Bleach

I wonder if they really are NLA. A guy in my Z club bought those just 2 years ago from Nissan for $120 each.

There will be a caravan from Tacoma, WA to Portland that morning as well. Anyone from Washington is welcome to join us. Please see this web page for details. Tacoma to Portland drive for Bluelake 2004

I saw HLS30-00013 It is up in BC, Canada. I have a picture at home of the VIN number. it is in all original condition and very nice. I have a JDM Fairlady Z S30-00931 I got it with a 5-speed but it seems to have the deluxe bumper trim. Only rubber floormats and I don't have the original wheels.

Very nice looking! I'd go for those but I like the silver finish better.

The 2+2 has more pressure and a wider surface area. Keep your existing clutch kit from the 2+2 or you can use a coupe flywheel and clutch together for a lighter clutch pedal. Either way will work. For a non-turbo, the larger clutch is overkill unless you really want to drive hard.

I am interested in a pair as well!!! VERY interested. I'm in the USA, Washington state not Western Australia. :classic:

Yay! This is the event to go to! see you all there....

The transmissions in coups and 2+2's are the same. But, your driveshaft from the auto will not hook up to the 5-speed. No because of length but because of the spline difference. You will need the driveshaft from a 280Z 2+2 with a manual transmission. (doesn't matter if it had a 4 or 5-speed) Hook that driveshaft up to any Z 5-speed that you put in your car. (even a 280zx 5-speed) Since you are new to z-cars, be sure to not get a driveshaft from a 1979-83 280ZX. They are different. You can use those transmissions but get a driveshaft from a 280Z 2+2 1975-78. The 1974 260Z also had a 2+2 option but I'm not sure about the driveshaft on those, so avoid them if you don't find any info on them. 240Z's never came in 2+2 bydystyle In the 280Z's the 5-speed was an option starting in 1977. Older Z-cars may have a 5-speed though because a lot of people have owned them and done swaps through the years. But also don't assume a 1977 or 78 280Z has a 5-speed just because it is a manual. Move the shift to check for 5th gear.

A few years ago I put my 280ZX on the dyno and got 140rwhp. It was stock internals (160K miles) with a bigger exhaust and air filter. Not much but that is a 2.8L

As far as jetting goes, read this article on jetting a single carb for a Datsun 4-cyl. Apply the principles to your car. usually the Webers need to be leaned out from the jets they come with from the factory, even with a cam in your engine. http://www.dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/tech_weber_tuning.html As far as syncing them to each other, they don't have adjustments on the primary jets; only on the idle. Close the richness jets and open them both up 2 turns. adjust the idle speed screw on each the same untill you have an 800-900 rpm idle. Turn the mixture screw in slightly on each one to "lean" your idle down to 700-750rpm or wherever you prefer.

Also, I have found that those Weber carbs come with 140 and 135 jets in them standard. Those carbs are made to run a 2.2-2.4L 4-cyl engine (each) and run a bit rich at that. Now that your fuel supply is constant, try jetting down the primary's a lot and the secondarys a little. It is hard to tell if you are running too rich because the power loss is not as easy to notice. I got some tips on tuning the Weber carb from www.dimequarterly.com which is aimed at tuning a single Weber DGV on an L20b or L18 engine. The same principles should apply to the 2.4L or 2.8L but really each one should be tuned as though it was running a very small engine of 1.4L or less. http://www.dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/tech_weber_tuning.html

NA stands for Normally Aspired. That just means that there is no turbo, blower, or Nitrous. Just normal induction from the engine sucking in its as much air as it can. Related to a Z-car, it usually means to make sure you are looking at a non-turbo 280zx for whatever is being discussed.

Very true, my little Datsun truck has a simular 5th gear and its hardly higher than 4th, but its there... You can either swap pistons or just swap the whole block. The F54 casting is said to be a better design. I guess they had more ridges for a more rigid block. The 280zx turbo comes with a 3.54 I know people who have put a 3.9 in their turbo and they liked it. 4.11 might be too low. You can also go somewhere in between with a 3.7 or even grab the 87-89 300ZX turbo rear for a 3.7:1 LSD!

I know a guy that grabbed a 1982 280zx block and head and put it in a Datsun truck. He ran that Holley carb and a 75hp shot of NOS. He did a MSD igntion setup and it looked like he had it all hooked up good. He ran the thing at the strip many times and used it as a driver for a couple years. Its still in ok shape as far as he knows... I suppose a turbo block might work better. I don' t know if the pistons are stronger, but they sure do have better rings in them.

Keep in mind that the turbo uses the F54 block also, but has different dished pistons inside. If you get the proper head for use with the dished pistons, the turbo block/pistons are fine for an N/A motor. But if you use the turbo head and block without turbocharging the engine, you'll end up with 7.5:1 compression. The T-5 has a slightly lower overdrive than the 1981-83 5-speed, but although the 81-83 n/a 5-speed has the highest overdrive it also has a much higher 1st gear. It was matched with a 3.9 rear so the high 1st gear didn't hurt acceleration. If you get the T-5 be sure to get the driveshaft too as the Borg Warner has different rear splines and is not a Nissan transmission. So the T-5 has a great 5th gear and you'll rocket from a stop with the low 3.5:1 1st gear. 77-79 5-speed 1st: 3.321 2nd: 2.077 3rd: 1.308 4th: 1:1 5th: 0.864 82-83 Turbo (T5) 1st: 3.5 2nd: 2.144 3rd: 1.375 4th: 1:1 5th: 0.78 81-83 n/a 1st: 3.062 2nd: 1.858 3rd: 1.308 4th: 1:1 5th: 0.745 The 81-83 5-speed is the "closest ratios" considering all have a 1:1 4th gear. that is a good match to a car using a 3.9 or lower rear differential. If you are still using a 3.5 or 3.3 then do not choose that transmisison. 1st gear will be a bit too high. Oh, and 1980 has the same gear ratios as 77-79 except for 5th gear which is just slightly lower number than 0.864 but not quite 0.745 I "think" that is the one year the 280zx had a 3.7:1 R180 rear end??? It was the chageover from 3.54 in 1979 down to 3.9 in 1982.

But since you said you are going to use webers, then don't get the turbo block. Typically, the best block/head combo is a P90 turbo head from the 1981-82 280ZX turbo and the F54 block with flattop pistons from a 1981-83 non-turbo 280ZX. (1983 turbo head has hydralic lifters, avoid that if possible P90a) That gives you the 8.8:1 compression right from the start, the closed chamber head for good quench, and the better flowing square port exhaust. The P90 is also cast like the N42 with the mechanical fuel pump blocked off by a bolt-on plate. I suppose you will use an electric pump anyway, but the option is there. Stick in a performance cam, shave the head 0.008 and advance the cam to the #2 spot on the upper sprocket. Use the non-turbo electronic distributor. With headers and your carbs you're looking at about 200hp. I'm not sure how you plan to get 250. Most people can't with a normally aspired engine. Besides that, a properly modified fuel injection system will beat out those tripples in torque and high end power. But that's not the look you're after. Putting in a 4.11 or 4.375 rear will help increase your wheel horsepower.

yup, that's me. Still undergoing that project along with my other Datsuns.

Ok, thanks. I wasn't sure how many of these engines were still around. and yes, I accidently hit the "b" I guess I'm used to typing the L20b engine code too as I have a Datsun truck also.

I want to put a fresh engine gasket set on my L20b in a 1970 Fairlady Z. I know the bore is smaller, but how about the block height? If it is the same height as the L24 then I should be ok on the front cover gasket. Anyone with an L20 engine ever put new gaskets on? Is there actually an L20 gasket set available?

The number refers to the width of the gears. R180 is a narrower gear than an R200 internally. Therefore the R200 is stronger and can take more torque. The R180 is said to be good for up to 250hp while the R200 can be used with V8 conversions and has been known to take 350lbs of torque without any problems. The R200 differentials found in the 1975 280Z-1989 300ZX are all interchangable and use the same type of half-shafts. (except for the visious LSD used for only one year 1988? of the 300ZX turbo) The R200 LSD was found from Nissan in the 1987-89 300ZX turbo models only and only those years. The R230 of the 2nd generation 300ZX from 90-96 is a larger body and does not bolt into an older Z. The R200 LSD in the Z31 (1st generation 300ZX) comes in a 3.7:1 ratio. The Nissan rear gears came in these ratios. 3.36:1 / 3.54:1 / 3.7:1 / 3.9:1 / 4.11:1 / 4.375:1 The higher the number, the lower the gear is and the more torque is produced. Also, with a lower geared differential your freeway rpm will be higher, less gas milage. The lowest 4.375 was only found in the R180, not R200 and only in 1981-82 4x4 720 truck. (front axel) The R200 is common to get a 3.9 or 4.11 for performance applications. It is nessisary to use a 5-speed with 3.9 or lower gearing if you plan to drive on the highway often.:cheeky:

I once had a simular problem and then later on the car wouldnt' start at all. It still had spark, but it ended up that my points/condenser needed to be replaced anyway because the spark was way too weak. So you have had the L28 driving good before? I would alsmost say to check your valve timing. If it was driving good before, then you can't possibly have put the timing chain on wrong.

According to this page, the 240SX has a 40-42mm offset. That is the same offset used on front wheel drive cars. You will need approx 35mm spacer to fit wheels on your 280ZX. http://shop.store.yahoo.com/racinglab/nissan6.html

Some info I can't find is what the wheel size and offset of a stock 240SX wheel is. I'm guessing 15x6 inch wheel, but does anyone know the offset? The 280ZX 6-star aluminum wheel is 14x6 with +12mm offset. You'll need a 15x6 wheel with 0-20mm offset in my opinion. The greater the offset, the more the wheel will set back inside the fender. Image taken from DiscountTire.com