[simplemind7]

right now i have a chance at buying a complete rear end, including brakes and e-brake cable, from a twin turbo 300ZX. Since i have to rebuild the car anyway, the condition of my rear end is unknown and i plan on some power upgrades (maybe engine swap) i think it would be a good opportunity to do it now. has anyone done this or heard of it being done?

i did a search before and the only result i got was someone mentioning it about 2 years ago and they didn't get a response... i remember seeing in someones signature that they have a 300ZX, can't remember who it is though, maybe they could measure it?

 

[yellaopelgt]

hmmmmm...........

a twin turbo 300ZX, WOW, I would be hesitant for the simple fact that you KNOW someone along the line beat the p**s out of it!! If it was me, I would make sure the rear end was good before any further plans were thought out. Why waste time with a ton of mods(and you know this swap wont be easy)if the parts you have are in unknown condition. I'm sure its possible,and with enough well thought out plans it will happen. My point is certain cars,Camaro's,Firebirds,basically most used sports cars of any type have been BEATEN!!! Kids get ahold of them and, well,you know. Good luck,let us know your progress and Please ,document this swap so others may use your information!

 

[Lasse H]

Doesn't 300ZX have even some kind of 4 wheel steering? Sounds like a lot of trouble. Recently one Finnish car magazine bought an 80s 300ZX from Germany, which was in driveable condition, and restored it (turbos, brakes, some rear axle stuff, interior, paint, etc..). Nearly all parts had to be ordered from the Netherlands and the price of the car well over doubled. I don't remember the brake part prices but when I read them I though they were quite unbeliveable. If you decide to try the "swap" be sure the rear end doesn't need any exotic spare parts priced accordingly...

 

[simplemind7]

Doesn't 300ZX have even some kind of 4 wheel steering? Sounds like a lot of trouble. Recently one Finnish car magazine bought an 80s 300ZX from Germany, which was in driveable condition, and restored it (turbos, brakes, some rear axle stuff, interior, paint, etc..). Nearly all parts had to be ordered from the Netherlands and the price of the car well over doubled. I don't remember the brake part prices but when I read them I though they were quite unbeliveable. If you decide to try the "swap" be sure the rear end doesn't need any exotic spare parts priced accordingly...

i know it doesn't have 4 wheel steering, and around here they aren't too uncommon so parts shouldn't be too bad, a guy down the street from me owns an 80's one that hes trying to sell and a 90's one that he just bought, and another guy in town has an 80's one, my town only has about 5,000 people.

 

[simplemind7]

a twin turbo 300ZX, WOW, I would be hesitant for the simple fact that you KNOW someone along the line beat the p**s out of it!! If it was me, I would make sure the rear end was good before any further plans were thought out. Why waste time with a ton of mods(and you know this swap wont be easy)if the parts you have are in unknown condition. I'm sure its possible,and with enough well thought out plans it will happen. My point is certain cars,Camaro's,Firebirds,basically most used sports cars of any type have been BEATEN!!! Kids get ahold of them and, well,you know. Good luck,let us know your progress and Please ,document this swap so others may use your information!

well i need to find out the width of the whole rear end before i even consider doing it, then it depends on how much the guy wants for it, so we'll see

 

[baz]

its a 62" track on the back and 58"on the front
have a look @
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/features/0306scc_300zx/

 

[rallye73]

Wasn't my signature, but I do have a Z32 300ZX with the VG30DETT. What measurements are you looking for?

 

[simplemind7]

its a 62" track on the back and 58"on the front

after a quick search i found the stock opel rear end is about 50.5" (correct?)... just short of a foot difference... i'm thinking this might be a lost cause

 

[Bosco2]

I have a non turbo 93 300ZX and backing plate to backing plate looks to be around 58", so 62" could be right for mine also.

 

[simplemind7]

ah, thats who's signature i saw it in... and i'm guessing it costs a fair bit to get a rear end shortened, so i think this idea is done for me

 

[jtb]

Hi,

I considered the Z cars before deciding on the Bimmer. Narrowing an IRS is tricky (read expensive) because you are also altering the suspension geometry. And 6" per side is a lot!!! Also I think the offset (location of the pumpkin compared to the centreline of the car) of the Z cars that I looked at were substantially different than the Opel.

jtb

 

[jeff denton]

How about the simple and much discussed Camaro/Saginaw ten bolt? Were I building a GT with power and wanting to keep it simple (much less have awesome gear selection and parts availability) that is the way I would go. Were I to want something more exotic, cool and challenging I'd copy the BMW IRS swap project.

 

[Tim240Z]

The Z32 TT diff is very stout. It is an R230, which means 230mm, slightly larger than a 9". A lot of guys running high HP V8s in their 240Zs are using this diff with the strong CV joints. A bit overkill for a GT, unless you are planning some serious HP. They are also very heavy units, but do have a clutch type LSD. When I was running an LT1/T56 from a 94Z28 in my 73 Z, I used an R200 from a Q45 which has a Viscous LSD. Also very heavy, but very stout.