cgsheen1

That's what I would think...

They changed the pinion body clamp design in the ZX transmissions. The pinion is essentially the same but the mount is reversed 180 degrees. On the early transmissions, the key and bolt were on top. With the ZX, they moved the key and bolt to the bottom. It was actually a smart design change for ease of service but it has tricked many a Z owner. The change was only in the pinion body (carrier) - the gear & shaft remain the same and are interchangeable as are the seals. If you take one completely apart, you'll see what I mean. To use an early Z transmission pinion assembly in a ZX transmission, you'd need to cut a new slot on the bottom of the pinion body. Easier to either get the right assembly or swap the new gear & shaft (which you can order separately) into the correct body for the ZX transmission.

Looks like they did on the rear cover. Can you get anything between the cover and the plate to cut the seal (slim putty knife)? Have you tried standing it up with the input shaft on a board (tail straight up) and tapping the front cover downward.

Trying to put a Z pinion in a ZX transmission... You can swap the gear & shaft & seals to your original pinion body. When you have two cars in one, you have to remember which is which when buying parts. ?

I love that the OP has never posted back to his thread and yet it's taken a life of it's own...

And you'll need to strengthen the frame considerably! 500 RWHP will twist a stock body to pieces.

Yup, the foam gets old and crunchy - doesn't hold the metal plate well anymore.

We've seen stock L28E 280Z's on the dyno running from in the 90's RWHP to 110 RWHP - depending on condition. (don't be dismayed, a Z doesn't need much to make it fun to drive...)

You can buy new connectors and pins from vintageconnections.com. You'll need a crimping tool and some patience but replacing those corroded spades will be much better than cleaning them. It's not hard to de-pin those connectors either...

We actually have the correct engine block color. Years ago we took an unmolested part to one of our paint suppliers and had them match color and save the formula. I have the paint in single stage for brush-on (or HVLP) and they also make spray cans. We've painted blocks both ways and I find it easiest to brush-on the block and spray parts like pulleys, brackets, and idler parts. IDK if I'm ready to sell and ship block paint, but not painting a block in stock Datsun Blue is one of my OCD triggers...

I'm wondering if the ECU isn't getting a good "the engine is turning now - you can start firing the injectors" signal when it's cold. Does your Tach show RPM while cranking? Also, have you checked the ECU plug and socket connections for oxidation. (Going back to the "90% of the problems I've found in these old EFI systems have to do with wiring and connectors"...)

Looking good! Get the 304 shot over dark grey sealer and you'll be happy with the result. Mine was originally brown metallic (my youngest son's '76 280Z was 304). He decided to go dark grey on his and I couldn't find a color I liked - so I "stole" his original color (Hey, it was also a stock color offered in '74...). We don't see any Z's that still have 304 around here (most are red or orange). Since we painted mine, I've seen a few that were 304 originally but painted over a different color. 304 stands out...

We (my son and I ran Sakura Garage for 10 years) had a Sherwin Williams Automotive outlet near our shop in Tempe. We bought most of our primer, sealer, and base coats from them. They have all the early Datsun codes and match pretty faithfully IMO. Never liked their clearcoat. We used PPG DCU-2021 for the most part. That's the clear on my 260 - my son shot it in 2012 and it's held up well in the Arizona sun. (My son shot the 304 over dark grey sealer - it added "depth" to the color. Shot over lighter primer or sealer, 304's tone is lighter and a little "washed out")

A little different in the shade. My early 260 in front of Peppers late 260...

A good hose company will be able to make whatever you need.

Yup

I heard one time that it's important to "lap" new baulk rings (synchros) in when installing. True? (like you would lap a valve?)

Mine was the heater core itself but my on my son's '76 it was the valve. He replaced the valve and hoses. I'm an Idaho boy in Arizona so I've never needed a heater - mine is blocked off... I'm not looking forward to replacing that heater core. Check it all though, you'll only want to do it once.

I believe that blue wire should have a Female Bullet connector on it's end. (that's what I have in my notes) It ties to the RL (Red/Blue) wiring for the gauge lighting but I'm not positive what it connects to in/near the center console... It will (should) have battery voltage when the lighting is on. As far as I know it would have nothing to do with A/C. My best guess would be Radio lighting... (I just built a new 240Z dash harness and ran into this exact thing. I have pictures of the same connections from the stock harness - I had to chuckle when I saw your pics...)

I ran my stock 3.36 R180 with a close ratio ZX 5-speed in my 260Z for years before swapping the diff to an 3.54 R200. I loved it, but it was also sitting behind an L28ET so, big torque difference. Like Dave, I now run 3000 RPM at 80 MPH. But, I've always believed that you use the lower 4 gears for spirited driving - 5th for cruising.

No wonder Nissan started using a fuel temperature sensor on the VG30E...

Me too...

I doubt there is, the early 5-speed uses the same basic parts as the 4-speed and adds an overdrive gear. I've used a late 280ZX close-ratio Nissan 5-speed behind my L28ET for several years but I'm relatively easy on it... I also have a T-5. Want me to ship it to you?

My son resin printed me some. Not perfect, but cheap.