260DET

Do you mean shorter shock/damper inserts/cartridges?

Yes, it was a bit cryptic, basically you need to check that the suspension can move up sufficiently when you hit a bump. If it can then shocks are likely the problem.

Bloody hell, you going in the road rolling business?!?!

Spring rate should not be a problem. If there is sufficient and free moving suspension bump travel then shocks?

Here is a pic of the VG30DET I got. Might do away with that twin throttle body setup and put one big one facing forwards towards the IC.

For AU Fishoilene is a suitable product to spray inside hollow structures. It will neutralise modest rust and soaks in everywhere. Problem is the smell and its awfully messy but does wipe off using mineral turps. My 260 was done ~six years ago, there is no sign of the modest rust it went over breaking out. That equipment Jon linked would be great and the price is quite good too.

Seeing its too hot to work on cars I spent some time in the a/c office searching around Wiseco piston and ring set from US$566.99 to $681.45, Eagle conrods $479.00 - 599.95. Thanks for the references, will check them out too. Courtesy Nissan must have a good world wide reputation for supplying OE parts, amazing.

Interesting read that article. But maybe the point is that there is no one ideal geometry setup, rather all setups are a comprmise, depending on the criteria that a particular designer takes in order of importance. That article would have been more informative if it had discussed this and given an indication as to which way the design went.

Looked at the Nissan upper link front suspension like on the Z32. Came close to giving it a go but calculating where the inner link mount would be located was a potential problem that I could not see a solution to. Someone else may be able to do it, on the Z32 it mounts on to the inner guard.

Too nice to put on a car and get dirty

Any recommended US sources for price and service? Summit Racing have the VG30 pistons and con rods I'm interested in but would like to check a few others.

Yeh, the S14 front is strut, rear is multi link. Going to look at converting the S14 front to a double wishbone though.

Looks like a S14 front Xmember with the lot will be going under the front of Project S130. If it works out OK, don't know of anyone who has done it before, I'll end up with power steering and a brake setup that allows a lot of big options. And maybe a double wishbone suspension.

I really wanted to do something with the VG single cam, they seem to be much like a RB30E which is a great engine too. Love the single cam simplicity, compactness and light weight. But it was looking just too expensive an option, I've been able to buy a VG30DET which will end up a lot cheaper. Just have to screw a bit more power out of it to make up for the extra weight

Yeh I'm looking at S13-15 front suspension for Project S130. Like the idea that the strut just bolts to the lower part, gives a couple of options. As for the rear, believe that the Z31 rear end was an improvement but I'm not really interested in any semi trailing arm suspension.

The things to consider when designing a suspension are discussed in Staniforth's Competition Car Suspension for one, sure to be others I don't know about. From memory, the rule of thumb starting point for an unequal length double wishbone suspension design is that the top arm should be 2/3 the length of the lower arm and slope down towards the center at 15 degrees.

For the intended use, repeat, for the intended use, the aluminium finned cover should be sufficient, that plus use synthetic oil. I'm not up with those covers but some/all increase the oil capacity too? If you were really concerned it should not be too hard to drill and tap a lole in the cover for a temp gauge sender. And do one for the gearbox at the same time

Any chance dj paul that you could do it as part of your study? For a start there are software programs around that facilitate suspension design, as you would know it is crucial with a double A arm to get the dimensions right. I'm looking seriously at it with the S130 project. In your rear suspension topic here http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=107603&page=1 Terry illustrated a strut conversion, which is what I'll be looking at. At present the idea is to retain the stock suspension parts except that an upper A arm would be attached to a short strut. The new spring/damper unit would use the existing strut tower upper attachment point. It looks like a S130 may be more suitable to convert than a S30 though, more room for a start. Anyway, if I can get the dimensions required to fit in the available space then its on. Can't see any other potential problems at the moment.

Came across a sad looking unfinished 280ZX convertible for sale recently in the US. It was advertised on the web by a business that used to make convertibles but no longer did. Could be a fair bit of work to do to finish it but you could see the potential.

If I had any sense Dave, a RB30 would be the way to go for 500whp. But want to do a V6 so it looks like the VG30DET will be the best option, have heard good things about them. You know much about the big Nissan gearboxes?

Staniforth's Competition Car Suspension is useful, where you can cut through the British waffle. The Racing and High Performance Tire by Paul Haney, although more a setup book, contains a lot of practical informantion. Another aspect about using a strut as the basis for a double A arm suspension is that Z 'bumpsteer spacers' could be very useful in repositioning the lower outer pivot point.

Found this in a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of a VG34 conversion and turbocharging on an Xterra forum, extract from a long post. 'I'm guessing the crank will come apart first. I've been told by many that SOHC cranks are short lived when 350hp is exceeded.' For what it is worth, the poster seemed to have done a fair bit of research on the subject.

Bloody Canadians and their tortured English If I understand the question, you can answer it by pulling the axles out to their full length and comparing that with the gap you are talking about. My guess answer is - no problems. Ha ha, 'click', CA means California.

For import engines it works out cheaper to buy a VG30DET than a VG33E in AU, sad but true. Might phone Nissan to confirm that the 33 has a cast crank.