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Hey all- We still have a robust and active membership here at HybridZ; but unfortunately, donations have really dropped off the last 4-5 years. We do derive some level of revenue from ads; but that typically falls well short of actual operating costs for the website (web hosting fees, software license fees, etc, etc.) Was chatting with @SuperDan recently, and he estimated that our annual expenses exceed advertisement income by $1300-1600 every year! Soooo, we are asking that folks consider making a donation to keep the forum up and running. We've had some issues with the "Donation" function recently, but it should be resolved now and working correctly. Anyone wishing to make a Donation and running into any issues whatsoever, please don't hesitate to post here (or PM me directly) and I will ensure your issue gets resolved. For your ease of reference, here's the link to the "Donation" button: https://forums.hybridz.org/clients/donations/ I will probably post this announcement in a couple of different locations on the Forum to ensure maximum visibility. Thanks for your time, and Happy Motoring. Vr John

Hey all- We still have a robust and active membership here at HybridZ; but unfortunately, donations have really dropped off the last 4-5 years. We do derive some level of revenue from ads; but that typically falls well short of actual operating costs for the website (web hosting fees, software license fees, etc, etc.) Was chatting with @SuperDan recently, and he estimated that our annual expenses exceed advertisement income by $1300-1600 every year! Soooo, we are asking that folks consider making a donation to keep the forum up and running. We've had some issues with the "Donation" function recently, but it should be resolved now and working correctly. Anyone wishing to make a Donation and running into any issues whatsoever, please don't hesitate to post here (or PM me directly) and I will ensure your issue gets resolved. For your ease of reference, here's the link to the "Donation" button: https://forums.hybridz.org/clients/donations/ I will probably post this announcement in a couple of different locations on the Forum to ensure maximum visibility. Thanks for your time, and Happy Motoring. Vr John

I was going to suggest that you post that question in ClassicZCars; but just saw that you already did. I suspect someone there may have an answer for you. I haven't personally had a parking brake boot in a VERY long time; but seem to recall that they were just "standard" sized metal snaps. Have you checked out snap supplies at a local fabric store? I'd be surprised if they didn't have something that would work for you.

@walkerbk, very kind of you. Did anyone ever take you up on your generous offer?

No, I would definitely worry about it; and not drive it anymore until you’ve diagnosed it. Did it just start making this noise out of the blue? Or maybe after you’d done some repairs or maintenance? It almost sounds like a mechanical interference noise. Use a stethoscope around various locations on the engine to help isolate where it’s coming from.

100% agree!! I've used copper-nickel (aka "cunifer") lines on my last two cars; and will NEVER use anything else. Easier to work with; seals better; corrosion-resistant; and quite good-looking IMHO. Good luck with the rear disc install!

👍

@jhaag, go ahead and try it now....you should be able to post in the Classifieds. Sorry that you're not showing up as a "Donating Member" on your profile. There's some glitch in the S/W that's affected many members in the same way (myself included). But I adjusted your profile, which *should* fix the problem. If you're still having trouble, repost here or message me and I'll try again.

Super cool…glad you’re finally getting to enjoy it! I’ve been following your build and the car looks impressive. 👍👍

I seem to recall seeing someone 3D printing the plastic bushing…maybe on FB? I’ll dig around and see if I can locate the info.

Recognizing that this is a six year old thread....I can share my own personal experience with the Carbotech pads. I ran them on my car for 3 years and was relatively happy with them. Mostly track use, with occasional street driving. Good fade characteristics under hard use, and I don't really remember that much brake noise when street driving (but they do produce a lot of brake dust). Since your car is mostly street use with occasional track work, another good pad to consider is the Porterfield R4-S. I've had good luck with Porterfield front and rear; very predictable and great wear characteristics. AP114 is the pad size for S30s: https://porterfield-brakes.com/product/ap114/

Nice tip regarding this particular model wiper motor and part number...thanks for that! The car's looking great -- amazing attention to detail. 👍👍

OHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO....that sucks, Stony!! The car looks seriously hurt; but assuming that you're ok. 😥 If you're planning to build another Z, I guarantee you that your HybridZ brothers will be wanting to help with replacement parts.

To answer your original question…no, you really can’t. You didn’t state which diff you have; but assuming it’s an R180 or R200, the rear cover is an integral component of the differential mounting. Even assuming you could hold the diff in place with a jack while you try to remove the mustache bar and rear transverse link, it’s just not practical to do it that way. Do you have the FSM for your car? If not, you can download them free at: http://www.xenonzcar.com/s30/fsm.html Hope this helps.

Looking good, Joe. Will you be converting all the exterior lighting bulbs to LED (like you did in the dash)? I can PM you specific part numbers for each lens, if you'd like. Although there's a ton of choices out there, I think the Sylvania brand of automotive LED bulbs are some of the best available after chatting with a couple of "industry experts".

Aydin, question regarding your front sway bar drop-down mounts....did you fab your own, or buy them off-the-shelf? And how much do they drop the sway bar position vs stock mounting? Thx!

Lovely work! Excited to see the progress.

Aydin, the series 1 cars had a shorter driveshaft IIRC, due to different diff mounting location. They also used a "straight" (i.e., non-curved) transverse link behind the diff. What did you do vis-a-vis the mustache bar when you swapped the R200 for the R180? I suspect that may be the root cause of your issue. (The RT-style forward mount should not be an issue either way.) Yes, the half-shafts are essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis formed by the driveshaft and differential (on cars later than Series 1). Hope this helps you get it sorted.

Link to Clark's RC calculator, for ease of reference: https://forums.hybridz.org/files/file/34-s30-rc-calculator/

That's some beautiful jewelry!!! Really impressive work there. 👍👍

Nope....good explanation. How much caster are you shooting for, if you don't mind me asking? I'm guessing that remaking your steering rack adapters is a lot easier than making custom steering knuckles, as long as you can maintain clearance between the rack adapters and engine peripherals? One thing I found when adding adjustable steering arms/knuckles and adjustable tie rod ends...using offset bump-steer spacers gave me extra clearance between the tie rod ends and the rims. Kind of like thick wheel spacers, without all the negative impacts of using thick wheel spacers. Without the offset, I would have had significant interference between the tie rod ends and my rims (15" diameter), like you described in your option #3 above. T3's new "evolved" design even has multiple mounting positions to tailor the amount of offset to one's specific needs. I think I've got some spare 3/4" bumpsteer spacers (plain straight/non-offset) lying around -- you're welcome to them for the cost of shipping. LMK. Thanks for the additional info!

Bummer, Clark…sorry to hear all that. You do one thing, and it affects ten other things. And the more custom you make it, the worse it gets! ☹️ At your convenience, would you mind elaborating a little on the control arm and steering geometry being “wrong”? (Causes, planned fixes, etc?) Good luck with all the sorting!

Wow, that is some really impressive custom work! Well done, Sir (and thank you for sharing!!). If cost-effective, I could easily see you filling a niche market need, as Clark suggested.

Off topic, but I'd be interested to see some more pics of that sway bar setup. Can't say I've ever seen that setup on the rear of a Z car. Strange chassis buckling for sure, from your pictures; but fixable. Bring it to a chassis shop for measuring and straightening (if necessary).

You might have more success if you post this in the "Parts Wanted" section: https://forums.hybridz.org/forum/73-parts-wanted/ If no one here has any available, they are available all over FB Marketplace and eBay. You can also purchase them new/refurbed from several vendors (ZCarDepot, etc). T3 even offers some slick bolt-in CV axles that are remove and replace for the original half-shafts: https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/260z/long-nose-r180r200-cv-axles-240260280z