The gearbox: When shopping for a Z32 gearbox try and look for a clean complete unit, you need the speedo sender, shifter, shifter linkage, front half of the tailshaft (the yokes are availiable new so dont stress about this), clutch slave cylinder (as the line sits higher which is an advantage for low cars) throwout bearing retainer and fork. I have done a lot of conversions in my time and never come across any more damage than a slightly worn 4th gear syncro, even the dirtiest old looking gearboxs have been brand new internally.
The parts:
^^ White gearbox mount not included
Adapter plate: This is used to change the mounting pattern on the SR block, its 12mm Aircraft Alluminium water jet cut and prescision CNC milled, it covers 3/4 of the ring of the bellhousing and bolts to the block using 6 12mm countersunk screws and 2 dowel positions. This bolts on over the factory bellhousing "washer" so theres no need to remove it.
There is also a provision for the starter motor to mount to the adapter plate so it is always on the motor dosnt matter if gearbox is on or off.
Gearbox crossmember: A 3mm steel laser cut blank folded, jigged and welded to fasten the gearbox in the correct position, you will be using a factory gearbox mount aswell(nismo hard rubber version works best)
Shifter mount: From factory the Z32 had a shifter that was actually mounted to the floor, so for our S series nissans we need a bracket that mounts the shifter by itself on the gearbox. A laser cut 3mm steel folded and jigged bracket takes car of this to mount everything at the correct hight.
Alloy cover plate: A simple 3mm thick alloy cover plate that covers the factory shifter hole so no noise dirt or rats get inside your car.
Gearbox modifications: The bellhousing needs to be removed from the gearbox, this is essential to machine the face on the bellhousing to allow the 12mm thick adapter plate to sit inside it. While its being machined the dowel holes need to be opened up to suit the 16mm dowells in the adapter plate and one whole on the LH side needs opening up to allow the stud to come through it.
The conversion: Basically its a bolt on affair after all the maching and products have been purchased, the bellhousing goes back onto the gearbox, the shifter mount bolts to the gearbox, the gearbox mount bolts to the gearbox, the crossmember bolts to the gearbox mount, the shifter bolts to the shifter mount, the adapter plate bolts to the motor then the gearbox bolts to the adapter plate. The starter motor will need to be removed and the two mounting holes drilled out to 10.5 mm to allow the bolts to pass through it instead of threading into it. Bolt the starter motor to the adpater plate and plug the wires back on to it.
By now it will be looking like a complete unit, you will notice i didnt mention anything about modifying a clutch, thats because you dont have to, the input shaft is excactly the same as an SR one, so you can retain your clutch for this modification.
The tailshaft is best left as a two piece unit, you take the two front halves of each tailshaft SR and VG, cut the rear yoke of the sr, cut the front yoke off the VG and retube them to the length you need, the three S13, S14, S15s all share different lengths so its best to do the tailshaft last so you can get this part right. You will be adding somewhere in the vacinity of 100mm as the VG box is shorter than the SR one.
Car modifications: The tunnel on all SR equipped cars is large enough to take a VG box, no modifications are needed for this, the shifter however needs a "half circle" cut into the body to allow it to sit 75mm further back and 35mm further left than the factory SR shifter. This is best done with the gearbox in the car and the shifter removed as many cars positions differ.
Hope this sums up the conversion and please ask if you have any further questions. I have been personally running this setup for 5 years now and had no issues whatsoever.
