I have mixed feelings of my BC coilovers. I did the standard drop, not the Extreme low. It sits just right, but the front is as low as I can go. The issue I am having is the stiffness. I ordered the 5k-7k kit which was recommended by the distributor. He said it would have a factory ride. Not really the case. It's not teeth shattering stiff but since I dont race or autoX this car I wanted a more comfortable ride. So with the conversion, I have 280 lb springs up front and 336 lb springs in the rear. I think this is still too much. I may try and order some custom springs with a lighter spring rate and see if that helps. I'm thinking 200lb front and 250lb rear. I also have the Polyurethane bushings so that probably adds to the stiffness, but when I had the Eibach lowering springs it rode really nice....just not low enough. Anyways overall I'm pretty happy with them, just wish it was a little smoother ride.
The install wasn't bad. It would have been easier if I would've gone with these the first time when everything was already apart. Just need to remove strut housing, cut off all but 2" of perch, slide on coilover, weld around the base.
KiraK, if you look closely at this plate you'll notice the paint is overlapping it. This means the car was repainted at one point in its life. Not sure if that matters, but, good to know. As far as the black pearl I can't help you much more than what has already been shared here. I do know they made a Black Gold 10th Anniversary edition car that could be a collectors item someday. You can find an example on eBay right now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Z-Series-280zx-/282072116897?forcerrptr=true&hash=item41acceeea1&item=282072116897
Hope this helps, I would buy a black gold just to have one. But, I don't have the space.
HaZmatt, thanks for your honesty. You expose the exact reasons why I can't convince myself to change to coilovers from my Eibach lowering springs on Tokico struts. I enjoy my ride quality now so much that I'm willing to put up with 1 more inch of ride height. At least for now
Well the owner came by yesterday to see the progress. I got lucky and found an owner that is realistic about this type of endeavor . An initial parts list of over 1k didn't buckle his knees or anything . Showing him all the damage from abuse he could understand .
I said the abuse warranted me to drop the oil pan to see if it needed to be cleaned and...
we we will really see how tough these motors are. I feel a little bad for Bo, but this is what you can get with an old car. I am going to tank the valve cover and oil pan and probably consider the oil pump at this time. Now if we run a detergent of some kind in the oil it won't stir up this sh!t
I've seen a Black Pearl sales brochure on the internet before. If you haven't seen that you should try to google/images the phrase. I remember the 2nd mirror, aluminum wheels and hood pinstripe pictures.
The Route
For this year the 2013 route has been enhanced with a route that drives into the most adventurous region of Mongolia, the stunningly beautiful northern sector. We will cross into Russia and on to the Republic of Belarus with the support of the Russian motor-federation who worked with us in seeking out long gravel farm-land sections for our Time Trials and drive an exciting new route across Europe with closed-road mountain climbs in the Alps. Highly acclaimed in 2013 the challenge for the Organisation is make Peking Paris 2016 even better.
The Cars
The cars are divided into two age categories.... either in the Vintageant category for pre 1941 model types or the Classic category for models of a type in production before 1975. The route includes driving some of the worlds toughest terrain with participants required to maintain a demanding rally time-schedule. Small cars carrying much the same weight as bigger cars will be at a distinct disadvantage. To qualify for a place on Peking to Paris 2016, a car can certainly be "different" but must reasonably stand a chance of coping with the demands of the event. Sports cars with cramped interior space, minimal ground clearance and little suspension movement are less than ideal, but the Organisation tries to be broad-minded. Tents, sleeping bags, and all spare parts including wheels must be carried by each entrant. The ERA's travelling support mechanics are the best in the business at roadside repairs but they do not carry parts for the participants.
The Classics Category does not allow trucks, pick-up trucks, ambulances, estate-cars, or what is generally regarded to be a commercial-vehicle, such as a van. This is a sporting event. Carrying heavy spares and kit is not in the spirit of the challenge. While it is perfectly acceptable for one car with a crew who wishes to be competitive can enter a second car to provide general support, we do not wish to see spare engines, gearboxes, axles in "mules" for a lighter car that is out to win a trophy.
Cars must be prepared in a period-style. No alloy-boxes on the back, no modern-looking ski-boxes or roof-top boxes. Appearance matters. Ratchet straps come in black and are preferable to bright blue, but leather straps do the job just as well and are more in keeping with the spirit of the event.... the devil is the detail, and bright green jackets when a more period colour is available is preferable, and certainly pleases the film makers and photographers. Crews must remember! Prince Borghese is looking down!
Cars should be prepared with high ground clearance and be capable of running on low grade petrol. A compression ratio any higher than 8:1 can lead to piston failure.... this has happened to cars on our earlier events. Substantial underbody protection with a sump guard, tank guard, and skid plates to all vulnerable items and ideally brake pipes and petrol lines either well plated or running inside the car is strongly advised.
The Participants
Participants must be prepared to “rough it” on a regular basis. Several days of well supported camping in Mongolia is part of the challenge... the participants bring a tent and the warmest sleeping bag and the ERA does the rest. Camp sites beside rivers and lakes see hot food served each night with a wide ranging menu, hot breakfasts, and toilets are set up with hot-shower blocks, run by two highly experienced Mongolian camp-support teams. Crews should come prepared to share the driving. While there is no night time driving, some of the days are long and require personal stamina and determination.
Read more about this rally at the Endurance Rally Association.
Don't forget to track our own Z car family:
98 David Hartley(GB) / Stephen Hardwick(GB)1971 - Datsun 240Z
103 Rene Declercq(B) / Eric Claeys(B)1972 - Datsun 240Z
104 Chris Bury(USA) / Tjerk Bury(USA)1972 - Datsun 240Z
105 Mark Pickering(AUS) / Dave Boddy(AUS)1973 - Datsun 240Z
106 David Gainer(AUS) / Peter St George(AUS)1972 - Datsun 240Z
We have a discussion about this rally on our website here.
Euro/JDM 240z tail lights. This one will fetch a lot of demand I feel because it attracts a lot of 240z owners and possibly 260z/280z who want to do the conversion. My original suggestion would have been the 240z series I fuse box cover, but that will only catch the attention of series I owners and is too year specific. 240z Door panels would be a nice one as well. If you could make it almost identical to the original, I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in it especially if you could make it in different colors. I've been on the search for nice reproductions, but every time I find a set, they don't look like the original enough for me. This suggestion might not be something you're looking to do, but if you could make a bolt and nut set that was nicely zinc'd and was EXACTLY the same as OEM spec for the whole car, I would be HIGHLY interested.