dhayes5

Besides the advantage of having an overdrive gear, what other benefits come with putting the 5-speed into a 240. The gear ratio spacing does not seem to be that different between the 240 4speed and the 81-83 ZXB 5-speed. But, you do change the rear end from 3.354 (something) to 3.9. Does the acceleration and hence 0-60 time increase that much?

Thanks for the input! There was a web site I ran across a while back that showed what diff. came from what car. I remember the r180 being in the front of early '80s 4x4's and for a 6month period of 240sx production. I probably need to find that site.

I am looking at putting an '83 non-turbo (ZXB) 5-speed into my '72 240. Everything I read says to go with a 3.90 / R200 rear end with this tranny. However, I have found an R180 3.90 (seems to be rare) which would be a direct bolt in with no need to change the mustache bar etc. I do not plan to do anything radical to this car and think the R180 would be sufficient for the stock engine. Is $250 (includes shipping from California to NC) too much to pay for this? I know I can get an R200 for $100 but then I have to locate the mustache from a 280Z etc. etc. so by the time I get all the parts I may have $200 in it anyway. Is the R200 that much better for my application? Also, is the R200 any quieter than an R180?

Whose header do you have. Motorsport sells the "Motorsport Header" and the "Three into Two header". I have been looking at the "Twice-Pipes" and am interested to see how that and the header fit into the car (in other words, do they fit out of the box or do you have to do some tweaking). Also, when the header went in, what did you do about the heat shield where the throttle linkage springs attach -- did it still fit? Details would be great.

How is the ride quality with the Stage I's compared to stock? I am planning on using s BRE type spook as well. I like to keep the looks of the car period correct.

I have the Z-Therapy video's and they are pretty good. Another Item that I recently purchased is a colortune (can get them from Eastwood ~$60). This thing temporarily replaces a sparkplug and allows you to see the color of the flame in the combustion chamber. Takes the art out of setting your fuel mixture. You change the mixture until the flame is a bunsen blue. Works great!! Between this device and a Unisyn, carb tuning is very easy. Good Luck

What year is the header for? Does it have square exhaust ports (ie. for an L24/E88)? What do you have from the rear end. I need the rear cross member parts to do an R200 swap into my 240. Do you have these parts?

OK - A little clarification here. When I posted the original message above I had just put the Panasports on but had not driven the car. The left rear tire scrubs when I hit a high speed bump. The left rear wheel well is also about 1/2 inch lower than the right. The point -- I now think I do not want the car lower at all but rather returned to whatever the stock height is supposed to be. I contacted Motorsport And they told me the stock ride height as measured from the top of the bumper is: Front: 479mm (18.9") and Rear: 516 (20.3") My car measures: Front 20" and Rear: 19 7/8" so I am an inch too high in the front and 1/2 inch too low in the rear. Front and Rear struts are brand new Tokico (Blue) non-adjustable. The springs are stock (even have the stock undercoating on them). I am now thinking of going to the european springs instead of the Eibach's as they do not seem to lower the car. The Service manual says (and this makes sense) that "Vehicle level is adjusted by changing the springs". However, as a kid in the early 80's I had a '77 Toyota Celica in which I installed Bilstein gas shocks and the front end lifted. That is why I wonder if the Tokico's lifted the front end. If they did, than new springs will not help. My gut says to change the springs (they are 30 years old and have 70,000miles). Nismo sells two types of euro springs, A Stage I that has 101F/112R lb./inch and a Stage II that has 122F/140R lb./inch. Stock is 83F/103.6R lb./in. Based on your statement that the fronts should be stiffer than the rear, what are your thoughts on going with 122F/112R combo? By the way, watch out for those poly bushing kits, my caster was way off on the right side front after installing these. I had to trim 3/8" from the front radius rod bushing and put it on the back side to get the caster back. Also, my rear toe alignment is out a bit, not sure how I am going to address this yet.

What is the stock ride height of a 240Z? My Z is 27" at the front wheel well fender lip and 26" at the back (measured through the center line of the wheel). I am not sure if this is due to spring sag in the back or the pressure of the new Tokico gas struts in the front. At any rate, I have totally redone the suspension sans springs. I have also just mounted 16x7 Panasports with Kuhmo 205/55/16's and in that 26" back wheel well they are perfect so I only want to lower the front 1" not the back. Any thoughts?

I have a '72 240 in close to perfect condition. It has 69,000 miles and I have redone the entire suspension (bearings, 4 piston calipers, new wheel cylinders, poly bushings, tokico shocks etc. etc.) So now that I have a decent suspension and braking system, I am interested to know what can reasonably be done with an L24. I am considering conversion to HEI electronic ignition (have the parts), a header and 2-1/2 inch exhaust and maybe a cam. But, again -- what can I reasonably do to this car? By reasonably I mean without sacrificing drivablity. What kind of power can I get from an L24 and what is the best way to go about getting it. The car is a toy and not used as a daily driver -- however, it is driven on the street. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. P.S. I have considered a V8 conversion but do not have the heart -- don't need the tickets either.

I am getting the parts together to do the GM HEI electronic ignition conversion to my '72 240. I bought a '75 280Z distributor but turns out it was from an automatic and has two reluctor pickups. Apparently the second pickup is to retard the timing on if a temperature switch (on the 280Z) is closed. I disassembled this thing, cleaned and lubricated it and put it back together with only one pickup. I hooked it to an oscilloscope and the signal appears the same as before dissassembly. Any reason why I just can't remove this extra pickup? Also, there is a part called out as a "contactor" that I put back in but am unsure of how to set the gap. The contactor seems to come into contact with the shaft under the reluctor -- am unsure of it's function since it is electrically isolated from the rest of the circuitry - unless it is to ground the shaft during spark discharge. Anyone know anything about how to set the contactor gap? Finally, with respect to the GM HEI module. I read that it is reliable and that it is prone to overheating. Does anyone have any experience with this and or another ignition module that they have had success with? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a '72 and I have rebuilt the entire suspension -- new poly bushings, shocks, bearings, wheel cylinders, Toyota 4 piston calipers etc. and I still have noise from the rear end. It is similar to yours -- it is a zzzzzzzzz (mid to high pitched) that increases with speed but stops when I let go of the accelerator pedal. I also still get a little klunk even though my differential, tranny and motor mounts are new. The gears in the differential did not "look" worn but I did not investigate further. I too may be going to an R200/280ZX 5-speed setup. Not much help but misery loves company.