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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?

Yep, that's a good price from Silvermine. They're also available, both individually and as a pair (front and rear), from other vendors like Futofab and Summit Racing; but I don't think you'll find it at a better price than Silvermine (although MSA is about the same price). The discriminator for you may be which vendor can provide the cheapest shipping to Germany, as the bars are large and heavy. https://www.futofab.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=28&Itemid=86 https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/st-suspensions/part-type/sway-bars/make/nissan/model/280z https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20g DP racing makes very nice adjustable sway bars, that are tubular and lighter than the solid bars, but they cost a bit more than the solid steel sway bars. https://www.dpracing.co/datsun-z-front-suspension-1 Just so you know....the rear bar for the 240 can be used on later cars (like yours) as well. It mounts on the "uprights" behind the differential, with the arms pointing forward to attach to the end links. This configuration typically works better on lowered cars versus the stock-mounted sway bar. You may want to consider this option, if your build is headed in that direction. https://www.futofab.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137:datsun-72-73-240z-orange-line-34q-rear-sway-bar-kit&catid=28:datsun-z-car-suspension&Itemid=86 Viel gluck!

If you want Tokicos, these were listed for a long time on ClassicZcars at a nice price....they may still be available. https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/62375-parts-for-sale-tokico-5020r-springs-set-of-4/?tab=comments#comment-578193

You can purchase ready-made frame rails and floor pans from vendors like Zedd Findings and Bad Dog Parts. If you don't mind fabricating your own pieces, and you have access to the right equipment, you can make those pieces for the cost of the raw material. Too costly? Only you can make that decision for yourself. The only thing I can say with 99% certainty is that you will discover many more "issues" the deeper you dig into these 40 year old cars. FOL. If you're unfamiliar with the S30, I'd suggest doing a lot more research on them before dropping a bunch of cash to buy one. However, I can say that $8500 will get you a pretty nice 280, especially if you expand your search to include the west coast, the southwest, or any other 'dry' climate areas....that's usually where you find the best buys for rust-free cars. Not trying to be a big downer, but far too many people buy a Z for all the wrong reasons, and without a full understanding of what kind of project they're getting themselves into.

You may already know this trick; but one of the best ways to tackle that frozen bolt is to weld a nut on the remaining portion of the bolt shaft. It would still be a good idea to hit the bolt with heat and penetrating oil; but after the pump's off, you can apply directly where it enters the block and get the heat and oil much closer to the problem area.

Yes, input flange should be a direct swap -- and it was when I swapped in my STi TORSEN diff (2007, IIRC) into my car. Are you sure that your donor diff is actually from an STi; and even if so, have you cracked open the rear cover to verify LSD? I suppose someone could have replaced the STi's original differential with a non-LSD R180 at some point in the past?

Google search. A new fender can cost up to several hundred dollars, or you may get lucky and find one cheap. If you're not set on a new part, your best bet is to find one used. People are always posting ads for part-outs. Have you considered just repairing the dented fender? The front fender is probably the easiest panel on these cars to fix, and that would essentially be a free fix. Pull the fender, pull/hammer the dent out, bondo/primer/paint, and you're done. Not much more labor required than having to pull the old fender and install a new one.

Hey @calZ, thanks for sharing that info. Had not yet seen that Fritz was working on a power steering kit. I'm glad he opened his business base to include S30s.

I believe Driveshaft Shop may be the other vendor for stub axles that you're thinking of?

Thanks for the picture of the original factory roll bar, @HS30-H. Had forgotten about that. I think this is the harness bar I was thinking of.....if it was ever offered as a production item, it doesn't appear to be so now: https://streetfaction.wordpress.com/2016/11/16/kyles-280z/

Yes. There used to be a bolt-in harness bar available that bolted in right above there; not sure if it's still produced. just curious...why are you asking?

If you're not concerned about maintaining the OEM wiring configuration, you can pull your input for the voltmeter from any good 12V circuit in the system (assuming that the voltmeter is working correctly). If your voltage regulator is not working correctly, that's another issue altogether, and you probably have bigger problems than a non-functioning voltmeter.... @ELbrown33, you're going to need to be more specific with your question. If you need help with a specific electrical issue, you may want to start a new thread, to avoid confusion with the ongoing discussion initiated by the original poster on this thread.