jmortensen

Yeah, nothing new. Same old same old.

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/105680-race-car-flip-and-roll-video/page__view__findpost__p__989697 Looks like "shaken and stirred, but OK"

20% of the weight is on the front tires, so front tire wear shouldn't be a problem. I've been talking to some people on another forum about it, and the main argument seems to be on the downforce and drag numbers. They're claiming that it will have CD of .24 which is lower than any passenger car, and yet it is supposed to be able to corner with cars that have much higher CD and wings (meaning that it will have to produce significant downforce while being slippery) and originally it was only supposed to put out 300 hp and be able to keep up. Lately I've been seeing hp numbers of 400. That doesn't mean that it isn't a good idea to me, but some have issues with the notion that they had to add hp, as that may mean the CD is higher than originally stated, in which case it won't be as fuel efficient which was the whole point. I think the car will work in a general sense and it will prove the point, a lot of people seem to be coming around after seeing the videos of the thing out at Buttonwillow. I guess we'll know soon enough. FWIW, it's not technically competing, it's running as an exhibition car. This was originally suggested as the newest Indy car design and too many people balked so they went with a more traditional design.

Inflation. As the value of the dollar falls, the number of dollars that you need to buy things goes up. A pristine Z car is still worth about what a top of the line Civic Si is worth, and it has been that way for the last 15 or 20 years. The price of gas is another story. I don't imagine that your average 16 year old realizes the limitation that has been put on them by higher gas prices.

Glad to help!

Looks like there is 4 or 5 degrees difference in the spindle angle. I'm thinking it's going to be farther out than you can fix with plates. Not sure which strut is which either, but looks like the spindle size is different and the brakes are definitely different, so you'd likely have to run hubs, rotors and calipers from the spindle you choose to use. Just judging from the pictures I'd say it's probably not going to work out too well. Wouldn't hurt to put one corner on without brakes, and take it off the jack just to see what you've got.

I don't know what a c10 is. If that was supposed to be 510, then you have to look out for the strut angle. I have lots of friends with 510s and I know enough to say that a Z strut mounted on a 510 gives a lot of positive camber. It bolts right up IIRC because the holes at the bottom of the strut/knuckle are the same, but it doesn't work. For 510s the usual upgrade is 280ZX struts. They're shorter and have bigger brakes. I think the spindle angle is close enough or the same on the ZX (the entire suspension is pretty similar), but I'm pretty sure the Z strut doesn't work.

Probably a pinion angle issue. This happens a lot with V8 swaps. Over at www.hybridz.org there are instructions on making your own laser measuring tools and getting the angles right. A simpler fix would be tire balance. I know you said you had it done twice, but if you have nice rims or a dumb mechanic they might only put the weights on the inside. That is a static balance and it's not the same as a dynamic balance with weights on both sides.

No, but I can fix that quickly enough. Thanks!

New link for CV adapters on the M2 site: http://m2differentials.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=773_2627&products_id=10316

M2 Differentials is now offering billet 4140 chromoly 27 spline CV adapters to fit 280Z stub axles and 84-89 300ZX Turbo CV shafts (except oddball 88 SS version). These adapters are zinc plated and will come with 280ZXT stub axle nuts. The problem with this CV swap as it has been done in the past is that the CV shafts are too long. When the CV is too long, the shaft itself effectively becomes a bump stop for the suspension, and when the suspension moves it puts a lot of lateral load on the control arms and struts, wheel bearings, and the differential. We have solved this problem too with our short chromoly CV shafts, and we expect most new customers to buy both of these parts together from here on out, although if you have the Z31T shafts on your car with adapters from someone else, you probably need our short shafts and don't realize it. I believe that almost every car that has ever done the 300ZXT shaft swap has this problem, when I measured it out, there was no way that they would fit correctly using stock control arms. More on that here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/100094-cv-axle-discussion/ The price on the shafts is $575 and adapters are $375, but we are selling both as a group for $800. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, we need an order for the shafts on the Hybrid Z group buy here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/105510-m2-z31t-short-shafts-group-buy-2/ Once the group buy is filled, we will order the shafts. When the shafts come in you will get coupon codes for the shafts and the adapters, and you can order them via our website here: http://m2differentials.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=773_2627&products_id=10270 and here: http://m2differentials.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=773_2627&products_id=10321 Pictures of the adapter and the shafts below. Shafts are shown with a stock piece for comparison.

KYB has stock travel. Putting a shorter spring on isn't going to cause any problems. The spring will be loose. This is not a problem. Search and you'll see this loose spring issue comes up pretty regularly.

You can buy turnbuckles from www.colemanracing.com in various lengths. Just get a longer turnbuckle if you want to adjust in a lot of caster. Agree with the camber comment though. There isn't a lot of extra threads in the stock tie rods. I wouldn't make a big camber adjustment without double checking the threads and making sure there were enough. Engineering rule of thumb is 1.5x the diameter engaged.

Increasing caster should increase steering effort (the wheels lean into the turn--the more they lean the taller they get--so you're effectively lifting the front end of the car with the steering wheel). Heims joints are not exactly the new hotness. They were developed by the Germans in WWII, and you can see pics of old postwar Jags with rod ends all over the suspension. http://web.archive.org/web/20060621014121/http://monstertower.com/HeimJoint.htm

If you're looking for stockish, I'd suggest KYB GR2. Forget about strut boots. Replacement strut inserts have a seal that protects against dirt, and I believe both the KYBs and Tokicos that you mentioned will have a lifetime warranty, which you probably won't ever need because of the seals. Stock Z handling was not that wonderful. Bushings are a pain. If you go with poly on the TC rods, save 2 of your rubber bushings to use in the back. They will allow the TC rod to move with less resistance, and the poly in the front will keep the car from darting as much under heavy braking. TC rods with poly on both sides put a lot of bending on the rod itself and there have been quite a few people who have broken the rod in half. Not good.

IIRC, stockers are .630". It's either a hair over or under 5/8".

I don't know that the stock part is "crap" either, but if you want to see what is wrong with them generally speaking, take one off of any Z car and set it down on a table with the end that bolts to the control arm hanging off the table. Roll it. There is your answer. It's not very technical, I admit, but I have yet to see one that isn't bent. Adjustable caster is a pretty huge benefit too IMO. John doesn't seem to like these things and I get why, but having used something similar and felt the difference at autoxes I would say that the benefits far outweigh the penalties for someone like me. There are better designs available too, but this one isn't bad IMO.

I see the flats. Why the wild speculation though? These things break at this spot. It's not so unusual as to require a wacky theory about the stub axle or the person who installed it.

I wouldn't back off on the torque to save the axle. As the others pointed out, if it breaks when the car isn't moving consider that a very lucky thing. Looks like you have drum brakes. If a stub axle breaks and you turn a corner, it is possible to pull the axle straight off the car and lose the wheel.

It will be easier to buy a good used halfshaft than to fix the one with the torn boot.

FWIW, I've seen a lot more bent TC rods than I have control arms. That should say something. As to ride quality, I took my dad for a ride in my Z about 10 years ago. He was in his early 70s then, the car had 200/250 lb springs, Illuminas, MSA bars, heims TC and LCA pivots. His comment when he got out was about how comfortable the Recaro seat was.

It's almost never the differential. You can pull the diff and check the backlash with a dial indicator, but if you look through past posts you'll see others who have replaced the diff or worked on it and had the same problem. You can't run any diff without backlash, so it's not a matter of old tech vs new tech. When you put the car in gear and bump the clutch, you're hearing slack from the transmission gears and bearings, both driveshaft u-joints, the ring and pinion, the spider gears, the splines for the diff output shafts and the side gears, the halfshaft U-joints, the splines for the stub axle and companion flanges, and the wheel bearings. Similarly twisting the driveshaft or the wheels by hand also gives a false impression of slack in the diff that really probably isn't there. Seems that the most common issues are: Front diff mount/strap Bushings U/joints bolts connecting diff to mustache bar and/or the cover bolts

Some 4 cyl L's have 5 bolts. I'm not sure which ones, but I think the L20b has 6, and most of the others have 5.

From what I've read the mechanical valve is the way to go on the Accusump. Something about the electrical one not reacting as fast. I believe I read about it on Canton's website.

Do you have to pop the hood and open the accusump to activate it, then close and drive, then pop the hood again to close it before you turn the motor off? I understand that having a couple quarts of 200 degree oil in the cabin is less than ideal but having it in the engine compartment appears to be a bit of a hassle too. I like the cage work, but I'll warn you that I had people tell me that my cage had to hit the floor to be legal. Stupid requirement, considering the relative strength of the rocker as compared to the floor, but that's what I was told, so I added little boxes underneath the tubes that connected to the floors.