Nigel

Time for an update: It's taken me longer than I initially anticipated, but parts are starting to come into my possession. The water jet cutter completed the brackets today. I picked up samples yesterday, and they look good. I'm picking up the remainder tomorrow. I picked up all 840 fasteners today. The parking brake cables should be on route to me tomorrow and I hope to receive them by the end of next week. The chassis end fitting for the brake hoses is back-ordered, but with any luck I'll still receive the hoses by the end of next week as well. I could have used a different piece that was in stock and functionally would still work, but I'd rather wait for the right part. "Close enough" is not my philosophy! The only part that's really complicating things for me is the centering ring. The machinist that was going to fabricate those for me is a friend of mine, and he was laid off recently! I'm now scrambling to find another shop to do them. It's probably going to cost me more, since I'll no longer get the 'friend' discount, but since you've all been so patient, I'll eat whatever the extra turns out to be. So, we're almost there. Another few weeks and you should have your kits. I really do appreciate your patience. Believe me, I want to get these out to you asap. As the parts come in, the bills come with them, and they're going to add up to thousands of dollars very quickly! Nigel

BTW, the reason I'm asking has to do with brake hose clearance. I was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to come up with a single brake hose design that would work with both calipers AND clear the majority of wheel sizes being used. I've been agonizing over this for the past week! My Z is a best case scenario, with 17" rims with 4.5" backspacing, TTT lower control arms and short stroke AZC coilovers. It occurred to me that the brake hose routing on my car may not work so well with stock suspension and some 16" rims with really deep backspacing. So, I put a stock control arm back in, dropped the strut down to stock suspension droop, mocked up a 16" wheel and started experimenting with different hose routing options. Fortunately, I found a local hose manufacturer that was willing to work with me and provide samples of hose end fittings and a length of hose to try out. It was getting pretty frustrating coming up with a solution though. There's so little room to work with, and I have to be absolutely certain that what I decide on will clear all moving parts through the entire range of suspension travel and caliper travel (due to brake pads wear), plus align properly with two different calipers. So, I've spent hours and hours out in my very cold garage, swapping calipers back and forth, jacking the suspension up and down, with and without a wheel, with the hose routed in different ways, looking at it from all different angles. I was beginning to think I'd have to provide a caliper specific hose, but I've finally solved it! However, I'd still like to know what your caliper choice and wheel specs are just to be certain there isn't some odd ball rim size that I know won't work. Oh yeah, I think you'll all be really happy with the brake hoses. They're a premium quality braided stainless steel DOT hose. Everything else is progressing. I'm trying to get parts together as quickly as I can. However, the logistics are challenging. I'm building 15 kits and have close to 1000 parts to acquire and track! Nigel

For those on the list, PM me ASAP which caliper you plan to use, and your wheel size including offset (for example, a 16x8 rim with +12 offset. Again, I need to know ASAP! Thanks! Nigel

The hole that you're seeing is the wastegate port in the turbine housing that the flapper covers. The flapper opens and closes over that hole to bypass the turbine to control boost. That's how an internal wastegate works. That turbo is missing the flapper assembly, which the ATP ultimate internal wastegate would replace anyway, and the flapper in it would cover the same hole. I'm not sure what your concern is? You have to have that hole for the wastegate to work. Nigel

This isn't an SDS issue, which is why you found no mention of it in that forum. Like most people, you're trying to follow lines on a diagram without understanding what they do. That's not a criticism. Most people just don't have an understanding of electricity. The reason why the circuit didn't work is because Crane assumes that the ignition module contains the transistor that switches on and off to ground to provide the ignition timing pulse. The transistor is a separate, external device on the Z, which you've now connected to. I could go into more detail, but I don't have time at the moment. Nigel

Agreed BTW, you don't need the Crane red wire connected to both the ignition switch AND the black/white wire that used to connect to the positive terminal on the coil. In effect, you're connecting to the same wire in two different places. Nigel

A little late now that you've already cut a hole in the tank, but this looks like it could be a fairly simple solution: http://aeromotiveinc.com/products-page/stealth-fuel-systems/18689-phantom-200-stealth-fuel-system/

That's the F40 wing that MSA used to sell. It's NLA now. Nigel

I only used silicon brake lube on the sliders and the pistons and I don't have any issues with squealing. I'm using the Wilwood pads. Did you follow the bed-in procedure? Nigel

One more for the list... Discount Price 1. 280zcar (w/ centering ring) 2. takayuki (w/ centering ring) 3. KyleG (w/ centering ring) 4. Ryan Merrill (w/ centering ring) 5. calpoly-z (w/ centering ring) 6. pchermit (w/ centering ring) 7. xxjoeyxxeb (w/ centering ring) 8. Leon (w/ centering ring) 9. Whitehead Performance (w/ centering ring) 10. SoC MATADOR (w/ centering ring) Full Price 11. Zedfoot (w/ centering ring)

You don't need a high friction front pad with the Wilwood brakes. They're already capable of generating tremendous brake torque. As a point of comparison, a Nissan GT-R weighs ~40% more than a Z, but has front brakes capable of generating only 10% more brake torque than the Wilwoods. So don't fret about going to a lower friction front pad if it means less dust. You shouldn't have any problems getting these brakes to kick the back end out in a turn. But a straight line is another story. Nigel

Hi Ian: Glad to hear you're happy with them! You will see a significant improvement in braking if you switch to a higher friction rear pad. For example, switching from an EE rated pad to a GG rated brake pad will result in brake torque increasing by a minimum of 40%! Keep in mind that the hand brake is meant to engage the brakes for parking, not stopping. The inability to lock the rear wheels with the hand brake while driving in a straight line is not a good assessment of braking ability. On many cars, you can drive around with a properly adjusted hand brake fully engaged and not even notice. However, these Lincoln and Jag calipers will easily hold a nearly 4000lb car in place on a 20 deg slope. So, for our feather weight Datsuns, they're more than adequate. Nigel

Not quite sure what your concern is. Are you asking if they took the LSD carrier out of a 3.7 diff that used 12mm ring gear bolts and put it in a 3.7 diff that used 10mm ring gear bolts? 3.7 open diffs are not common, and it wouldn't be worth their while to swap. Regardless, Whitehead Performance has been around for decades. Their guys know their stuff. I'd trust that it is what they say it is. Nigel

Don't over think which coil to get. Pertronix wants you to buy their coil, so they're not going to show a competitors product. The LX-91 is twice the price of the MSD coils, but I think it's safe to say you'll never notice any performance difference. You might as well go with whatever you like the look of at a price you're content with.

When used with an ignition box like the MSD 6AL or Mallory 6A, the Pertronix only serves as a trigger and is not responsible for handling any of the current used to drive the coil. So, don't worry about frying the Pertronix. The MSD and Pertronix is a good combination and work well together. I'm sure the Mallory is no different. Don't worry about double coils. No need for it. Magnecore wires are excellent. Standard NGK plugs will be fine. BPR6ES11's will do the trick, IIRC, but double check that part number. Nigel

1. 280zcar (w/ centering ring) 2. takayuki (w/ centering ring) 3. KyleG (w/ centering ring) 4. Ryan Merrill (w/ centering ring) 5. calpoly-z (w/ centering ring) 6. pchermit (w/ centering ring) 7. xxjoeyxxeb (w/ centering ring) 8. Leon (w/ centering ring) 9. Whitehead Performance (w/ centering ring) 10. SoC MATADOR (w/ centering ring) The first 10 kits are sold at the discount rate! The price now goes up to $350 + $15 for the optional centering ring. Shipping is extra. If you still want a kit, but missed the discount rate, let me know ASAP so I can get it in with this production batch. Once this batch done, I don't know if/when I'll do another. I need a minimum of 10 people at a time to make it worth while. Nigel

Only nine, but I'm going ahead with it anyway. I'm sure I can unload the last one without much effort. My goal is to have most of the part orders placed by the end of next week. If all goes well, kits will ship the beginning of March? Nigel

1. 280zcar (w/ centering ring) 2. takayuki (w/ centering ring) 3. KyleG (w/ centering ring) 4. Ryan Merrill (w/ centering ring) 5. calpoly-z (w/ centering ring) 6. pchermit (w/ centering ring) 7. xxjoeyxxeb (w/ centering ring) 8. Leon (w/ centering ring) 9. Whitehead Performance (w/ centering ring) 10.

I supply a paper template to mark the hole positions on the rotor. The holes can then be drilled out with a drill press. With a bit of skill, and the tolerance in the holes, they will be close enough that the supplied centering ring will take care of the rest. I purged a bunch. Should be lots of room now. Nigel

BTW, for those who have signed up, can you send me a PM with your shipping address. I want to start working on the logistics of getting these kits delivered. Nigel

Yes, xxjoeyxxeb, these will work with stock axles. Stock axles have a smaller diameter flange than the CV axles, and this setup will clear CV axles. Almost there! I think I'm going to go ahead and start ordering parts and putting the kits together. 1. 280zcar (w/ centering ring) 2. takayuki (w/ centering ring) 3. KyleG (w/ centering ring) 4. Ryan Merrill (w/ centering ring) 5. calpoly-z (w/ centering ring) 6. pchermit (w/ centering ring) 7. xxjoeyxxeb (w/ centering ring) 8. Leon (w/ centering ring) 9. 10.

Hopefully now that Christmas is over, funds will start to free up for car parts again and we can get the remaining people needed 1. 280zcar (w/ centering ring) 2. takayuki (w/ centering ring) 3. KyleG (w/ centering ring) 4. Ryan Merrill (w/ centering ring) 5. calpoly-z (w/ centering ring) 6. pchermit (w/ centering ring) 7. 8. 9. 10. With a proportioning valve and the right pad combination, these rear brakes should be suitable with most front brake options. I had the 4 cylinder Toyota 4-Runner front calipers (same piston sizes as 4x4 calipers) to start and used EE friction pads in the rear. I had no problems dialing in a proper balance. I now have the AZC Willwood setup up front and am using GG friction pads in the rear. I'm using EBC Yellowstuff pads out back. They have a Cf of 0.5 and are meant to meet the requirements you're asking for. They've worked well for me. However, I'm using the front pads that were included with the AZC kit, which I believe are the Wilwood BP-10 pads. These have a Cf of between 0.4 and 0.45. I seem to recall that you're running something else up front? If they have a significantly higher friction rating, you may not be able to dial in enough rear braking with the Yellowstuff out back. I couldn't find any definitive specs on the HP+ pads that David recommends, but what I did find indicates that they should be at least as good as the Yellowstuff. Dave has vastly more track experience then I do, so I'd trust his recommendations. Nigel

The machined spacer is to provide the correct offset for the vented rotor to center it in the caliper. Caliper clearance to the wheel is a separate issue. Most wheels will clear the 4x4 caliper just fine. This is a little misleading. An adjustable valve will allow you to dial in up to full rear line pressure with no drop off. This is likely what you'll need with the the 4x4 and drum combo. However, even that may not be enough. But it would be a significant improvement over having the stock proportioning valve. That being the case, you could simply remove the stock proportioning valve and accomplish the same thing. However, if you ever plan to make further upgrades to the brakes, it would be worthwhile installing an adjustable valve now. Nigel

http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/m10-1-0-male-inverted-flare-to-m10-1-0-male-inverted-flare-brake-line-fitting.html Nigel

Click on the "View our Catalog" link on the homepage, and go to page 89 for the pre-made hose selection. Adapter fittings are on pages 90 and 91. It'll probably work out to around $50 to $60 for two hoses. Nigel