Zedyone_kenobi

You guys are great. I mean really great! Thanks so much. The Z will be staying.

Its the regret that scares me. Having a piece of japanese history in my garage with the looks and pedigree to back up the performance is just a blessing to own. I know I will miss the performance of the L28!

Already have that on my to do list. But when I get home today, I will take the Z out for a spin and I bet I will be cured of this silly fling!

Okay the Etype is a no brainer. If I ever found one I could actually afford to own/drive I would put the Z out to pasture tomorrow. I know sad, but even a not running the Etype is still one of the most beautiful cars I have ever laid eyes on. It is just stunning from any and all angles. The 2000GT, well lets just say I am not millionare. And the italian with the heart of a Ford, those things have a look all their own. We all have our secret love affairs with cars. The alfa is just one of mine. The yellow one makes me quiver!!!

Being 100% serious. Not really having a Z to talk about with you guys is one of the major reasons for NOt doing this. I love this site!!!

I have always had an insane love for alfa GTV's. I have been thinking of selling the Z and picking up an Alfa GTV 1750 or 2000. I know the all the drawbacks and tradeoffs. I know the history. I just cannot get it out of my system, and I cannot have two cars at once. I figure if I sold the Z for a fair price, I could save up for a year and then find a very good condition GTV. I know there are parts catalogs out there. Does anybody have any experience with the mythologically beautiful cars to tall me, HELL NO, it is a mistake? I adore my Z. Love driving it. It has been and could be fun for the next 20 years. But what do you do when you cannot stop looking at Alfa's.:tapemouth

May be getting my 901 silver painted within a year as well. This intrigues me.

It just replaced the strap that goes over the diff with a solid piece of metal with a bushing on it. It should be technically stronger than the strap as you can wedge the diff against the OEM mount and the hard rubber bushing. Problem you will encounter is that you will will hear more gear whine with it, as solid connections transmit more noise to the cabin. Everything is a trade off man!

Did you seriously not see my thread RIGHT below yours! HAHA Yes a subaru diff will work, and flanges can be found to work.

love it… just wonderful to see, but I have to make a comment that saddens me a bit Every notice how when it comes to these types of innovations and these types of DIY stuff that involves working with your hands, that it is always an older gentlemen. The art of making things with your hands seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. I hope to teach my youngest kid to work on wood and make furniture like I do. There is something therapeutic about working with wood.

good advice. Just a note, since you mentioned the clutch alignment tool. I distinctly remember how hard it was to get that darn thing out once I tightened down the pressure plate. I actually popped out the ball and hoop that is inside the tool Once, I had to use a vice grip and hammer to tap it out. It was that tight. I have installed clutches in Camaros and Jeeps, and never had that issue. Maybe I am just being lazy. But if I drop the transmission again, I will definitely be getting the car 6" higher than last time. I struggled for a while getting that bell housing under the car, as the frame rail with the T/C rod was just not high enough. So I was not working smartly. I will definitely get a better transmission jack, as my harbor freight jack had exactly ONE good use until the gears stripped! HAHA. I will get this working no doubt. Just need to source a solid good 5 close ratio 5 speed first.

I struggled to mate the current transmission to the engine for 2 days of ramming it forward and pulling it back. It just never lined up. I made some long studs to help guide it in. Nope. I finally gave up and pulled the engine and put it on a wooden stand and then slid the transmission while on a transmission jack to the engine, and it was still hard. I am not sure why. These things should just align and go in. But who knows why it gave me such greif. If I could get the car up higher it would not be an issue I think. It may be time to buy a big boy jack.

no worries. Both my original 71 Type A transmission and my new late 71 Type B transmission have a third gear whine. I just think that it is something about 3rd gear. It will be nice to have a 5 speed, but I am not looking forward to pulling the engine AGAIN! I have had poor luck installing a transmission with the engine in the car.

I am running a Type B 4 speed right now, so I would think the modifications would be absolutely minimal. Just wanted to be sure before I drop a decent bit of coin on a rebuilt 5 speed box.

Great Googly Moogly, I had no idea MSA sold those darn things!!! I have been waiting to refresh mine as it has a crack in the back and it has been annoying me forever!!!

Took the Z out on a few drives and I am now convinced I want to do a 5 speed swap. Keeping the rpm lower on long trips and vintage rallies (which is what I really want to do with my Z) would be a nice benefit. Just need to go find all the 5 speed swap threads to find which one I want to go with. Probably willing to pick one that will just swap in easy versus trying to pick one that is the most performance oriented. what I know so far is that the 5 speed is still a type B unit. so it should bolt in. I assume that means I can also use the standard 71 transmission mount. Shifter is still questionable. I may have to do some research on that. I think the Type B shifter I am using now should work. Still, the 5 speed is going to be nice. Anybody have a good reliable source for good 5 speeds.

I would say look into a resonator. They sell relatively cheap resonators you can put in line to cancel out the drone and help reduce overall sound. Also is your car stock? If so 2" pipe may be overkill

I have had ITG's Those round metal wire that clip to the opening of the DCOE air horn and Now I run the K&N Filter One thing to note. There is an opening on the side of the DCOE that allows air into the system to mix with the fuel idle jets and emulsion tubes. That little circle lets in air, and most of the time all of these filters DO NOT filter that air. So you could still be letting dirt into your fuel bowl. After my 1000 mile rally there was DIRT inside my fuel bowl. NOt much, but I feel that little circular opening NEEDS to be covered up.

Love the wording in this. Hints at just how hard it was to get a Z back in the day.

Every time I see a Gnose kit I get all wobbly in the knees. I have a good mind to try this!

NOrmally I do not go for this stuff, but try some plasti-dip and paint you existing headlight buckets. Then take some pics, look at it in the light, then you just peel it off. NO harm done.

NA builds are more spendy than most Cjolly. Since you are in California, I would stick to a compression ratio of 9:1, and not a drop more. 91 octane will have you fighting detonation all the time if you choose to push it. It is far more important to get the timing right, than to push for crazy compression. Ask me how I know. I have to run octane booster with every single tank I run in my Z to run the appropriate timing curve my L28 likes. I am probably running too much compression, about 10.5:1, and 93 octane does not like it. A bigger cam may help, also a larger combustion chamber, etc. It is better to build it right and safe from the onset. You do not need a forged crank. A OEM Datsun Crank is very strong and just getting it trued is enough. Also, get the whole thing balanced, but most OEM rotating assemblies came balanced from the factory, so you just need to verify it. Concentrate on getting your induction spot on and having an nice free flowing exhaust. Timing, induction, and exhaust will make you a wonderful little torque'y L28. You are not going to be making big impressive HP numbers, but you will have a very responsive and drivable engine.

I would humbly suggest doing it yourself. It is very technically easy, just takes a few hours of time. And it is something you can do yourself and enjoy the fruits of your labor each time you drive.

Just to cap off this thread. I figured out what my wicket shimmy was. The car had sat a while doing this modification, and while it was sitting we had a hard spell of cold weather. When I checked my tire pressures, I only had 18 psi in the front tires. Upon airing them up, my wicked shimmy was gone. Just goes to show you. Before tackle a problem with extensive money and labor, try common sense things first.

I did not take that many pictures, but a step by step list would go something like this. Put rear of car on jack stands as high as you can get them. Remove rear tires Disconnect half shafts from wheel hub Disconnect half shafts from differential Put half shafts on ground with hardware in plastic baggie Remove Drive shaft bolts and put in plastic baggie Remove the bolt holding the diff to the diff mount on the diff crossmember Remove the two nuts that hold the diff to the mustache bar (NOTE: on some occasions the studs that screw into the diff rear cover will come out with the nuts, in this happens, you will need to support the differential BEFORE removing the studs!) The diff is now loose and should move around a little Place jack under the differential to support its weight (IF studs were coming off with the nuts, you will already have this done) Remove 4 bolts holding the differential cross member to the chassis (NOTE: the exhaust may need be lowered to do this, so plan accordingly) With the crossmember out of the way, slowly balance the diff on the jack and lower it down from the car you will need to move it forward first to clear the mustache bar before it moves down Place the Diff on a work surface. Remove the yoke on the front of the differential. You may or may not need a puller to do this job Remove the output flanges from either side of the differential (just one bolt holds them in) Using a press or a 5 lb maul, tap or press the studs out of the flanges, you will need these to install into the wolf creek output flanges. Thoroughly clean off the studs removed from the OEM output flanges with a wire wheel. Using an arbor press or rubber mallet, press or tap the studs into the wolf creek output flanges Acquire a R180 STI rear diff. Clean diff as well as you can Inspect the side oil seals on the STI diff for tears, or dry rot. IF questionable, replace with new seals (can be bought at SUBARU Parts and Accessories | SubaruParts.com®) Install the front yoke from the DATSUN diff to the STI DIFF. The splines are the same and it will slide on, or it may need some convincing with an impact. I cannot speak as to how tight to make this yoke, but it should be very tight. There is no way to get a good running torque on the nut as the splines will make it very hard to get it on so any torque number will be masked by the running torque completely. So try to get a feel for how hard it is to turn the STI yoke and tighten until it feels the same. At this point you should have the front yoke on and now you can install the wolf creek output flanges into the STI diff. You will notice the wolf creek output flanges have a groove in the splines. THis groove is for a clip that is already inside your diff, go ahead shine a light in there and you will see it. THe flanges do not have any bolts that hold them in. The clip does it all (I know kind of creepy, but the the half shaft once installed gives the output flange nowhere to go, so it will be okay) Using a rubber mallet gently tap the wolf creek output flange into the STI diff. You will feel it go in and engage the clip Ensure the diff has plugs in the fill and drain holes. I recommend using female style plugs versus male to make draining easier. You can buy the female plugs at MSA. Fill the diff with 1 bottle (about 1 liter/1quart) of 75w-90 gear of your choice (80w-90 will work too, but check your FSM for temps and recommended weights) If the studs came out of your Datsun diff cover with the nuts, Now is the time to remove the nuts. You will probably need a vice or a strong helper to hold the stud while you get the nuts off. Clean thoroughly it will make installation easier Install the studs back onto the STI diff cover. Remove the OEM diff mount from the Datsun DIFF and Install the OEM diff mount onto the STI diff. Place the heavy as **** diff on the jack and jack it up into position. Have the diff cross member and hardware, (THAT YOU CLEANED!) ready to go. carefully and slowly jack up the diff so that the studs are lined up with the mustache bar. Once they are close wiggle the diff so the studs slide into the mustache bar holes. Once you do that, you are in good shape. Hand tighten the nuts. Now at this point you can install the diff crossmember with the 4 bolts and the diff is in. Do not forget that nut, washer and lock nut that attaches the diff mount to the diff crossmember. NOTE: IF you are installing an RT mount, you will have had to install it BEFORE you put the DIFF in. To do that you will have to remove the diff strap hardware from the sides of the transmission tunnel. You will also need to trim the bump stop (if you went that route) about 3/4". I will let the user of these directions figure out what kind of mount they want to use with the RT mount, as there are numerous different styles. Happy motoring!