zguitar71

The rotor number 1 position is @ about 9:30. Check to make sure the oil pump shaft is in the right position. The shaft feeds into the bottom of the dist and rotates it. if it is off the timing will be wrong. The shaft should be in the 11:30 position. Remove the dist., line up the 2 mounting holes that the retaining screws for the dist. reside, the shaft will be about 5 deg. clockwise from that line. The larger 1/2 moon side of the shaft should be toward the rear of the motor. If the shaft position is off the oil pump can be pulled out and the shaft turned and the pump put back in place.

Yes the 5 speed will mate to the motor from a 260 auto but you will need to add the entire clutch system to the car, use a flywheel from a manual and the starter might need to be changed too (not sure on the last one). The drive line might be the wrong length and the trans tunnel might have to be modified too (for the shifter to fit). I am not sure of all the mods I listed but they are just some things that come to mind when I picture the change over in my head. It is not nearly as straight forward as a 4-5 speed change. There are articles people have written about the swap on Hybridz.org and possible here too. It can be done though.

I loved both of those beers only one at a time, I never was a black and tan drinker. Now I'm a tea drinker, I know off subject and kinda wussy but I quite drinking 8 years ago and I have to have something to do after work.

Wow! I love the car. I have always been a big fan of the old Fords. When I was a kid my fathers boss had an old pick up from the 20's or very early 30's. I think it was an A. He would let us take it for a drive on occasions. I remember my father being very nervous about the mechanical brakes, he would pull back on the steering wheel and press the brakes at the same time, I was too young to understand the difference between those and hydraulic brakes and never fully understood why we traveled so much slower than the other cars on the road. Of course we only took it out on Sunday mornings when the traffic was low. I had to have the lower part of the windshield pushed out for the airflow, I thought it was too cool. That was in the 70's. The car is still parked in the same garage, probably with a big coat of dust on it. It has not been driven in many years. Thanks for posting your car. Take more pictures!

I will be 39 on the 4th of May. I had a friend when I was in the 7th or 8th grade who's mother drove a 280zx. I thought it was a really cool car at the time. Later in life we used to take the car on illegal joy rides when she was gone, illegal because we were 15 at the time. That was my intro to the Z world. When I was 18 a friend of mine bought a 240 with a modded L28 in it. I took a ride in the car and was blown away. It was fast and loud and handled great. The car was beautiful inside and out, I wanted one. Fast forward to 28 years old and I have moved to Missoula Montana from my home town of Memphis TN. I owned a `90 Saab 900 that I started to autocross. On my first autocross (which I won running studdless snow tires!) I watched a guy with a `71 240 with a 3.1 L motor, suddenly I remembered being 18 again. I got a ride in the car and was more blown away then when I was 18. This car was very fast, it ran on race fuel and had 13.5:1 compression, racing slicks and a very stiff suspension. I continued racing my Saab for a couple more years and picked the brain of the guy with the 3.1 240. I went to work one day in `03, parked my Saab in front of the office on the street. A woman slammed into it while turned around yelling at her kids in the back seat, totaled it. I was bummed but it was time for a new car anyway. I ended up buying a Subaru Outback. It was a great car but boring, big mistake. I sold the car a year later and bought a $650 `87 Toyota pickup and a `71 240z, much better car arrangement. The guy that raced the 3.1 helped my pick the car out. We did some mods to the car and I started racing it in FP, though I kept the car streetable. I raced it for 2 years, He and I traveled together to the races in our Z's. Then I started racing his car. We shared his car for a couple of years on the track. I ended up winning quite a few fast times of the day awards in that car (beating him in his own car!). I had won one in my car but his is much faster with the 3.1. I have not raced for 2 year now and I think I am going to get back into it this year. I spent all my $ racing the Saab and Zcars, mostly credit cards. I decided to get out of debt. I refinanced to a 15 year loan on my house with out raising the monthly cost and I have paid all other debts off and I have saved $ to play with. So I am going to get out in the Z on the track not just the street this year and see what happens. I think I will be a little rusty but I have always done well autocrossing so I think I'll be alright. Check out my user gallery for picks of the Z on the track.

Another benifit of the zx 5 speed is the ratio spread as well as the trans being stronger. I love mine but I did not care about resale but that does not matter unless you are building a trailer queen. I have run diff ratios from 3.54 to 4.44; 4.11 is my favorite with the zx 5 speed running 205/60/14's (tire diameter changes things). I have a bigger cam in my motor so the power band is higher than a stock motor but I still prefer the 5th gear for higher speed cruising. I can always downshift if I need too. The inside of the car is quiter in 5th than 4th which is why I like it for the highway.

A zcar in Germany! How could you not take it? IMO you should take it!

I like it, I was not a fan of the 350. Now if they could get it down to 2400 lbs.... Nissan is going after Porsche pretty hard, first the 911 Turbo now the Boxster, I hope they don't let up.

I ran an early 4 speed and a 3.54 for a while. it is about the same as a zx 5 speed and a 4.11 until you hit 5th gear. The draw back is the high revs in 4th and the big drop off between 2 and 3. The zx is a close ratio (not like the racing trans) so the motor stays in the power band better. If you can go with the zx 5 speed I would do it, that with a 3.9 or a 4.11 is better than the 4 speed.

Very nice! My Z sleeps in my garage every night. It is down for the winter now.

When the car was on the stands the spring probably came off the perch, when you lowered the car the spring was setting up on the perch not in it. When you drove the car it worked its way back in. I assume you have some type of lowering springs on the car, there free length is short enough they will not be held in place when the car is off the ground like the stock springs.

Take the rear cover off the diff and look at the carrier, this will confirm if it is an lsd or not, you can also check the ratio stamp on the ring gear too. But if you cannot turn the wheels seperatly and you have a receipt that said it is an lsd then it probably is.

The r200 is strong enough but you should run a 4 pinion lsd for the most strength.

The 3.9 r200 are easy to find but do require some part changes to fit it in. The 4:11 r180 from the 200sx and pick-up truck are easy to find too and do not require any mods, just bolt it in. I personally would go for the zx close ratio 5 speed and the r180 4:11. The r180 will be plenty strong anough for a 2.4l with mods

IMO you can save $ by buying an L28 and getting a 5 speed from a N/A 81-83 zx. Take L28 short block and the head from your car. If you have the flattop su's get rid of them and buy some Ztherapy su's or a good set of used round top su's. The zx 5 speed is stronger and has a better ratio spread. While you are at it change over to a 3.9 ratio r200 diff too. You should be able to do all that for $1500 or less.