anyone ever done a independent rear suspension on a 210

[Jacobszabo]

thinking about doing it on my 210..already got the 510 rear end..also should be getting a ka for it YAY! haha

[ggzilla]

I haven't heard of anybody doing IRS, but it's been done to B210, which is narrower car. With the B310 (Datsun 210) it should be easier.

 

Lots of B310 with KA24 engine.

[b210in]

thinking about doing it on my 210..already got the 510 rear end..also should be getting a ka for it YAY! haha

 

sounds like a lot of work, but definately do able. are you doing it because you have the rear end already or becuase you want the car to handle better. a solid axle can be made to handle pretty good without having to go IRS. but if you have the fab skills and time, then go for it and post plenty of pics.

[ggzilla]

The solid rear axle will handle better than the IRS (if modified appropriately). But the IRS will have a smoother ride.

[Guest jaimesix]

Hi.

 

It can be done, not as difficult as it sounds. I am not aware of this work actually done in Datsuns 210, but done many times on 510 Station Wagons that come factory with leaf spring suspension. The dynamics would be very similar.

 

Would make a very cool car. Those 210 Datsuns are extensively raced and performance preped in Japan. I like their shape very much, it is a great car.

 

That said, a well set up factory suspension like the one that comes with the Datsun 210 will work very well. I have a book that shows a factory Pontiac Firebird with factory leaf spring suspension competing in the same race with a Pontiac Firebird with IRS ( the same car, with IRS , in the 80s the Firebird went from leaf springs to IRS ), and there were no advantages or superiority exhibited by the car with IRS, no advantage at all.

 

Like it was said, it would make a car smoother in city driving, on roads, but for competiion and sports suspension, no real advantage.

 

If you have the parts and if you are capable of doing it, go for it, a neat and original project.

 

 

 

Jaime.____________________________________________________

[Mark_Z28]

The IRS would be better on a track with uneven surfaces or bumps than a solid rear.

[Jacobszabo]

The solid rear axle will handle better than the IRS (if modified appropriately). But the IRS will have a smoother ride.

 

 

in which ways modified?

[ggzilla]

So by "handle better" I meant to say "corner faster" -- roadholding, cornering. I didn't mean actually handle better. Handling is a subjective measurement.

 

Modifications would be lowering, good shocks, low profile wide tires and stiffer springs. Probably not needing an anti-sway bar. The same modifications you'd use with IRS. However, the straight axle keeps both wheels perpendicular to the ground, unlike IRS. Remember, non-IRS Camaros could pull 1.0 G on a skidpad, as good as a Corvette with IRS. Same for the regular Mustangs vs. Mustang Cobra/SVT with IRS.

 

Yes, a well-sorted IRS will be smoother (including handling bumps better).

[Duke]

One thing that ggzilla didn't mention was the lack of camber with a solid axle. As a tire faces a side load like it does during cornering it tends to deform and the contact area decreases. With camber as the car rolls through the corner it will maintain the contact patch of the tire (at least with a well designed IRS).

 

However, as the 510 IRS isn't that great of a design, I would recomend sticking with a solid rear axle as it will most likely handle better than the 510 IRS.

[Guest jaimesix]

in which ways modified?

 

You can beef up your solid axle suspension by strenghtening the springs, adding better shocks and reducing lateral movement of the axle as much as posible. A sway bar will take care of the sway tendency.

 

To beef up the springs, you can first de-camber the leaves, that is, to flaten the assembly, take the curvature away. That takes away spring steering as well as lowering the center of gravity of your car.

With regular springs, when the car compresses the leaf springs, the spring flatens, when that happens, the axle "steers", because the side that is flatening, elongates towards the back ( the front perch is fixed, the rear has a shackle, a moving part.) sending that side of the axle backwards. This happens when one side is compressed more than the other, as in cornering or when one wheel is pushed upwards as in a bump on one side. When both wheels go up or down, as in a speed bump, no steering effect takes place.

A flatened spring , and stiffer spring, will not flaten any more, no more steering effect.

Added to de cambering, replacing 2 leaves for one thicker one will add strenght, as well as smoothness, because one thicker leaf is stiffer on sudden movements like cornering, but softer on city ride.

 

Better and shorter shocks is self explanatory. You need shorter shocks if lowering/flatening the springs, or else, your stock shocks will be almost compressed, having no extra range of movement, not optimum. That woul bottom out.

 

To stop lateral movement, a Panhard Bar, or a Watts Link Bar set up will render your suspension formula oneISH.

When cornering, the leaf springs' tops that are attached to the chasis via shackle at the rear end and fixed point at the front end of said spring will tend to move one way ( laterally) with the body of the car, while the complete axle with tires tends to move the other way. Imagine you are pushing on one of your tires towards the other side, towards the opposite tire, as if you wanted to push one tire into the wheel well, the complete axle would move lateraly. That is what the PanHard bar stops your suspension from doing. The Watts Link Bars ( bars, the Watt Link has 2 bars, the Pan Hard bar is only one bar ) does same, but it takes a little more effort to build.

The Pan Hard bar is a bar that is positioned horizontally and paralel to your axle. It has to be mounted horizontaly to the floor ( not biased ).

On one end, it is bolted on to the axle, the other end is bolted on to the body/chasis. A bracket has to be welded on the axle, another on to the frame/chasis.

 

A sway bar will add the touch of class. Some say a rear sway bar is not needed, I think it is needed. It is a matter of tunning. I had a B210 with a front ADDCO sway bar. It was awesome. Then I added a rear sway bar from ADDCO, it was unreal, much better.

 

Check the internet for pictures and information on the Pan Hard Bar and Watts Link Bars.

 

Jaime.______________________________________________________