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mr_han_solo

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Posts posted by mr_han_solo

  1. Overview:

    I was inspired to make my own body pan after seeing a combination body pan/splitter on the "Datsun Parts and Needs" Facebook page. I like the stock look so I wasn't interested in the splitter part. Due to this my body pan is  plastic instead of the aluminum. Looking back I could have probably got away with aluminum due to the fact that the body mounting as a lot more level than I expected. Note this was used with a MSA Type 1 style Air Dam. Front measurements my vary depending on what other air dams you use. 

     

    Parts List and Prices:

     

    Polyethelylene Plastic Sheet (Black) .080 48"x60" - Online Metal Supply - $25

    AAF-ALL18548-10 Threaded Nut Insert (Needed to Mount to Bumper) - Summit Racing - $21.99

    1/2" Steel Conduit (Needed to make spacers)

     

    Belmetric.com:

    4x WSI10SS Internal Star Washer

    6x WFE10X30SS Fender Washer SS

    2x M10 Bolts and Fender Washers (Not Stainless)

     

    McMaster-Carr:

    2x 25mm M10 Stainless Bolt

    2x 70MM M10 Stainless Bolt

    10x 18-8 Stainless Steel Button-Head Socket Cap Bolts, 1/4"-20, 5/8" Long

     

     

    The Process:

     

    My First step was to cut the conduit to the the length needed to make it level with the bottom of the air dam and the cross-member. Once it's cut, weld it up to the end of the front frame rails. Now sure what originally went in these holes but they are perfect. Then I took the two non-stainless washers and nuts and welded them into the round holes in the cross-member (There are four holes in the bottom of the cross-member, the nuts are welded onto the outermost holes on each side). I now had 4-points to mount my belly-pan.

    IMG_9317.JPG

     

    Now I had to make a cardboard template and cut it to make sure everything lined up.  I used a awl to find my two mounting holes on my cross-member, and the two mounting holes where the spacers are now at. I also had to place a hold where my radiator drain is at. (Here is my template with the dimensions).

     

    IMG_9899.JPG

    IMG_9900.JPG

     

    IMG_9335.JPG

    IMG_9334.JPG

     

    Next I transferred this onto the plastic and cut it out:

    Note that I did not cut the entire wheel well area out. I left the "flaps" because I read that rolling the belly pan itself up into the wheel well would help with aero.

    IMG_9385.JPG

     

    Unfortunately, I didn't read or account for this before I marked out out and took the measurements on my template. I have added this photo showing that it is possible given the improved measurements. I don't know if this would be possible if you choose to use aluminum.

    IMG_9381.JPG

    IMG_9382.JPG

    IMG_9383.JPG

     

    After I have the initial part cut I did a quick fitment test: (Notice that I cut part of it too narrow around the front a-arms. I welded some more back on at a later point.)

    IMG_9387.JPG

     

    Next, I removed the bumper and slid the body pan up into the position where it would sit inside the lip of the bumper itself. I then took a drill and drilled the 1/4" holes necessary to put the thread inserts in. The thread insert flanges need to be trimmed down due to how shallow the bumper lip is:

    IMG_9394.JPG

     

    Inserts Installed and Body Pan mounted. Just waiting on front bumper:

    IMG_9392.JPG

    IMG_9393.JPG

     

    Don't really have a good photo of the finished product. If I ever get the car on the lift I will add a photo. It pretty much looks just like the mock-up photo above except with button cap screws on the bumper.

     

    Hope everyone enjoys, and feel free to ask any and all questions.

     

  2. Late last year I picked up a used louver for...FREE. I wasn't happy with the paint, or the condition of the weatherstripping so I set out searching if anyone had reconditioned the louver before. I found a few dead end threads, but all in all I got the general idea and set out to do it myself.

     

    *Disclaimer* After getting started with the process I realized that a how-to was not really necessary as it's pretty much a straightforward process. However, I took pictures anyways, and I have some free time so I decided to write this up and post.

     

    *Disclaimer #2* This is for the stock style metal louvers. Not the plastic or aftermarket ones. This how-to pertains to the original 70s style metal ones.

     

    Here is how the louvers looked after I bought them. Faded paint, and dry rotted weatherstripping:

    IMG_8847.JPG

     

     

    The first step was peeling off the weatherstripping and wet sanding the whole thing:

    IMG_8882.JPG

     

    Once I wiped it dry I put on the first coat of paint. I tried to get a general idea of how it looked originally. From the pictures I saw it wasn't satin, and it wasn't high gloss either. Thus I painted it PPG Flat Black. I used two coats of the flat with a light sand in between (1500grit). I topped the whole thing off with two coats of clearcoat:

    IMG_8886.JPG

     

    Now comes refurbishing the latches. They are fairly easy to disassemble, just unscrew the lever and the whole latch is spring loaded. *BE CAREFUL* The spring and toggle will shoot across the room. The spring itself is very fragile and may need to be replaced. Mine were okay so I didn't source a part # for replacement. Ended up cleaning all of the parts with some sandpaper. Used white lithium grease to lube then reassembled:

    IMG_8888.JPG

     

    Here is what is needed to re-assemble the weatherstripping around the outside. Permatex or 3M weatherstrip adhesive (be sure to buy the black and not the yellow like I did!), I got the weatherstripping from ebay. 10 feet of 3HCJI U channel. This weatherstripping is 3/4", slightly larger than the original. It can be hard to work with at times so you may want to use L weatherstripping instead.:

    IMG_8891.JPG

     

    Lay down your glue, then slide the stripping on. Use clamps and wooden blocks to hold it in place until it dries:

    IMG_8900.JPG

     

    It may take several applications to get the stripping to hold around the bends at the top, I think I had to apply and clamp it twice until it stayed down for good. Remember, don't use too much adhesive! Cleanup sucks.:

     

    After it dries, I used all new stainless steel hardware and reassembled the mounts. Then I measured, drilled and mounted. Here is the finished product:

    IMG_9296.JPG

    IMG_9298.JPG

  3. I recently purchased a set of Hoosier 245/40/16 and I'm looking at purchasing Diamond Racing wheels in the 16x8 size.

     

    I have combed through tons of threads and here is where I'm at. I've settled on +4 on the offset. I've converted to coilovers, and I've trimmed my front valence already, so I'm in the clear on both of those respects. I have done the Toyota caliper conversion on the front as well.  My problem comes in with the wheels themselves. Diamond Racing wheels sets theor ordering by backspacing, not offset. I was wondering how I can convert this +4 offset to backspacing. Or if someone running the 245/40/16 on 8" wheels (I know there are a ton of you) would just tell me what their backspacing is, I'll use that.

     

    I'm currently running 235/60/14 on the "Iron Cross" wheels which have 102mm or 4" backspacing.

     

    Thanks.

  4. Well after doing some more searching I found some vintage Goodyear Bias ply tires for free. The tire size is G70-15.

     

    Now after doing the conversion this comes to 215-75-15 or a 225-70-15 in modern size. In turn I'm currently running 235-60R-14 on the tires I use currently.

     

    Is this new tire still going to be too tall?

  5. I'm wanting to do a wheel/tire combo upgrade on my 1972 240z for the car shows. My 240z has the early 1970s hot rodder look and my goal it so but some of the steel "nascar" looking wheels and put slicks on them. I'm shooting for the GT40 or Cobra look that was prevalent in the early 70s.

    Locally, I have found a set of used 27/10/15 Hoosier slicks (item # 10610 https://www.hoosiertire.com/pdfs/speccat.pdf).  I was wondering if these would fit under the 240. Like I said before these would be for show only so as far as driving around I would put my current wheels back on the car. I'm really just needing to know if these are going to rub going on and off of a car trailer and driving around the show until I get to my spot.


    I have done a coil over conversion, and unfortunately I did keep my perches intact. Dunno if this is going to effect the wheel/tire though as it seems they will sit lower than the tire sidewall itself.

     

    I have done some reading and I see where some (circle track guys) have mounted their 10" tires on 8" wheels. Do you think this would be a better option for my setup?

     

    Here were the wheels I was looking at:

    http://www.uswheel.com/collections/fwd-drift-series/products/fwddaytona-gold

     

    Looks like the only bolt pattern they have left is 4x100 though so I may be out of luck by going with them. I have checked out the Diamond Star wheels before, and they are looking like the ones I'm going to have to go with.

     

    Hoping someone here can help me.

     

    http://imgur.com/a/5qHQo

     


     

     

  6. Thanks again for the write up on this!

     

    I installed mine several weeks ago and love it :)

     

    Boy is it a different ride around the corners now.

     

     

    - Steve

     

    Enjoyed doing the write up and giving back to the community.

     

    I never really followed up on how the ride is, and honestly most of my driving this year has been on and off the trailer going to car shows. However, this past weekend I hit the road with it.

     

    Here is my first impression, the ride is AWESOME! I was really worried that it was going to be way too stiff, like a lot of people have mentioned. However, my stock struts were busted and my car would shake like an earthquake once i got up to 65mph. With the Bilsteins and Cosmos it rides 1000x better. Honestly, I got up to 115 and the ride was perfect. I opted with the Heavy Duty springs over the full race, but hopefully someone in the future will go the race route and chime in.

     

    We have a pretty good mountain road around here that was recently repaved, and I wanted to see how she would handle the turns both going up and coming down. It does handle the corners like a dream. The more confident I became, the more I wanted to push it. Still haven't figured out the limit, but these struts and springs have made a huge difference in this department as well.

     

    Just wanted to give a follow up.

     

    - Han

  7. I went through the same thing with my fuel tank. I had the tank cleaned and sealed at a radiator shop, had them chop off the nipples and solder the AN bungs.  Had the entire tank coated with Line-x. Turned out pretty good.

     

    That looks great! I like how the line-x turned out. I just ended up painting mine black.

     

    I have a question though, is there a reason you didn't use a braided line going from the tank to the fuel pump?

  8. very nice just read your whole thread so far

     

    Thank you!

     

    Here is the painted front suspension with the coilovers installed:

    IMG_6226.JPG

     

    Now a before on the rears:

    IMG_6236.JPG

    IMG_6243.JPG

     

    And After:

    IMG_6289.JPG

     

    All new Yellow-Zinc Hardware on the Suspension bolts. On the few bolts I couldn't find, I just painted them the Nissan Golden Mist.

     

    Now for the wheels. My original goal was repaint the inners gold (like they were originally) and polish all of the outer flat lips and just leave the rest of the wheel, the "iron cross" part bare aluminum. After they started soda blasting I noticed that the flat parts were just going to be too much work to polish. My guess is that the wheels had been blasted before. It wasn't a flat machined surface, but but more of a very fine sandpaper surface.

     

    Anyways, I just had them hit the wheels with the finest sand that they had since I couldn't (a.k.a. didn't have the patience) polish them at this point. Fortunately, there is a metal flake look in the aluminum and it looks amazing. You can just barely see it in the photo below:

     

    IMG_6290.JPG

     

    Once I got them home I masked them off and re-shot the Golden Mist:

    IMG_6292.JPG

    IMG_6298.JPG

     

    I'm looking to pull off all of the masking take and clear coat them this afternoon.

  9. Wanted to update everyone and someone that may have future prospects of doing this.

    I sandblasted all of the JB weld off of the old line/tank. Once the line was lose I put some needle nose in the tank, around the line to help fish it out as I pulled on the outside part of the line. To my surprise, the outside popped off.
    IMG_6294.JPG

    It was after this that I noticed that the inside part of the line didn't move at all. After looking at the outside piece I saw that it was a clean cut. Same goes with the inside part of the line. I couldn't find any information about it being a two piece line, but since it's a clean cut and the inside line it still firmly in place I suppose the two pieces just butted up against each other.

    At this point I went to Oreilly's and bought a foot of 5/16" copper tube, cut it and had it installed back in place, then hit it with some primer.
    IMG_6295.JPG

    I finally got my compression fitting on there and it's now ready go to.
    IMG_6296.JPG

  10. Thanks!

     

    Going to use this to run to the fuel pump. The rest of my fuel system is good for now , but I will change it in the future.

     

    I do have a question about how you used the fitting. My fuel pump is mounted like this:

     

    IMAGE_10.jpg

     

    The tank line comes out an an angle so the line itself makes an "S" to get to the fuel pump. Did you cut of straighten the metal line coming out of your tank before you put the fitting on it or did you just leave the metal line alone?

     

    Here is a picture of what I'm talking about. Disregard the JB weld, I put that on there last year when I was in a hurry to get the car running and I noticed that the brazing around the metal line had broken. I'll be sandblasting all of this off before I put the fitting on.

    IMG_6283.JPG

     

    - Han

  11. Hello,

     

    I recently bought a 6AN steel bung to weld to the gas tank and over the existing fuel line (pickup) coming out of the tank so I can have the looks of an AN line going from the tank to my fuel pump. However, I have a question about welding the bung around the existing line.

     

    If I go ahead the leave the line sticking out of my tank like if is from the factory and slip the bung over it, and weld it to the tank itself will it still be able to pull fuel from the tank? The reason I ask this is because a stock line is pipe clamped onto the metal line itself giving a good seal. While after I weld it the fuel line will just be slid over the metal line and not compressed. Of course the fitting itself will be welded completely to where its airtight so the only place to pull suction from is from withing the tank itself. Just wanted to see if anyone else has done this and if my thinking is correct.

     

    I am using a carb with electric pump so I have removed the return line from the tank and welded it up. I did a search and saw there some owners have threaded the AN pickup into their tank drank. I want to keep the tank as stock as possible so I really don't want to go that route. Also, there is the fact that I'm not sure safe that is for a road driven car. I have looked into a fuel cell as well but decided that I wanted to keep the stock tank (and stock look) as well.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Han

  12. October 2021 Edit: I was notified that the image links are broken. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with how to replace the images so I redid the writeup as a PDF complete with the images. That PDF can be downloaded HERE.

     

     

    Here is a how to/step-by-step guide on changing your S30 struts to P30-0032 (34-184530) Bilstein Sport Struts with Cosmo Racing Coilovers.

     

    *DISCLAMER*

     

    There are tons of better, tried and true, and working coil-over setups out there. I recommend anyone considering this to look into those setups as well and make your own decision. I got a REALLY good deal on the Cosmos so I wanted to do everything I could to make them work. They are "Cheap" (price point wise) and some will argue that they are the quality that the other brands are. That is a good point, as cheap and quality usually don't go hand in hand. I did read some other message board posts about Cosmos (BMW, VW's) and the people that tried them seemed to like them. There have been some people that put them on their Datsun's and they seemed happy as well. One thing that I can comment on is Cosmos technical support. I consulted them a lot over the past few days and they were very helpful all along the way. When I asked about cutting a piece out or removing the top hats they forwarded my messages to their technical department and I received an answer to every one of my questions.  No matter what method setup you choose, make sure you read reviews and ask plenty of questions. The Datsun community is great and always helpful.

     

    Background: Earlier this Summer (2014) I wanted to upgrade the stock suspension (Springs/Struts) on my 1973 240z. I first looked into coil-over kits. there are tried an true kits made for racing and these have excellent reviews. I actually got a really, really good deal on the Cosmo Racing Single Spring Heavy Duty coil-over kit. This kit is $220 from Cosmo's online store, or eBay. Cosmo Actually sells several different kits, including a dual spring heavy duty, a dual spring racing, a single spring racing and the single spring heavy duty, which is what I have. This how to is specifically for the single spring setups, although the double springs work the exact same way. Later in this guide I will make a note of the difference between the single and double spring setup.

     

    After I received the Cosmos, I needed to find a suitable strut I made the list below (was originally a chart), to try to figure out the different options and their prices:

     

    Tokico Illumia $647

    Tokico HP $400

    Illumia Front/HP Rear $535

    Koni Classics $680
    Bilstein  $556
    KYB $228

     

    At the same time I also made a post on here inquiring about finding the correct strut. Some very helpful members helped steer me in the right direction. johnc, Leon, logr, and jhm. It was at this point that I found out that the Cosmo Coilovers were too stiff for anything but the Bilstein Struts. The Tokico's, KYB's and every other option would eventually blow out. I was leaning toward the Bilsteins as well because of their price point (midrange) and some people recommend them as much as the Koni's for autocross/performance means. The Bilsteins have a larger diameter rod than the Koni's or Tokico's. The shiny rod in the Bilsteins is actually the shock body, the Bilsteins are inverted shocks. You will not need a bump stop with the Bilstiens as they have an internal bump-stop. *ALSO* The 240z uses a smaller strut tube than the 260z and 280z. The correct gland nut for the 240z strut tube is Bilstein Part # B4-B30-U232B1. If you have a 260z or 280z (or the larger tubes on your 240z then the correct Bilstein gland but is Part # B4-B30-U232A1

     

    *IMPORTANT* If you plan to lower 1" more than stock the Bilsteins will need to be re-valved. Someone in a thread somewhere, (sorry, can't find the source) stated they they should be re-valved anyways. I did not re-valve mine, and I know some other people that have done the swap did not go the re-valve route either. I couldn't find the price, but If I remember correctly re-valving was somewhere around $70 a strut. One poster stated that his re-valve was 300/100.

     

    At this point I did a search to see if anyone else had done the swap and provided a write up. I found this thread, printed if off and used it as a guide and now as a template for this how to. Full credit goes to thehelix112 for his original guide.

     

    What's Needed:

     

    -Cosmo Coilovers

    -4x P30-0032 (34-184530) Bilstein Sport Struts

    -12x 3/4" washers. (These will be used as spacers)

    - 4x Gland Nut B4-B30-U232B1 for 240z, OR 4x Gland Nut B4-B30-U232A1 for 260/280z or larger strut tubes.

    -  1ft. of 1.5 x .095 tube or a one ton truck lug nut, or nut of equivalent size (will also be used for a spacer)

     

    Tools:

     

    - General toolkit with appropriate spanners, sockets, drives and ratchets.
    - Angle grinder with cutting and grinding discs
    - 9/16" drill bit
    - M14x1.5 tap (optional, I didn't use it but the previous guide did and I will include the info in this guide in-case anyone wants to.)
    - At least a 1-3/8" step bit. A 1-1/2" step bit, hole saw, mill, or die grinder with patience.

     

     

    How to:

     

    The Cosmo box. 4 Springs (one is missing because I had it out for this guide) and all the parts you will need. You also get a 5mm allen wrench which will be put to good use.

    IMG_6192.JPG

     

    The spring cover with its "Top Hat" installed.

    IMG_6193.JPG

     

     

    Here you can see that the "Top Hat" is held on by two 5mm Allen head screws. These need to be removed and the top hats need to go back in the box. The reason is because the Bilsteins rod is larger than the hole through the spring cover and the top hat.

    IMG_6194.JPG

     

    "Top Hat" removed.

    IMG_6195.JPG

     

    Bilstein Strut and Gland Nut

     

    IMG_6196.JPG

     

    Remove the Strut Make sure you loosen, but do not remove(!) the top damper nut while the assembly is in the car as its much easier to hold.

    Remove the top damper nut. The stock assembly is preloaded so it explodes as the nut comes loose. So don't be sitting there looking directly down at it. Better yet go to your local auto parts store and rent/borrow a spring compressor and take it off that way. Coil springs are DANGEROUS!
     

    Using Channellocks, or in my case a punch and a hammer undo the damper gland nut and remove the existing insert/original body. Don't worry about damaging the original gland nut unless you plan to put stock style struts back in it in the future.

     

    At this point you should go ahead and cut your spacer tube. (Unless you are using the lug nut or equivalent. If you are doing that, then skip this section). You have to do this because the Bilstein strut is shorter than the stock strut.

    IMG_6197.JPG\\

     

    In Helix112's original guide he added a top and drilled a couple of holes in the spacer the same diameter/spacing as the holes in the bottom of the strut; and put some small dowels between the two to keep the strut from wobbling or side loading during cornering. I didn't really see this as a problem as the 240z is a pretty good fit (pretty much like stock), but It may be something to consider with the 260/280z tubes. (Photo credit to thehelix112)

    0411091724.jpg

     

    The best way I found to make a spacer is to put your gland nut onto your strut and stop the strut into the tube and tighten the nut. The gland nut has a rubber seal that will keep the strut from sliding down into the tube. Once the nut is tightened take a sharpie or equivalent and make a bark where the but meets the strut. Then push the strut into the body. When the strut bottoms out make a second mark. Remove the nut and take the strut out of the tube. The difference between the two marks is the size of the tube. My marks can be seen in the picture below:

     

    IMG_6134.JPG

     

    After you get the spacer cut go ahead and drop it into the tube, followed by your strut and gland nut. Go ahead and tighten your gland nut down.

    *NOTE* From everything I read you should have one or two threads showing on your gland nut once it's tight. Not sure why this matters, but I remembered reading it and I wanted to make sure that was one point I followed.

    IMG_6199.JPG

     

    I then modified my spring tower (metal threaded piece that the spring sits on) and top plate to fit over the Bilstein rod.

    I originally did this with a 1-3/8" step bit as you can see below:

    IMG_6200.JPG

     

    Someone then pointed out that 1-3/8" was indeed too narrow for the Bilstein. The threaded piece does not need contact the chrome rod of the Bisltein. A typical coil over spring setup has twist and bending loads in the spring which cause the spring (and seat) to move. You can see on the above photo where I made a mark to mill it out to 1-1/2. After talking to someone at Cosmo they stated that the entire top piece could me milled out making just a hollow tube, so if you wanted to cut it larger, you could.

     

    I milled the top plate out to 1-1/2" as well. I wouldn't go any larger than that because the top plate will contact the bearing when compressed. If you mill it out larger than 1-1/2" you will have minimal contact area with the bearing.

    IMG_6203.JPG

     

    Slide the spring tower over the strut until it sits on the bottom perch.

    *NOTE* You can cut this lower perch down significantly. I have seen the lower perch removed and new stops welded on for the tower to rest on. You can see in the photo below I kept my lower perches intact. Cosmo does include Allen headed screws to secure your spring tower to the strut itself. Since I left my perch intact I was unable to install these set screws.

    IMG_6201.JPG

     

    Slide your spring on and this is what it should look like:

     

    IMG_6202.JPG

     

    Slide the top plate on and it starts looking complete.

    IMG_6204.JPG

     

    At this point I had to modify the top isolator due to the fact that the threaded tops of the Bilsteins are larger then stock as well. In the original guide thehelix112 recommended drilling it out with a 13mm or 1/2" drill bit and tapping the hole with a M14x1.5 tap. He stated, "This, while perhaps not absolutely necessary, prevents the threads on the damper from being damaged by pressing against the metal in the strut-top during side loading. This helps hold the damper piston stable whilst doing up the top nut later." (Photo credit to thehelix112)

    step18-strut-top-tap.jpg

     

    I didn't tap it, so just used a 9/16 bit and drilled it out.

    IMG_6205.JPG

     

    At this point, there are two different ways to finish. I consulted with Cosmo on both of these methods and either one will work. Method one involved the stock top spring perch combined with the Cosmo top piece, and the second method involves the washers and spacers and the Cosmo top piece. I used the second method, but as I stated before both will work. If you are wanting to run larger than stock wheels/tires then the second method is the one you want. To go straight to the second method scroll down until you see the three bold !!!

     

    Method 1:

     

    Go ahead and put the stock top spring perch on-top of the Cosmo top hat. Then the stock bearing. It should look like this:

    IMG_6209.JPG

     

    Now put the isolator on and tighten the nut down. Volia, finished!

    IMG_6210.JPG

     

    !!!METHOD 2!!!:

    Take your blue strut dust boot and cut everything off but the the top lip. Doesn't have to be pretty, because it won't be seen. Also, the boots wont fit inside the springs so they are useless otherwise.

    IMG_6211.JPG

     

    Put the top lip of the boot over the strut followed by the bearing.
    IMG_6213.JPG

     

    Now take three of the 3/4"washers and put them on top of the bearing. These are needed to space the isolator from the top plate. If you don't do that the isolator won't spin freely from the spring.

    IMG_6215.JPG

     

    You may want to cut the top lip off of the isolator as well. This will give you even more space between the top plate and isolator itself. (Photo credit to thehelix112)

    step16-trim-rubber.jpg

    Put the isolator on and tighten the bolt. One strut down, three to go.

    IMG_6216.JPG

     

    *ONE LAST NOTE*

     

    As you can see from the above photo there is a 2"-2.5" space between the top of the spring and the bearing/bottom of the isolator. I contacted Cosmo and they said that this is normal. There reply was, "Yes the gap in between it is normal for the single spring coilover; once the car is on ground then you can start adjusting the height. To eliminate the gap in between the spring and top mount here we have the dual springs coilover kit. With an additional helper spring It works the same as progressive spring that the helper spring functioning only in filling the gap and once it is with weight the helper spring will be fully compressed." Someone also stated Tein and Swift both make springs in the 3.75 range. This will give you other options when it comes to rates and lengths.

     

    Feel free to point out any mistakes, criticize, etc.

     

     

    *DISCLAMER AGAIN*

     

    There are tons of better, tried and true, and working coil-over setups out there. I recommend anyone considering this to look into those setups as well and make your own decision. I got a REALLY good deal on the Cosmos so I wanted to do everything I could to make them work. They are "Cheap" (price point wise) and some will argue that they are the quality that the other brands are. That is a good point, as cheap and quality usually don't go hand in hand. I did read some other message board posts about Cosmos (BMW, VW's) and the people that tried them seemed to like them. There have been some people that put them on their Datsun's and they seemed happy as well. One thing that I can comment on is Cosmos technical support. I consulted them a lot over the past few days and they were very helpful all along the way. When I asked about cutting a piece out or removing the top hats they forwarded my messages to their technical department and I received an answer to every one of my questions.  No matter what method setup you choose, make sure you read reviews and ask plenty of questions. The Datsun community is great and always helpful.

    • Like 1
  13. Been playing around with the struts some more.

    Here is how the Cosmos look on a stock strut:
    IMG_6141.JPG

    Now here is the measurements from the seat to the top of the strut with a stock 240z strut:
    IMG_6143.JPG

    Here is the same picture, from the seat to the top of the P30 Bilstein Strut.
    IMG_6142.JPG

    Now I removed the top piece from the top seat. (the little metal dome that I was talking about welding earlier. If I was to bore the top seat out to go around the strut itself (like the bottom seat and threaded piece) I can still rest it on the torrington bearing like the picture below:
    IMG_6144.JPG
    IMG_6145.JPG

    My next question is, would it be okay for the torrington to rest on the strut body itself? If it is okay for this, then my original spring to top gap would be cut in half:
    IMG_6165.JPG

    Any suggestions?

  14. Well I started working on putting the struts together this morning and I ran into a few problems. First off, I know this post was from September/October but I thought it would be better to keep all of these questions in one thread to make it easier for anyone with future questions.

     

    The first problem is with the sleeves that fit over the strut and housing itself and allows for the adjustment for the spring itself. The hole at the top is to small for to fit over the chrome shock body itself. That's no big deal as  I can just use a hole bit or a hone to drill it out to the correct size.

     

    The second problem and my first questions is regarding the top aluminum cover or what would be considered the top spring seat. As you can see in the photo below it currently rests on the heads of the allen screws. Any ideas of how I should fix this? It looks like I have three options:

     

    #1 Grind down the head of the allen screw. Actually after looking at the picture grinding the aliens down looks like I will actually get into the "meat" of the allen itself.

     

    #2 Weld the tops to the seats and then remove allen screws

     

    #3 Since the tension of the spring will keep the seat in place and against the top part (which rests against the torrington bearing/upper isolator. Just take the allen screws out and leave them as separate pieces resting on-top of each other.

     

    IMG_6131.JPG

     

    My second question regards the bearing. Should I leave it as part of the assembly or let the rubber strut top rest on the aluminum top seat?

     

    EDIT: After reading the Cosmo instructions again it says to leave the entire upper assembly as stock. So the bearing does stay in place.

    IMG_6126.JPG

     

    IMG_6128.JPG

     

    ***UPDATE***

     

    After drilling out the threaded spring seat (pictured below), I was able to go ahead and hand assemble the assembly. Note: Also in the picture below is the top spring isolator. The previous guide I was using says to drill this out to 1/2". Unfortunately, you need to go one bit past 1/2" to get it to fit over the threaded part of the Bilsteins. Dunno if this is something that has changed over the years or what but the 1/2" hole would not fit.

    IMG_6133.JPG

     

    Here is a picture of the Bilstein (with spacer)next to the stock strut. To get my spacer length I marked with a sharpie where the strut should sit and dropped it in the tube and marked again. The difference between the two is the length of the spacer I cut. I think it was 2-9/16".

    IMG_6134.JPG

     

    Bilstein in the tube:

    IMG_6135.JPG

     

    Gland nut tightened:

    IMG_6136.JPG

     

    Here is what it looks like hand assembled.

    IMG_6137.JPG

     

    Now here is something I'm worried about. As you can see on the above photo the spring is as high up as it will go on the threaded sections. I still have a couple of inches between the top seat and the spring itself. Will this compress correctly when I put it on the car or is something not right? I suppose the better way to say it is should the spring be under tension before I install or after I install and get the car back on the ground?

     

    Also, what I think is the bigger problem is the strut but itself. After the torrington and upper isolator go on top of the upper seat I only have two thread to put the upper strut nut onto. The nut itself is a long way from catching on the nylock part at the top of the threads. Any ideas?

     

    Thanks,

     

    Han

  15. After having the car running for a few months now I have decided to pull it in the garage and start on the winter project list. The first thing on the list is to completely re-do the suspension. My plan is to strip everything down, paint and re-assemble. In the process I will be putting in new coil-overs and Bilstein struts.

     

    I realized that I never showed any pictures of the finished car so I figured I would go ahead and post these first. These were taken in September at a small import meetup at a local shopping center.

     

    IMAGE_305.jpg

    IMAGE_307.jpg

     

    Now here is a before shot of the suspension:

     

    IMG_6083.JPG

    You can also see a little bit of the rust hole plaguing the inner fender, these will be getting patched up as well.

     

    Some of the front suspension after sandblasting and priming:

    IMG_6094.JPG

     

    Golden Mist Poly. Wanting to strip and repaint the wheels at some point this Winter so I decided to paint the suspension the same color. I originally wanted to have it powdered, but they were unable to match the gold color so I decided to paint myself instead, and save a lot of money in the process.

    IMG_6095.JPG

     

    Here is a shot of the pieces after paint. I didn't blast the rear drums because I was worried about blasting the aluminum and you can't really see them behind the wheels anyways. Also, I didn't want to put more on myself at once so I'm just doing the front suspension for now. I will do the rear after I get the front fixed.
    IMG_6097.JPG

     

    What isn't pictured is the front cross-member and steering rack. They were both cleaned and painted flat black. I didn't want to paint them gold because I felt that it may take away from any engine dress up I do. I am also regretting purchasing the red poly bushings earlier in the year as they don't really match the gold and green scheme. However, it is what it is. All new hardware is coming in tomorrow. I wanted to go all stainless, but finding the threads and appropriate strengths needed was almost impossible. Instead they will be high class yellow zinc, which should fit right in with the gold.

  16. while 20 TPI and 1.25mm threads are really close in pitch (0.05 and .04921 inches per thread), the 1/2" and 12mm diameter are not even close.  I'm betting those nuts don't spin on to M12x1.25 studs by hand. More likely the studs have been changed as well. I have seen discussions here and elsewhere of using 1/2x20 studs with similar knurl sizes.

     

    Do not proceed until you ID the stud dimensions as well.  For example, can you spin that Nissan lug onto your studs? I'm betting not. However since 1/2x20 is larger, you could possibly put a 1/2x20 nut on a M12x1.25 stud and it might "seem" like it works, though very loosely.  Proceed with caution here until you get this sorted out.

     

    Oh I am, not even planning on driving it until the new lugs come in. After I posted this I went and checked the studs and they are indeed the stock studs. The alloy wheels are obviously later model wheels. When I got the car from a previous owner it only had 4 of the correct lugs. The remainder of the lugnuts are the 1/2x20, in face I found extra 1/2x20 lugs in the car after I bought it. In several cases I have put the lugs on the studs and actually stripped the threads on the lugs themselves. Until today I figured this was due to the age of the studs or the lugnuts. However, I now know it was because the nuts themselves were incorrect. It always explains why the previous owner kept extra lugs in the car too.

  17. After looking at everyone's suggestions I dug around and found an extra alloy lug that I had and an extra lug that I have on my car now, which I assumed was the stock 240-280, steel rim lug-nuts. 

    IMG_6047.JPG

     

    If you look at the lug on the right (the lugs that are on my car) you will see 1/2"-20. It looks like the previous owner put aftermarket non-metric lugs on the car! Now I haven't looked to see if they interchange, but I'm assuming they don't. I have went ahead and ordered a set of the correct alloy lugs, because the way I see it, driving with these lugs is outright dangerous.

     

    For future reference I pulled out caliper and made the following measurements:

     

    Alloy Wheel Lugs:

    Shank Diameter/Width: .747
    Shank Length: .647 Without washer.
    .527 with washer

    240-280z Steel Lugs Owner Installed 1/2-20 Lugs:

    Shank Diameter/Width: .678
    Shank Length: .776 without washer.
    .656 with washer

     

    If anyone could take the measurements off of the 240-280 Stock steel lugs I will add them.

     

    Even if the 1/2-20 is interchangeable with the M12-25 the Shank diameter and length is different from what I need. Thanks everyone for the replies!

  18. Hello,

    I was wondering what the correct lug-nuts for the Iron cross wheel were:

    I'm assuming that they look like this:

    $_35.JPG

    When I bough the car these are the lugs that were on there which are 240z lugnuts:
    5959-07132701-1221244.jpg

    My question is, are the lug nuts I have on there safe? Now I haven't had any problems with them since I have been driving the car but I have been having a persistent vibration. I have been going through things on the checklist (rear end, new bushings, u-joints, etc.) in an attempt to narrow it down. I'm just wondering if these lugnuts could be the potential problem.

    Thanks.

     

    Edit: To clarify that the lugs that are on the wheels are 240z lugnuts.

  19. I will be fixing/welding the frame-rail withing the next month/month and a half. 

     

    Here is what the finished pan looks like:

    IMG_6040.JPG
    IMG_6042.JPG

    Next, I'm going to order a huuge sheet of 1/8' ABS, (60"x48") and fabricate a true belly pan going from the lower part of the front bumper to the transmission. I'll work on this when I weld the frame rails and replace my struts/coilover conversion.

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