ZSaint

I believe you are correct. I think I can mount the same switch for the antennae on the radio face plate just like the 240 has. This switch is not a part of the radio, per se. I am thinking of taking the radio out of the 240 and putting the AM/FM radio in its place. The antennae switch should mount just like it does on the 240 radio faceplate. How about the mount for the radio. Surely someone has taken their radio out a few times. Anyone?

I just bought a 260 AM/FM radio on ebay. ($25) I know it will not bolt into a '71 (2/71) but what do I need to do to install it in my Z? Once I have taken the faceplate off, it looks a lot like my AM radio. It does not have the antennae switch but I think I can mount that onto this radio. Anyone played with their radio lately? I need some ideas on putting this radio into my Z. I appreciate your comments.

Welcome ZWay! I see you are from Alabama. Do they still play football there?

Carl, you amaze me with your knowledge. I used to know all of the ratios of the 'comp' direct-drive 5-speed. I remember getting one from Datsun to run in my 510. I had a couple of them for my 280Z's. We had a special high 1st gear for Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca. It was worth .2 of a second at the top of the hill at R/A and about the same a Laguna. That was a long time ago and I have lost all of that info from my memory bank. I barely remember .008/.010 valve adjustment! I did time the new cam in my 3.0 engine. It had been 20 years since I did one but it all came back once I got all of the equipment. I sold all of this stuff when I sold my last Datsun. I had a box of lash pads that was worth a fortune. Wonder what that guy did with all of that stuff. He also got 4 L/S diffs. We do crazy things when we call it quits. The guy got everything he needed to run the car for a long time. Hope he used it. Oh yeah, the clutch. (I digress!) I will continue to adjust the pedal and the clutch rod until I get some clutch clearance. It will work out. I've got the time.

What size clutch cylinder did you use? 11/16? It is 5/8" stock I believe. If you move more fluid the slave cylinder will also move farther. It will also be a heavier clutch pedal with the larger cylinder. I wonder if the Centerforce Clutch (II) is just too large (needs more T/O movement) for a Z application. They build the same pressure plate for several engines and just redrill the mounting holes to fit each application. I had my flywheel re-surfaced and the machinist put the .006 step into it just like it calls for in their book. I will try putting the pedal setting in it's longest throw and adjust the slave cylinder rod tight to see if the clutch releases. I hate clutches that do not work. Please let me know the diameter and manufacturer of your larger clutch cylinder. (I am thinking the brake cylinder was 5/8 and I installed a 11/16. I cannot remember what size the clutch M/C is. I will look tomorrow. It is a new one, too!)

Welcome "learner". Now you know all there is to know about Datsuns trannies: They have sooo many different flywheel, clutch arm, t/o bearing, t/o collars, clutch pedestals and slave cylinder combos, no one actually knows what fits with what. You just need to try and get all of the same pieces "if you can". 280Z uses 280Z stuff. When you are putting a 280Z or ZX into an older Z, you need to use all 280 stuff. I am trying to put a 5-speed into my '71 Z. I need a 280Z t/o bearing-collar. It does not work properly. I did what everyone told me to do but it does not work, yet. I will figure it out, eventually. I have a '83 Maxima 5-speed tranny. I wanted this tranny because it has the longer O/D 5th gear. I wanted the long gear for freeway travel. I have a R200 L/S 3.9 diff. I believe the 77-80 trannies had a .84 O/D and my tanny has a .76 O/D. I may be off on these numbers but you get the picture. What is your diff ratio? If you are constantly shifting, it sounds like you have a shorter rear end ratio. Maybe a higher gear is in order?

I do not have enough travel in my clutch arm. I am using a Centerforce II clutch assy. I have a 83 5-speed with a 280Z T/O bearing, '71 240Z clutch arm, adjustable clutch rod (to fit the 240 arm) with a 280Z non-adjustable slave cylinder. It looked good during mock-up as the arm is perpendicular to the driveline. It does not release the clutch disc when the clutch is depressed. I have not started the engine because I am waiting for a set of SU's. I know the disc is new and fuzzy but it still should release the pressure. Can I adjust the rod? Do I need additional pedal travel? Should I install a new (already have one) 240Z slave cylinder? Just looking for info on this set-up. I changed to the non-adjustable 280Z slave to get away from the adjustment. What are the differences in these two slaves? They look alike to me!

I am thinking it has flattop pistons and would be in the 10.2-3 range. I will see when I pull the head. It was supposed to have a trick clutch in it, also. It did not. Maybe it is a dished piston stocker. Oh well, it is still a good price for a builder.

Your are correct. I ordered one up today. Gotta have one for my Auto Library. Thanks for the tip on this book. Can't wait to get it and read it. :knockedou

I missed the auction. I read your post today. Maybe I can contact them about buying one. I would like this book for my auto library.

I would have him hold the primer until you remove the surface rust and w/s sticky. You will not have any problem finding the stuff after the media blasting. It will really stick out after it is blasted. The metal will look like new EXCEPT where there is rust or anything that absorbs engergy. If you have a small sand blaster and some thinner, you can remove the rust and the sticky pieces prior to his primering. Don't wait too long as this new metal surface absorbs moisture from the air in a hurry. I had parts of my car media blasted and it looked great. The painter loved it, too!

I just bought a 280Z engine. It had been sitting outside in the weather on the Oregon Coast. It had a tranny on it and I assumed it was a 4-speed. After buying both for $100 I went to pick them up and started to look over the numbers. Shazzam! It had a 5-speed bolted to it. Now I have a spare. I took the valve cover off and the cam has some surface rust on it but it will be OK as a builder. Interesting note: It has a E31 head on it. What kind of cr does this baby have?

I don't think so. It is a little like going to the barber and coming home and finding your toe nails too short. No connection between brakes and clutches. Your ZX just needed more attention!

The flanges are interchangeable. The problem is shortening the axles to make them fit. You need to shorten the stub axles to make the axles fit. They are about 1" too long without any mods. We cut the stub axles and machined them for welding. We also had to modify the springs for the CV joints. It is a very complicated process. I would not do it again for my street driving. A nice R200 with the old axles would have been just fine! Now I have a drive train that will handle 500 hp. I will be running 200. Overkill!

Aha! It set down in the plastic. It is a ZX fan. It is 2 7/8" thick and the stock metal/clutch assy. is 2". I need the correct fan assy. Thank you people!

I bought a 280Z clutch and fan from someone on ebay. I restored the clutch and the fan and tried to mount it on my '71 240Z. I have a new 4-row rad in the car and a 280 (F54) engine. The fan assy is too thick to mount in the car. It is about 5/8" thicker then the 240 fan assy. Maybe I got a 280ZX assy. What do I do? Is there a thinner or shorter clutch for the 280.

I am new to the Datsun scene. I made it to the Canby show and did not go to the Shasta show. What others are there?

I intalled 6 mil plastic sheets. I actually used the bags that came with the new Panasports. They are YELLOW. Who will ever know. This is tough stuff and will last a long time. Thank you Panasport! I left the small plugs out of the bottom of the doors. Should I have? I thought the water would drain out better with the holes open. Trapped water is our enemy.

I really do not drive my 'show' vehicles in the bad weather. I have an old Durango for wet weather. My '68 Dart and my Z will not be driven in the winter and hopefully they will not get too wet in the summertime. Now, a spring shower may catch me once in a while but I will head for the garage instantly. My car is just too clean underneath to get that road scum all over it. I'm just too lazy to clean it all the time.

I put a moisture barrier on my '71. It did not have any plastic on the door. I spent considerable time putting this plastic over the door. Is this required or did I spend a lot of time for nothing. This car will not be driven in the rain or left out in the weather. I probably wasted my time. I was only out some silicone caulking but I could have been doing other things. Do you guys seal your doors? :nervous:

Now thats what I need, someone who knows! OK, I did not know that. I will get the proper grommet ordered up. Thanks for the info. Now If I can just find out from someone about the 240 vs. 260 radios....

I purchased a new firewall throttle lever grommet and it is too big for my '71 240Z. (Hole in firewall is too small for the grommet) Do they make a smaller grommet? I guess I can pull it thru the firewall and cut it off. But, it will not seal as well as one that fits! What do you do here? :disappoin

I realize they take a different face plate, but... Are the radios the same UNDER the faceplate? Will a 260/280 AM/FM radio fit into a AM faceplate, bolt into the dash frame and hook up to the antennae and the power wire? I have never worked with these radios so I am lost on this deal. Can someone help me out here? :surprised

I realize they take a different face plate. But... Are the radios the same UNDER the faceplate? Will a 280 AM/FM radio fit into a AM faceplate, bolt into the dash frame and hook up to the antennae and the power wire? I have never worked with these radios so I am lost on this deal. Can someone help me out here? :nervous:

Give us some pics of your mirror resto. What did the "glass" cost you? I get mine cut and polished for $7. I have an extra 'rear-view mirror' and I am considering replacing the glass. Did you break the glass out and re-glue? Give us the specifics, OK?