30a Internals

  • 300zxturboftw
    300zxturboftw
    Senior Member
    • 3709

    30a Internals

    I want to see if any of you have come across upgraded internals for the 30a. I assume at the power levels I will be making mine will probably kill itself in short order. What power have you seen these hold? Over 500 reliably? I believe z32 internals are near the same as 30a as well, but I'm sure they have to have upgraded internals available.
    Usual Z31 suspect: Garage Queen (aka broken)
  • shromy
    shromy
    Senior Member
    • 2189

    #2
    http://www.ppgearbox.com.au/


    BTW they tend to hold up to 500 tq fine if in good shape to start. 600+ is when your going to start having issues. 3rd tends to be the first to rip teeth, sometimes not even above 400 tq. IIRC it is said that 3rd in the z32 trans has been redesigned and should be a direct swap.
    Hmmm, Whats next?
    Full Size Bronco, smashing shit.

    84ZXT
  • 300zxturboftw
    300zxturboftw
    Senior Member
    • 3709

    #3
    Oh, fuck my wallet. I remember seeing the PPG gear sets now. Probably will stick to a nice genuine rebuild once it goes out then maybe think about the next time it breaks to do a PPG set-up.
    Usual Z31 suspect: Garage Queen (aka broken)
  • DeleriousZ
    DeleriousZ
    Senior Member
    • 6874

    #4
    PPG straight cut 1-3, helical 4/5. = yes plz.

    1988 300zxt. gt35, stance, etc. Wheels: Varrstoen ES2 18x9.5 et-13 225/40. 18x10.5 et0 245/40
    1990 jetta vr6'd
  • shromy
    shromy
    Senior Member
    • 2189

    #5
    Wouldnt have been so bad when the american dollar was worth a fuck. IIRC my Nistune cost me like 340 direct from matt now i think your right at about 600 for the board etc. If I remember there are other cheaper(relative term here) sets out there as well. Ill have to go through my stockpile of info collected over the years.
    Hmmm, Whats next?
    Full Size Bronco, smashing shit.

    84ZXT
  • 300zxturboftw
    300zxturboftw
    Senior Member
    • 3709

    #6
    Straight cut gears would be nice, would be so loud in car but so worth it.
    Usual Z31 suspect: Garage Queen (aka broken)
  • NissanEgg
    NissanEgg
    Senior Member
    • 5220

    #7
    Any time you order parts for the Z31 30A internals, 90% of them are superseded to Z32 30A parts.

    1986 300ZX Turbo…sold
    1990 Skyline GT-R…new money pit
    2014 Juke Nismo RS 6-speed…daily
  • Careless
    Careless
    Senior Member
    • 13279

    #8
    no one cared to mention how much regular maintenance needs to be done to a straight cut box? i'm absolutely positively certain you will not have the money to make a PPG gear set worth installing. Which is why not many people install them, and instead, blow up transmissions because they will be cheaper for the next 10 years of car ownership rather than a single PPG gear set.

    A race car gear set in a car that isn't maintained like a race car is going to cost triple the buy-in price with installation in like 3 years. A race car that is maintained regularly- you're looking at double the initial cost. So it's still more than just the cost of the gear set + installation in less than 5 years.

    If you want your gearbox to last longer, go with a triple-plated clutch rather than a harsh single disc. There are RB25's with 500-600hp that are still using original 30A boxes. The ones that blow them up are often ones with very aggressive single disc clutches. Which is why OS Giken makes a triple plated clutch pack and a gear set that is a much better alternative to PPG for a casual race car.
  • 300zxturboftw
    300zxturboftw
    Senior Member
    • 3709

    #9
    I hear ya on the double/tripple clutch. They are worth it, but I wanted a single disk to try out first. That might be something I add if the transmission decides to shit on me, with my luck will probably be within the first month of driving the car.

    And you just have to be more regular about changing the fluid with the straight cuts. I know some people who run straight cut gears and don't see any issues with casually driven cars. They are worth the money. Even the ralispec gearset I have in the subaru is 100 % worth it. Upgrading to stronger sets is always more practical than blowing up stock transmissions. Practical also means more expensive.
    Usual Z31 suspect: Garage Queen (aka broken)
  • aceman85turbo
    aceman85turbo
    Junior Member
    • 22

    #10
    im pretty sure you could do a t56 or tr6060 for less and get more
  • nismopu
    nismopu
    Administrator
    • 2221

    #11
    What is up with the rumor mill on the z33 tranny being stronger than the 30a? Anybody else been hearing this??
    "Its the s12's sexy over weight step daughter, the z31"
  • Chrisw_2003
    Chrisw_2003
    Senior Member
    • 2503

    #12
    nismopu;345368 wrote: What is up with the rumor mill on the z33 tranny being stronger than the 30a? Anybody else been hearing this??
    no, I always heard that the first couple years of the Z33 tranny was made of paper and to stay away from them.
  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320

    #13
    The z33 trannies are made for smooth shifting and lightweight internals, they are not beefy truck transmissions like the old '30a that can handle torques
  • 300zxturboftw
    300zxturboftw
    Senior Member
    • 3709

    #14
    Had a buddy with a 600+ rwhp 350z. Ge was more scared of the transmission than anything
    Usual Z31 suspect: Garage Queen (aka broken)
  • Tempestas
    Tempestas
    Senior Member
    • 225

    #15
    Chrisw_2003;345371 wrote: no, I always heard that the first couple years of the Z33 tranny was made of paper and to stay away from them.
    '

    The issue with early z33 trans are the syncros. I have a 03 350z. They started with 3 piece syncro for second gear, and standard syncro for 3rd and 4th… I think they added 3 piece to 3rd, then finally to 4th. I can't remember exactly the changes, but there were a lot of them from 03-05 in the syncro department. My 350z had 60k on it when I bought it, gearbox was perfect. The second or third time I tracked it 3rd gear syncro just died. It would grind no matter how slow or easy you tried to engage it. I tore it down and replaced the one syncro, just to see how it would go. 3rd is better, but still grinds from time to time, 4th has started to act up. The weird thing is it seems like they got the specs off or something. The third gear syncro I replaced was obviously worn in it's engagement cone area. The new one, however, still wasn't really spec, it fit like a worn syncro. It's like the syncro ring is made too big, or the gear cone is too small. My gear cone had no visible wear… Keep in mind second gear takes the most abuse, but with it's 3 piece syncro, it has never gave me an ounce of trouble. If you search, you can find the case stamping to get the best trans, its like the ones made 07/04+ So, 05-06 have the good syncros. 07 has a different bolt pattern for the HR, but should be identical internally. I think you can just swap the front case.

    I can't speak to the power they hold, but i have rebuilt just about every nissan manual trans, and I would say it looks beefy, but maybe not quite as beefy as the 30a