280ZX Strut inserts

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

4 hours ago, KELMO said:

The O.D. of the new insert was about 1mm larger than what came out, and it was considerably shorter.

The ZX housings have a "sleeve" inside that I think is the problem. The # stamped is 54302-P6500 which applies up to 08/81.

Ok, so they go in the strut housing? Or they don't go in the strut housing?

 

If too short, a properly machined spacer should make it tighten up so that it won't wiggle around, even if the OD is different.

[KELMO]

9 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Ok, so they go in the strut housing? Or they don't go in the strut housing?

No, they don't.

[KELMO]

11 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Diameter doesn't matter just has to fit the tube.

Diameter does matter when the insert won't fit in the tube.

11 hours ago, thisismatt said:

Sleeve inside the tube?

Seemed like the easiest way to describe it.

The 510 housing had this as well only not as thick.

[thisismatt]

Oh, yeah, it's just tube wall machined down at the top

[datzenmike]

1 hour ago, KELMO said:

Diameter does matter when the insert won't fit in the tube.

 

 

That is what I said. As long as it fits the tube. lol

 

These obviously are the wrong inserts for a zx strut tube. Length as well.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yeah, that's a problem.

[datzenmike]

Just measured my 280zx struts. They come from the factory with oil bath dampers and rather than renewing the oil and topping them up, owners replace with self contained dry inserts. Usually from some other vehicle and why they need shims under them. My choice would be the stock oil bath as they are specifically designed (compression and rebound) for the zx. That said  my zx struts had a 5/8" diameter insert. No idea what these are for, they are light blue and there was a spacer of some kind under it. The tube diameter outside is 2" and the thickest part of the tube wall is just a hair over 1/8" So the inner diameter is 1 3/4" leaving 1/16" of space all the way around the insert.

[fiveoneO]

I've ran into this problem trying to stuff an AE86 KYB AGX damper into a zx housing, which is what it looks like you have. I sanded all the paint off the damper and it fit. Be warned if you do this, it was really hard the get the damper out years later.

[KELMO]

20 hours ago, fiveoneO said:

I've ran into this problem trying to stuff an AE86 KYB AGX damper into a zx housing, which is what it looks like you have. I sanded all the paint off the damper and it fit. Be warned if you do this, it was really hard the get the damper out years later.

I thought about the sanding route as well, and then the removal part too. Decided against both and ordered correct inserts.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I remember Jay Morris from Ground Control having to hone out the strut housing for bigger struts. They used to do this quite a lot. Not sure if they do it anymore.

[Tedman]

Odd. I've never had this problem. I've installed Koni Yellow S12 200SX and Koni Yellow Mk 1 MR2 Rear inserts, as well as BZ3038 Tokico Illumina inserts into 280ZX strut tubes and all fit.  The S12 inserts were the same length as the 280ZX inserts to within a few millimeters. The MR2 inserts went into shortened strut tubes, and the Tokicos were a 280ZX app so no shims. The shortest stock 510 strut inserts are still 1/2" longer than 280ZX so the fitting 510 inserts into ZX struts is not an option. 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Tedman