Strut mods(pic heavy)

[mklotz70]

nope..sorry. That question would probably be better asked in the general or other datsuns sections. Good luck.

[paradoxx]

first of all let me know im so jealous about the machines you have to work, some day in time I will have half the thing you have, im happy with a mudwelder lol.

 

The job is insanely perfect and professionaly done! love the pics!

[mklotz70]

Thanks.

One of these days, I'll be able to get back to them :)

[datrod]

I think somebody pm'd or posted about that. It should work just fine.....unless you plan on using a coil over, then the threaded tube wouldn't fit over the sleeve. If you welded on a steel, threaded sleeve, probably just fine. But, most of the cheap kits have aluminum sleeves. You'd also have to open up the center of the spring perch....which wouldn't be any bit deal. If the welding was done well...I think most of the side load on the strut would be handled by the inner tube anyway. I just didn't want guys to think they could cob it together and run it. I like overkill....which would be provided by doing it with an insert. Speaking of this......I need to get out to the shop and get some stuff done :)

Thats what I did. I made a steel threaded sleeve then welded it to the strut tube. The only reason I did that was I SUCKASS at welding.:lol:

[mklotz70]

Datrod...I have trouble keeping everyone straight.....you have all the cnc stuff...right? So when you said you "made" the threaded sleave, you mean that literally, right? Sweet! I'll probably just use the aluminum sleeve that will come with the spring set. Then I'll weld a ring tube for it to sit on.

 

 

Thought I'd throw this info on here while I had a min or two. Had the note sitting on my desk for awhile now. So far, I think this is the shortest cartridge we've found. Freaky510 told me about the ;78-80 VW inserts......I can't imagine wanting to go any shorter. I pulled up this info on napaonline.com and found the scirocco/rabbit to have the shortest. Here's the info.

 

 

The first one is the MR2('85) rear that everyone talks about using......

 

 

 

This is the '79 VW ....check the body length..

[datrod]

Yea MK, I have the CNC shop. I really don't weld very well so I made the collar just to make it easy on me. Thanks for all the info on the struts. I'll be needing it soon. I have to make a couple for some friends.

[mklotz70]

You bet. Take pics when you make the next collars! :)

[thisismatt]

Datrod...I have trouble keeping everyone straight.....you have all the cnc stuff...right? So when you said you "made" the threaded sleave, you mean that literally, right? Sweet! I'll probably just use the aluminum sleeve that will come with the spring set. Then I'll weld a ring tube for it to sit on.

 

 

Thought I'd throw this info on here while I had a min or two. Had the note sitting on my desk for awhile now. So far, I think this is the shortest cartridge we've found. Freaky510 told me about the ;78-80 VW inserts......I can't imagine wanting to go any shorter. I pulled up this info on napaonline.com and found the scirocco/rabbit to have the shortest. Here's the info.

 

 

The first one is the MR2('85) rear that everyone talks about using......

 

 

 

This is the '79 VW ....check the body length..

I think I posted earlier that the VW ones are a narrower cartridge, though. You might want to check into that if you're looking to order some

[mklotz70]

I've got brand new 300zx inserts and I don't plan on going any lower.....but that's a good warning for anyone looking to go as low as possible.....check the diameter of the VW stuff before buying it!!! :) Thanks

[510er]

thought i would throw my wrench in the motor on this one as well... i used some 2" ID pipe :lol:

 

[mklotz70]

That's pretty much how I plan on doing it.

 

You're not throwing a wrench in anything.....I didn't intend this thread to be "my" strut thread, but more of a reference thread for strut mods in general.......the more the marrier!! :)

[510er]

That's pretty much how I plan on doing it.

 

You're not throwing a wrench in anything.....I didn't intend this thread to be "my" strut thread, but more of a reference thread for strut mods in general.......the more the marrier!! :)

 

I think that took me all of about an hour to weld both and powdercoat them

[mklotz70]

I just got done lowering the front of the wgn by shortening the stock struts. I would normally have put all the pics and info in that thread, but I figure more people are going to search and find this thread if they're looking to mod their struts.

 

 

Start with a measurement of the ride height. I'm guessing the LCA bushings had been tightened up while lifted......cause the wgn sure didn't sit like it had cut springs. It sat really high for some reason. If you're comparing front to rear, either measure the pinch weld under the rocker panel or measure the body line above the side emblem. The fender wells are different front to rear. I took the measurement, then proceeded to remove the struts.

It took all of about 30 min to jack the car up and remove them. In the last pic, you can see from the coil being shifted that they've been cut before. In the 3rd pic...the coils take up most of the tower space...which is why you need to go to smaller springs if you want to run chamber/caster plates on top. I'm modding stock struts, so there's no reason to run them now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another comparison of the strut lengths. The outer two are the stock 510 inserts. The shortest is the 300zx I'm going to use and the other is the 280zx insert. There's a button at the bottom of the 300zx insert. I'm guessing that the manufacture put that there because they had a slightly shorter insert for another vehicle....with the button, they didn't have to make an entirely different part. Anyway...I wasn't comfortable removing it, so I left it. Another reason I left it is because if I had to replace the 300 insert later and it didn't come with the button...it would be too long for the tube. You only gain about 3/4" over the 280zx insert using the 300 insert. Because the shaft ends are bigger on the 300 and require extra work on the top hats.....I won't bother using 300zx inserts again...I'll just use the 280 ones. I'm guessing the MR2 rear inserts have the same size shaft as the 280 stuff......so there's another reason to use them over the 300 inserts. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's got to cutting the perches off. Several ways to do it. I could have taken the hubs off and used the lathe...this was a lot faster and more inline with what the normal Datsun guy has access to.

 

 

 

 

I ground the weld down with a 4.5" grinder with a grinding wheel in it. I cleaned it up the rest of the way with a right angle die grinder and a sanding disc.

 

 

 

 

 

I laid the rim I want to use on top of the tire I want to run to get an idea of where to put the spring perch. I know I'm going to have to cut the springs, so I'll set them low and leave the springs longer if I have to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I thought I might run the 300zx rims/tires as well...I figured I'd better check them too....no prob.

 

 

 

 

 

Time to shorten the tubes. I used the 2.5" measurement I had taken earlier when comparing the inserts. This first pic with the cardboard wrapped around the tube is just to show an alternate way. If you want to cut the tubes by hand with a hacksaw or cutoff wheel, you'll need a mark all the way around the tube to keep you straight. By using a wide piece of heavy paper or tagboard(manila folder), you can get a really decent line. Wrap it around with enough overlap so that you can see they it lines back up on itself squarely. Then mark with a sharpie.

 

 

 

 

Since I have a tubing cutter big enough.....I just needed to make the marks and go from there. I cut down from the top enough to clear the "step" in the top of the tube....so I knew I'd have full thickness to weld on. I went another 2.5" below that for the second cut. The last cut is where I screwed the cap on the top piece and set it over the insert. I was looking to make sure there was at least a bit of gap between the tubes. This told me that once welded, the cap would not bottom out before tightening down on the insert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I clamped the tubes to a piece of angle iron.....checked where the copper insert would go.....ran it in and did some welding. I went a bit deep on one part, and although the weld didn't stick to the copper, it was tight enough that I couldn't pull it out by hand. So the plate/nut are to "jack" the insert out of the tube. The copper did it's job by keeping the weld wire and melt through from going in so far that I couldn't get the strut insert in.

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

I didn't bother to grind the welds down since they wouldn't interfere with the spring perch. I could have put the bottom cut line right on the perch mounting line and it would have looked cleaner, but this took less work and is actually a bit stronger. I was more concerned with the faster end of things at this point. I don't plan on doing much driving on these struts......I simply want the wgn to look better while it's parked! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I checked the assy with it fully compressed. Knowing that the number of coils I used would have the springs compressed at around 2", I wanted to make sure that the insert didn't bottom out first. No chance of that. The stock bump stop wasn't longer enough to touch either, so I didn't put it in. Last pic is finally assy with a bit of paint and the rubber boot in the springs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay....back to the top hats. Here's the 210 and the 510 next to each other. I originally tried mixing the pieces together to save having to cut the strut towers on the car, but that ended up taking away the gains I'd made. So, even though these pics show the 510 hat being modded, I did it again to the 210 hats to make them work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the prob with using the 210 hats..

 

 

 

....here's the fix. I'll weld it up nice later.

 

 

 

 

 

End result......Bolted back in, the bottom of the tire is where it was originally with a load on it.....promising!!

 

 

 

 

On the ground....rolled back and forth a few times to settle the suspension....... Almost 2.5" :)

 

Edited June 25, 2009 by mklotz70

[]2eDeYe]

Nice work, all stock parts to boot. :cool:

[Pacific coast Datsun]

TY for the pics & vids Mike. In this pic is the rim a 13 or 14 inch ?

I want to use the same method you did to drop mine just a tad more. I doubt ill ever run a rim bigger that a 14 & want to drop the lower perch as much as possible.

[banzai510(hainz)]

that strut cap/isolated dont hit the hood?

[mklotz70]

The rim is a 14" toyota rim I got from Ice years ago.....says they'll let you tuck 205's :) The rubber I have isn't that wide. When you do yours, you can take your own measurement with your rim/tire and get it even closer. I left a bit of room just in case.

 

 

The hood goes down a bit farther than it should because the bumpers are shot, so it touches right now......but I think it should just clear when the hood sits correctly. I'm sure I can grind a bit off anyway.

 

 

 

I did lift up on fender and bounce on it too. It lifts up almost 2" and has room to go down more than that......so I'm pretty happy with where it sits in the shocks travel range :)

[mklotz70]

If you want to see the diff it made on the wgn....here's the wgn thread.

 

http://forum.ratsun.net/showthread.php?p=176172#post176172

[mklotz70]

I'm sure a lot of guys have seen this page before. I was just referencing it for some info Hainz wanted. Rims/tires go hand it hand with the struts......so save this site....tons of info!!!

 

http://kmhafer.datsun510.com/wheelFAQ.htm

[lynchfourtwenty]

man i need some stuff like that done with some koni inserts.. cough.. hint hint.. :lol:

[Icehouse]

Awesome Mike!!! I remember those wheels, they came off a rotary 2 door that someone decided under a tree for years and years was a good idea :( It's good to see them on a dime again. How many years ago was it when you came up and picked up all those parts?

[mklotz70]

Awesome Mike!!! I remember those wheels, they came off a rotary 2 door that someone decided under a tree for years and years was a good idea :( It's good to see them on a dime again. How many years ago was it when you came up and picked up all those parts?

 

They say Toyota Celica on them.....I think they even say the year, but I'd have to look again.

 

You had just gotten the '68.....I brought up '68 parts to the mobile home you lived in and took home with a bunch of stuff...you had the 240 at the time....we looked at the fender you modified.......easily 4+, but just how long ago...not sure...it's been awhile! :)

[zenndog]

Needs some fluid to actually work, but it would work.

 

 

You are pretty good at that Mike, have you been getting a lot of practice?:P

[mklotz70]

LOL....I pretty much expected a comment like that .............9 months ago!!! Little slow on the uptake? :) ...or you had a ton of time on your hands to go check out old threads :)