ByStickel Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 I was lucky enough to find some ZX struts here in the mountains of NC, today. Since I run 13" wheels and the ZX calipers were solidly rusted to the rotors of the donor car, I left the hub/rotor/calipers behind. I'm starting to think that was a mistake. Now, I read that the ZX uses bigger bearings, which makes me think that stock 510 hubs won't work. Despite my searching, I didn't see anyone mention running stock brakes on ZX struts. Can it be done? The car is a wagon, will be used as a summer DD, needs to get me into and out of the woods, and isn't going to be set up very aggressively. What do I need to get stock 510 brakes on my ZX struts? (my 2-door has ZX struts ans Wilwoods to fit inside 13s, but it's been almost 20 years since that was done, and I just don;t remember how it's set up) Thanks. Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Go back and get those hubs, soak them in used automatic transmission fluid it will come apart after a few days. In most cases you can't run 13" wheels on the zx struts and brakes, the brakes are two big. Quote Link to comment
shacks510 Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 You can't. The whole point of ZX struts is for the big brakes, and if you want to automatically lower your car about an inch (don't remember exactly). You should have just taken the whole deal. The only thing between the caliper and the rotor is the pad, and a mallet would have separated the two. Some 13"s will fit over ZX calipers after you shave off a little "ear" from them; but the caliper to barrel clearance is extremely tight. Also depending on what your wheel width and/or offset is, the inside lip of the wheel will make contact with your steering arm. If you have rim mounted weights, they will definitely hit the steering arm. Stick on weights will most likely hit the caliper once the car rolls. Stock 13" steelies will NOT fit over ZX calipers (or finned Z drums). There are big brake kits that are designed for the stock 510 struts. They're pricey, but available. Stock brakes are really only good for "getting around." Any spirited driving, you'll get brake fade quickly. Finding the chamfered pads is getting difficult too. If you can, go back and try to get the rest of the ZX stuff you left behind. It's worth a try. Quote Link to comment
ByStickel Posted May 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 I wanted the narrower track and shorter length of the ZX parts. I've got 5.5" wheels and 175s and they still stick out up front. Since I run 13s, the bigger brake wasn't my goal, and I hoped that I could run the stock rotor/caliper. I'm not getting rowdy in this car, and most of my fun driving is about momentum, not threshold braking. SInce nobody in their right mind would want the same, I doubt anybody would know, but... can anyone say if the stock rotor/caliper will bolt to and align on the ZX strut? The yard also has a couple of S12s, which may have parts that are in better shape. I believe that their struts are wider (no good for me), but what about those hubs? Are they the same as the ZX? (non-V6 models) Sorry for the oddball-combo questions. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Stock caliper has a different 76mm bolt mounting spacing than the zx's 89mm. Quote Link to comment
ByStickel Posted May 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 That's what I really needed to know. Bad news, but thanks, everyone. I do appreciate it. I guess I'll grab those hubs and calipers and see if I can make them fit inside my 13s. I did not want to go up a wheel size. Or I'll just mod the stock struts, for now. Quote Link to comment
qwik510 Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 There is an upgrade to the 280ZX brakes that can restore the track width and give better brakes too. The Dime Quarterly did and article on it. Volume 5 Issue 3 https://drive.google.com/folderview?ddrp=1&id=0ByCvxnHNk90SYzc4N2E1MWEtMzg0MC00YTE4LTkxZGQtM2RjODA5ODA1YjU1 here is a screen shot of the article. 1 Quote Link to comment
ByStickel Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 That's a great article, thanks. I went back and got the hubs, rotors, and calipers for an additional $20. The calipers are dead, but there are decent rotors beneath all that rust. After a trial fit with the 13" wheels, all I'll need to do is put a chamfer on the caliper 'ears', as Mike said, and probably run a 1/4" spacer. Now, should I source a 7/8" 240/260/280 M/C for this set-up? I did a bunch of searching, but didn't see a lot about folks who go ZX front/drum rear. Y'all talked me into the bigger front disks, but the rear has to stay drums. Quote Link to comment
qwik510 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 You can get rebuilt calipers from Rock Auto and other places. Some might want a core so hang onto the ones you have for now. Rotors are cheap so maybe think about getting new ones. Now would be the time to install new wheel bearings into the hubs too. I ran ZX fronts with stock drums in the rear and they stop fine. Fronts do 70% of the braking anyway. I used the stock master cylinder and swapped out the rear wheel cylinders for ones from a Datsun 1200 to help with the brake bias. I've heard the 7/8" Z master works too but I've never tried it. Quote Link to comment
shacks510 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 New rotors are available from rockauto. Can't be too expensive. You can also get caliper rebuild kits. They'll have a piston seal, piston dust boot, slider dust boots, and silicone grease for the slider pins. 7/8" master upgrade is recommended, but not required. Stock 3/4" master will suffice, but the pedal will be a little softer If you do to the 7/8" route, just make sure the mounting surface bolt holes are vertical, NOT horizontal. A 240z master is 7/8" with vertical holes, so that'll be your ticket. ZX fronts and drum rear with the 7/8" is fine. Lots, including me run that setup. If you upgrade to rear disc later, your master is already upgraded. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 I'm running 15/16" which is stock for the zx and the Maxima, but this should only be done if you have a brake booster. I love the feel. If that zx was a '79-'81 the mounting bolts are vertical, the later '82-'83 zx are horizontal. They also have 4 wheel disc brake residual valves so I just swapped my stock 7/8" 710 rear residual valve into the Maxima master. As long as the master you choose to go with is from a rear drum brake car it will be fine. Quote Link to comment
bdoggs87 Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 quick question. sorry to jump into this thread with my own question but does it matter which year the 280zx is? i read somewhere that 81-83 is the year you should get the struts but is there a difference from 79-80? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I get them as all L28E and ET being Tokico made '79-Jan '82 under the same supersedence number. From Feb '82 on a new number but what the difference is I don't know and is likely nothing much noticeable. It's just a shock absorber and spring. The calipers, pads and rotors are all the same. If there is a difference it's subtle and can't be worth the bother of looking for above the other years. I'm running '81-'84 Maxima struts and brakes on the front of my 710. The Maxima is built on the same 280zx platform and the rotors and calipers are a couple of mm smaller so it doesn't compete with the zx line. Still, a massive caliper and vented rotor compared to the stock one. Probably cheaper and over looked in the wrecking yards too. I didn't replace the oil bath dampers with expensive inserts, but just replaced the thin hydraulic oil with thicker weight motorcycle fork oil. Quote Link to comment
ByStickel Posted May 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 SO... I was looking for a budget coil-over solution for the front end and have done a bunch of searching. Maybe not enough, but I'm unsure about a few things: I'm aware of cutting the lower perch and using a split clamp to set the height, but are performance springs still available in the stock diameter? I'll be looking for something stiffer than stock, but not as stiff as most folks want. My guess is 150-175#. I'm really not sure how far one can go on a wagon before the F/R balance becomes too far off. If I decide to do 2.5" I.D. coils, what are folks using for the top spring hat, aside from buying a complete kit? Can the stock strut-top thrust bearing be retained? I see a bunch of affordable coil-over shock conversion kits on Summit, etc. Is there a hot set-up that gets me most of the way to converting ZX struts for a reasonable price? And, when I choose my strut cartridges, will there be any compatibility issues with the stock 510 upper hardware, if I end up picking zx or MR2, etc struts, i.e. larger diameter threading, lengths, etc.? (I can weld and have a 9" lathe, so fabrication is possible) Thanks. Quote Link to comment
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