Z

Z-22 Conversion

One Of The Main Problems With Trying To Maintain An Older Car Is That The Parts Supply Seems To Be Drying Up With Each Passing Year. Heres A Idea For An Engine Exchange From An L-16 (factory Motor) For A Naps Z22 Sport Block Coupled With A L-20 Cylinder Head. Most Folks Don't Know That When The Japanese Introduced The Naps Z Engine That It Was Basically A L-Engine Short Block Coupled To New Style Cylinder Head. This Engine Was Introduced In 1980 As A 2000cc And
Then Was Latter Bored To A 2200cc Block.

The Way To Identify The Block Is To Look For The Number Pad On The Side Of The Deck And See If It Says Z-22 Or Z20. Use The One Marked Z-22 You Do Not Need To Make Any Provisions For The Use Of This Block And A L-20b Cylinder Head Except For Some Modifications to the Cylinder Head Gasket. There Needs To Be Several Holes (3/16") Punched Into Into The Z-22 Gasket To Provide The Additional Cooling The L-20B Head Requires. If You Are Not Confident In Your Ability To Match These Holes Than Ask A Good Machine Shop To Match The Holes For You. Also In The Use Of Gasket You Will Need To Apply Some Silicone Sealant To The Timing Cover Sealing Area Since The Hole. In The Gasket Will Not Line Up With The Existing Holes. You May Also Want To Use The Stock L-16 Oil Pan And Pick UpTube For Better Cross Member Clearance.

You Will Notice The First Time You Take A Compression Reading That The Pressure Is Greatly Increased (Approx. 215 PSI) Thereby Increasing The Chance Of Engine Pinging. Make Sure You Super Gasoline's, 91 Octane's Or Better And Don't Over Advance Your Ignition Timing. A Stock Z-22 Head Gasket Should Be Ok But, If You Find Shortly After Making This Conversion That The Cylinder Head Gasket Has Failed Than You Should Look Into Buying A Performance Head Gasket From The Nissan Competition Parts Catalogue See Link Below For The Nissan Page.

Differential

All Datsun 510 Sedans Were Produced With The R-160 Independent Rear Differential. The "160" Simply Indicates Dimension In Millimeters Of The Ring Gear Contained Within. There Is Some "Gray Area" Here Concerning The Availability Of Some Of The Interchanges. The Primary Reason To Modify This Area Of Your Sedan Is to Beef up The Weak Link When You Increase The Power Output Of Your Sedan. The Other Benefits Of The Modification Are

1. The Addition Of A Limited Slip Version

2. The Option Of Changing The Rear Axle Gear Ratio

3. The More Common Availability Of Newer Style (R-160 Aren't Going To Last For Ever ). Also Listed Listed Below You Will Find Some Other Japanese Cars That Use The R-160 Differential.

1. The Direct Exchange R-160 Can Be Found In These Vehicles : 1968 -1973 Datsun 510 Sedan Models, The 1974-1976 Datsun 610 Sedan Models, The 1971-1974 Datsun 240/260Z, The 1976-1977 710 Sedan Models.

2. The Limited Slip Version Of The R-160 Can Be Found In Some 1985-1989 Subaru 4WD Turbo Version. This Exchanges Will Require You To Swap The Side Gears Inside The Rear End To Accommodate The "Flange Style" Fastener Opposed To The "Roll Pin" Retainer Used For Subaru Stub Axles. If You Attempt This Exchange Follow The (Datsun) Shop Manual Directions For The Proper Side Gear Clearances.

1. A Larger R-180 Rear End Can Be Installed With Virtually No Modifications Also. This Differential Can Be Found Living In The 1975-1978 Datsun 280Z And Also The 1980-1984 Datsun 810-Maxima Sedan

2. A Special Viscous Coupling R-180 Can Be Found In 1990 Nissan Axxess Van (This Exchange Has Not Been Verified).

1. Nissan Has Made Many Very Similar Rear ends Assemblies And These Listed Have The Easiest Interchange. The R-200 Differential Requires Considerable Changes, But Worth The Effort For Maximum Performance .

2. If You Can Not Determine The Gear Ratio Because The Special Metal Tab That Indicates The Ratio Is Gone, Try This Method. First Make A Chalk Mark On The Driveshaft Flange And A Matching Mark On The Housing So You Can See The Rotation Reference Point. Next Make A Chalk Mark On One Of The Axle Flanges And Divide The Flanges Area Into Ten Equal Segments . Then Simply Hold The Remaining Unmarked Axle Flange Still While You Rotate Driveshaft Flange 10 Times. While You Are Rotating The Input Count The Total Number Of Turns On The Marked Axle Flange. Then Take The Total Axle Revolutions And Divide By 10 . This Will Be Your Base Ratio Number.

Interior Modification

Many Times We Look Into The Other Cars On The Road And We See Some Interior Items That We Think Would Look Good In A 510 . Well, Here's Some Ideas To Get You Started On Your 510's Interior.

1. Carpet.

Most Areas Have A Local Carpet Wholesale Outlet That Sells Auto Carpet. The Average 510 Sedan Will Take Approx. 5 1\2 Sq. Yards To Replace The Existing Mats. Remove All Your Seats And Console If Equipped, Then Take Your Stock Rubber Mats And Place Them Flat On The Carpet. Cut Out New Sections Using The Originals As Patterns Being Sure To Add About 2" On All Sides For Fitting Allowance. As For Fastening Your Rug, I Used A "Hot Glue Gun" To Bond Mine Down And It And It Worked Good As Long As The Bonding Surface Was Clean. Rough Fit The New Pieces In Place And Carefully Trim Them To Match Each Other. Then Fasten Them Securely . NOTE: When Re-Installing Your Seats And Other Items, Be Sure That When Holes Are Made For The Bolts, Etc. That You Cut The Carpet And Not Drill The Carpet. Drilling Into Auto Type Carpet May Cause Long Sections To Unravel. You May Find That This Same Type Installation Would Look Good In Your Trunk Also.

2. Consoles .

Here Are Some Consoles That Fit A 510 With Only Minor Trimming Needed

A. ) 75-76 Datsun 710 Consoles

B. ) 74-78 Datsun B-210 Consoles

C. ) 75-81 Peugeot 504 Consoles

3. Seat Belts

710 3-Point Retractable Belts Bolts Right In. No Modifications Needed.

4. Arm Rests

710 Arm Rests Fit Without Any Problems.

5. Mirrors.

Most Datsun/Nissan Use A Standard 3 Mount On The Rear View Mirror. By Using your Mirror Base As An Example, You Can Waltz Right Up To Any Datsun/ Nissan With A Day/Night Mirror And See If It Will Interchange.

Transmission Exchange

A Good Number Of 510 's Were Produced With Automatic Transmissions. In This Issue We're Going To Discuss The Procedure To Convert To A Manual Transmission, Either 4 Or 5 Speed. Parts Needed: L Engine Manual Trans. 4 Or 5 Speed From 1968 Thru 1980 Datsun Car Or Pickup.

IMPORTANT NOTE : There Are Two Lengths Of Available Transmissions. You Should Measure The Prospective Trans. To Be Sure Of A Straight Exchange Or Be Prepared To Have The Driveline Shortened To Accommodate The Longer Version. Also In The Case Of The Longer Trans. You Will Need To Relocate The Mount And The Shifter Hole. For A Conversion From Automatic To Manual You Will Need To Obtain From A Parts Car Of The Manual Transmission Variety.

1. Both Pedals, Clutch And Brake.

2. Clutch Master Cylinder.

3. Clutch Push Rod.

4. Steel Hydraulic Line From Master To Right Frame Rail.

5. Rubber Hydraulic Hose From Steel Line To Slave Cylinder.

6. Retaining Clip For Hydraulic Hose At Frame Rail Bracket.

7. Clutch Slave Cylinder.

8. Flywheel, Bolts & Clutch Assy.

9. Shifter Boot Mounting Structure (This Is The Portion Inside The Car That Is A Tin, Screw In "Hump", To Support The Shifter Boot.)

10. Shifter Boot.

11. Shift Lever And Knob.

12. Pilot Bushing.

13. Manual Trans. Cross Member And Mount.

14. Some Conversions May Require The Use Of A Manual Trans. Variety Starter Tools Needed: Basic Metric Hand Tools, An Electric Drill, A 4" Hole Saw, Floor Jack And Stands, Test Light And A Hammer

Prepare The Patient By Jacking Up And Supporting On Jack Stands. Disconnect The Battery Cables And Remove The Starter. Remove The Driveshaft And If An Automatic Transmission, Drain The Fluid, Disconnect The Fluid Lines To The Radiator And Unbolt The Torque Converter. Unhook The Shifter & Unplug The Wires To The Transmission. Support The Transmission And Remove The Cross Member And Mount. Remove The Bolts On The Bell Housing And Lower The Transmission To The Ground And Remove From Under The Car. Unbolt The Flex-Plate And Remove The Spacer. Now From Inside The Car, Disconnect And Remove Brake Pedal, And Automatic Shifter Assembly From The Column Or Floor. From Under The Hood Remove The Clutch Cylinder Hole Cover. Now We're Ready To Put It Back Together. Install The Pilot Bushing And The Flywheel, Clutch Assy. Measure From The Front Of The Transmission. To The Shifter Mount And Record The Measurement. Now Measure From The End Of The Engine To The Underside Of The Hump And Mark Where The Length Of The Transmission Ends Up. Make A Small Dent Or Hole At This Point To Start Your 4" Hole At. Now, From The Inside Of The Car, Drill Your 4" Hole Paying Attention Not To Drill Into The Brake Hydraulic Lines Running Down The Right Center Of The Inside Of The Hump. Install Your Transmission And Bolt To The Engine. Support The Transmission While You Make The Necessary Mont Spacers If Needed. Mount The Rear Of The Transmission. In Place Making Sure The Transmission Is Not In Contact With The Floor. Install The Driveshaft, Or If Installing The Long Shaft Type Transmission, Measure The Needed Length And Have The Driveline Shortened And Rebalanced.

Install Your Clutch And Brake Pedals, Clutch Master, Slave And Hydraulic Brake Fluid And Bleed The Air From The System. Install The Starter And Battery Cables. Now We Need To Make To Make The Starter And Backup Light Operable. Use YourTest Light To Locate A Hot (+) Wire In The Bunch Of Wires To The Transmission. This Should Be The Black With A Yellow Stripe. Connect This Wire To The Black And Yellow With A Red Stripe Wire Your Starter Should Work Now. Next Locate The Hot Wire For The Back Up Lights. This Should Be The Red With A Black Stripe Wire. Connect To The On The Right Middle Side Of The Transmission. And Connect The Remaining Red And Black Stripe Wire To The Other Switch Wire. You Should Now Have Backup lights When Shifted Into Reverse With The Ignition Switch On. Secure And Insulate Any Remaing Wires To Prevent Shorting Them Out .

Changing From A 4-Speed To A 5-Speed Is Basic In The Exchange Of Same Size Gearboxes. Some Modifications May Be Needed For The Mount Or Cross Member. But The Interchange Is Fairly Identical. In The Installation Of The Z-Car Type Long Shaft 5-Speed You Will Need To Shorten The Driveshaft And Reposition The Crossmember. This Transmission From The 1982 280ZX Is About The Most Durable Of The Datsun Line. There Is Also A Borg-Warner 5-Speed Transmission From The 1983 Turbo 280ZX That Would Fit With Similar Modifications.