1971 240Z Replace Struts w/Oil or Gas?

[carmodelman]

Hello Fellow Z Car Fans,

This is my first post and question.

I purchased a mint RED 1971 240Z in July that is factory stock in all respects.

My mechanic told me that the left rear McPherson strut has leaked out all its fluid and needs to be replaced.

In looking at the Black Dragon and Motor Sport catalogs they only list gas struts as replacements.

So my question is ..To keep the car as original as possible should I replace them with an oil filled strut and where is the best source for a quality strut..OR are the gas struts so superior in ride quality (not to harsh riding) and no body will know the difference any way??

Thanks for any response from those who have resolved this on their own 240Z!! Glenn

[biddljj]

I feel no pain replacing the strut cartridges in my 240Z with Tokico ....

I belive the Z likes it too... Better handling....I also replaced the springs and added a

rear anti sway bar....

My philosophy is based on the idea that these cars were born to run..... Fun is a key component..

Jay

Not just a Z - ZDisease

[esprist]

Hello Fellow Z Car Fans,

This is my first post and question.

I purchased a mint RED 1971 240Z in July that is factory stock in all respects.

My mechanic told me that the left rear McPherson strut has leaked out all its fluid and needs to be replaced.

In looking at the Black Dragon and Motor Sport catalogs they only list gas struts as replacements.

So my question is ..To keep the car as original as possible should I replace them with an oil filled strut and where is the best source for a quality strut..OR are the gas struts so superior in ride quality (not to harsh riding) and no body will know the difference any way??

Thanks for any response from those who have resolved this on their own 240Z!! Glenn

Hello there,

Answer is struts. Cartridges are not really available. Even finding NOS ones are very dependable and ride quality is not good at all. I do not believe that the judges of Z convention can tell what's inside of them.....

[Arne]

But note that a gas charged insert will raise your ride height by somewhere between 1/2-3/4".

These days non-gas inserts are hard to find. I think Koni may be the only one left, and even those are not going to ride like the stock struts did, since the Konis are a performance insert and will ride firmer.

I used KYB GR-2 in mine, but knowing that they would raise the ride height, I removed and stored the original springs and installed a cut-down set of replacement springs to bring the height back down to stock. The KYBs have a good ride - firm and sports-car like, but not harsh.

Edited September 12, 2010 by Arne

[ChrisZ]

Glenn, if the car have the original suspension, you could try to see if you could get it rebuild, instead of putting inserts in.

Chris

[jfa.series1]

To the best of my knowledge, the original hydraulic shock inserts supplied at the factory cannot be rebuilt, only replaced... if you can find them (and yes, some are still around). My recommendation seconds others above: go with the newer gas-filled insert cartridges. If you decide to go with lowered springs, be sure the new gas shocks are compatible, such as Tokico HP. Not all brands work with lowered springs.

[zed2]

I have gone the route of replacing with the oil filled firm (rather than normal) resistance. I was able to locate the set of four from 2 US dealers and 1 Canadian dealer. The new parts are NLA, however there may be some sitting in dealer inventory.

The part numbers are:

Front

56105 E4125 normal resistance

56105 E4185 firm resistance

Rear

56205 E4125 normal resistance

56205 E4185 firm resistance

I do believe you can rebuild the original strut insert, however you would have to locate some cores and then measure the seals sizes.

The easy route is gas filled aftermarket. (Not original, but probably a better ride.)

Keith