Bob_260 Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 I pulled my spindle pins for two reasons. The first reason is that as I work my way through the brake and suspension upgrade project, I am powder coating all the suspension components. It gives me the opportunity to inspect virtually every area of the underside of the car. The second reason is that I want to replacing the +40 year old rubber bushing. After all the effort to get the spindle pins out I will apply plenty on Never Sieze! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_260 Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Dat260: do you recommend some aftermarket components that enable toe, camber, caster adjustments? I'm planning installing camber plates on the front. I've seen some eccentric bushings that say allow for adjustments (caster I think it was). Are these worthwhile? Necessary? Can anyone comment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat260 Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 There are a few supplier that sells what you are looking for. Personally, if you are not racing it, its too much adjustability for nothing. Install good urethane bushings. thick sway bars and good springs. ArizonaZ, Techno Toy Tuning, Californiadatsun.com are some that comes to mind. You can also upgrade the rear drums to disks, it a common upgrade since drums and the accessories are getting scarce. The eccentric bushings are also good, not expensive, but are hard to adjust when needed, from what I hear. Basically it boils down to money, if you like bling, and what is the intent; street driving or track. Hope that answers your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_260 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Here is another post that I hope might help someone that is new to the Z Community. I wanted to put as much rubber on the ground as possible without having to add flares. After a lot of digging it seemed that I would be able to go with the Rota RB 17x8.5 +4mm offset rim with Dunlop 234/45/17 Direzza ZII Star Spec. (I went with 17 to insure clearance for Stage IV disc brake kit I bought from Silvermine Motors) To gain the wheel well clearance I needed I bought a tool from Eastwoods for $99 to roll the fender lips. It worked great! Gave a very professional look. I also did a coil over conversion to gain a little extra clearance and to allow me to dial-in the ride height. Attached are a couple of pictures that might help clear up some of the clearance questions that others might. One shows a "before" with the original coil springs and the others show the "after" with the coil overs. The rear suspension now done and everything worked! No tire clearance issues, no problems bottoming out. I've also attached a before/after half done photo so you can seen how it's shaping up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_260 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 I forgot the picture of the car with the rear suspension is done. I drove it for a few days to make sure everything was OK and nothing fell off. Now the front suspension is off the car and all the parts are at the powder coater getting done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_260 Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 As part of the suspension & handling upgrades I decided to install the Competition Steering Wheel from MSA. It maintains the overall OEM look of the car but is about 1.5 inches small on diameter as well as being thicker to grip. The original wheel has a vintage feel, but did not have the class of being a wooden wheel. It felt thin and large. The original steering wheel on my car was 15" in diameter, the new wheel 13.5". I know it will increase the steering effort. If I did the math correctly, it will result in about a 10% increase in effort. If I had to apply 10lbs of force on the old wheel I'll need to apply 11.1 lbs on the new wheel. (Not a crazy increase IMO). In addition to the improved tactical feel, the other BIG improvement I've noticed is how much easier, getting in and out of the car is. I'm 6'4" and that additional 3/4" of clearance between the wheel and the front of the seat is noticeable. I've attached a few photos. Removing the old wheel and installing the new wheel was remarkably easy. I put a small amount of anti-Seize lug on the splines just in case I need to remove the wheel again in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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