venom42

After hours of searching and obsessing, I have almost decided to swap my close-ratio 81-83 5-speed for a rebuilt 77-79 box. I have the stock 3.54 differential and want acceleration similar to the original 4-speed, but still want to be able to drive on the highway in Atlanta without revving the crap out of the engine (85-95 mph). However, I have read a couple of threads touting the Maxima 5-speed box due to the issues with the bolt backing out on the early 5-speeds and the higher 5th gear. However, from what I have seen, they say to get the 83-84 transmission. When I did a parts search search (Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market - GREAT site), it appears the 82 box is the same as the 83-84? I can get one locally for $200 that is from a 1982. What I need to know is this: What years from the Maxima 5-speed would work? Are the Maxima ratios the same across the years that work? Is the Maxima box really better than the early 5-speed (wide ratio) box?

I have dealt with Eddie before. I will give him a call. The guy I spoke with a Z Car Atlanta did not inspire confidence. That is why I was looking for some input on them.

I put a close ratio 5-speed in my '75 a few years ago when it was my daily driver. I have decided I want to go to a wide ratio from the 77-78 cars since it is just a fun car now. I was searching around for one, but they seem to be harder to find than they were a few years ago. I called up Z Car Atlanta (since they are local for me), and they said they have a rebuilt one for $1k. the price seems fairly reasonable, but I am not familiar with these guys. I could get one and have it rebuilt by someone I trust, but it would likely end up costing more. Anyone have any dealings with Z Car Atlanta? Thanks.

Sorry to resurrect an ancient thread, but this is directly related to my problem. I also have a '75. For whatever reason at least some of the '75 cars only came with 5 wires at the VR connector. It is indeed the GR wire that is missing. I connected the green wire (6 in the diagrams you always see) to the black/white wire (5) and the yellow (3) to the white (2). It seems that, on my car, the green wire is what is supposed to be the green/red wire (switched 12v through the charge lamp). I get a solid 14.3v now out of the ZX alt., but the car keeps running after I turn the switch off. It stops running when I pull the "T" connector from the back of the alternator. I am going to try installing a diode in line, but is the 280 not supposed to be immune from this issue? There was a small canister looking gizmo (technical term), much like the one on the alternator, that was attached to the stock coil, but I now have an aftermarket ignition on the car without it. Is that why I am getting run-on? FYI - even the 1975 factory service manual shows there being a GR wire in position "1" on that connector. In reality there is a plastic plug on the back side of the "1" position on my car, leaving only a 5 wires total.

Thanks guys. Yeah, he is freakin amazing. He also does graphic design. He does most of the stuff for APR. He did the GTI that was in all of the magazines, their R8, and their Koni Challenge series cars. He did their logos and stuff too. I actually started out telling him that I wanted a hole in my back where you could see the engine internals, but I wanted it to be an accurate representation of the Z internals. When I got there he says he has another idea he thinks I will like, but if not he will do what I had originally come up with. He showed me the drawing and I was just blown away. I instantly said "stick it." It really helps that he is a car fanatic too.

I got an electronic ignition and coil from Summit Racing. From what I understand they are basically Mallory bits re-branded for Summit. So, it should install exactly the same as a Mallory Hyfire 6. After sitting on the parts for a bit, I decided to take it to an expert since I have very little confidence when it comes to wiring. The guy that I took it to came very highly recommended, but he deals mostly with the carbureted Zs. He said he has spark, but is having trouble getting the fuel injection to fire. I had a tach adapter with it, which is also installed. Does anyone have any experience with wiring an aftermarket ignition with a fuel injected Z? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

So I finally get around to posting the finished pic. Here you go:

Let me start by saying that if you are thinking of saving some money and going with the Summit Racing aluminum radiator, dont. I have already spent enough that I could have purchased the one from arizona z car, and I still dont have it done. If you want the details of what has been involved so far, send me a PM, but trust me when I say it is not worth it. The latest issue is that the water inlet neck is right next to the mass airflow meter. By removing the mounting plate, I can make enough room to get the hose on the inlet neck. In order to mount it back onto fenderwell, I will have to make some major modifications to the bracket. I would prefer not to destroy the mounting bracket just to make this thing fit. My question is this: Would it be ok to let the intake couplers hold the MAS in place? It is held in place pretty well by the hoses, but I figured Nissan mounted it solidly for a reason. Will vibration be an issue? Will it work?

Think of that kind of like a strut tower brace. It just kind of helps break up alot of straight lines on a non-straight surface.

All that is left is the lettering on the valve cover. I need to take some better pics. These really dont do it justice. The detail is the best I have ever seen. I am not 100% sure of the hours involved, since it was multiple sessions, but its between 15 and 20.

Blasphemy! Actually, the guy that helped me build my engine tried to talk me into a small block 400. I just wanted to stick with the Japanese thing. I love the way my Z sounds now too - wouldnt trade it for the world. Anyhow, thanks guys... I cant wait until its done! It looks even better now that its healed up. You can see the detail much better. Once it is done I will post some pics. I plan on sending it in to the tattoo magazines too. PS - glad to see another Ghost in the Shell fan! Actually, a fan of anime in general even.

So far we have about 10 hours in it. One more session and it should be done. A good friend of mine owns Shenanigans tattoo shop in Auburn, AL. Its only about an hour and a half drive for me, and he is an amazingly talented artist. Its also really cool that he is a good friend of mine because it makes it that much more personal. This is a 280Z engine. He took cues from my engine, and several others that he found on the web. When it is done, it will look very realistic. It will look like there is an engine bay in my back, only the fenderwells will be muscle (you can see the beginnings of it in the pics). It is so dark here because only the black has been done. I will post more pics once the second session heals, and again when its done. Tell me what you think... Oh yeah - I spent the entire last 5 hour session playing Forza Motorsport on xbox. How cool is that?!

Not sure if this is the right section or not, so feel free to move as necessary... A couple of months ago I got another car that I could use as a beater so I didnt have to drive my Z all the time. I decided that I wanted to put the Z key on its own keyring since it would no longer have to be the daily driver. Dont know why, but I just think it is cool that it has a keyring all to itself. I did the same thing with my Talon when it was no longer the daily driver. Its like I get more excited to grab the key when it is not sitting right next to my house keys. Anyways.... I wanted a cool keychain for it and decided on a piston keyring. I could not find one with a "Z" on it so I found a company on eBAy that does engraved piston keychains. http://stores.ebay.com/Raceway-Manufacturing. They said they will make them for $15 each. The PDF attached shows the different "Z" logos that they can do on the top of the piston. I had already bought another one (with no logo) because I was too anxious to wait for them to work up the design, but I thought someone else may want one. Here is their contact info if anyone is interested: Ron Raceway Manufacturing 386-682-5200 sales@racewaymfg.com Mike z.pdf

My driver door looks similar, but not quite as much of a gap. I would be interested in knowing how you corrected it once it is resolved. That paint looks nice and glossy in the pics!

I disconnected the yellow wire going to the radio, and it still seems to work fine. I plugged the black wire that was loose into the red/white wire, and still no high beams. I am starting to think that maybe it really is the switch. It just doesn't make sense that the indicator light (for the high beams) would come on if it was the switch.

I believe that motorsport has forged pistons now. If your car is N/A then those should stand up to anything you can throw at them.

Its definitely not the lamps. I have actually replaced the bulbs since they stopped working.

I got under the dash last night and looked. If you mean the red wire with a white stripe that is in the middle of the column, about where it meets the dash - someone (NOT me) has unplugged that wire and has a jumper plugged into it that appears to go to the back of the stereo! I found a black wire, with the right connector to plug into that red/white wire, that was just loose in that same area. The thing is that my brights used to work, and that wire has to have been that way since before I owned the car. Is it possible that BOTH connectors were plugged into it before, and the factory one just pulled out? I was afraid to just reconnect it without knowing what it was.

Because of the cam I chose, I always let the car idle for a minute or two before driving it, so that has not changed. Once of the things that stood out to me from zbane's reply was the "air temp sensor." I may need to dig up the diagnostic for it in my FSM.

I will try and look at it some time this weekend. That would be GREAT if that is all it is! Thanks!

Could it also be that your frame is a bit tweaked too? These cars are not known for being the most rigid chassis in the world.

First off, I drive my car hard. Even given the gravity of my right foot, I usually get about 19-20 mpg. However, when it is really cold out (that's below 40 degrees in the South), my mileage goes to 13-14 mpg. - driving the same route, same speeds, and same times of day. I noticed that, when its cold, I would smell gas for a few minutes after I start the car. I figured it might be the cold start injector, so I unplugged it. That seems to have helped with the gas smell, but the mileage is still crappy. It warmed up for a week, and I got 19mpg. Now its back cold and I got about 14.4 mpg again. Could the colder, denser air make THAT much of difference? I definitely runs alot stronger in the cold, once it is at operating temp. Maybe I romp on it harder than I realize because of the increased performance?

So I FINALLY got around to pulling the connectors apart and cleaning them with a needle file. I know I suck..... I have just had other, more important issues that I have had to take care of. However, this did not fix the problem. You guys mentioned the right kick panel. Do you mean the one in the passenger footwell where the fuse box is?

Depending on how much you are paying for those wheels, there may be some much better options out there. I got my Konig Rewinds from Motorsport for about $550. I couldn't be happier. As mentioned, try Motorsport and eBay. If it does not specifically say its for a Z, you need 4X4.5 bolt pattern and a RWD offset. Otherwise you could get the adapters that will allow you to use FWD wheels, like for a Honda. That makes your possibilities almost limitless. The adapters can usually be found on eBay, but I think Motorsport may sell them too. You could probably find them elsewhere on the web as well.

Turns out the idle being correct was a fluke. It is back to normal today (it idles anywhere between 1100 RPM - where I have it set, to 2100 RPM, just depending on how it feels that day). However, this swap is still very worthwhile. Just for grins I ran the heat, wipers, lights, and stereo on the way to work today (the cooling fan was also running), and it handled it with no problem. On my stock alternator this would drain the battery. I plan on sticking my 16" fan on over the next couple of days too, but I dont think it will make a bit of difference. This thing kicks out enough juice that I am no longer concerned about adding an aftermarket ignition either. It looks better too (internal fan). Thanks for the positive feedback guys. I just thought it would be nice to have all the info in one place, rather than having to gather it from several sources.