Jeff Berk

I'm getting back to installing an LSD in my R180 but I was concerned about the LSD heating up the differential during Auto-X. I drilled/tapped a hole in the fill plug for a temperature sensor but I also was looking into an alternate differential cover with extra volume and cooling fins. I located a family-run foundry operation that will do a one-off aluminum casting for $40 plus $3/pound so I designed one. Anyone want to comment on the design?

Yellow vs Prussian blue marking compound My local auto parts store only had Prussian blue. I tried it for marking my ring gear but it seemed to be difficult to observe a contact pattern. Would yellow of been a better choice?

At the time I was too confused to be terrified. I had my seat reclined and I was covered with my winter coat as my son refused to turn up the heat. Then I heard "Dad, Dad... my steering isn't working". Luckily the turnpike was neither curvy or crowded and we still had a couple of degrees in either direction on the steering.

My son just purchased a 2005 Lotus Elise. It needs some cosmetic work but is mechanically sound. Its currently stored under my 260Z that is waiting on its differential to be installed. We drove to Chicago from Cleveland to pick it up and had an eventful road trip. On the way there, my son's 2019 Veloster Type N's steering wheel locked while driving at 80 mph on the turnpike. He was able to inch the car to the berm, cycle the ignition off and on and that cleared the lock. We just found out this morning that there is a TSB that covers a slew of Hyundai models that addresses this concern so its sitting at the dealer waiting on a part. Please ignore my junk filled garage in the photo.

How many times have we all felt like an idiot when working on our cars? 😀 Did I ever mentioned how when I first purchased my Z I immediately changed the oil but didn't notice that the gasket from the old filter stuck to the engine so I had two gaskets. I drove around the block and wondered why there was a trail of oil leading out of my drive. Luckily a PO had installed an oversize oil pan so there was still some left.

If you move the sub woofer under the driver seat you can feel the music even if you cannot hear it over the exhaust.

I just got mine to fit. I didn't need to grind off nearly as much as InLine6 did on the gear side and on the other side, I just needed to grind a little off of two spots on the 1/2 shaft opening so that the LSD carrier could make the turn. Now it easily falls into place. I'm surprised that an LSD designed to fit a specific case will not fit unless you alter the case. Hopefully since I chickened out of replacing the pinion bearings, I won't have a shimming issue. I attached a shop drawing of the KAAZ DAN2020 LSD and I was wondering if it is smaller than the Quaife unit. Jeff

Thanks GK I'll give it a try.

I don't want to hijack the other thread on a R180 LSD installation. I have two photos attached on an LSD being installed. One from the internet from a Subaru that shows it just goes in nose first, is turned with two fingers, and slides into place. The other one is of my KAAZ LSD going in nose first and not moving beyond that position. The Subaru was replacing an LSD with another LSD while mine has never had an LSD. The ring gear almost clear the side of the housing. Are there any tips on what I need to do other than keep at it?

I like the door hinge. In 2020 I had to fit a new hinge in my glove box and used this because I didn't know Skillard made these: https://www.mcmaster.com/1588A742/

This is an aside for those installing an LSD in their R180. It came to my attention that R180 ring gears were provided in 110 and 115 mm IDs in the US. The KAAZ model DBN2020 LSD that I purchased was designed for the 115mm. I had to enlarge my 110 ring gear so it would fit on the KAAZ. It took me an hour to mount the ring gear perpendicular to the lathe axis and another hour to carve out about 5mm. The ring gear is incredibly hard steel. Lucky for me there was a knowledgeable machinist available to help me.

This is an amazing project I'm glad I didn't attempt. I have two potential avenues of assistance if you need either one. My fall back mechanic for my Z, Lanny Ritz in Kent, OH can handle just about any issue with a Nissan, except he doesn't do differentials. I can get you the contact information he ships his differentials to if you get into a real bind. If you need help cutting out a shim, I have access to a water jet. You would just have to ship me the stock.

How many years until you can call them NOS (New Old Stock)?

Your machinist's comment about tolerances might explain why when I tinker around at a machine shop at the university, I'm forced to convert all my projects to inches from metric. This thread has convinced me NOT to pull out the pinion on my LSD upgrade. All this trouble just to get the right shim is not worth it.

You are a few weeks ahead of me. I couldn't find anything on the internet about rebuilding a R180 so I was using the instructions for a R200 at: Like you, he also used gear marking compound. I purchased a KAAS 1.5 LSD and it just shipped last night from RHDJapan.com (model DBN2020SQ). I'm reluctant to remove the pinion shaft because I'm not sure I can get the lash correct when I reinstall it with new bearings. I'm looking forward to how it goes with your build. Please keep us updated.

If you contract with an upholsterer, you can select just about any fabric you like. Or, if you are like me and have your heart set on a specific pattern, take this as an opportunity to learn upholstery. I'm doing that with leather so I can cover my dashboard.

I went with leather and I'm happy with that. Otherwise, I'd suggest finding an upholsterer to create a new cover.

I think zKars is right. It's hard to say where the differential came from because the R180 was switched out with an R200 in the early 1980's but some time after that, it must of got switched back to an R180.

I'm trying to determine the gear ratio on my R180. There is a number on the ring gear of ?? x 394 Does this mean 3.94:1 ? Should I just see how many turns of the differential input is required to make a full revolution of the ring gear? Can anyone assist in decoding this? Jeff

Thank you

Thanks all. I'll check to make sure the 1/2 shafts are operating smoothly and if not, I'll dive into rebuilding them.

I'm removing my differential to install a LSD*. While at it, I was looking to see if I need to address anything else in this 49-year old car. I've seen detailed videos on rebuilding half shafts and was wondering what could possibly require rebuilding on them since there is so little movement this component needs to experience. The universal joints appear to be fine so far. *BTW: I decided to go with a KAAZ unit because I like their technical support, ability to adjust (although not easily) and I found a great price including shipping if I order them from a Japan-based vendor. Jeff

Has there been any updates on this project since May?

OK, not prefect but close. I'll post the obj file tomorrow if anyone wants to make one or two. I printed it in PLA, sanded it, sprayed it with a few layers of gloss, then stretched chrome vinyl film over it. I will print the next one in ABS because this one warped a little when I heated up the vinyl wrap to stretch it. The photo shows the original one in my hand and the printed one installed. It looks like a chip is missing in the printed one but that's just some strange reflection.

Well, if you think you might need a hitch, go for it. I don't think I can afford a drive all the way to AZ for this. I suspect it should be almost exactly what is on a 240z.