I have a 1978 280Z 5spd. Currently the car has a stock 3.5 in it. Tomorow, I'm going down to a pick-n-pull. If I dont get the differential tomorow, I probably wont have another chance until late summer.
I would like to put in a 3.9 from a 280ZX.
What do I do once I'm there and have found one ? What do I need to remove to get it loose, and how ?
Also, I'm not familiar with 280ZX's... how do I tell the years apart ? (It is posted someplace ?)
getting it out is easy: unbolt the driveline and both half shafts, unbolt the diff crossmember support and unbolt the mustache bar....and it will fall out...so some type of support would be good. The plate on the drivers door should have the mnfg date on it. If I recall correctly, you'll need a 14 and 17mm open end (take two 14's) and same size in sockets...but take an assortment just in case. I think thats all, unless I've forgotten something....good luck!
gary
Do I need any of the parts from the 280ZX that I take the differential out of ?
I'm doing this with my father, and would not like to look like a fool once I get there. He's sort of against this upgrade, but is still letting me do it. Making it as easy as possible would make me look good
Thanks for the tips GGent.
Unbolting the halfshafts... I have yet to even really look at that end of the car. Is this an easy thing to do ? Can I do it without messing with the drums or tires ? (some cars have the tires on, and them being on rims, it would be easier not to undo them.)
ZxSpeeder wrote:
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Do I need any of the parts from the 280ZX that I take the differential out of ?
No, just the differiential. OH, by the way...the zx rear mount is just one bolt instead of the mustache bar...on the 83 anyway.
I'm doing this with my father, and would not like to look like a fool once I get there. He's sort of against this upgrade, but is still letting me do it. Making it as easy as possible would make me look good
don't worry about looking like a fool....I've done it and probably most every body else , if it happens, just laugh and go on.
Thanks for the tips GGent.
Unbolting the halfshafts... I have yet to even really look at that end of the car. Is this an easy thing to do ? Can I do it without messing with the drums or tires ? (some cars have the tires on, and them being on rims, it would be easier not to undo them.)
you can unbolt the half shaft with out removing the wheel...but it is usually easier to remove the wheel...so take a lug wrench. Unbolt the half shafts at the differiential...not much wrench room, just take you time and be patient. Also take a hammer to help break the bolts loose...kind of a portable impact wrench.
Have fun,
gary
If the 83 is just one bolt instead of the mustache bar, will it work on my car without any modifying ?
Also, if you have done this conversion, what did you think ? I have heard it is a lot faster, but then also you start spinning the tires much easier, and even getting sideways if you dont watch it. Is this true ? I've only had about 50 hours driving expierience, so if screwing up and sending it into the curb can happen, I just might end up doing it.
I'll probably end up doing it anyway... it seems to be the cheapest and most effective upgrade I've found for the Z.
I did a similar swap for my '78 280Z, except that my Z is currently an automatic, and the differential that I installed was from a '79 280ZX. The "single bolt mount" at the back of the differential is a coupling bracket that bolts into the two rear studs on the R200 housing. Z's had mustache bars, ZX's had an entirely different rear suspension system, and therefore mount the differential differently (hence the two bolt to one bolt adaptor). If your '78 is stick shift, the swap is straight bolt-in. If it's automatic, it originally came with an R180, which means that the aforementioned two bolt holes in the mustache bar will need to be widened. The hardest part of the swap is re-inserting the driveshaft splines into the transmission tailhousing, if you also swap the driveshaft along with the differential (no need to do this, however). I also replaced the shafts, and since I swapped the entire half shaft/differential/drive shaft unit in one piece, that required essentially disassembling the entire rear suspension. But again, if you swap R200 for R200, and ONLY the differential itself, it's quite easy.
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