jhm

Love it! Thx for making me laugh, John....got a good chuckle out of this one.

Is your heart really set on coilovers? Reason I ask is that there are plenty of good spring and shock alternatives that will improve the handling and lower the car....all without the effort and expense of coilovers. Tokico, Eibach, and MSA are just a couple of the popular aftermarket springs that utilize the stock strut mounting, while lowering the car and offering a firmer/more controlled ride. Similarly, you can upgrade from the stock shocks to get more performance from the suspension without degrading the ride quality (shocks obviously won't lower the car, but they will improve the vehicle's handling, and are an obvious upgrade if you're already switching the springs.) And fortunately, it seems someone is always selling used springs and shocks at a fraction of the cost of new. I hope I'm not telling you something you already know (and my apologies if I am). Good luck with your upgrades.

Ahhhh...."Version 8" vs "V8"....my bad on the Subaru nomenclature. Yes, the OBX unit has been discussed a bunch here. In talking to the guys I know that have purchased one recently, it appears that their workmanship and overall quality has improved quite a bit from the earlier units. I don't know anyone that has been unhappy with theirs, especially considering the $400 purchase price. Here's another lengthy thread regarding OBX inspection and installation....some duplicative info with the other thread referenced, but it never hurts to have too much info. Check out the "Drivetrain FAQs" for even more useful info. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/88099-obx-differential-inspection-and-installation/

Interesting tidbits, indeed. My 260 is a late-74 model, so it's always been easy for me....280 parts all the way. Was not aware of these particular quirks of the early-74 260s, but definitely good to know. Thx!

Not sure what kind of usage is intended by the OP, but the four-pinion R180s used by Subaru for LSD applications are pretty stout. I'm putting down 330 ft/lbs of torque with my SBC, and my old open R180 lasted three years of racing (track, not strip) fine. I now have a newer Torsen R180 in it and it's working great as well. Furthermore, we're assuming that the donor vehicle retained the front differential, which may not have been the case if it was transplanted with a V8....in which case all the tq + hp was directed to the rear diff. Just sayin'.... I completely agree that the R200 will withstand much more abuse (and will probably be a cheaper overall solution for this individual) but I wanted to make sure he had as much info as possible before making a decision. P.S. I haven't seen many V8 Subarus, and the couple I have seen are all-out race builds.....I'd be interested to know a little bit more about the donor car, just out of curiosity.

A V8 subaru STI?? If that's really what this diff came from, then wouldn't it be fine for your V8 240? Even if it were, you'd still have to spend a fair bit more on that diff plus the stub axles than if you bought an OBX LSD for your existing R200....true? Furthermore, I wouldn't recommend buying that diff until you've had a chance to pop the cover and verify the LSD and overall condition.

mr han solo, are you putting these in a 240 or a 280? From your posts, it sounds like a 240? Just curious...thx.

Tein and Swift springs are the only two readily-available brands I've seen in 2.75" ID. I have no direct personal experience with Tein, but I know that they are often shipped from Japan, and can result in lengthy shipping times. I've owned several pairs of Swift springs, and have always been happy with their quality and price.....purchased my last couple pair from FRSport.com, and was very pleased with their customer service. Hope this helps.

Yep....in addition to the Subie R180s, they came with R160s in 4.44. Seem to be readily available on eBay and the various Subaru blogs. I would think the "Suretrac" or clutch-LSD would be preferable to VLSD, especially in an R160. Occasionally, old R180s pop up on the web in 4.xx ratios, but not too often; and when they do, they are usually snapped up pretty quick. I went with a Subaru R180 (Torsen-style LSD) recently, and am very pleased with the set-up. Here's a couple links that may be helpful to you: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1969700 http://legacycentral.org/library/literature/differential.htm#Which Subarus do I look at to find an LSD http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2597453

Oh man....I had a really cool thread going for "Show me your valve caps". All that work for nothing....way to go, HybridZ. Ditto what everyone else said....thx to the entire HBZ staff for keeping this site going. It's one of those thankless jobs that no one ever says anything about until the (rare) times when something goes wrong. Kudos, guys (and gals...don't mean to exclude anyone!)

Realized the other day that I didn't have any current pics of the car as she sits today, so I took a few next time I was at the track. Enjoy...

Looks like some decent hardware, but you might want to check these out....very similar and cheaper. A few guys here have tried them out with no major complaints that I've seen: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MK1-PillowBall-Bearing-Strut-Upper-Mount-For-Coilover-Kit-Mounts-Plates-240Z-/161203739866?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3A280Z&hash=item25887ddcda&vxp=mtr

Not sure what kind of tires you're considering (i.e. street, R-compound, slicks, etc), but anything in the 225-245 range would work well with 8" wheels. The coilovers will give you more clearance on the inside of the tire vs the stock struts, and the camber plates can give you more clearance on the outside of the tire. It's all a balancing game. Check out the thread called "Show your wheels"...it should give you several examples of what can and can't be done. Hope this helps.

Very cool find. Kudos to you for bringing her back to life!

In my opinion, HBZ is the single best source of high-performance Z car info. But there are several other good sources out there...just google and you'll find. ZCar.com; ClassicZCar.com are just a couple. There are loads of Datsun and Z car forums all over the web. Use 'em all. As long as you're starting with a relatively clean/rust-free shell, the rest will be gravy (relatively speaking, of course!) You'll never be happy with a cancer-ridden shell, and the repairs will cost WAY more than what you would have spent on a clean shell to begin with. Also, the better idea you have for long-term goals early on in the build will help ensure that you don't end up doing and redoing various parts of the build. Good luck with it.

Nope....they're available. These links are to the UK, but I've seen them in the US as well. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Subaru-Impreza-STi-gc8-gf8-rear-lsd-diff-differential-viscous-r160-4-444-40-9-/261560282421?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3ce6352d35 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Subaru-Impreza-STi-gc8-gf8-rear-lsd-diff-suretrac-r160-4-444-40-9-/261560293279?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3ce635579f

Yes, I remember that now. Hoping one of the Admins can chime in and enlighten us all.

Is anyone else having problems with the website?? I'm still intermittently getting the above error; and even when the website's working, it's going verrrryyyy slowly. Curious if it's systemic, or a problem on my end.

Site Admin- I'm getting some kind of SQL Error in a couple of the FAQ sections (e.g. "Drivetrain", "Brakes, wheels, suspension"). The specific title on the error is "An error occured with the SQL server" Haven't received this error anywhere else on the site, but wanted to let you know that something was going on with those specific sections. Maybe there's maintenance ongoing at the server level? Thx much. r/JHM

Thx for the correction, JM. The strange thing I found was that Precision Gear's website is still public (with an update of 2013), and it lists 2 units for the R180....maybe they were not keeping it current the last few years?

Update regarding the Power Brute LSD by Precision Gear....does not appear to be available any longer for most of our common applications (R180 & R200). Precision Gear was purchased by another company (Omni-ADA) last year, who specializes in 4x4 off-road equipment, and the LOM55E/L and the LOM59-12 are listed as discontinued models. BUMMER!!! I apologize in advance if this info was posted elsewhere and I missed it. Wanted to make sure it was out there so folks don't waste their time going down rabbit holes. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me (I would LOVE to be wrong, in this case!)

....and they allow you to install camber plates, as well....negative camber is a must for any kind of competitive driving!

Looks like the same one I've got....16" low-profile Spal.

Mark! Good to hear you're still alive, buddy....how's life treating you? TSCC is back at ACU-4 (finally), and still going strong. Let's see some updates and pictures soon. r/John

It's pretty much a bolt-in IF the R160 is an older Subie model that's compatible with the 510 stub axles and IF you're starting with an R180 setup. If you have a newer R160 (which most of the available R160s are) and if your current setup is an R200, it's a much bigger and more expensive swap. Seattlejester's right...there are several threads that discuss just about every possible differential swap for an S30....most are in the "Drivetrain" sub-forums.