gears & reverse( rubs a little at the front-needs alittle clearance cut)) it's just not in the right place. I will get to mom & dads tomarrow to try the console over it to see if it works. If i do not have to modify the console to shift all the gears i'll leave it in to have that 5th gear. sound like the right thing to do?

Thank you for your responses!

Ps the link you gave me says the page has expired.

- Jeff

[Royce]

I am NOT familiar with automatic Z cars, but I thought the hole in the trans tunnel and the console were the same as the stick cars with just different console insert for the auto shift guide. but

As for the sticks the location of the shifter in the trans between all post '71 4-spds and 5-spds is the same, with the exception of the Borg Warner T-5 from the 280ZX Turbo. The actually shift lever may be shaped differently. You should be able to swap them from one to the other and end up with the same shifter location.

All of the pre '72 - '76 cars I had used a curved shifter. And I believe somewhere between '77 280Z and '79 280ZX a very stright shifter was used. (I always assumed it was the ZX)

[Royce]

Try going to the main site http://66.155.22.117 then select Drive Line, then the picture of the transmission.

As far as I know this was done by the previous owner before Mark bought the car.

[JEFF]

Thankyou Royce! That looks like a good remedy! I'll try it when i get back over to my dads shop.

- Jeff

[2ManyZs]

Is this the pic you are referring to Royce?

[Royce]

Yup that's it!

Thanks!