jhm

Put some miles on the springs before making any drastic changes. If you decide that you like them (other than ride height asthetics) for their progressive wind and overall spring rate, there are plenty of tips and techniques for raising or lowering the front or rear end 1/2" - 1" to even things out.

Methinks I will be following this discussion....have a feeling there will be some wild stuff going on with this build!

If you're on FB, I've seen a few people that have installed Apex's track pack or are in the process of doing so. Check out "S30 Life" and "Swapped S30 Owners" pages. I haven't seen any on-track reviews yet, as most people seem to be mid-installation. If you decide to go down this road, be mindful of the long lead time that Ohm cautions about on his website.

I replaced the stock tail lights with round tail lights on one of my 280s years ago; but I unfortunately don't have any pictures (this was way before cell phones and digital cameras). I used two amber and two red (like you're thinking of doing) on a custom flat black rear panel. I used lenses and housings from a C4 Vette. Looked great; very distinctive.

If you're still have some problematic leaks, these may help: https://www.grainger.com/product/PARKER-Flare-Gasket-5WRW0?fbclid=IwAR2U9OrSBqvYxAA40iK6MTtPdmPez9fMe1xevexSOUt4GT3y2jihZZuiNro

You guys may want to move this discussion from current sub-forum ("S30 Series - 240Z, 260Z, 280Z") into the "S130 Series - 280ZX" sub-forum....might have more visibility in the correct sub-forum. Your call.

Ummmm, I have a silly question: would you have better luck searching for this information on a Subaru forum? Personally, I like these two; but I'm sure there are several other good ones out there. https://www.subaruforester.org/ https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/index.php?

I would contact John, at ZTrix, directly to enquire about the car...he'd give you straight up info fir sure. He's on HBZ here, or you could contact him through his website...he's very responsive IME.

Unfinished kit/project cars are never worth what the seller thinks they're worth, and they're even further from what the seller usually has put into the project themselves. "What's it worth?" is kind of a tough question to answer; but I would be surprised if that car ultimately sells for more than a few thousand. Most of the time, it seems like the seller puts an unrealistic price tag up, and the thing just sits for years....continuing to deteriorate. You'll have to decide for yourself how bad you want it; but I would look hard at the condition of the metal shell (as an AZ car, it's hopefully pretty solid and rust free) and the condition of the fiberglass and install work accomplished thus far. Some good questions to ask of the seller are who made the body kit, who did the install work, and how long ago was it? You will also want to see what chassic bracing was accomplished to compensate for the loss of the roof structure (particularly if you're considering putting in a V8 or some other high output power plant). If the seller can't adequately address all those questions, the price automatically goes down. McBurnie was a popular producer of the convertible Daytona kits years ago; but they were often for early Corvettes, which was a much better platform for this body style IMHO....I don't recall if McBurnie made Daytona kits for the S130. As one final thought, anyone that thought that rear "wing" was a good addition to the kit may have some serious judgement issues, which hopefully didn't carry through the rest of the installation work. That thing looks ridiculous (just my personal opinion.)

Good advice from @primaz....I'd add to it that you should probably wait to take your measurements until the brakes/hubs are installed. And don't make your final decision on wheel specs until you've fully investigated tire options in those sizes....your tire needs (budget, comfort, performance, choice of compounds, etc) can often drive the wheel decisions as much as anything else.

Forgot to mention that your lighting system (both running lights and headlights) will benefit greatly from the addition of modern relays in the circuitry. You can wire in your own relays, or purchase pre-fab kits from Dave Irwin (https://www.datsun-240z-upgrades.net/) or MSA Auto. Benefits include better current flow to the bulbs (directly from the alt/battery), and less amps flowing through the 50 year-old combo switch. These upgrades are particularly important if you're still running old-style bulbs and sealed beams, but they make sense also for anyone that's upgraded (e.g. LEDs, etc).

The high/low beam switch is integral to the turn signal stalk, which is part of the Combination Switch assembly. Sounds like you don't have access to an FSM. I don't know what year your car is; but you can download complete FSMs for all years, free, at: http://www.xenonzcar.com/. The "Body Electrical" chapter includes detailed schematics of all circuits, switches, and harnesses. As @NewZed suggested, oftentimes the problem is resolved by simple cleaning of the switches and contacts.

I don't have an exact answer for you; but I may be able to provide some useful information. I'm in the process of installing those same calipers on my car, with 11" rotors, using the stock mounting ears on the strut tube. The two sets of wheels I have for the car are 15x8 and 15x9, both zero offset. There appears to be ample clearance radially (i.e. from the axle outward to the tire, like a spoke), but I need a small spacer (1/8" thickness) for the 15x8 to clear the caliper on the outboard face (i.e. where the "Wilwood" logo is printed). The 15x9 clear the caliper without the need of a spacer. Obviously the bigger rotor will push the whole setup further out radially, but you should be ok with most 15" wheels as long as they don't have unusually thick barrels....the big variable is where the T3 bracket places the caliper within the wheel-space. There are some tricks you can use to move the system more inboard if necessary (a la, rotor spacer designed for the Toyota 4 piston front brake upgrade). What are your plans for the rest of the braking system (rears, MC, etc)?

Some people will sand the paint on the shocks, if the fit's too tight. Wire-brushing the inside of the strut tube can help also, exspecially if corrosion has built up in there. Don't forget to pour a little oil in the strut tube (I use cheap motor oil, but most any kind will do) before you do final install of the shock -- this will help prevent corrosion in the future and will also help with heat dissipation from the shock when it's being worked hard. Good progress...glad you're enjoying it!

I think I've mentioned this once or twice previously, but DP Racing and Ground Control both make true bolt-in camber plates that incorporate 2.5" top hats in their design, to avoid this issue you're currently having. I'd definitely consider them for usage in your front coilovers. You could try the teflon sheet idea, but that would obviously be a wear item; and the fitted bushing and bearing solution already mentioned would be better. Yes, the spring top perch is AKA the spring top hat.

Ideally, you don't want any non-fitted metal-to-metal contact in the system....looks like you may have some of that occurring between the top hat and the lower face of the camber plate? It's not as critical in the rear suspension, where there's minimal twisting of the strut/spring as the suspension articulates through it's range of motion....but a definite no-no in the front, which is constantly twisting due to the simple act of steering the car. That's one issue with this style of camber plate, which doesn't have an integrated spring top hat in the design like some of the other bolt-in camber plates. You can mitigate the interference by inserting a thrust washer in between the top hat and the camber plate; just remember that any additional hardware length you add is reducing potential suspension range of travel. The OEM thrust bearing in the front stock strut setup is very durable, but fairly thick when compared to some of the ultra-thin thrust bearings available aftermarket. Try it this way, and see if it's a problem. It may work just fine for your purposes. If it turns out to be problematic, there are some other tricks you can try (e.g. T3 makes a nice 2.5" top hat that has a thin integrated thrust bearing in it's design). https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/260z/camber-plate-upper-hat-system-datsun-260z When piecing together coilovers (or any major system in the car) from different parts and vendors, there's always experimentation and testing required to find the right combination that works for you. I actually enjoy that process, because you're kind of making something out of nothing. Good luck with it.

I used a 3-way splitter, too...similar to @Miles. Crazy thing though -- I had a hard time finding one with deep enough threaded female ports...eventually found a supplier on eBay (from Latvia!) that had the one I needed. Looks like they're still available if you can't source one locally. https://www.ebay.com/i/264460358871?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=264460358871&targetid=934793862176&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9008565&poi=&campaignid=10460107080&mkgroupid=106723174707&rlsatarget=pla-934793862176&abcId=2146001&merchantid=113613716&gclid=CjwKCAiA-_L9BRBQEiwA-bm5fsnFoomhpGU_ZHHRbK5CmpL-LxTRPXGb-dFDufeT6EE0ghXgev3c3xoCErwQAvD_BwE WRT to your question regarding disc brakes on all 4 corners, you may need a larger bore MC (swapping reservoirs on your current 7/8 MC won't do anything.) Depending on which disc setup you choose for the rear (and also if you're considering swapping in larger front disc setup), you typically will need to upgrade the MC to 15/16 or 1". LOTS of good reading in the FAQs on this exact topic.

You certainly can use some thick rubber to sandwich between the strut tower and the top of the camber plate, but I personally don't think it's necessary from a structural perspective...the structural function of the rubber in the stock isolator is primarily to allow for angular changes in the top of the shock as the suspension moves through its range of motion. The monoball joint incorporated in the aftermarket camber plates accomplishes that function. If you do install some kind of rubber pad between the strut tower and the top of the camber plate may help cut down on the road noise vibrations transmitted through the camber plate; but you need to accept the fact that any metal camber plates are going to be much noisier than the stock rubber isolators.) FOL. Need to ensure that it doesn't flex so much that it induces angular changes in the suspension geometry. Maybe polyurethane might be a better material, from that perspective, if you decide you need something in there. The reality is that it's just one more rattle (mixed in with many other random rattles) and you only notice it when driving on the street....it's irrelevant once you're on the track.

Yes, you will definitely want to replace the stock isolators with something that gives you adjustability and more negative camber. Those Silvermine bolt-in camber plates are certainly some of the cheapest (lowest cost) you will find, and there's nothing wrong with them (I've used similar ones on some of my cars); but their range of adjustment is limited. IIRC, I could achieve approx 1.5 deg in the rear and maybe 2.5 in the front with them (with moderate lowering, adjustable coilovers, and stock control arms). If they meet your needs, go for it. If you think you will want more camber adjustability, take a look at the bolt-in units from Ground Control and DP Racing. I've used both and have been extremely happy with them. As a bonus, they both allow a limited degree of caster adjustment. https://www.dpracing.co/datsun-z-front-suspension-1 https://groundcontrolstore.com/collections/s30/products/no-cut-camber-caster-plate-z-car-pair There are other "bolt-in" plates available that will give more range of adjustment, but require cutting the strut tower; so you'll want to avoid those. P.S. Hang on to those stock isolators and don't throw them out. At some point down the road, either you'll want them or someone else will.

The unit with the brass electrical bullet connector on top is the brake malfunction warning switch....it's intended to detect an imbalance in pressure between the front and rear systems. Someone must have removed the wire lead at some point. The other unit is the OEM distribution block/proportioning valve. If you're planning to install an aftermarket rear proportioning valve, you can either remove the OEM unit or gut it. Since you're already planning to run new lines from the MC, may be best to just remove it....it will clean up the engine compartment and reduce the total potential points of failure/leaks. If you decide to remove either (or both) of these; don't throw them out -- keep them and put them up for sale. Folks are always looking for these for restoration projects, particularly on forums like ClassicZCars.com and "S30 Life" on FB.

True statement IMO. I have shied away from cross-drilled rotors, because I know too many people that have suffered cracked rotors due to the cross-drilling. I like slotted rotors, but the plain-jane pancake rotors are fine too....just use some good pads. I prefer Carbotech for track (and Porterfields for street), but that's just my own personal preference because I've found a good combination that works for me with my particular setup. There are several good high-performance pads available to choose from. I'm not at that point yet....still get the clenched butt cheeks when the pedal goes to the floor.

It largely depends on what you plan to do with the front discs (if anything) and what type of events you plan to run.... Start by reading all the "brake upgrade" threads in this sub-forum and in the FAQs if you haven't already done so. You'll find a TON of great info. The stock front discs and rear drums are actually a pretty well-balanced system, and work ok for most types of short duration racing (e.g. time trials, auto-x, etc). Longer events will quickly overheat the system and you will find yourself looking for better braking longevity during extended high-speed use. You'll find the fronts overheating/fading (and possibly boiling the fluid) and the aluminum rear drums will expand and lost most of their effectiveness. It's an old S30 trick to pull the rear parking brake up one or two clicks when this starts to happen. Some people have preferred to go with cast iron drums in the rear because they expand less (but are significantly heavier than the stock ali drums.) If you're not planning to upgrade the fronts with bigger, vented rotors and calipers, you should probably leave the drums in the rear IMHO. Don't forget that bigger calipers in the front and/or disc brakes in the rear will typically necessitate a larger bore MC. If you leave the drums in the rear for now, Porterfields are probably some of the best shoes you can get....the generic off-the-shelf shoes (e.g. Centric, etc) from the auto parts chain stores are not worth your time.

There's a company in the UK that's producing hard-to-find replacement body panels, and the rear slam panel is one of them. Looks like they do pretty nice work. There may be other vendors doing similar work; but I just happened to notice their ad the other day on FB: username was "Kim Mays" on the "Datsun Parts and Needs" FB page. Here's a link; but may not work for you if you're not a member of the group: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1661652560538618&set=pcb.1655145461187252

Have had the windshield out of my last two 260s and did not have any such hole in driver upper corner of the frame.

The Tokico reds were my favorite stock spring replacement, but they are NLA unless you find a set used. Eibach also makes a "performance replacement spring", but I would avoid a progressive spring if that's all they offer for your car. If budget is a major factor (as it is for most of us!), take a look at the Vogtland springs on eBay....they seem to be a decent option as a shorter/stiffer spring. Even cheaper....years ago, people were using stock Chevy Chevette springs....google search for those discussions here on HybridZ. The cheapest option is to cut the stock springs; which a lot of folks have tried with varying degrees of success. Take a look at the tracks and venues that you plan to run at before making final decision. A spring that works well for a flat, smooth auto-x pad might be a terrible choice for a rough road course with heavy curbing and elevation changes.