jhm

If you want to see what other folks are running, I'd check out the "Swapped S30 Owners Group" on FB. That's where I've seen all the craziest builds imaginable. As Aydin suggested, a Ford 8.8 would probably hold up well. Whatever differential you decide to go with, you will need to do something about the stock stub axles....these are the outboard stub axles that reside in the lower rear strut assemblies. Time and time again, the stub axles have shown to be the weakest link in the stock driveline. Please be sure to post some follow-up, because I'm sure we'd all be interested to see what route you decide to go and how it works out for you.

FWIW, I've been using generic stainless v-band clamps for many years without any issues. The flanges are typically non-grooved, but I always weld them to the exhaust tubing so as to incorporate a small lip between the two ends. Initially had a problem with leaks on some of the clamps, so now I use Permatex ultra-copper high-temp RTV on the joint EVERY time I bolt them together. (You can also use it on the threads, like Loctite, if you're having any issues with the nut loosening during usage.)

Hey Aydin, good questions all... Regarding bump steer spacers: I've been using the T3 NCRAs for several years without any issues. I like the fact that they include both thickness and offset, which gives a wider front track. They also help solve some interference issue between the wheels (rims) and adjustable tie rod ends, if you're using adjustables (especially with 15" wheels, although the interference may not be such an issue with 7" rim width). I bought the T3 adjustable tie rod ends when they were only available with straight (non-tapered) rod ends....and I have to say that I'm glad I went that route. The non-tapered rod ends have been so easy to work on vs the hassle of separating tapered tie rods every time you want to work on the front suspension. I've stuck with 15" wheels for the lower CG height, and fortunately there are still a few good selections of tires available (for now, at least) in 15". As @clarkspeed pointed out, your wheel size selection can dictate the rest of your design, so be mindful of that as you're making all these decisions during the build. LCAs: I used those delrin aluminum bushings for a few years without any trouble, but they became obsolete when I installed adjustable TC rods (in order to gain additional caster). You can fab your own adjustable TC rods (several people here have threads on that topic), but I was lazy and bought a pair from Futofab. To this day, I still think Futofab offers some of the nicest adjustable TC rods on the market. Great design, strong materials, and a really nice price. I had to convert my stock LCAs to a monoball bushing to take advantage of the adjustability of the new TC rods, and this was an easy mod. Just find some monoball bushings with similar outer diameter as the inner diameter of your front LCAs and weld them in (before careful when welding not to heat the inner monoball too much that it damages the teflon lining (if there is one) and ensure that your welds don't interfere with the travel of the bushing during its range of motion. I got the idea for this from John Coffey, and have included a picture of his conversion. I ran these monoball bushings for a couple years of hard use without any issues. After that, I decided I wanted adjustable LCAs, so I fabricated some using a pretty simple design which retains the outer portion of the stock LCA. These are what I've been running for the last two years with no issues, and have included a pic of them. Using off-the-shelf hardware, I think they ended up costing maybe $80 total, IIRC? I can dig up a parts list of the hardware I chose when building these, if you're interested. Just lemme know... Spring rates: my experience is that the stiffer springing will work well for most auto-x venues; but not so much for most road courses. Ran 350 lb/in springs on all four corners for years, but switched to 300 last year for better compliance on corner curbing on the road courses. I've got an adjustable front sway bar, but haven't run a rear sway bar for years. If your rules allow adjustable sway bars, @JMortensen and @clarkspeed recently had a good discussion on that exact topic. I've got the Koni 8610s like you have, and they've been fine. I'll probably upgrade whenever they wear out. Steering arms (knuckles): the stock arms were waaayyy too slow for any kind of auto-x; but would probably be fine for most road racing as @Ben280 alluded to. I got a great deal on a pair of Apex's steel quick steering arms and really like them. They've got two mounting positions, and I've been using the "quickest" position since I put them on. They are noticeably quicker on steering, and you really only notice the extra steering effort at extremely low speeds (like in pit lane or the paddock). If you switch out your stock arms for aftermarket, I would highly recommend choosing steel vs aluminum and I would ensure that they incorporate the proper "twist" in their design that mimics the angle twist of the stock arms between the mounting face at the LCA end and the mounting face at the tie rod end. That's all I can think of at the moment...feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have, and good luck with the rest of your build. It looks like it's coming together quite nicely!

@AydinZ71, it's not extremely clear, but I think the gist of the original thread was driveshaft length when installing a short-nose R200. Yours is a long-nose R200, IINM? Interesting thread on Ratsun.net on this very topic (the tech info came from Jon Mort and John Coffey): https://ratsun.net/topic/66537-pros-and-cons-of-r200-37-diff/?_fromLogin=1

@Dwayne_The_Rock_Datsun, FYI, in case you missed it....this thread is 9 years old. It looks like the OP was last on HybridZ 4 years ago. You may want to search other/more recent threads on this particular topic. If you do, I'd suggest using Google search vs the website organic search feature -- you'll have more success with Google search. Good luck with it.

Yes, replacement ignition switches are available. You can buy new, from a vendor like MSA Auto; or you can find a good used one from a donor car. I've had them fail, and it's an easy replacement/fix. https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic10e07/12-4208 To test the switch, this is what the continuity should look like with the key in various positions:

Anywhere in CA? Or a specific part of the state?

Lately, seems everything sells quickly on FB, unless it gets snatched up first by someone here on HBZ. 😜 There are several FB pages for S30 enthusiasts; happy to share which pages I like, if you're interested. As indicated by the others, that's a very desirable diff and should easily sell for a nice chunk of change. (The finned rear cover is the icing on the cake.). Are you sure you don't want to keep it for yourself?

Since you already have Edelbrock heads and intake manifold, I would call Edelbrock and ask for their suggestion(s). They have excellent tech support, and offer a wide range of cams to fit your specific setup and intended usage.

Yes, the short strut isolator can be used on both the front and rear strut assemblies. You can see the difference between the short and tall versions on the MSA page here: https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20n01a

Yep, that looks good. I've seen many instances where the front sits higher than the rear after spring installation; which was understandably frustrating for the owners. And yes, the springs do tend to "settle" a bit over time. Another trick you can use to lower the rear is to replace the tall stock rear strut isolators with the short isolators (used on earlier-year models in the rear, and on the front of all years.) This will typically gain you an additional inch of lowering in the rear. I wouldn't try this until you've given the Eibachs a little time to settle and reach their final ride height.

I'm confused. Have you installed the front strut assemblies yet, with the car sitting (weighted) on the suspension? If not, that should be your next step. You'll want to do this to visually inspect how much bump and droop travel you have with the new springs installed. Those rubber bellows may make it a little tricky to do, but this is a necessary step to ensure that you received the correct springs, and how the suspension is functioning with the new springs installed. Nearly all "lowering" springs are quite a bit shorter than the stock springs, and will sit in the strut assemblies "loose" when the car is jacked (i.e. removing all weight from the wheels and allowing the suspension to droop freely.) One word of caution regarding the Eibachs: while Eibach makes great suspension products in general, MANY people have had issues with their lowering springs for the S30. Inconsistent lowering from front to rear, long settling times, etc, etc. Several threads here on that exact topic. Hopefully, that's not the case for you; and you find that your springs work well for you and meet your needs.

Yes, it certainly sounds like a timing issue -- either ignition timing, or cam timing, or some combination of both. It seems as though the issue first started occurring shortly after you made some repairs to the distributor wiring...is that correct? If so, that gives you some sort of starting point for your diagnosis. As NewZed suggested, things may be bent or broken internally. You can do a lot of inspection without running the engine. Remove the spark plugs and valve covers, and start turning the engine over by hand (a large breaker bar on the harmonic balancer nut gives you plenty of leverage to turn the engine over, clockwise, while inspecting the valvetrain for damage). A small digital borescope is invaluable -- they're cheap and compatible with your smart phone, and can be used to visually inspect all kinds of tight spaces that are hard to access (e.g. interior of cylinders via the spark plug hole, camshaft gear via the distributor hole on the intake manifold, etc). Don't try starting the engine again until you're sure that you have the correct cam timing, and the ignition timing set as close to correct as you can get with the engine off. If you decide that you absolutely need to replace the distributor, you can't go wrong with any of the big name HEI units. I've had good luck with MSD and Accel for aftermarket; and I like AC Delco for OEM.

Aydin, is that the top nut that came with the Konis? I've had several instances with different camber plates that required me to use/find/custom fabricate a different top nut to accommodate the tight dimensions within the camber plate. And I've almost always had to use an impact gun to tighten the top nut, as suggested by @calZ. Also, I replaced the allen bolts with standard hex bolts on my GC camber plates....just seems easier for me when working on them, and the hex bolt head will actually have a slightly larger surface area than the allen bolts heads. Still follow the recommended torque specs. 20-25 ft-lbs, IIRC. Use some duct tape to hold the threaded steel blocks in place (on the underside of the plates) when installing. Nice progress -- keep it up!

Tom, a couple of alternatives to using the fill nut, provided for your consideration: 1) Remove one side axle and fill the diff through the side. 2) Remove the breather on top of diff and fill through the breather hole. These two methods don't give you the ability of checking fill level via the fill hole; so you will need to verify fill level some other way (e.g. visual inspection from top or side...a small borescope camera can be very handy for these types of tasks.) Regarding application of heat...should be fine if you just keep the heat on the plug itself (vs the AL cover). Wrap the outside of the cover (in the vicinity of the gasket/seal) with a wet towel to minimize heat buildup in the are of the gasket. Typically have to apply a couple of heat cycles to break up any oxidation that's built up in the threads over time. Good luck with it.

I've tried using the boots with a couple different brands of shocks, and they never seemed to stay in place correctly (even with zip ties, etc) or they caught up in the springs and got torn up. Gave up on them a while back, and haven't observed any ill effects in last several years. If you're using certain models of Bilsteins (I think both the -30 and -36), it's important to retain the "wiper seal" that's provided with the gland nuts.

To be honest, if the gland nut is your primary concern, I personally have never had a problem removing dozens of gland nuts over the years. Maybe I’ve just been lucky. Are your gland nuts square or round at the top? There are a couple different shapes and sizes. For the square ones, I use a big pipe wrench...plenty of gripping power on the nut and plenty of leverage with a long handle. For the round nuts, the pipe wrench may work as well, but I fabbed myself a custom spanner wrench years ago. It’ll be easier to remove the gland nuts if you leave the strut tube bolted to the LCA (vs removing the strut and then trying to remove the gland nut). Obviously, heat and penetrating oil can help if the nuts seem particularly stuck and frozen.

Yes, they move the spindle further outboard, resulting in wider track width and more neg camber. And yes, you should be able to dial "out" the neg camber if you have the right camber plates (the DP Racing plates might allow you to use them in a positive camber fashion. I have the older style NCRAs, which may not even be available anymore. These new adjustable units look pretty nice. Simliar effects (minus the bump steer adjustment) can be achieved with adjustable front LCAs; but you will still have to deal with the increased neg camber. Hope this helps.

Wheel adapter spacers can definitely be used safely; but keep in mind that they add a fair amount of stress on the wheel bearings. Have you considered the T3 bump steer spacers that push the front spindles outboard approx 1"? I've been using them for years and really like them.

Yep, can't disagree with anything that anyone has said here....and I really should have stated that spacers CAN have an effect (vs "will" have an effect). I was also careful to say "effective" spring rate. @calZ picked up on that. It's the same effect one achieves by using an adjustable sway bar...moving the mounting points can change the effective rate of the bar. And my apologies to the OP for taking this discussion even further off-topic.

Also, keep in mind what effect wheel adapters/spacers will have on your effective spring rate.

Rotors are sold.

Website appears to be back up: https://jagsthatrun.com/collections/datsun-z-parts

One clarification...IINM, JCI and JTR have no professional affiliation with each other. Mike Knell is the owner/operator of JTR (aka "Stealth Conversions") in CA; whereas JCI (aka "Broken Kitty") is owned by John Ruskin in Dallas, TX. I *think* JCI used to offer conversion kits for a SBC into an S30; but now only offers kits for an LS-swap. JTR seems to be one of the few vendors that still provides SBC-swap kits and hardware.

One pair of used OEM front brake rotors. Rotor faces are in good condition, with no warping or damage, and plenty of life left in them. Yours for just the cost of shipping....$14 shipped anywhere in the U.S. Paypal accepted. Thanks for looking.