Dave's 1972 Datsun 240z: August 2013

Last weekend I acquired a 1977 5 speed transmission for a guy who was parting out the engine/drivetrain of his 280z. Supposedly it drove great without noise and only has 80k miles on it. I picked it up for $100 which I think was quite a great deal. I've been seeing these go for $250-$300, and this one included an extra flywheel, clutch, and engine splash guard.

The transmission is a FS5W71B model, Serial # 7322759 meaning

7=1977
3=March
22579 = Sequential number of this transmission being produced (#22,579 for the month of March 1977)

This is an early "wide ratio" transmission which should improve the drive ability of the car, especially at highway speeds with the 0.864 overdrive gear. Below are the drive ratios for the different transmissions available for the S30. I started with a 1972 240z 4speed and will be installing a 1977 280z 5speed.

Before Pictures

First order of business was to powerwash and degrease the transmission. I did cover up the output shaft with a plastic bag as well as the speedo gear to prevent water from entering the transmission. I do plan on installing the transmission in the car prior to rebuilding it. This will allow me the ability to see where its actually leaking from as well as if any gears or forks make funny noises.

After Degreasing & Powerwashing Pictures

Next comes jacking up the car and removing the old 4 speed transmission and installing this new 5 speed unit.

Transmission pulled out through the rear and remaining clutch and flywheel (note that the engine must be supported when pulling the transmission!

All of the shuttering I noticed when engaging the clutch was due to two springs being broken on the friction disk.

240z & 280z pressure plates and release (throw out) bearing collars are different sizes.

The car is now back together & shifts much better than expected. The clutch does engage very high up in the pedal stroke, which is different than before but it may be due to the different type of clutch pressure plates.

Here are some great reference pictures from the InterWeb...

Another great reference site is Blue's Tech Tips: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/transmissionbreakdown/index.html

The Speedo gear in the transmission must match the differential, so I'm going to need to pull the one out of my 4speed transmission and insert it into the new 5 speed to keep the speedometer accurate...
YELLOW is the 16 tooth for the 3.36
BLACK is the 17 tooth for the 3.54
BLUE is the 18 tooth for the 3.70
WHITE is the 19 tooth for the 3.90
RED is the 20 tooth for the 4.11
PURPLE is the 21 tooth for the 4.38

After too many passengers getting confused with the stock 3-point seatbelt harness (fixed length shoulder strap and all), I decided to upgrade to a set of Wesco seatbelts. I believe they are either the same or very similar to the set that is available from Motorsports. Wesco has a nice online system that allows the user to identify exactly which seatbelt combination to select based on the vehicle.

The setup I selected ended up being $173 out the door with shipping and tax. See http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/

Here are some pictures of the before & after