zgeezer

Actually, both the 260 and 280 can be installed. If your 240 has seat belt retractors (inertia reels) mounted in the floor behind your seats, you should be able to mount a set out of a 260 where the sholder belt is attached to a retractor bolted in the body in the same bolt hole that now supports your non adjustable lap belt. I've installed the 280 belts in my early series 1 240 [it did not have any provisions for retractors at all. First, I installed the retractor pockets. These were cut out of a donar Z and welded into my Z. The bolt hole that supports your Z lap belt accepts the retractor. But you need the pockets that hold the retractor. Next, I fabricated a mount off the rear strut housing to hold the 280Z shoulder retractor. This required cutting and welding a mount. In essence, I duplicated the 280Z mount. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=3854&size=medium http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=3851&cat=500&size=medium The 280Z has two anchor points on each side of the transmission tunnel. This portion of the seat belt is a plastic covered cable bolted to a reinforced tunnel side. My early Z had a different attachment point in the back of the cabin. My solution will be to drill the transmission tunnel in an appropriate place and weld a captive nut to a 6 inch square of 1/8th inch plate and then weld or bolt that plate to the body. I think that will work. g

Marc, does your z have the Datsun "L" series 6 or is it an engine swap? If it is a stock "L" series 6 cylinder engine it sounds as if all you need might be a new stock front cross member and a steering shaft. I think all S230s use the same steering shaft. If you can't find the parts in your neck of the woods or off this site, send me a PM and I'll put you in contact with my JY. He has at least one series 1 240 and a number of 280s. All with front cross members and steering shafts. Buy new motor mounts. g

Actually, the Subaru rack mounts quite simply. All the real work is in modifying the driver's side mount. I hope my first post made that clear. As you can see from the photos, I had the entire Subaru rack, inner tie rod, and outer tie rod ends laid out before me. I could have just tried to fit the Subaru outer tie rod into the s30 steering arm. By the way, since you are running the straight Subaru inner tie rod, have you experienced any suspension interference or bump steer [or for that matter any lack of bump steer]? Somewhere on this forum, I believe there is a thread that addresses the sensitivity of power steering at speed. It seems to me that there is a simple mechanical cure related to restricting flow on the pressure side or some such thing or newer pumps being rpm sensitive. It's worth some time on "search" or someone might chime in with link. Thanks for your input. g

I've owned three Mazdas. The first was that Cosmo in metallic brown, 13B rotary and AT; The second was an R100, with 13B, 4 speed, racing beat manifold, header, exhaust plugs, msd, mild bridge porting [190hp according to racing beat]; The third is a mazdaspeed mx5. That Cosmo, providing its rust free and pretty much stock IS a better "investment" than the Z. Do an EBay search on R100 and Cosmo. The prices bodies, much less complete running cars, bring will probably drive you back to your friends parents for another go around. Actually, if that Cosmo's has any rust or the interior is trashed I see it as a great candidate for a 13BTT, the 2.0 three rotor, or an aluminum blocked GenIII CSB. Mine had a fatal case of apex seal failure around 70,000 miles. God, what a smoker it developed into! g

Sorry Marc, but that rack is not any Subaru I've seen. The "OKC" label rings a bell, but google has 10,00 hits for OKC as in Oklahoma City. g

Mark, you may have had a Subaru power steering: the bushing you show that is round on one side and square on the other looks, to me, to be the passenger side bushing for a Subaru Impreza [WRX] or such. g

If the photos do not appear they are all posted on my hybridz photo album. The short version of this post is that the Subaru power steering rack swap into S130 chassis may require only that the long Subaru inner tie rods be shortened and threaded to use the Subaru outer tie rod ends. The taper on my Subaru outer tie rod ends is a very close match to the steering arms on my s130. This would give you a straight inner and outer tie rod without the bend one sees in the S130 outer tie rod ends. I don't know what effect upon steering geometry a straight tie rod would have. However, I believe one could simply use a hydraulic press to bend the Subaru inner tie rod to match the S130's offset. We have a post earlier in this thread showing a shortened Subaru inner tie rod threaded to accept the short Datsun "Sunny" outer tie rod. The "Sunny" was imported into the US as the Datsun 1200 in the early 70's. My parts house lists 1971 Datsun 1200 tie rod ends for less than $10.00 each. Now for the longer version. I purchased a '90s Subaru Impeza power rack and installed it on my S130 cross members following the suggestions of various other pioneers. I drilled and tapped the Subaru rack to accept the inner tie rod ends from the power steering rack of a 280zx. These inner rods are referred to in other posts as the EV161, which I think is a part number. I purchased two passenger side S130 outer tie rod ends to match to right hand threads of the EV161. I mocked them all up, screwed the outer rod ends up tight to the last thread of the inner tie rods and still had both wheels splayed so far out that I could not adjust for toe in. I resolved that problem by sectioning the outer tie rod ends and shortening each one by .5 inch. My machinist will true up the cut faces, turn each rod, thread them and couple them together with a threaded collar. it works without welding, but it is neither elegant nor inexpensive. There are differences between the S130 rack, the Subaru power steering rack, and the S131 power steering rack. The S130 rack is on top, the Subaru is in the middle, and the S131 in the middle. Please note the following: The difference in length between the S130 and the Subaru; the difference in the two mounting pads of the S130 and the single mounting pad of the Subaru; and difference in length between the inner tie rod ends of the Subaru and S130 racks. Finally, note that, unlike the S130 rack, the Subaru rack does not have a passenger side mounting boss. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13783&ppuser=7965 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13782&ppuser=7965 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13784&ppuser=7965 Here are the two sectioned S130 outer tie rod ends, note that each rod has a bend. This bend is not duplicated if you use a straight shortened Subaru inner tie rod end. The lower round S130 outer tie rod end is a Nissan product; the the other is aftermarket. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13787&ppuser=7965 Here is a comparison between the two EV161 [280zx] inner tie rods [on top] and the Subaru inner tie rod on the bottom. Note the length and diameter of the Subaru rod. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13779&ppuser=7965 This photo is a comparison between the upper rack clamps of the S130 and the Subaru. From the left, the square clamp is the Subaru driver's side, the middle is the S130 [identical for both driver and passenger side] and the top passenger side Subaru clamp. Unlike the driver's side, no modifications are needed to the passenger side of the S130 cross member to mount the Subaru rack. I simply used G-force bushings, laid the Subaru rack down, and bolted the S130 upper rack clamp down. Looks neat. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13778&ppuser=7965 The Subaru outer tie rod end is on top compared to the S130 outer tie rod end on the bottom. A quick and dirty measurement with calipers indicated that the taper and width is so close as to be considered the same: at least "close enough for highway work". http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13788&ppuser=7965 This is a trial fitting of the Subaru outer tie rod into the S130 steering arm and EV161 Nissan inner tie rod. It is a fit on both ends and appears that when cinched down, I'll have three threads showing. Man, I LOOOOVE these moments. Sorry for the quality of this photo, but it shows that the Subaru outer tie rod fits the S130 steering arm on one end and matches the thread of the EV161 Nissan inner tie rod. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, but the outer tie rod is too short, pulling the wheels in for lots of toe in. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13786&ppuser=7965 Now this photo is clearer and shows the angle, at full droop, of the Nissan inner and Subaru outer tie rod combination. Note that it runs parallel to the LCA. The stock s130 outer tie rod would bend down at this point. I have no idea of what, if any, effect this difference would have upon steering geometry or handling. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13785&ppuser=7965 This final photo shows the Subaru outer and inner placed above the s130 EV161 rod ends. The Subaru tie rods, both inner and outer, change the shape of their cross section, from round to rectangular and, then, to octogonal. The portion of the Subaru just above the end of the EV161 is octogonal and this is about where that rod should be cut. There appears to be enough meat left to cut threads for the outer Subaru tie rod end and still have wrench flats for adjustment. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=13780&ppuser=7965 Time to go. I've only an hour left to get in a lap or two of autox at our fairgrounds. g

The thumbnail says it all. Thanks. g

Are you equipted to accept payment by PayPal or credit card? If not my personal check is in the mail tomorrow. g

Don't give up on Ford Cleveland performance yet. Although Clevelands have pretty much been presented as the poster child for wretched excess on one hand and production performance compromises on the other [if this makes no sense to you, peer down the intake port of a '69 4V, past an intake valve that measured something on the order of 2.14 or so inches, and then look at the exhaust valve port: you will understand], the Australian aftermarket produces aluminum Cleveland style heads that should tickle the cockles of the heart of any Ford ' O Phile. Check this out: http://www.chiheads.com/cylinder_heads.php I think a set of these heads on a 331 Windsor dressed as a 302 Boss would be a real kick in the butt. g

Any one know if the Nissan Sunny was imported to US, perhaps under different badge? g