seattlejester

I went with BC as my post stated for my own reasons as stated. Talk to TTT. Gabe will have his recommendations, which you can find echoed in the forum, he will also make adjustments based on what you are running or plan to run. Talk to the shop you plan on using. These are suspension pieces so you want to make sure that they have either done it before or have the capability to do so. This does require some decent work if you want everything to line up, so unless you are confident be careful. Also keep in mind the down time involved. If you plan on pulling the suspension yourself having a completely assembled set to put back in right away will save you time over having to wait for a shop. Also some advice would be to get the replacement pieces for the wear parts while you are down there, ball joints, tie rod ends, tension arm bushing (G-machine or stock rubber, do not do poly here).

^What risks? As long as the timing is in check and the fuel is adequate and the build is done appropriately there is no added risk. This also has a chain so there is more safety then a belt driven motor. If you don't use this combo and start going for a custom piston with a lower pin height for compression and have to machine in valve reliefs then you are looking at some risk. If CR is a concern you can get custom pistons, if you want to make power without changing the compression a turbo would be much cheaper.

Just so you know slammed z's don't really handle with the control arms angled up your camber changes fairly drastically. And once you go that low you are probably going to have to start considering adjustable arms and such. Mentioning track performance for a car that gets driven on the street is probably misleading. Does your budget include what a shop costs to do the task? Someone's recent quote for having them removed, welded, reinstalled, and setup was $1200 or so, that is on the high side, but not unreasonable, have you asked around? BC has minimal camber adjustment, even with the 4 bolts if you go anywhere near low you aren't going to be able to hit neutral camber even maxed out. Stance and T3 have a fairly large range thanks to the larger adjustment window. I like the T3 personally, it is more tried and true, and Gabe has been a pleasure to deal with he helped me generate a quote and gave his recommendations which were inline with a lot of things I had read on the forum. You can buy the kit pre built and just ship your struts back to him for credit towards adjustable arms. I ended up going with BC's personally as I already had strut bars I didn't want to modify and I personally wanted a set with anti-droop characteristics. Fernando was a pleasure to deal with, the lead time wasn't bad either, Fernando recommended a little bit higher then I had seen recommended elsewhere, but both his cars look like they ride low so I imagine the extra spring rate keeps the wheels off the arches. In the end they came to a custom specification spring wise as I wanted a little more spring up front to deal with heavier engine and transmission while still staying below what I personally considered on the harsh side of things. Read up and see what appeals to you. CX racing I know very little about, I imagine similar to the BC setup. If so, the BC and the CX racing setups are a real pain to adjust camber wise, you have to drop the strut to do so unless you get a reinforced modified strut top that someone had designs of, at which point there would be minimal point to running the stock bolt pattern if you are welding anyway. You will have to modify the center hole if you add camber as the knob will get in the way. Stance kit is adjusted from the bottom as it is an inverted shock so keep that in mind, it would be harder to dial in some more or less dampening easily. Benefit is the inverted shock is going to take lateral loads quite a bit better and their camber plates are nice because you drill a couple holes and you are done. TTT is going to have the most adjustment, height, helper springs, spring rate, damper brand. If you don't plan on revisiting the setup to refine then this is a bit wasted though.

3 of them are cut and weld kits, technically even the TTT kit is a cut and weld kit but they do it for you. Unless you are referring to the camber tops What are light track duties; 1 time a year, 1 time a month, 1 time every 10 years? If you need customized dampers after you go out, a ground control setup will be cheaper to get springs and swap dampers. Otherwise you are looking at swift springs and a Feal rebuild. What are you looking for in a the coilover? Are your struts rebuildable? Budget? Height desired? Can you cut and weld? Do you have someone who can do that for you reliably? These are all questions that you have to answer and should help illuminate your choice.

^Don't forget head gasket thickness. I was one of those who talked about it in the beginning of my build, but ended up just talking. I will have to look it up, but I think that combo can be run without the stroker crank for a slight displacement increase up to 3L. As stated it is just a bottom end spec, if the head doesn't flow or you don't supply it with enough fuel/air/exhaust out then it won't do much good. Looking at the numbers associated with good headwork a good triple carb setup and a good exhaust got me on my road to a swap.

I am coming to realize that the engine price is always just the start. You can buy a motor, put it in, hope for the best, sometimes it works out, sometimes it goes in the first 50 miles. Some even come with a warranty so you could get some money back or exchange for another one, but given that as of now space is my limitation I can't afford to put in a questionable motor nor can I try to make mounts for the motor safely. Plan is probably to just rebuild the 7mgte for now. I have a painted door and some interior parts and rearrangements I have been wanting to do and having the car immobile is problematic. As long as I save the receipts the motor will always have value as long as I maintain it, not many people take this much effort when rebuilding these motors, so if time comes that I have a surplus of money, space, or time I can consider changing things up.

~1/2 of the threads is usually a good starting point. Given our suspension compresses at about 1:1 you can guesstimate how much it will compress based on the spring rate and where it sits at droop given the anti-droop nature of that style of coilover. Pillow ball is basically a spherical bushing. Yes that is normal. Take the tie rod off the knuckle, much easier to install those to the strut then line up the tie rod afterwards.

That was what I figured, I bought a couple of them to see if I could wire them up with a breaker, but I fear the amperage would just get out of hand to have it do enough to be effective. They do have heated windshields, but shipping from the UK is pretty pricey.

Any ideas on what you are are planning on for a defogger? I had some ideas floating around, but nothing that seemed like it might work decently and wouldn't use a butt load of amps.

If they are out of sync or misadjusted then they could dip into a too rich or too lean condition. If they are sticking like tony says then you have a massive fire hazard on your hands. I don't know how you plan on rebuilding something without knowing how it works. The adjustments would also require you to become somewhat familiar with them. If you don't plan on learning how to do it yourself then send it off to be rebuilt, just fair warning it won't be cheap, but given that the carbs sit right on top of the exhaust it is better then catching your car on fire. Tune up should also check compression, valve clearance, spark strength, spark timing etc etc etc, just so you know if your car is out of time or you put the spark plugs in an incorrect order or the compression is piss poor due to valves being out of spec or bent because of the timing messing with the carbs won't do anything to help.

How the hell did that engine keep running?! Looking forward to you breathing some new life into the car, looks great

Agreed, the 2jz was in a lot of cars so they will be around for a while. The 2jzgte was in a couple so maybe harder to find, but getting a 2jzge to stock 2jzgte power levels is easy, the difference only will really show in the mid power level point which is really way too much power for our cars anyways. The BMW transmission is pretty interesting, the abc link is to a place in latvia and doesn't show a price, but collins adapter which we all know from the cd009 adapters make an adapter for the getrag gear boxes for a very affordable price. I am pretty sure a front sump engine will not work, even the mid sump engine will have troubles unless you lift the engine or do something with the cross member and steering rack. You really need the rear sump to be successful in the swap without the engine sitting for forward or further up.

1969honda: I agree, not very expensive, but I did my last rebuild for under 1200 IIRC, so in comparison it is a bit more, that and the fact I'm throwing in improvements over the factory it isn't terrible, but still a big chunk of change. I'll have to give the forged pistons some more thought, I was chatting with a friend about power goals, and I don't think I'll be going all crazy, and my tune is modest so I don't think there is much danger, still an added measure of safety I suppose. That engine sounds ridiculous! Ryan: We don't have aristo's in the states so it would have to be a import, then on top of that I would need a rear oil pan which has been scarce in my searchings, and I would want to keep it manual which means a 1jz bell housing as well. If I was going forged, then that means a full tear down, which would mean I would be back to where I am now except more money down on a new motor and time on mounts. Zetsaz: those are unfortunately just for the metal pan, you need the whole aluminum brace structure, http://my.prostreetonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/how-to-convert-a-2jz-to-front-sump.jpg

I know right? Get a little bit for scrap, sell the expensive bits, then keep an eye out for a 2jz. Problem is I would need to find an oil pan from an SC300 which is seemingly getting rarer by the moment, knowing what I know now, would be amiss if I didn't take it apart and do a preventative rebuild so I don't have to deal with a catastrophic failure, and would have to find a way to turbo it that I feel would be reliable, meaning a quality manifold and turbo which wouldn't be cheap unless I planned on running it NA, which wouldn't be all that bad now that I think about it. The appeal of the 7m as in the motor in general or in comparison? In general: twin cam, more displacement, factory turbo, pretty good aftermarket support, my preferred orientation (intake driver, exhaust passenger), high hp tranny, and so on. In comparison: 1jz is not as easy to find parts for and also a step down in displacement, and despite the legendary hp numbers of the 2jz, apparently it is not without its own downfalls, they too can suck up money as much as you throw at it. Personally for me, it is convenient. It is in my possession, it will bolt back in with relative ease, I have a bigger turbo and fancy valve covers waiting to go on, I also have bespoke exhaust and mounts for the motor.

Had an unreal moment, felt like I had to share. I had been looking for a crank when I stumbled upon an add on CL, 7mgte rebuilt, with 550 injectors, 264 cams with chevy springs, missing the manifold accessories, sensors, etc for $1000 located less in my city. I talked to the guy and he said he didn't know much about it, but knew the previous owner, I contacted him and he was super helpful and told me he did a preventative rebuild with plans to push it to 500hp when he worked at a machine shop. Pretty much as perfect as it could be. We struck up a deal and we were waiting time when he could compression test it and I could pick it up. Then disaster. His engine blew on his car and he decided to swap this engine in. Back to square one. I called the machine shop, now I pretty much had made my bed, my 7m was going to have to be revived. I told them there were now zero leads for a crank other then online. I asked how he felt about it if I got one online. They asked for the name of the company and as I was saying it he said "oh no, not them" so now I was down to negative, he said he would call around and see what he could find. Got the call earlier this week, he managed to find a crank that should be build able. Was not cheap, but I am hoping with the oil modifications, running excess oil as recommended and a critical bend in the oil pickup with perhaps a bigger sump will prevent me from having to revisit it. They do want to do a pre-hone which I fear will add more to the cost, but at this point I think I will have to build this to last. Costs planned: Crank core - 250 Crank measure and polish - 60 Crank work (straightening and welding) - 0-150 Pre hone - 100? Hone with torque plate - 300 Rod resize, bushings, balance, shot peen - 300 Pistons - 300, unless I go forged then 600ish Oil upgrades - 700 Gaskets and bearings - 200 Head work - 420 Install core plugs - 50 6 cylinder short block - 255 Then some other critical things thermostat - 30 timing pulley - 30 timing belt - 70 dip stick -100 modified oil retention plate - 60 I think probably around 4k all said and done with the new clutch, flywheel surface, and injectors. If this thing goes on me I think crying myself to sleep is going to be an understatement.

You could fit a 17x8+35, but I think it would need a 30mm spacer, (basically turns it into a 17x8+5), that is if I remember correctly. I think the max size I have seen was a watanabe at 8.5+4 on a stock fender leaves about a coins width before it hits the perch and you have to run some camber and be careful on tire width, it depends on the wheel manufacturer and the bulge of the tire to a certain extent so I would be hesitant to get that close. + is inboard - is outboard A + wheel will move the wheel inboard so the place the hub will sit further out with the rim actually moving closer to the center of the car. A - wheel will move the wheel outboard so the place the hub will sit is further in with the rim actually moving further out from the center of the car. If you get confused you can look down at the keyboard on the number line above the letter keys. Imagine the front left wheel of the car, - is on the left hand side and moves the wheel out, + is on the right hand side and moves the wheel in. If you plan on keeping stock suspension without flares, then stick with 7 wide with +0 as your standard size. Manipulate from there. You can go inboard a little bit, you can go outboard a little bit, but a lot of factors will come into play like camber, tire size, ride height, disc brake clearance, etc.

^They would need to mill out slots for adjustment on car, I've always been concerned that would also let in a bunch of debris.

Kind of depends on what you plan on doing with the car, it sounds like it is being built as a drag car. If you are against flaring and it is a dedicated drag car then you can build the tubs inboard and not run flares. The fronts won't clear a 17x8+35 with stock suspension, that is essentially a 17x11+0 (inboard wise) even with coilovers, I think the fronts can only fit a 17x9+0 (inboard wise), you could run a spacer, but I don't know if I would be happy with that if you are dropping the car onto the front with knockoff wheels bolted to a spacer. I would almost be tempted to suggest a smaller wheel, at least in the states there is more selection in the smaller sizes and having a big sidewall can help the initial grip at launch is what I have been told.

That picture isn't too illuminating. When I lowered my 240z on cut 280z springs about 2 inches I had about 1.5 inches or so travel left so if that is what you have then it seems "normal" for that kind of drop. If the spring rate is higher then stock and the shocks have good dampening characteristics, you shouldn't have to worry. My ride was firm, but comfortable. I've been in several cars that spent a lot of time smashing into hard bumpstops, crashy is what it feels like, if you feel like you are engaging them often, you can either trim them down to get a little more room, or you can do as JM says and get ones that are the foam type with a good spring rate. If it is much lower then you would like you can get spring cushions to help keep them from separated, although you loose active coils by doing so.

Overheating due to timing would be my initial guess, I'll have to take a look at the files when I get home.

Check for exhaust leaks? If it is aftermarket or been machined at any point, it may not be on the same plane as the intake causing parts of it to be loose. The one on the end keeps that side down, so if it has a bit of a curve not having it is going to allow the gasses to leak. There is a tonal vibration and shift, but it shouldn't be that loud in the actual engine bay.

Probably need to throw some heat at it as well. I don't think that works with the datsun 5 speed, if I recall there is a seal that will prevent that. I think if you are desperate you can access the innards via the reverse light switch, but it really is best to just get the fill plug out and replace it with something like the drain plug.

Hmm the cresent wrench is not a good example, Just hard to think of a system that people have seen open that takes advantage of this setup. Well in the cresent wrench example your steering effort would be more along the lines of a T or a wheel attached with the worm gear in line so to say. It wouldn't be the same force that is exerted on the jaws. If you follow that link the crank handle would be the motor and the steering wheel would actually be attached to the metal shaft. there would be some resistance if you tried to turn the worm drive via the gear, but you have to remember that if it isn't engaged it doesn't have much resistance. Depending on the reduction level it wouldn't even need to turn much at all. Given the size of the motor I would be surprised if it was a log of difference, probably a much closer ratio. Bad music but maybe more applicable. The wheel would be replaced with the steering wheel in this setup. On a separate note, I think a crescent wrench stays locked in place as you try to twist things it applies leverage on the traveling jaw which tilts it against the sliding plate no? At least on my cheaper ones when it gets stuck you just wiggle the jaw and it moves freely Bottom line is that the worm gear is not the worst design at least from a failure perspective. A system where a failure would result in no steering at all would be a much more dangerous system.

My understanding which admittedly is quite weak. The saturn vue motor is like the worm gear drive setup posted, I think an S2k has the the differential gear type setup. For a worm gear it is connected to a shaft, the motor assist by sensing the input and supplying torque to the gear via a screw type mechanism (think like your thumb on a crescent wrench) powered by the motor. If the motor fails it just doesn't have power behind it, any brushed motor will still turn by hand most of the time just not generate power. The worst type of failure would be intermittent I imagine. Like starters can sometimes work when they are in certain orientations or when shocked by a hit. That would cause a jerky sensation to the steering. In theory if you felt the steering wheel fighting you all of a sudden you could just go disconnect the relay that powers it and just have uninterrupted manual steering.

^Daniel is the man, definitely helped me out with struts in the past too. If it hissed I would suspect it had pressure in the system, if it was momentary then most likely very residual, if it was running in the last decade I imagine they would have changed out the R12, but with cars that sit, who knows. Sound deadening comes off pretty easy with dry ice and a air chisel, if you want to do a full floor inspection and maybe put down some modern sound, or thinner or effective sound/heat insulation then pulling it off would be a good idea. Otherwise it is a bit of a hassle. I took all of it out and it was really buzzy, hot, and loud. I finally put some sound deadening in it is a bit quieter, much much cooler, and only a few buzzes/rattles.