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Hey Joost- Sounds like the problem started after you fixed some coolant leaks in the vicinity of the fuel rail? If so, maybe relook those repairs to ensure the repairs themselves weren't the cause of your issues? Have you had to refill your coolant during these tests, or is it maintaining a constant level of fill? Liquid in your exhaust during first couple minutes of startup is not all unusual, as NewZed pointed out, and can even be caused by nothing more than atmospheric condensation (usually from the previous shutdown). If this is what's occurring, it will be water only. If you can detect actual coolant in the liquid in the exhaust (I don't know how one can definitely do that), then you likely have a problem. A good way to monitor engine temperatures is with a simple IR thermometer, especially if you're not confident in the temp gauge readings. You can use the IR unit to check temps at various points....radiator, coolant lines, engine block, etc. Good luck with it.

Good question. Was wondering the same thing myself. @RTz, @SuperDan, @stony, @tube80z

Not a website, but this may help some with parts list and prices. (You need to be a FB user.)

No, the d-shape is to keep the shock shaft from spinning whilst tightening the top locking nut. I don't know about Koni Yellows, but the stock hole should be compatible with the shaft on KYB, Tokicos, Sachs, and other popular strut inserts made for the S30. Bilsteins are an obvious exception, due to the large shaft diameter and top locking nut.

Have not seen that company previously; but I don't follow drifting. Do you know what manufacture springs and shocks they use? (I was not apparent from the website.) One way that vendors are able to offer kits inexpensively is to use generic components manufactured on the cheap. Are you sure you want those spring rates? Perhaps they're optimized for drifting; but would not be practical in most other applications for multiple reasons. Finally, are their strut tubes manufactured from aluminum? It sounds as though they are; which makes things a bit trickier than usual when welding them to your stock steel strut tubes.

No, the holes in the stock strut top isolator are not threaded; but they do need to be enlarged to accommodate Bilstein shocks. They should be fine as-is for KYBs, Tokicos, and other shocks with stock-sized threaded shaft at the top. The author also pointed out that he could have tapped the enlarged hole to match the threading on the Bilstein (as @thehelix112 had), but decided it was not necessary for his installation.

I think stock spring rates were in the 100-120 lb/in range (when new). Tokico advertised rates were 140/160 (240Z) and 185/200 (280Z). Don't know Eibach and Vogtland advertised rates, but you may have already dug that up. (I'd be surprised if they were significantly different from Tokicos.) So go from there, based on your existing experience with the Tokicos and Eibachs. Keep in mind that a longer spring will be more compliant than a shorter spring of the same rate. You can go longer than the lengths I suggested, but may need a spring compressor if you go much longer than 8 or 9" uncompressed length. Not a big deal if you don't mess with it often; but kind of a pain if you pull the suspension frequently. I like Swift, HyperCo, and QA1 for springs....but that's purely a personal preference. Everyone has their own favorites. Proper shock valving (both compression and extension) has a much bigger impact on ride comfort and suspension compliance than pure spring rate. Lots of good choices to choose from in shocks. Here's a nice write-up which retained the stock rubber strut isolators. They used a Cosmo coilover kit; but you could use whatever kit you like, or fashion your own from individual piece-parts:

If you really don't want to cut and section the strut tubes, it's still entirely possible to build your own adjustable coilovers using universal parts. (I think Mike Kelly used this kind of setup for a long time on his car.) This is especially true if you have no plans to significantly lower your car. 2.5" coilover sleeves, 2.5" springs of your preferred spring rate (7 - 8" uncompressed length should work well), and top hats. Make sure your front struts still incorporate some kind of thrust or needle bearing capability. Some guys have even done this while retaining the stock rubber strut top isolators for ride comfort and noise abatement. Stick with quality-made springs and avoid the generic eBay specials. The advantages are multi-fold....adjustability, limitless choice of spring rates, and much easier to work on.

What side axles are you using with the STi R180; and are you sure they're properly seated in the LSD? Also, it sounds as though you've driven at least a few miles on the rebuilt half-shafts...so you're reasonably sure you can rule them out as source of the noise? I had an issue with worn inner bushings on my rear LCAs causing a rattle/clunk; but that was only under heavy load. Sounds like your issue is happening under any loading condition. It still may be worth checking if you haven't already done so. Finally, if your car is sitting 2-3" higher than stock, that's really high. Definitely worth lowering it closer to your intended ride height and see if the problem persists.

You may want to post in the "Classifieds: Cars Wanted" section.

Available from many sources....T3, Silvermine, DP Racing to name just a couple. I've even seen them on eBay from generic vendors. They go by other names as well: "knuckle risers", "roll center adjusters", etc. One caution when using these is that they can cause interference between the steering knuckle and the rim on 15" wheels or smaller. You can also relocate the LCA mounting hole on the crossmember to improve LCA geometry. Common mod that's been discussed quite thoroughly here on HybridZ. Finally, it appears as though your 1/4" spacer is giving you sufficient clearance for your sway bar vs the frame rail. So that's some progress, at least?

Mrk3cobra, your LCAs appear to be past horizontal, which means your negative camber may actually be decreasing as the suspension compresses (not an ideal situation). I would definitely recommend some bump steer spacers, which should improve your suspension geometry, improve your tie rod end geometry, and help solve your sway bar intereference issue.

I think one of the reasons it's hitting is either your end links are too long, or the car is significantly lowered, or both. There's not a lot of "plug-and-play" or "one size fits all" parts made for these old cars. You can easily shorten your end links, if that's part of the problem Length can easily be adjusted (shorter or longer) by changing overall length of bolt and the spacer. I would use the spacer, too, as zhoob suggested.

I don't believe you can run the wires inside the interior sheetmetal like you are proposing. Have you visually inspected it and verified that there's an open "run" between the rocker panel and the interior of the rear dogleg? As I recall, you'd have to cut/drill an opening in the top of the rocker to do what you're proposing; which would 1) be a pain, that tight space, and 2) possibly compromise the integrity of the rocker section (which is an integral component of the shell's structure.) If you're caging the car, then the structural issue is less of an issue. You can easily run wiring through the rocker, using the pre-stamped holes from the factory; but obviously need to ensure that you have appropriate protection on the wiring to prevent rubbing and damage.

Not cheap, but ZCarSource is always a good source for original parts: https://zcarsource.com/inner-fender-liner. Check eBay, too....just saw a listing recently for one. I have seen folks make their own liners out of those big black plastic barrels. The heavy material is super durable, yet easy to work with; and one barrel should provide plenty of material for both sides.

B&M stacked plate cooler for trans or engine oil cooler. Have had them on my last three cars. Very rugged, well-built and efficient coolers.

What year is your car? IIRC, the early years had the taper you describe, and later years did not. As grannyknot suggested, it shouldn't matter, unless the shape of the Zedd frame rails interfere with your radiator mounting...on which case you may have to do a little creative fab work.

Yes, the threads are normal right-hand threads on both sides of the car (and I believe that's true for all years.) So yes, you'd want to turn it clockwise (from your perspective on the "outside" of the car), to turn it deeper onto the steering rack, and thus loosening it from the inner socket assembly. If you don't have a spanner wrench that fits the inner socket, you can use a large open-end (or adjustable) wrench on the splined rack itself. You can actually verify a thread's direction by visual inspection....check to see which direction the thread is spiraling, and that will tell you if it's left-hand or right-hand threads.

The spot weld is from the factory. It enables you to use a spanner wrench, if necessary, on the inner socket assembly. The jam nut should be tightened when assembled. It appears to be tight in the picture you provided. If you're having trouble removing the inner socket assembly, it's possible that the threads are damaged. They're a very fine thread size, and easy to damage if not careful. What specific problem are you having, or are you just asking questions regarding the specific assembly of the rack?

@grannyknot, ditto on your comments. The stuff is messy as hell, and does not clean off easily! But I guess that's part of what makes it so effective as a protectant inside the frame rails and other cavities.

@ETI2K, since you asked about corrosion control...these are two good products to consider. Have used both for several years with good results. https://www.eastwood.com/internal-frame-coating-aerosol-black-14oz.html https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/Dynatron-Auto-Seam-Sealer-Caulk/?N=5002385+3293193911&rt=rud

Did you see this recent discussion?

As G-Tech pointed out, you've posted your question on a forum dedicated to the Datsun/Nissan Z car. You will have better luck posting in a forum for Ford or Ford Escort drivers. Google search pops out several results that should help. I'm sure FB has several pages dedicated to the Ford Escort, as well. Good luck with it. https://www.feoa.net/ https://www.fordforum.com/forum/ford-escort-29/ https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/3/ford/escort/ford-escort-zx2

Sorry to hear that you're still having issues.....sounds extremely frustrating. I am surprised, however, that you're having trouble getting hold of Dave (Patten, Futofab owner). IME, he's been extremely responsive. Is this the contact info you have? email - FutoFab@gsinet.net Telephone - (603) 774-6964 Just out of curiosity, which CV kit do you have? https://www.futofab.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=38&Itemid=122

I agree with @Ben280. Even if the Wolf Creek axles are same length as stock half-shafts, that doesn't account for the fact that the aftermarket side axles *may* add some length to the overall system (as compared to the stock Datsun side axles for a non-LSD R180). And you mentioned you have your LCA adjustable bushings turned in the way....how much did that change your effective LCA length by? I would guess the cheapest solution at this point would be to trim the axles (again), or push the LCAs back out to stock position. What application is the car used for?