jeromio

All I can say is that either you are really lucky or I am really not (or some combination there of). When I put in the coil overs this past summer, I wanted to move the pivot point up at the same time. I hammered, chiseled, air hammered, etc. Got nowhere. This time I am using a grinder. Those washers will not deafeat me! Too cold out right now though. Brrr.

I searched and searched but could not find the original post regarding the HVAC vacuum system. I'm pretty sure it was in Misc. Tech though. Anyway, I finally scanned in the diagram that Fast Frog snail mailed me. It's available at http://240z.jeromio.com/hvac.html.

Unfortunately, if you're going to keep the stock arm, there's more work to the task of moving the pivot point up than re-drilling the hole. You must also remove the washers that are spot-welded to the inner sides of the crossmember. I have just now started this task. I had tried before to air-chisel them out - no luck. The grinding is an extra pain because I don't want to grind away any of the crossmember metal. I got a selection of various washers to use to try and replace the old ones once I drill the new hole. Most 1/2 inch washers seem nice and tight around the swing-arm pivot bolt. It's a matter of matching the thickness.

This is off topic (mostly), but do any of you guys remember the days when the salvage yard "network" was a party line that all the yards in an area would have on the hook? They'd just say the part description over and over and over again until they either gave up or someone chimed in that they had one? The more sophisticated yards would have one guy doin just this job and they stuck him in an office. "78 Camaro alternator. 78 Camaro alternator. 78 Camaro alternator..........."

As far as emissions go, with a 71 you are scott free. The inspection will merely verify that your car is road worthy (lights, horn, tires, etc...) - they won't even bother measuring emissions. And in NC, there's no visual, so, you don't even have to pretend to have controls (pumps, exhaust recirc, catalytics, etc) on the car.

Aargh. My saga continues. I finally got my shipment from Tokico. It took a long time, but, you know, gift horses and all - they did it for free. Trouble is that they only sent one gland nut! So, now I get to call them back, and then wait another 7-8 days for it to show up. For those attempting the whole strut sectioning thing, there's info on my site. It all went pretty smoothly.

There are definately alot of the vg in the yards. But, as you discovered, the turbo plumbing in the 240 with this engine is not straight forward. Plus, the trade-off for the front heavyness of the inline engine is that there ends up being more room to work on it. Those are pretty much my 2 main goals - easy to work on, and inexpensive. The datsun L28t definately fits both of those requirements, and that's what I was originally shooting for. That may, in fact, end up being what I install. But it does look like this whole head gasket fiasco has its upside - the yards and classifieds appear to be full of 7M-GTE cars.

The picture I posted was of parts that I took off of a Maxima. Not sure exactly what year it was. The car was wheel-less and kind of down in the muck and I was racing against the clock since they were gonna crush it. These are just the parts that the caliper rides on. There's no way I could've gotten the other part(s). Damn. So, bummer. No rear discs for me. Oh well.

Granted, high-tech doesn't always mean better. But more valves and better flow is hard to argue with. As far as Morgan's comment regarding "Machining mods" I have found nothing. Certainly I can verify that these engines have a deserved reputation for choking on head gaskets.. What I have found is that, depending on wear, they may need to have the gasket surface (primarily of the head, rarely of the block) machined to eliminate wear marks due to the gasket. There is then the issue off attaining a suitable finish (post machine-work) that is compatible with the steel (HKS) head gasket. IOWs, if the head is not worn, then the stock gasket can (and should be) replaced with a steel gasket and the head bolts torked to 70lbs (as opposed to the recommended factory 52lbs). There seems to be agreement that a properly (70lb) torked, steel gasket motor is very robust. Certainly when dealing with a Junkyard motor, it is questionable. Most yards offer a 30day guarantee and this would seem sufficient to remove the head and verify whether it needs machining or not. I can find no details on how the J motor solves this gasket problem, but apparently it does. Also, no one seems to address the problem of attaining the proper "post milling" finish that would be compatible with the steel gasket. even though many sites seem to mention motors which have had their heads milled. Makes one appreciate all the more the wealth of info availabkle for the Z - low-tech engine and all... Still, I am intrigued. My plan up 'til now has been to (eventually) get a junkyard datsun L28t to swap in. At this point, I am widening my search to include a suitable Supra motor.

To answer IdealZ's question, yes, 0 offset translates to the mounting surface being dead center of the width of the rim. To respond to the Mikelly's original topic - I followed that link and AR does truly have some cool-ass rims. Trouble is that for us 4 lug fools, they have only small widths and or diameters. It's a shame. I have recently further entrenched myself into the 4 lug realm by upgrading to the 84, 300zx rotors and 280zx calipers. I guess I am doomed to have to resort to a spacer when my (14 inch) tires finally endup completely bald. (I keep on trying to mentally justify each upgrade as a sort of "virtual car payment", but they keep getting incrementally (more like logorythmically (sp?)) more expensive and it gets harder to justify spending all this money that I don't actually have. VISA really likes me)

Hey! I completely lucked out yesterday and got to the salvage yard 5minutes before the last 280zx got crushed. I managed to get the front calipers (and brackets) off of that car. I also got the brackets off of a rear drive Maxima that was also crushed that day (although not quite as dramatic as the the guy waving off the loader because he happened to see me at work on the ZX! Home Chicken was actually about to smash in the windows and pick up the car whose rusted caliper bolts I was wrestling with and pick it up!!!!) Anyway, I ended up getting the Maxima brackets for free (although I could not get the e brake cable off and therefore could not get the calipers). So, my question is, are these even worthwhile brackets? They are way more than could be duplicated with a piece of flat steel, which is what people seem to be talking about. Are there any calipers that I can easily use with these? And please don't say "Maxima rear calipers" because I may cry.

Boy is that ever a wierd comment. "Fancy head"? So in your estimation then, the LT5 from the Corvette ZR1 is equivalent to the 350 from the 60s. Same block, just some fancy heads thrown on there. That's just silly. Engine technology is heavily tied up in the head(s) - valve gear, combustion chamber shape, flow characteristics, etc, etc. With few exceptions, a block is a block. Not much new there that is being implemented ni the main stream. The Datsun L head is old technology. As has been stated before on this thread, the 7M and the RB are pretty close to each other in having a modern head design. The main difference is that you can't go to a salvage yard (in the US) and pick up an RB. Now, the issue with the head gaskets, that I find interesting. I haven't uncovered any other info on this beyond replacing the gasket with a premium HKS unit, upgrading the head bolts and being very careful to torque the head bolts. Does the block have to be O-ringed? What aspect of the Toyota design makes it more suscptible to failure?

You have to be very careful when doing something like you describe (in your last post). If you layer metal, you increase the danger of rust formation. If you can "seal" the whole layered area with welds, chances are good that the heat will remove all the water vapor and you'll left with (hopefully a very tiny volume) of basically dry air. But, if there's any entry into that area, or (as is the case with the flimsy Datsun sheet metal), if one layer gets compromised (as in a rust hole), then the whole assembly is doomed. It's better to just tear out the old and replace it whole. You may even end up with a more accurate assembly measurement-wise anyway.

Forget the 2jz. That's too expensive. Well, unfortunately this is all theoretical for me at the moment since I'm broke, but, in my (admittedly slim pickins) area, I can get a junker L28t long block in decent, runnable shape for $400. Another $75 for a stock ECU. The trans I (will by then) have already. So that is pretty cheap. (I've only found 2, one has a blown HG, so I would presume it needs a complete rebuild) But, I can get a 7M-GTE for $750-900. These are purportedly good, runnable shape. I'm having more trouble with the trans for some reason, but it seems like $500 would be do-able. This is a modern, 24valve, cross-flow, 3.0 liter engine. It's gotta be way better than the 40 or so year old datsun/benz 6. Can you tell that I am sold on this possibility? I'm almost sold enough to hold off on the expenditure for the nissan 5sp. How much different are the internals? I did some searching around, but there's not that much info on the 2jz. Lots of sites with older Supras that have swapped in the 7M-GTE though. 450hp seems to be a pretty common claimed figure for modded versions of this engine. I'd certainly be happy with 300hp. Very.

So, I'm guessing that the 86-92 supra turbo motors (7M-GTE) are much cheaper than the later ones - I see way more of these in the yards. Would this maybe be worth the effort? Certainly seems as though it would be a better choice than the Datsun L28turbo. Has a cross flow, 24 valve head. Rated at 230hp with a mere 6.8psi (http://www.toyotasupra.com/engine.html). Maybe add a bigger intercooler, more fuel and crank the boost. I am intrigued. It's a nice looking motor. But would it fit?

Yes. We got as far as deciding that it was the rear carts, but we don't know which specific year of MR2. It's all too late for me as I've gone with the GTI cart. Sadly, the reason I went with the GTI carts (back in October because I had a $50 Carparts coupon), was because there was much discussion here and elsewhere about the MR2 cart requiring a modification to the isolator. But, it turns out that the isolator has to be modified (drilled out) for the GTI cart as well. Sigh. BTW, I just finished scraping off the excess from one of the nylon gland nut washers that came with the GTI carts. Very tedious and I have a pretty tasty blister on my thumb from turning that little part against a block plane for over an hour - But it now fits in the gland nut! One more to go.... Oh, and I was looking at the strut tube more closely and and it is much thicker at it's main length. Before I was only paying attention to the upper part which is much thinner than the rest. I'm having second thoughts about the potential efficacy of the tubing cutter against such thick steel. It looks like it would take quite alot of wrestling and maybe a blade or two. Perhaps I'll take it to my friend's shop and use the fancy band saw instead. This has been a very helpful thread. I'll be publishing all of this info in detail, along with the various pictures of labors at my site when I'm all done. [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited January 08, 2001).] [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited January 08, 2001).]

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty stupid for having made the parts store order 2 sets of calipers and then not buy either one. Dumb. According to Terry's write up, he used 0.16 inches of washer to shim up the caliper (I too have the early style, '71 hubs). I guess I'll try and cut out of work early one day and head to the pick 'n pull. Thanks for the help.

Aha! Pictures speak. You know what I think it is? The calipers from Advanced were just the "caliper" part. From your picture it looks like there's a separate cast piece that bolts to the strut, then the caliper rides on this piece. Makes much sense. In order for the piston to float, that main part of the caliper has to be able to move back and forth. Crap. That means that I'll have to go to the salvage yard to get that piece. More hassle and more money. Makes me wonder if using the 4 piston Toyota and having a spacer machined wouldn't end up being easier....nevermind, those calipers are $90 each.

I was going on Terry Oxandale's write up. His reasoning was twofold: No spacer required and much less weight. Apparently the cylinder area of both (ZX vs. Toyota) was roughly equivalent anyway. Here's the link: http://www.zhome.com/rnt/FordPower/BrakeUpdate.html What I was saying was that the supposed ZX calipers that I received were not threaded. From what I've read, they should be (unlike the 240Z calipers). The mod is to drill out the threads on the 240Z strut. I'm thinking that maybe the parts store showed me 84 calipers, but I have no idea. Isn't ScottieGNZ running this front brake setup? He posted a question about pads for the 82 caliper...

The 82 280ZX is a bolt on then, right? I ordered a set along with the 84 rotors from Advanced Auto. They were crazy wrong (tiny, unthreaded mounting holes spaced way too far apart) so I had them re-order. Same exact parts the second time. Should I try another parts supplier? Am I missing something? Should it be the turbo calipers instead? Anybody have the specific part number?

I ordered a set of 82 280ZX calipers from the local Advanced Auto. THe first set came in and were completely wrong, So I made them re-do it. Same thing! These had very wide spaced mounting holes that were small and unthreaded. No possible way they are the right ones. So, did I get the wrong idea? Or is AdvancedAuto screwed up? I thought the ZX calipers were a direct bolt on to the 240Z Strut?

YES! I just called Tokico and they're comping me 2 gland nuts! I don't even have to pay for shipping. This completely rocks.

This is making me very happy. I was all set to have to whine to CarParts.com, deal with shipping, restock fees, etc. This is very good news. As to the gland nut issue, my car, in all of it's 30 year old glory, still has the original strut guts. So, what I need to do is get a gland nut. I'll try Tokico directly first (not open yet). Any one know of any other parts houses to try? As to strut tube length, it seems like the consensus is to shorten by 1.5 inches. So, I will probably have to get some pipe for the cart to sit on to make up that 1/2 inch (actually more) difference. I'm planning on using my tubing cutter on the tube. This creates a perfectly orthagonal, burr free cut, but it does tend to squeeze the tube, which tapers the end a bit. Since there's plenty of room for the cart in the tube, I'm not particularly worried about this (plus, it's thick tubing and probably won't deform as much as the 18ga I'm used to). The tapered ends do make a nice little valley for the weld though. I have also bought a new set of 84 rotors and 83 calipers for the front brake upgrade. I'm planning on relocating the caliper mounting holes. My logic is that since rotors are a wear item, it'd be nice to not have to have them machined when replaced. Also, it'll cost me $24 to have them turned. Anyway, I'm gonna cut the "ears" and then weld them back 1/8" further out (or whatever the actual distance ends up being). This is slightly different that what Terry Oxendale describes, but I think it will work well. Alright! Thank you TimZ. I'm all set except for the one part (gland nuts).

Okay, this then could be good news for boneheaded me. If the gland nut on the 85 and 84 tokicos is the same - that implies that the tops of each are the same - yes? So, since the gland nut for the Z doesn't fit the top of the VW carts (even with any of the supplied spacers), then that implies that the way to use these carts is to machine a ring that has the OD of the ID of the gland nut and the ID of the OD of the top of the cart. And also drill out the isolator. AND install the isolator on the strut and then install the whole assembly on the car. Yoinks. Where on wrenchhead did you find this info on the gland nut? Are the 84 and 85 carts the same length? Because these 84s I have are really short. The body is over 2 inches shorter than the Z front cart. It would be fantastic if Tokico would simply publish all the info on all of their various cartridges. Or even if there was a shop locally here that had a huge inventory of the various types so that I could compare. I'm really wishing that I hadn't already bought these 84s.... [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited January 07, 2001).]

So it's the rears! We're making progress. Is it the 85-86 rear MR2, or the 87-89 rear MR2? How about the gland nut? Will the one that comes with the MR2 carts work in the 240 tubes?