280zx struts

[datzenmike]

Don't know, I have vacuum booster. The 15/16" master went right on in place of the (I think) 13/16". To guess, I would say yes. The push rods have adjustment. Make sure you have about 2mm of pedal play.

[datsunfreak]

And the push-rod question?

 

If you have the rod adjusted correctly, the stock pushrod will stay in the master just fine without actually being "attached" to the master. That is the best way. 

[jovial_cynic]

MC swapped out, pushrod addressed. Next step is to replace the struts left-to-right to avoid the sudden death-by-break-failure issue. 

 

I'm about to do the rear disc conversion on the 510, but I have to order the parts. I just need to wait until next pay day. Sigh. I blew the budget on boat expenses, which are quite a bit more than car expenses.

 

I'm tempted to run without the rear discs, just so I can get the car back on the road sooner than later. But... on the other hand, I have a radiator swap to do (which means I have to re-located my turbo cooler source), as well as install the intercooler (which means I have to fabricate some new plumbing), so it's not like the car is going to get "done" any time in the near future. 

[datzenmike]

The problem is only a problem when the disc brake pads wear down below half way and the caliper shifts to take up the wear. Supposedly it can hit the steering knuckle or something. I have Maxima struts, calipers and huge vented rotors on a 710 and I looked at them and could see nothing whatever near enough to get in the way. So maybe this is 510 or zx caliper specific

[datsunfreak]

Supposedly it can hit the steering knuckle or something. I have Maxima struts, calipers and huge vented rotors on a 710 

 

Well, Maxima rotors are a bit smaller than 280ZX rotors so it's possible the caliper is in a slightly different spot?

 

 

maybe this is 510 or zx caliper specific

 

Could very well be. But I've also seen it on 210s and 610s, so...

 

 

Besides that it doesn't hurt anything to swap side-to-side. In fact, it only helps.  :thumbup:

[saleach]

Hey Everyone, quick question on the 280zx swap that I have not yet seen mentioned. 

I bought my 510 with a coilover kit and what i believe to be 510 strut casings/spindle (i have stock 510 brakes) It wont let me upload a picture but they are have a red spring, gold adjusters, a red anodized screw casing and galvanized strut casing. Similar to T3 but different height adjstment and strut casing.  I am unsure what brand of coilover this is (was told it was troy ermish with T3 camber plates but I dont see a similar product on his site. any help to ID this setup is appreciated). 

 

My question is, can I keep the current 510 arm/spindle assembly and just put on the 280zx hub and brakes?  Is the strut casing removable, allowing me to pull over the 280zx strut casings and spindle with the rest of the assembly and put on the current coilovers?

 

I have a guy selling the 280zx assembly and master cylinder for cheap but I want to be sure they will work with the coilovers I already have. 

[Dolomite]

ZX hub and brakes won’t fit 510 spindle. You can remove the ZX spring perch and either weld on a piece for the collar to sit on or use a split collar. Then everything else from your current coilovers should swap over to the ZX casings with no issues. The only possible catch would be if you have cartridge inserts in your 510 struts, they may be too tall for ZX struts. With a set of roll center adjusters you don’t have to swap left to right either.

[saleach]

When I did it, I reversed mine(L to R, R to L). Otherwise the caliper has clearance issues. They bolt right in, but as was mentioned, the springs are too large. You have to either go with coilovers or weld the 510 spring perch onto the ZX strut.

[thisismatt]

 

When I did it, I reversed mine(L to R, R to L). Otherwise the caliper has clearance issues. They bolt right in, but as was mentioned, the springs are too large. You have to either go with coilovers or weld the 510 spring perch onto the ZX strut.

Is there a question in here? Just move the coilover sleeve to the ZX struts. Flip the struts right for left or use RCA /bump steer spacers to avoid possible caliper to tie rod interference.

[datzenmike]

The 280zx hub uses a larger inner/outer wheel bearing than the 510 spindle will be able to handle. The caliper mounting bolt pattern on the 510 struts is different than the zx caliper so that won't fit either.

[jovial_cynic]

Ok - quick rundown:

 

1. Put in larger maxima brakes.

2. 280zx MC.

3. Put in rear discs

 

Problems:

 

1. Brake drag. Can you adjust discs like you can drums? Is this likely a MC issue if ALL the brakes are grabbing? I lifted the car in the air, and every caliper is gripping.

2. The brakes are... squishy. I'm pretty sure I have more air in the lines, so I'll spend some time bleeding them again. But I really would have expected the brakes to be more responsive. Stopping on a dime and all that. 

 

Is there any chance that the air in the lines and the grabby calipers are related? Once I've bled the lines again, where should I start for diagnosing?

[datzenmike]

Disc brake pads are self adjusting and cannot be altered. At rest the pad is in light contact with the rotor. When brakes applied they instantly grip.

 

Check that the pedal to push rod has about 1/16" of play. Push down on the brake with your thumb. The pedal should move freely for several mm's or about 1/16 to 1/8". If the push rod is tight it will prevent the piston in the master from returning to it's rest position and allowing brake fluid under pressure from returning to the reservoir.

[jovial_cynic]

I just checked; the brake pedal had zero play, so I was very excited that I was going to be able to fix the problem. I fiddled w/ the turn-buckle end of the rod, and I adjusted the lever-stop to give the necessary travel room.

 

No change to the brake situation. I disconnected the push rod entirely to see if that would cause the brakes the loosen up a bit... and it didn't. The wheels move by hand, but there's enough resistance at the pads/caliper to prevent the wheel from free spinning at all.

 

Other ideas?

[datzenmike]

Well there will be slight resistance to turning by hand as the pads are always rubbing, but it's minimal and mainly to keep the caliper clean. If you can spin by hand I'd say it's good. Drive it and see if the rims become hot to the touch.

[jovial_cynic]

I had a hunch that I should probably release a bunch of the pressure at the calipers, so I did that, re-bled the lines, and I think we're good to go. I'll drive it around and see if I notice any issues.

Thx!

[datzenmike]

There are residual valves on the master right where the hard lines come out. They hold a couple of pounds of line pressure to keep the pads just against the rotors. You have a ZX master so both residual valves are for disc brakes. If you had rear drums you would want a much higher line pressure maybe 2-3 times higher. IF you previously had drums and the residual valve was changed this would be a problem on the rears now that you are back to disc.

[DHale_510]

I have had brake hoses that deteriorate internally and act as sort of a check valve to cause this problem.

Dennis

[jovial_cynic]

Aaarg. My brakes are still giving me issues, doing one of two things:

 

1. "Doesn't stop very quickly, but nice hard pedal feel. Just not gripping well."

2. "Pedal seems very stiff, and the brakes aren't releasing all the way!"

 

[datzenmike]

Do you have vacuum assist brake booster? 15/16" master takes a lot of foot pressure to move that much fluid. A booster reduces the effort by 50% or so.

 

 

[jovial_cynic]

Nope. No booster. I'm not sure there's room with the top mount turbo SR, though...

 

Any other solutions?

[datzenmike]

Smaller master cylinder. The effort will be reduced but the pedal will have to travel farther to move the same volume of fluid. The pedal will in effect feel 'mushy'. Some have said the brakes are easier to modulate close to lock up when stopping in a hurry.

[datsunfreak]

22 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Smaller master cylinder. Some have said the brakes are easier to modulate close to lock up when stopping in a hurry.

 

It does. Very much so. 

 

And honestly, to me, it just feels like a car with power brakes...  ?

[JayDilla]

On 8/8/2011 at 5:14 AM, qwik510 said:

My Friend Vince installed ZX struts in his 510 with the ZX springs and perches. He had to trim the inside of the strut tower at the bottom to make clearance for the wider springs. He also trimmed the ZX top hat to reduce the diameter so it could fit in the 510 strut tower. He cut one coil from the springs and the ride height was nice. The car felt good with the ZX springs on it.

 

I have coilovers on my ZX struts and I did the no weld method with the shaft collars.

 

 

Which zx coilover sleeves are these and how much were they? Also will the top hat that comes with them bolt in to a b210? It looks as though you got smaller diameter springs aswell with this setup? I just recently pick and pulled some 280zx struts and brakes and want to do a coilover setup with them just wanting to know exactly how to go about it

[datzenmike]

Most, if not all, Datsun strut tubes are 2" outer diameter so any coil over sleeve large enough to fit will work. Too large a diameter will need set screws or something to prevent them being loose.Coil diameter isn't important but the spring rate is! Smaller diameter will allow more camber/caster adjustment inside the strut tower than a larger diameter coil like the stock one.

[Tom1200]

The top hat will likely fit up in the strut tower; the B210 as Mike noted is using a 2" outer diameter tube. Most of using these also use the camber plates as well and those are much more compact then the standard rubber donut style top hat.

 

There are place that can do a complete kit $$$ or you can piece it together yourself $, just scroll though the pages to see what you need.