69 4door 510 in Maine

[housew]

i found some KYB AGX strut inserts for the rear of an sw20 MR2. The seller was nice enough to provide me with some dims :)

 

 

 

he didn't give lengths, but a normal sw20 rear strut body is 14" long (which i can fit and i can make a spacer), and just by looking at the top if its 15mm in diameter its at least 22mml so all i would need to do modification wise is increase the 12mm hole in my bushing to 15mm (will be pretty thin wall (1.25mm) and all should work well. If I mess up trying to drill it, misumi will machine spacers to any dims you want. Ordering DCLM-D17.5-V15-H22-T6-L18 should cost me ~$12 each and get me what i want. Might even be cheaper than the drill bit i probably don't have.

 

I'm guessing top mounting configuration is application (car its supposed to be in) dependent and not manufacturer dependent. I'd like to know the thread and top diameter for the rabbit units too before i go ordering anything.

[housew]

moar OICS!

 

this is how she's sitting with the new wheels and old crooked ass springs

 

 

drivers side, it pretty good, it does rub, but only tiny bit.

 

passenger side is pretty bad. Really have NO clue why there is a 1/2"ish difference in poke

 

first off it looks like my alignment is wack. Like 1/2" towed out. I would assume that's what happens when the car is lowered and not aligned after.

 

secondly, i think i do want bump steer spacers to get my control arm angles back in order, they sloping up slightly (probably not much 2 degrees or so) what is the stock spec for control arm angle so i can figure out how tall of an RCA i want?

 

thirdly, why is the poke different side to side? There is no real way to adjust that with the stick setup correct?

A) Could my front crossmember not be centered? (moving it over a 1/4 of and inch would make it poke 1/4 both sides instead of 1/2" on side and 0 on the other) are there any locating dowels or anything, or just bolts through holes?

B) I can see ride height, and tension rod adjustment having a slight effect by changing the total angle of the LCA and thus effecting the the length in the cross car direction, but i can't see either being drastic enough to cause a 1/2" difference.

C) I guess my fenders could be shaped slightly differently, the passenger side one does have a dent in it right in front/above the wheel arch.

[housew]

less talk, more trying.

 

I wanted to see if the camber plates would solve my problems so i tried to mock it up on the passenger side (since it was much worse)

 

removed wheel/tire, three strut cap nuts, and pushed it out

 

 

removed top cap, upper spring perch, and spring, screwed on camber plate (only held on by 2 threads, will need machine work or new inserts before actual use) and installed camber plate

 

reinstalled strut with camber plate and no spring, adjusted all the way in.

 

measured from inside bolt on plate
stock:2.25"

camber plate: 1.625"

 

and let it down on the jack, and now its inside the fender :)

 

 

there isn't any rub at ride height, but its really close. I would assume the same settings on the other side to give me close to half and inch of clearance. If i could center the crossmember or figure out the reason for the poke differential, I could end up with 1/4" clearance per side and be super happy with that. Or sack up and buy adjustable LCA's

 

also have plenty of space for the coilovers (or to buy less offset rims, which i would rather not)

 

 

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

key is get wheels that fit or setup.

Planning

[housew]

yea, i tried to get wheels that fit (don't know why i wouldn't) I just measured for fitment on the drivers side (where it fits). If my car wasn't lopsided, this wouldn't be an issue really.

 

I guess i could buy 4 new wheels (just bought these and i can't get fronts to match with less offset), and run around with a crooked car, but that seems less ideal than figuring out what is or isn't adjustable / slotted and getting it straight.

 

I haven't taken apart the front suspension all the way yet. Is the LCA on an eccentric bolt or any other way of adjusting it? Are the front cross member mounting holes slotted? Is the front cross member pinned in place.

[banzai510(hainz)]

If 510 struts you can get up to 25mm offset.

If running 280z you would go with less but its in 3/4 so this is a plus.

 

Those steel rims I think most are zero or even - offset and if 7x15 is alreadsy pushing it.

Put a fat chick in bac your done or rip a tire

 

Nexens make a 195 45 15 series tire also

[INDY510]

and almost nothing to do with which strut housing you planned on running (chopped 510, 280zx, 200sx ect). Feel free to correct me, that's just my understanding of them from my VERY limited reading.

You need Bump steer spacers which are specifically designed to work with 200sx struts and 510 ball joints ... the ones made for 510/280zx struts will NOT fit your 200sx struts

 

... they are very hard to find ... here's a thread about them: http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=16903

[housew]

thanks indy. I figured i'd measure everything when i had it apart to do the inserts just to verify i do indeed have 200sx struts (think i do) before i bought bump steer spacers. I did find a few places that have made them before. If i knew what the stock control arm angle is supposed to be, I could calculate the length and have them made (i know a few machinists in my area, and none of them are too busy right meow :/ ). After checking out the angle, they are now on my need list.

 

banzai 510, the fronts are 15x7+0 with 195/50/15s. The are going to fit, just taking more tinkering that i had hoped. Rears are 15x8+12 with 205/50/15s and they fit real nice.

 

side note: fat chicks won't fit through the rear doors, and there isn't any space for their legs. Or at least not how we make our fat chicks up here in maine :P

[banzai510(hainz)]

fat chicks are like sugar qubes

Height Weight proportionate

 

 

if you get 280zx structs thus rims will pull in 3/4 inch and clear the fenders even more

[housew]

im not against 280zx struts, but I haven't found a complete set for what i consider to be a reasonable price yet. The only "upgrade" i see from what i have now is the 3/4" less track width and the fact that its SUPER common. My eyes will stay open for a set, but my stuff will work.

 

I'd also like my tires to be as close to the fenders as possible without hitting. 3/4" would be too much, but i guess I could always add spacers

 

also i think if i had $300 to spend, adjustable LCAs would be wiser than 280zx struts. swapping the struts can't fix the lopsidedness of my car, but the LCA's can, they will remedy the fender fitment, and look good doing it.

[housew]

went to 5 different auto parts stores and no-one had the internally threaded rabbit strut inserts OR MR2 rear inserts. I didn't have interest in ordering shitty ones through a parts store in case they didn't fit. If im going to take that chance (or have to modify them to fit anyways) i mind as well get nice ones.

 

current plan is to just modify my current inserts to fit the camber plates i have. The inserts wouldn't fit in my friends lathe, but i'm going to another friends shop today to try to get them spun down.

 

I have removed one of the struts from the car, cleaned the crap out of it, removed the old perch, test fitted the new one with threaded collar. I'm using the stock spring perch weld ring to hold up the bottom of the threaded collar, and cutting the collar flush with the top of the strut tube. The new spring is stiffer but MUCH shorter than the old spring so i can't imagine the bottom of the spring would need to be farther down for the same ride height. (if it does indeed need to be down farther, i can buy more, this kit came with the car but i'm pretty sure its a fairly cheap kit)

 

I cleaned and painted the modified strut, should have the inserts done today, and should be able to test fit at least that side tonight.

 

the spring from my kit is 250lb/in which seems to be reasonable but on the stiff side for a 510 right? stock was 86 or something? most people running around 200? should i even bother with the 250s or should i get on getting 200lb springs? My rear is pretty stiff.

[housew]

been looking at brakes since i have it all apart anyways.

 

currently running stock 240z rotors and calipers on 200sx struts, which would lead me to believe that 240z brake upgrades would be directly applicable.

 

easierst upgrade: just get some slotted drilled solid 240z rotors and 4pot early toyota truck calipers (s12+8)

 

most common / best: get some drilled slotted vented 84/85 4 lug 300zx rotors, a .160 rotor spacer (available online its so common, and later toyota 4 pot calipers (s12w)

 

BUT i have found yet another option. Jagurar XJS calipers.

 

 

Hilux S12W A:28.9mm B:88.9mm 3.5inch C:23.3mm D:103mm E:63mm 4 Piston @ 43.5mm
Hilux S13W A:31.5mm B:88.9mm 3.5inch C:29mm D:112.5mm E:??? 4 Piston @ 45.3mm
Jag XJS A:32.5mm B:88.9mm 3.5inch C:27.3mm D:106mm E:77.25 4 Piston @ 43.5mm

 

so according to this guy, the jag calipers are the same 4 pot design, just 3.6mm farther out which should just about eliminate the need for the .160" (4mm) spacer.

 

here comes the boom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

boom

[housew]

i have a 90 xjs, the brakes are lovely, but i don't really want to tear into it for test fitting. Well see if they are easier / harder / pricier to track down than the toyota units. Not having a spacer would be worth something to me.

 

Also looks like they are for a larger diameter rotor (but 1.125" diameter) which is significant enough that i might have a problem finding one in the 4bolt pattern. boom retracted :(

[housew]

got my strut inserts turned down to fit my camber plates yesterday on my lunch break. I have some access to some machines so that's always a plus.

 

got one side all mounted up and in the car. PO has painted the struts, caliper, and hub with a red spray can and 0 prep work (probably figured he'd do a better job later and never got around to it) so i did ~10 mins of prep work (mostly flaking the old red stuff off and de-greasing) and also hit it with a spray can but this time light blue.

 

I'm going to get myself a sandblaster since i have a use for one almost every day and do a better job with them a bit later on. I'll have everything farther apart in the near future if i continue on my path of brake upgrade anyways.

 

I don't have a pic with me of the cleaned and assembled strut, but i'll get one posted up

 

also probably need to so something about my top hats. The ones i got with the kit are plastic. Pretty sure they are just meant to locate the spring in an oversided stock metal upper perch, not support the weight of the car on their own. Which is fine, but i need to trim down my stock upper perches so i can get the benefits of the smaller diameter springs and still use the stock thrust bearing, OR get the t3 top hats with the bearings in them.

 

decisions decisions

[housew]

http://www.silverminemotors.com/datsun/datsun-240z/brake-upgrades/front-big-brake-kit-stage-4

 

 

thats about what i was thinking of doing with my front brakes. But i don't see the price really. Nice that its all in one place, but not 475 nice i don't think.

 

i'm seeing

toyota s12w calipers ($43-60 each depending on how shady you are) $120

slotted drilled vented rotors (from a 84-85 4-lug 300zx) $170ish actually fairly hard to find

pads $40

stainless steel lines $80

spacer $110 (could probably be made cheaper, but silvermine sells them)

=520

 

I guess i see the 475 now :P

[housew]

pic of the strut.

 

i used rustoleum appliance epoxy for the strut body. Comes in a spray can at most hardware stores. You don't need to prime under it and it is the toughest coating i've seen come out of a can. I used it on the beadlock rings on my jeep and the stuff holds up well. Probably not a good as powder coat (im not set up for that yet) but its pretty damn durable.

[housew]

and my monolog continues

just say these from T3

https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/510/negative-camber-roll-center-adjusters-ncrca-datsun-510

 

they are coll center adjusters that are offset to increase track width and add negative camber. SINCE i need roll center adjusters anyways I could design (it is my day job) a rca that decreases camber and track width (can add camber back with my camber plates) and puts the lower control arm at the right angle at my ride height. Lots of problems solved with one little part.

 

It would be a one off kinda deal since there probably aren't a lot of people with 200sx struts that want to bring their wheels in, but it shouldn't be too much more than getting a straight set made up locally.

[Dime Dave]

The problem with pulling the strut inboard using the T3 offset RCA is the LCA and/or ball joint (if the LCA is modified) will hit the rotor.

[housew]

good call dave. I wasn't going to go the full inch, but as i think about it. I won't really be able to do less of an offset and still be able to bolt it up so that idea is a bust.

 

So my plan is to buy the adjustable LCAs from you (if i do end up needing them). Do you have those on the shelf or are they made to order? I've been meaning to call an ask my questions but i haven't yet :P

[Dime Dave]

FutoFab has both adjustable LCA's and TC Rods in stock and ready to ship. They usually ship USPS Priority Mail the day after being ordered (unless we are out of town racing).

 

We also offer a DIY adjustable LCA kit that allows you to modify your existing LCA's to install the adjusters, rod ends and bushings used on our arms. These are $140/set delivered.

 

Link to Ratsun post on DIY Adjustable LCA kit:

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/42020-diy-510-adjustabe-lca-kits-135set-delivered/?p=663094

[housew]

That's awesome dave. I'm not afraid of a little cutting and welding and the price is right :)

 

I'll be in touch in a couple days but for that price I'll probably go for them reguardless.

 

I ordered the t3 top hats with bearings and a strut tower bar today as well :)

[housew]

Scratch that couple days part. Im sending you a PayPal right meow.

[housew]

And I ordered an oil pressure sending unit to get my gauge hopefully finished up. Then it's time to put some serious miles on her.

[housew]

new toy to help with my various projects :)

 

[housew]

I did some blasting and painting over the weekend.

 

Got both front rotors, calipers, and hubs blasted and painted.

 

 

 

 

got my second strut dissembled, cleaned, coil bucket removed, coilover sleeve installed. Just needs masking and paint.

 

received my DIY adjustable LCA kits from futofab. Got them really fast, Look great and i can't wait to get them on.

 

 

 

working on finding appropriate lug studs.

I need a 14.35 knurl diameter, 6-10mml knurl, 37.5ish overall length, and m12x1.25 thread pitch. So far my only clues are that they aren't easy to find, and studs from an s14 or WRX might fit.