jhm

Actually, the stub axles are often the weak link in the drive train vs the diff and half-shafts. I'd hesitate to give an actual number limit, because it depends on so many variables. If you can provide some specifics on your build and setup, might be able to better answer your question.

Found this thread on one of the 510 forums....I don't know Fritz personally, but he seems to be quite a regular in the "Dime" community. http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=31253

One original fiberglass whale tail for sale. These are becoming really hard to find these days. The mounting face is kind of buggered up, but the shell is in surprisingly nice shape...no obvious seams, splits or cracks that I can see. Most people fabricate their own brackets for secure mounting, and often fully mold the tail onto the hatch with fiberglass. Several pictures are included to show its condition as clearly as possible, but I am happy to take more if necessary. No idea if it's a JCR tail, or some other manufacturer -- there are no obvious stampings or labels to indicate its origin. Shipping will not be cheap for this big package. Assume $100-$175 for most U.S. locations via Fedex or UPS; possibly cheaper with a shipper like Greyhound, if that's an option for potential buyers. $150 plus shipping. Thanks for looking.

These are intended for use with aftermarket coilover sleeves and top hats. The stock springs are significantly larger (both diameter and length) than these. If you are looking to lower the car without converting to aftermarket coilovers, I would suggest looking at "lowering springs"....made by companies like Eibach, Vogtland and Tokico.

One pair of used Swift springs, lightly used one year in the off-season for street use. Still in excellent condition. 7" free length (178mm); 2.75" inner diameter (70 mm); 224 lb/in (4 kg/mm). These are universal coilover springs that will fit any strut setup that uses a spring with 2.75" (70 mm) ID. The Swift part number is Z70-178-040. $85 shipped anywhere in the U.S. Thanks for looking.

Was thinking along those same lines, Jon; so I contacted the owner to get more info, and received a really fast/comprehensive response to my email. Copy of text included below FYI.... ---------------------------------------------------------------- John Meyer 9:58 AM (9 hours ago) to fritz Hello Fritz- Someone referred me to your company the other day as a new source for CV axles, and I have to say I'm impressed with your product line! I'm currently running an Sti R180 in my 240Z, and I already have aftermarket machined side axles, so I would primarily be interested in your "CV axle set - Datsuns with stock differential". Can you tell me which CV joints are used in those axles? Are they OEM Subaru CV joints? And if so, is that the source of the recommended torque limit of 225 ft-lb? Just curious.... I had previously planned to fabricate my own CV axles using 930 CV joints; but I'm always looking for new options, so I may very well be contacting you to order a set of yours. Is there a long lead time for these units once they're ordered? Thanks very much, and I wish you the best of luck. They look to be very nicely assembled units! r/John Meyer Datsun RestoMODS 10:47 AM (8 hours ago) to me Hi John, Glad to see you liked what you say and the fact that you were referenced here. The CVs are not Subaru. I'd rather keep the R&D quiet for now but I can say that these axles have larger housings than the STI and the axle diameter is also ~1/16th thicker. These CVs are beefy and although I've listed the OEM 225ft/lbs limit (more to keep anyone from trying stupid stuff that would break just about anything) I will be mounting them on my VQ37VHR 280z when it's complete. I have several customers with close to 300 ft/lbs engines as well. Finally, the CVs are brand new, the highest quality I can source. The axles are not cut or resplined, modifications are exclusive to the housings. The goal for this business is to give back to the Datsun community. I do have a well paying day job so the axles are priced to cover costs and provide just enough cushion for R&D on new & unique products (wait until you see what's coming down the pipe!). As a result, it's been flat out building CVs - pretty much the reason why marketing has been minimal in the S30 community right now. I'm unable to build any surplus stock, a good problem I guess. My suggestion would be to place an order as soon as you're ready. Anything ordered today will be shipping early the week of February 11th. Sorry for the long reply, I like potential customers to have full transparency. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions. Fritz

Yeah, I have the same questions. I made the decision a while ago to switch to CVs once my half-shafts started crapping out. After 5 years of problem-free race-use, I'm still waiting for that to happen (but I'm only making moderate power, so it may still be a while). Still nice to see new products being introduced for our 45 year old vehicles!

So I'm a little embarrassed here, but I came across what I think is a new source of CV axles the other day. Has anyone else seen/used these before? https://datsunrestomods.com/collections/all They offer some pretty nice bolt-in CV conversions for both stock R180 and Subaru R180, and their prices seem better than most other vendors. The one obvious downside is the recommended torque limit of 225 ft-lb (possibly because they're using stock Subaru cv joints?) I've contacted the vendor via email to gather some technical background, and may very well be ordering a pair for myself. Would be interested to hear if anyone else here has information or personal experience with this company. Thanks!

HybridZ has ALWAYS been my first go-to place when I've got a technical question or new idea in mind. And as much time as I've spent digging through the site, I can always find new and interesting discussions that I've never seen before. (And like several of you have already noted, my typical response to a question on FB is to post a link to the thread on HybridZ that answers their question.) Can't thank everyone enough for all the many contributions over the years!!

In addition to everything you listed, grannyknot, my impression has been that the 280 shells use thicker gauge steel in several areas than the earlier year shells. I can even see the difference in sheet metal thickness in various areas between my early-model and late-model 260s.

Wow, $300 for valve covers?? Pretty pricey. Regarding tall vs short covers...I used to have tall covers and found they were always in the way of my intake plumbing, etc. Switched to shorts. On the other hand, some short covers may have interference issues with some types of rocker arms. Have been using the Fel-Pro gaskets with steel core and ribbed rubber for years without any leaks. Hope this helps.

Yes, lots of options to replace the stock distributor and coil....but is it really necessary? If you are already getting strong spark, why are you looking at replacements? If not, then maybe consider upgrading. If you're planning to build the motor in the future, that's usually a good reason to upgrade the stock ignition. Exhaust fumes: it's very possible that they're coming in through the hatch. The hatch seals and rear tail light panel are notorious for leaking and allowing exhaust fumes into the driver's cabin. I would check those areas for leakage first. Exhaust systems can be purchased through a number of vendors. MSA Auto and Z Car Source typically have a large inventory of stock and upgraded parts. If you have a local exhaust shop that will give you a good deal, that may be the way to go; if you decide that your current exhaust needs replacing.

Really not enough details about the two cars you're considering for anyone to make an informed decision, and no one can know how you intend to use the car except you. As said by NewZed....what are your plans for the car, and which of the two you're considering more closely meets your needs? Factor in all the expected costs (purchase price, replacement parts, upgrade parts, your time and effort, etc, etc)....and then multiply by 2 or 3, to get a realistic long-term cost of ownership & restoration.

My bad....I completely missed the fact that you have a 240. My apologies. A 260 or 280 tach should be relatively easy to come by, if you decide to go that route. The JTR manual is available for $39: https://jagsthatrun.com/products/copy-of-v-8-conversion-manual-for-volvo-200-series (Yes, I know the hyperlink says Volvo; but it should work and get you to the correct manual on the JTR website.)

Yep, I've done with two different cars in the last few years. It's discussed in the JTR manual, if you happen to have a copy handy.

P.s. It's easy to remove the stock tach through the front of the dash, which will make it much easier to work on vs killing yourself working on it from underneath the dash.

I've never had a problem running the stock tach with a GM HEI or the stock Chevy distributor. Typically, some additional resistance is required in the signal feed line; but no other changes required IIRC.

Futofab is having a nice 15% sale on pretty much their entire inventory all this week....don't miss out! Sale ends this Sunday/Jan 27.

Yes, it's been a while since any were produced to my knowledge. A former member ran point on the last major production run that I'm aware of and that was several years ago. You could try posting in the Wanted sub-forum, in case anyone purchased extras and might still have some left over.

I have used the Bilsteins for VW in both my 280 and 240 struts. The old part number is P30-0032; the new part number is 34-184530. I've had no luck finding the Bilstein gland nuts, so I've always machined my own out of OEM gland nuts.

I noticed the same odd thing with those posts, and I sent him a PM telling him basically the same things y'all have pointed out. That was four days ago and I haven't heard anything back from him. Toolshed?

I watched the video, and honestly couldn't hear anything untoward. However, a bunch of metal shavings in your tranny is not good. Other likely sources of whining noises in the drivetrain are the differential (welded or otherwise), and the u-joints in your driveshaft and half-shafts. If you're really worried about it, I would put it on a lift and run it....that will give you the opportunity to better track down where the noise is coming from.

Nice, nullbound. I really I could find a good quality high-mount bracket for use with a short water pump, but haven't had any luck with it. May just have to make one myself.

One other thing, on the subject of alternators.... Forgot to mention this in my previous post, but db electrical is a great vendor for starters and alternators. They offer standard and mini-size components for most engines, and it's really high-quality stuff. Have been using their units for years, without any issues. You may want to look at using one of their mini alternators if space is tight using that bracket.

Gotcha'. I don't know if this will be of any use to you, but I measured the space between the base of my valve cover and the inner fender, and it was approx 6.5". (Engine is an iron-head SBC, mounted halfway between JTR setup and Scarab mounting position.) If you have the ability to mount a small-body alternator, I'm sure that would give you more clearance to play with, no? Good luck with it, and be sure to post an update with your final results!