rome03

Finally got the wheels and flares!

Got the Flares and suspension on. Im running 6k springs all around. It rides nice and stiff but smooth, nothing crazy as far as stiffness or "bouncyness". The struts are really easy to adjust for stiffness, all you do is click left or right.

Yea I realize that, I really wanted 10" rims so I went with the widest street tire. It's actually not a crazy stretch though, much less than I thought but thanks for the heads up. Im getting the flares installed right now, should be ready tomorrow! I don't have camber plates yet, Sakura Garage here in Tempe, Az. are still fabricating them. Greg is the owner of the shop, all they work on is Datsun. Since we are limited with coil over setups Greg decided to make his own from Stance Suspension. It's a fully threaded inverted strut with 6k springs all around. He put the top hats back on, but it will work with with the bolt in camber plates that they are making. There is no link because I'm the first person to run this set up as far as I know. He made it for his car but its not running yet. He is retailing it for 1500, ready to weld to your spindle. I wouldn't be able to answer your question about the top hat though, not sure how he made it work. I believe he chose a strut that had the same diameter as the stock ones so it would fit into the bearing without having to mill it. I want to remove that metal ASAP but its kind of a pain to get it free from those pins or rivets whatever they are. I got it off of the doors, hope to get the rest off soon.

They are 15x10 - 25 front and -38 rear running 225 50. They poke on all four corners. Im getting my flares installed right now, it should be ready tomorrow!

Stance coilovers came in! Got the wheels and tires. Cant wait to get the flares on.

I had to call to order them.

If you have the stock suspension you need to have 4.5" of back spacing. On a 10" rim they would have to be -25 offset in order to fit. -15 would probably be rubbing against the spring perch. I ordered my wheels from diamond racing a months ago and got them in 2 weeks.

Mocking up the wheels!

Hey guys. So just thought I would update you guys on my build so far. Thanks to the advice on this thread and others I focused on getting the car in good shape before trying to make a lot power. I replaced all of the bushings with energy suspension polyurethane. Did a tune up on the engine, no need for much work there since it runs good. I got new Stance coilovers from Sakura Garage in Tempe, AZ and got new rims and tires. Can't wait to get the suspension and flares on.

Morbias, the PCD is the bolt pattern/spacing? Plata, thanks for the link. Do you know how long it is? It says it ships from Thailand, did you have any problems? Easy install as in slide in and put the bolt back on? Thanks

I purchased a new steering wheel that needs to be bolted to a 6 bolt hub adapter. Sadly I read about the thin NRG adapter not fitting the Z after I had already paid for it. I am returning it and now need to find one. The steering wheel is not as deep as the stock wheel, maybe about half the depth or less. I don't want to get the momo or Grant adapter because they are too long and the wheel will be in my face. Does anyone know of any other options that will fit the Z and are thin/slim.

I purchased my 78 280z 5 speed about two months ago. Drove it 100 miles home when I bought it, it gave me 26mpg. It idles great and starts up right away. I was doing about 75-80 the whole way.

R3VO How much do you want for the set?

Just read the thread. Damn that sucks! So koni is pretty much the only shock unless I want KYB which is oem. Which means if I went that route might as well not even buy them and keep my oem shocks and section those. So could I get the gc coilovers and section the oem shock and run it like that. I mention this because my priority is to get it lowered so I can get the wheels on and figure out how much to cut for the flares. Then when I save up some more I can do the konis. What do you think? This could work right.

What's wrong with KYB shocks. I don't plan on doing any autox. I just want it sitting low. Can I just section the stut housing for the KYB and us ground control coilovers?

Bludestiny. What do you mean by tokico is messed up and dried up in the states. I was looking them up online and saw them for sale. Could help me out. The TTT kit would probably be the only kit that doesn't require welding since it comes with the spindle and it's put together ready for a direct bolt on but they're 2000. I've read the step by step coilover conversion thread that's on here, the piece of housing that you cut off is the same piece that you cut into three pieces, fit onto the housing by hammering it to shape it, and weld which becomes the perch for the sleeve to sit on right? Are there any other shock options besides Koni and KYB. A lot of people run KYB, I'll see what they say about the ride. I want to lower mine about 2.5" from stock. I also called Arizona z car since he's close to where I live. He would charge 300 to section the struts but only if I buy his product. He won't do the labor if I take other coilovers and shocks. I thought that was weird. Ef Ian. Sorry about the shock. I definitely can't get stuck like that. The z is my daily driver and would be screwed. Hope it gets resolved soon.

I hope this thread still has some life left in it and I can get some help with my coil over setup. I'm having some trouble making the right decision. I really like the TTT coil over set up because it already comes with the spindle and would be a direct swap. I didn't want to go the sectioning strut route because I don't have the skills or tools to do it and figured buying GC coilovers and shocks plus the labor for someone to do it would be close or more than what I would pay for a bolt on conversion. The TTT kit ends up being 2000 for all four corners and I'm limited to about 1300 tops. I was planning on buying the Ksport kit but read that they don't fit or that they're not exactly made for the 280z. I don't really understand why but I trust what others have said since they know more than me. Also, i don't think they come with spindles so that also means welding them to mine. The McKinney kit would be good enough for me since I'm not going to be racing on the track. My goals are to have a nice lowered stance with 15x10 diamond racing wheels. The problem with the Mckinney kit is that I have to have it welded to the spindles and thats more money......Is this something that has to be done with pretty much all kits? That is, of course, not if I keep my strut housing and section it. So heres a question.....will all coilover kits need to be welded to my stock spindle, assuming they don't come with one? how would the new shocks fit into the strut housing if I decided to section it, do they slide in and you bolt them from the bottom? GC coil overs are about 350. Tokico illuminas are 600 from the z store. Thats 950 plus labor. I've also seen people do the GC coiloevers with KYB shocks and these are only 200 for all four which would save me a lot of money. But again, I have to figure out how much a shop would charge to cut and weld the perch but I would only spend 550 for the coilovers and shocks. I can take the suspension apart and install I just can't do the fabrication. http://www.ebay.com/itm/KYB-2-FRONT-SHOCKS-DATSUN-NISSAN-240Z-260Z-280Z-70-to-78-/400344486675?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3A280Z&hash=item5d36641313&vxp=mtr Any advice. I need some help. Thanks.

I've also been reading a lot of threads about coil overs and I have a couple questions. I was trying to find a nice set of coil overs that I could just bolt on without having to section the strut and cut and weld and all that. I don't have the tools or skills for that so I really want to find something ready that can be bolted on. I just read that currently no one makes a straight bolt on kit. Is this correct. I was planning on purchasing this Ksport kit but I don't even know how this would bolt on to the Z. It looks nothing like the actual connection to the brakes/spindle area. I want to order the suspension soon so I can get my wheel fitment and stance I'm looking for in order to install the flares. Do my question is, how would I make this coil over set up work?

Greenstate. How much would you be asking. Also I'm in 85281 any idea on shipping? Also I was reading a post where you said u have the Megan McKinney coilovers. This is a spring strut full assembly right. Ready to put on your car? I'm looking for a coil over set up right now. I've seen the ksport coilovers but they're 1200. I've seen that some people buy kyb struts and ground control springs and grind off the perch and weld another base for the coilovers. I don't weld or fabricate so I think paying for someone to do that could be expensive. So I thought about buying a kit that's ready. How much for yours?

I just want to have a nice daily driver. It needs paint and upholstery. I have the money so I just wanted to get it done so it's clean. Right now it's faded and the interior is a mess. It's my daily driver and I want it looking good. But now I'm going to get wheels first and install the flares. I'm looking into the diamond racing 15x10 like one of the z's on here. I believe his name is comic something. After that I'll be back in track to get the car complete. In the future I'll swap in the turbo block.

Thanks for the advice Pharaohabq. All this happened fast and I had to change my plans. I'm glad I realized it before I took it to the paint shop, which was scheduled for next week. Ill definitely be looking at the paint and body section. On another note, I had all except for the tranny bushings replaced this weekend with the polyurethane bushing kit. It feels much better. Also had the tie rods and ball joints replaced. I also Installed the air dam and got my wood grain steering wheel! I'm now looking for some 15x9 wheels. I would like to find some work equip o3 replicas. I've seen the drag wheels that are the same but I'm looking for all black without the polished lip.

Thanks Tony D. So change of plans, I'll get wheels and the right flares so that they sit flush. Get coil overs to sit it low. Then, I should have the fenders cut and welded right? Then after I drill the flares in and paint the car, I spray the back of the panel so that it's air right and I don't get any moister? What do I spray the back of the panel with? Thanks.

Miles, You're right, only I can plan but I'm looking for input to figure out one particular step. Many people here have painted their cars and done flares and weatherstrips. All I want to know is, what problems did they encounter and do they recommend doing certain things first. Engine, fuel, and cooling system has been checked and I fixed what needed fixing. It is running great with no problems. All suspension that needs work is getting replaced tomorrow. Full polyurethane bushing kit and moog tie rods and ball joints. Im asking about paint and interior because I'm already at the stage for paint and interior. I know other things will come up and I can always make something better, but as of right now the car is solid and its time for cosmetics. This is why I would like to know if anyone that has painted their car first and then decided to do flares has run into problems with paint chipping or being damaged.

Hey Everyone, I purchased my 78 280z about a month ago. This weekend I'm replacing the tie rods, ball joints, and all of the bushings. The next steps are paint, upholstery, weatherstrip kit, wheels, and flares. I need some advice on what I should tackle first. I spoke to a couple of painters and they said that I should paint it before I do the upholstery, this way the painters don't have to take things apart when doing the door jams and what not. I already have the weatherstrip kit and figured i would replace all of these right after the paint is done and then restore the interior. So the plan was: Paint, Weatherstrips, Upholstery, Wheels/Flares. In that order. Then I started thinking about the flares and having to cut and weld the fenders with brand new paint. What should I do? Is it better to find my wheels get them fitted and install the flares, then paint the car? Im trying to get the car painted within two weeks and need to figure out what should be done first. If I buy the wheels and flares and get them on, I would probably not have enough for the upholstery but I can live with that since my priority is the paint. Thanks

Hey guys, The same thing happened to me last night. I slammed the gas on first shifted to second just for a quick run. Suddenly I heard a popping sound followed by a hiss and the coolant leaked into the passenger side from under the glove box. I made it home, looked under there and saw two hoses that come in from the fire wall. One of the hoses was leaking. Can I replace both of them with regular hose from napa? Does it have to be a special hose? Thanks.