Modern Motorsports Ltd

Brad, what colours would you like? Sleeves can be different colours as can be the springs Just for extra info Dave's setup referenced above prices at $120.50/corner as follows(quoted from his web): Threaded sleeves with upper and lower spring seats for 2 1/2" springs(not a locking lower spring seat). $44.95ea. Jam nut for locking lower spring seat. Usually not needed.) $9.95ea. Special machined collar for locating threaded sleeves on the strut housing. $12.50ea. 2 1/2" I.D. springs. Rates available form 70 to 700lbs. $53.00 Total of $482.

I'd rec'd doing the wheels/coilovers and then go for an alignment at your desired ride height. You may find it's bang on or very close.....and if it's not you'll discover how far out it is, if it's only a little or quite a bit and then it's easier to pick your parts to correct it. Z's that stay near stock height often don't require too much to achieve decent handling and tire wear. If you're doing a thousand miles a week and running pricey tires and once your install is done you don't have any allowance for down time to add parts then I'd suggest bucking up for all full adjustment parts straight up.....but most can do mods progressively to see what's required if you have a spare vehicle etc. I measured on my 280ZX the camber I wanted to gain and slotted my tires accordingly after doing some simple trig, worked out fine and I didn't end up with very large slots on my towers (using my own 280ZX custom MML camber plates).

You can use any 84-89 5lug 300ZX hubs, I usually use the ones with 'rotors bolting on the back' instead of the slip on front face turbo 88/89 hubs. That gets you 5x4.5 up front with ~25mm offset. Out back you 'prep' 5lug stub axles very carefully (I rec'd to have a machinist do this, I have all of mine done by a machinist and he has fixtures to get them all bang on.)to have a stout and balanced unit with perpendicular alignment of your new studs. I've got some prepped on the shelf Sean here has the full front and rear setup on his ride and a number of other members have my prepped rear stubs on their rides.

Hmm, my 280ZX coilover's include custom rear mounts that all bolt on if you're using Illumina's as their strut perch 'knocks off' and my custom ones slip on. Were you using Illumina's or others with knock off perches? It's quite a bit quicker than typical Z coilovers as their's no perches out back to cut off (with 'knock off' struts), new custom mounts just slip on and away you go Mine are similar to Ground Control in some ways, but mine allow use of longer springs (Ground Control's typically only allow use of 8" long springs which you therefore run at a higher rate) for more choices in ride quality. My 280ZX coilovers are slightly more than typical Z units as a result (see my web) but the custom rear mounts I undervalue in the pricing and it's a very slick install with great flexibility long term.

Thanks! I just caught it before I run out the door for a rainy day (we need this rain though!), Jeremy posted just shortly after yourself as well , thanks guys & have a great wknd I'm in the midst of a big garage cleanout so I can hopefully test fit my header wedges/headers tomorrow! Here's hoping!

Thanks a lot John, Dave, Nathan, Larry, Jeremy, Davy and others! Many of you I've had the fortune to meet up with in person, I've met many great new friends with lots of enjoyable bench racing and other activities . It's your support and committment that's been key to the successfull completion of the various packages that MML now has available and even those not yet listed on the web Please excercise your keyboards with just a few more keystrokes by using the leave a 'review' function on my New Web so others can benefit from the extensive research/homework/and experiences you've all heartily embraced! Just choose any product and beside the 'add to cart' is 'leave a review' button. Buyers really want to hear your experiences, not my soapbox babbles:) One totally new setup will hopefully be proven and unveiled by Xmas , it will bring a smile to a Z or two. Cheers and keep the fine ideas and Z enthusiasm/cheer flowing while keeping the shiny side up!

The 'wedge' mounts between the head and the header flange, it rotates the header so the collector rotates toward your inner fender to drop down between the inner fender and steering rod. I just flashed thru 6 or so pics via email to you.

Have you decided on your tread compound/preferred sizing (are the compounds you want available in the sizing you seek?)? Typical rims (& tires) only come so wide unless you're looking at 3pc and full slicks as I'm sure you know. The only customers I have doing 10 and 12" width rims intend to run full slicks on 3pc wheels. As you've noted, you can relocate strut tubes to gain clearance but that's pretty involved work for the benefit IMO (been done before). Mild flares and coilovers can yield you LOTS of room as others have noted. 280ZX's are even more forgiving out back with room for 315's under stock fenders with coilovers (someone just donate the rims/tires and I'll be happy to prove it ).

Lots of thoughts and ideas out here Great to see so many active enthusiasts and minds contributing! (my apologies I haven't been more present on the forum in recent months/busy with R&D and general work but all email inquiries are always attended!). I'm glad Pete spoke up on some often missed advantages of coilovers. I've seen more 2nd hand non-coilover springs for Z's sold off than short skirts on today's music video's. For a tight handling/minimal roll ride used in the 0-150mph range my father's LT1 240Z is very enjoyable for ALL uses with the following: swaybar upgrade coilovers/175f/225r Illumina 5 ways 16x7, 225/50/16 Tires provide a comfortable yet tight handling experience and the Illumina's allow '2' street driving and 3/4/5 track if desired.......they've done several 1000mile+ trips and he's enjoyed some events and I've also very much enjoyed driving his car All bushings have been done on his car as well (1st item I recommend to most). at the 200lb/inch rate you reduce a LOT of rear squat, typical range is 200-250 for high torque Z's I've worked with. NOONE yet has complained their spring rates were wrong but they can be easily altered if another rate is desired. Higher front spring rates will help minimize nose dive (which should be more of a quick/shock function but it does come to springs as well) with stronger than OEM braking systems like my Xtreme stuff or even the Toyota Vented setups. Tube size of your struts is important as your struts may have been swapped out and the threaded tubes I'd set you up with are specific to your strut tubes. My site has the OD's listed for the strut tubes to allow you to check to see what you have. If you don't have a dial caliper you can also easily measure out your strut tube diameter by measuring the circumference of the strut with a premarked piece of paper/string etc. A 51mm OD is a circumference of 160mm and 55 mm OD is 175mm. Both measurements are so different (~5/8") you can't mess up this simple measurement (do clean up the portion of your strut you're measuring if it's dirty/heavily corroded etc). I have spring options listed on my site with tube options, as well you can select "I'm not sure, let's discuss" and we'll personally nail down your appropriate spring choices. At rates of 225 and higher I often step to 8" springs for those clearing maximum wheel width.......at that spring rate it's quite unlikely they'll see full coil bind. Lower rates and they're typically 10" springs....buyer's choice. The install is quite easy with only one small item to weld on each strut and lately I've been supplying custom lower threaded tube mounts to make that part even easier and tidier than all other's I've seen while allowing max wheel/tire width. Spring rates noted in a prior post of 250+ and higher are excessive IMO for a combined street/track car and will rattle your car even more so than you're already used to leading to MANY items loosening and requiring some attention/regular maintenance (ask me how I know ). I'd start at 175's for front and 200's for rear and alter accordingly up or down if you're non-track or more track oriented or more torque/braking etc etc. Keep the shiny side up (and thanks for the compliments guys, really appreciated!) Please check out the new website AND leave a review if you have experience with any products presently listed to aid others in deciding on various parts. I've got tokico's/coilovers/CV adaptors/wheel adaptors/quaiffes/KVR pads/ES bushing sets listed at present with a longer list of what's coming on their as well. The Xtreme brakes are done and in use, just not listed yet. Pics available Email for any non-listed parts as they're still being shipped/only so much time to go around and getting parts out priorizes over web..want a Xmas break on shipping costs for larger packages...just email.

The 240SX install does not interfere with CV's, I had a picture on my website showing the clearance but it's not yet worked back into my 'all new' website. They do clear, the bracket design/caliper location/rotor size (11.4") all contribute to this clearance. For 280ZX setups; I'm not sure if a 280ZX rear setup would clear CV's (anyone with 280ZX rears have my CV adaptors??).

Nice job PO! Wish you were closer...I've got lots of ideas for those who're bored Slick work......I could almost bet one could make some side change modelling Z's in photoshop for aspiring Z modifiers.....

Guy, I’m just finishing porting some aluminum wedges I had made for my own 280ZX drivers side new header. They’ll rotate the standard Hooker 1-5/8’s (fine header IMO, been proven on many a setup) shortie header out to clear my drivers side manual rack’n’pinion steering rod. I haven’t test fitted them yet to verify that I’ve nailed down the geometry but I left room for them to be futher angle milled if necessary. In short they’re ~1/2†wide on the top and 1.5†wide at the base (just ballpark) and my machinist made them with a minimum size roundhole drilled thru that I’m now matching to my heads and header ports for a proper transition. I preferred to make custom wedges so I can later swap in a standard style header if required. I could have them duplicate for anyone else to port to their own setup. What I have running right now is a tweaked shorty 1.5†diameter header but it doesn’t match much of anything since my system has evolved from an OEM style 327 to the newer edelbrock top end it’s had for a few years now. I’m really looking fwd to the 1-5/8’s, including GREATLY improved port flow on exhaust side of head and new exhaust done much better as well!

As John says, they're matched sets. And if it's not righ it'll be your ass before the dealers. Any binding in rotating parts in that area can easily lead to a potentially dramatic failure. Even the extremly stout Viper halfshafts fail...when?..when they get bound up on either end and aren't free to move a slight amount. Do you have the distance spacers from the 'new' struts? I think all of my sets are 'B's except for one and I don't recall if it was a A or C. The odd one out did come from a 280ZX FWIW.

It's up to you Guy. OEM Z32 and RX7TT rims are right around 16lbs for 16x7.5 and 16x8's. 20lb's isn't bad for a reasonably affordable aftermarket rim. It DOES make quite a difference on the cars responsiveness and braking, a local Xtreme Racing Z (2200lbs/400+hp)has quite a noticeable difference in responsiveness/acceleration between his 'street' Cobra R factory rims and his 16x10 (lighter) 3 pc with slicks. Either smokes most all of us! But if you've got power to spare or you're not addicted to the G spot err force then go for it 7's fit easily on a 280ZX all around with OEM suspension/fenders. With coilovers you can go to 8's up front and sky's the limit (literally!) out back. I've got 280ZX to Honda adaptors as well if you need MML's 280ZX parts

Welcome to the list Dave. Do some searches and you'll find some more info on V8 280ZX's. I have a few pics of mine posted here: Some pics of my V8 280ZX. Dave G's got some pics and a documented website. www.jagsthatrun.com has a book that's good reading to get you thinking on various options/mod's. Feel free to post or email your q's after you've checked out some older posts

I'm pretty sure those wheels spec out at 45mm or thereabouts, it will be stamped on their as suggested. And unless you have the 8.5" turbo rear's, you should be able to fit them into your fenders nicely if you nail down the spacing correctly. 8's can be fitted on OEM Z's without coilovers. Coilovers let you get a little wilder:)

Those brackets Cheezer posted (nicely done BTW)are for a 280ZX setup/ala a rotated maxima bracket (early calipers I think?) with 10" discs, not the larger 240SX setup. They're noticeably different in geometry and function. Be sure to rebuild the 280ZX calipers, I've had both piston seals go and ebrake internal cams brake on the early 280ZX calipers I've had as OEM on my 280ZX (more a note to other 'silent' readers as cheezer sounds quite experienced). Lube the slide points of the large yoke bracket as well to ensure even pressure and pad wear.

Jared, I've been wrapped up in tasks lately and not enjoying hybridz as regularly as I'd like by any means. A cheap front 5lug brake setup is the 4runner vented caliper setup. You use 88-91 vented 4runner calipers and early model 300ZX front 5lug rotors with custom rotor spacers. I have the rotor spacers in stock, even one set anodized (clear) at present for $150 including all rotor/spacer hardware. I've got a parts store set of new front 4x4 pads that came in a loaded caliper you can have cheap (new pads/customer opted for my KVR's which I also have in stock at $40/set). You can source used or new rotors/calipers locally or I can supply you with new but you mentioned a skinny budget. The new 5lug hubs add ~25mm offset to your present OEM hub offset. So with 25 used up, and 45 on the wheels you want....that leaves ~20mm for the bolt on adaptor, if you maintain your centerline, which is 0.78" and falls within a thickness I can make bolt on wheel adaptors (likely requires shaving your wheel studs so they don't protrude from the ~3/4"-1" thick bolt on wheel adaptor, unless the BMW wheels have recesses they can fit into which many do have). A set of 4 of those adaptors in a 1" or less thickness would run $210 max plus shipping. If you need thicker units out back the price would change somewhat. You'd also require 5lug front hubs from an 84-89 300ZX with bolt on rotors (find a good set with good rotors and you're smilling:). As well you'd require prepped 5lug rear stub axles, they're $110 fully prepped with all work done by a machinist with fixtures to ensure properly : removed bearings, welded eyelets, aligned new wheel stud holes, aligned press in of new studs and rear seal plate mod. Cost of $110 including all service and ARP studs, you supply your stub axles or buy a set (I have some already prepped for exchange with cores sent). The 2 pc. adaptors others mentioned are certainly an option. I have no experience with them. One advantage of going to the nissan 5x4.5 base pattern is if you tire of your 5x4.75 or want an alternate track/drag setup you can then easily swap to other rims on the 5x4.5 pattern. Even if only for wknd events as spacers can be quite flexible. I know of several hybridZ's that will swap to race rims of greater width and diffeernt offset using a 2nd spacer set for wknd events.....takes only minutes. Just an option, might leave you more flexible longterm. Feel free to email me with any q's at all that you have. I rarely get time to go into hybridz lately as I'm progressing new packages and making sure customers needs are met. But as you see most all of your q's will get answered here or directed to someone how can. One helluva group that's helped me develop the parts I now have to share. PS thanks for the web feedback:) Just revamped today/yesterday!

Jared, it's certainly possible to conver to 5x120. I'm working with one customer doing a BB 280ZX to convert his front to some altered 5x4.75 skinny drag rims. One method is to convert to 5x4.5 (nissan hubs up front and prepped 5lug stub axles I do out back) and then use bolt on wheel adaptors such as the ones I work with to swap you from 5x4.5 to 5x4.75. The altered bolt pattern wheel adaptors I'll do as thin as 3/4" if desired. You'll also require a compatible 5lug front brake setup, I do those as well if interested. Any q's feel free.

Nice page, far from complete for a DIY'r from scratch though...a few more steps to ensuring a dead flat/parallel piece and other details. Centrebore is important of course/but parallelism less than a thou isn't achieved by all for one unnoted detail:)

Keith, I have the long 280Z tubes and set Mark up with his. Here's an old pic of a 7" 'big-blue' tube. I typically use lower profile top hats than that shown (1/4") to maximize available suspension travel. I think I've got some 8's kicking around too I haven't yet got pics of one I installed on my car but it's a tidy look that'll allow me to run softer 10 or 12" springs over the winter and then back to my 8's for summer fun and max meats/treads Drop me a line with any q's. I'd like to hear an update on how your cars coming along

A friend has run 8" width on a stock fendered/sprung Z with 245's and no clearance issues, certainly not a common combo on a stock suspensioned car but his did clear fine. "also what do you guys think of that spacer that makes your 4 bolt pattern like the hondas pattern, i believe its 100mm?" Do a search on this forum and other Z car forums and you'll find feedback. Any q's, drop me a line as I've run spacers for some time now and sell the Z to Honda's you mentioned above. Assuming you're not a fan of the rims that do bolt on your car, they offer a safe option to step to the easily available Honda b.p. and offset wheels that can be cheap (used aftermarket) or as fancy as your budget allows. here's some quick comments on them comments Their are guys on this forum running them.

I've seen many note 225's wouldn't clear in the rears without rolling fenderlips......not true. Their is room for 225's and 245's on all 4 corners when spaced correctly. With zero offset you do end up tight to rear fender wells with lowered vehicle BUT their's room inward available. So keep in mind many clearances posted are tied to the wheel offset combo they were running. A perfectly spaced setup a friend had a few years back was 245/45/16's on 16x8's with no rubbing and no coilovers. 225's fit up front easy without coilovers and certainly 245's fit with coilovers. Don't expect to have an extra 1" of clearance all around but they do fit when spaced properly. As well, various tire have various widths for same spec'd size so do complete your homework. You can find up to a 1" difference in width for a 225/50/16 tire depending on models you look up. Now if you have aftermarket fenders poorly fitted up or other alterations over the years since your car was new these clearances can vary. Some of my customers have had differing fenderlip clerances left to right on the same vehicle:eek2: 225/50/16's are a great comfort and handling combo IMO on 16x7" rims as asked. Wider is too wide IMO on a 7" wheel unless you're mainly a straightliner and don't mind a bit of pitch and roll in the corners

AIR, from past customer info, the cable hookup isn't too difficult but they typically do have to bend the ebrake arm for clearance and you end up with somewhat angular (ie. not smooth)cable geometry. HTH

Dan, I just fwd'd my emails w/ pics to yourself, that I previously sent Preston in response to his queries in completing your exhaust setup. Any q's drop me a line. I'm nearly finished on my own set of 'wedges'. The pics I don't have online so can't post for all to see.