Coilovers

[Logdogs831]

So I've had a 78 B210 for a bit and I am going to put it on a set of enkei92's and i want to adjust the ride height and quality. Any input is greatly appreciated.

[datzenmike]

What I did was remove the stock coil spring and carefully cut the bottom spring perch off so it's free to move up or down the strut tube and use 2" split collars to support them. The collars are about $20-$25 for two pair and each can support 5,000 pounds.

 

Lowering the ride height on the same springs is likely to result in bottoming the car out so a stiffer spring rate is advised. Springs get 'stiffer' the shorter they are cut. 

 

Next I worked out the spring rate using a handy formula using multiply and divide (anyone can do this in seconds with a calculator and some careful measurements of their spring) and selected how much to cut off to get a 50% stiffer spring. Best to cut lesser amounts and try it rather than cut too much... you can't put it back on if you cut too much.

 

Last....my struts still had the original oil bath dampers so I drained the old thin watery hydraulic fluid out and replaced with thicker motorcycle fork oil. I selected 20w and it's thicker and harder to push through the valves giving a firmer ride. If you don't have them they were likely replaced with inserts which are expensive. Twenty weight Bel Ray fork oil was under $20 a liter.... enough to do 3 struts.

 

The way I see it, once you get your ride height dialed in, what good are adjustable coil overs??? They are just hundreds of dollars going along for the ride.

 

So my 710 has a firmer ride, spring and damper (shock) and if I wanted I can adjust the ride height but haven't in 5 years. Total cost under $50.

 

 

Carefully slit the spring perch off by cutting just above the weld... Angle grinder or even a hacksaw will do.

 

 

 

Smooth away the weld so the perch and split collar is free to slid past it to adjust...

 

 

 

 

 

To get 150 lb/in spring rate I cut about 1 1/4 coil off. Yours will be different, all springs are different.

 

 

 

Pipe wrench to remove gland nut.

 

 

Fish out this O ring and everything lifts out.

 

 

Pour out the old. Fill with new oil and assemble. Loosely fit the gland nut and pull the strut rod out to full length and compress. With help hold strut upside down and do the same to get all the bubbles out. Check the oil level and top up, leaving 1/4" for heat expansion.

 

You can do this in a morning or a day if you take your time. $50 and you can say...

 

[Logdogs831]

Thanks for this and I might try this out for the time being. I am going to a full SR20 swap in the future so i would be nice to just change out the coil and adjust the dampening to be able to tune it for weekend track use so if anyone else has any help 

[afracer]

Meant for a B310, but could probably be made to work on a B210 https://www.ebay.com/itm/GECKO-RACING-G-STREET-Coilover-for-77-81-NISSAN-Sunny-Datsun-210-303/323272013846?hash=item4b44837816:g:GUEAAOSw0O9bB5wl

[datzenmike]

That's a lot of money tied up in bling.

 

19 hours ago, Logdogs831 said:

Thanks for this and I might try this out for the time being. I am going to a full SR20 swap in the future so i would be nice to just change out the coil and adjust the dampening to be able to tune it for weekend track use so if anyone else has any help 

 

Can't see an easy way to adjust on the track. Even with replaceable inserts you would have to take them apart to adjust?

[afracer]

Most coilover shocks like these adjust damping thru a hex adjuster in the strut rod thru the top hats. Some have a knob on the side of the shock body, and some have a knob on the bottom of the shock body. Height and preload are separately adjustable, just pop off wheel and either the two strut bolts on the bottom or unbolt the 3 top hat bolts to raise or lower.

Edited June 29, 2019 by afracer

[datzenmike]

Adjustment knobs on the side or bottom of insert makes them pretty much useless to get at when assembled? I like the top adjustment idea.

 

2 hours ago, afracer said:

 Height and preload are separately adjustable, just pop off wheel and either the two strut bolts on the bottom or unbolt the 3 top hat bolts to raise or lower.

 

Sounds like a rather involved procedure and not something for strictly street use. In addition what about the raising and lowering affecting the bump steer and toe in (or out)???? My 710 was severely compromised when I lowered it just a couple of inches. Bad bump steer and toe in. Once I got the height dialed in I made spacers to negate the bump steer and did my own alignment. I'm not likely to raise or lower after that, even a small amount of toe in affects the handling and scrubs rubber off my tires. Raising and lowering for racing and track but not really translatable to the street. 

[thisismatt]

Strut insert adjustments are on top. Standalone shocks usually have them on the bottom side.

[datzenmike]

Like on the top hat???

[thisismatt]

Can't tell if serious...

[datzenmike]

If on the top of the cartridge and it's mounted inside the strut tube how do you adjust it? Seriously I have never seen them.

[thisismatt]

It's on the end of the shaft where it sticks through the top hat, either a set screw, hex/flat, or a knob.

Edited June 30, 2019 by thisismatt

[john510]

Coilovers,much easier to get the ride height you want instead if guessing how much to cut off of a stock spring.Cutting stock springs is ghetto.What if your guess on how much to cut is wrong ?  Coilovers don't cost that much.Install them once and adjust.