jhm

Looking good, Clark! Since you’re this early in the fab stage, how about modding those strut towers so you can remove the shocks and springs out the top (vs having to lower the LCAs and swing the strut tubes out of the fender every time you want to make changes)? I’m always envious of the Mustang guys that can easily pull their struts out the top of the towers.

I would tend to agree with Aydin...does seem a little gimicky; but then again, it’s only $50. If you like the idea, that part is easily fabricated DIY, but make sure it’s easily removable (I.e., not welded) to ensure ease of removing your MC when you need to. If your firewall is structurally sound, it should be plenty strong for street use with the occasional track day. If you’re concerned about it, just reinforce that area while the car’s on the rotisserie. I guess I could imagine some possible firewall flex if someone were running their car without brake boost, which obviously requires a lot more pedal force to achieve the same level of braking.

NCRAs are another method of obtaining additional track width (on the front) without resorting to wheel spacers. But they can result in interference between the LCA and the wheel, depending on what size/style/material wheels you're running. It's all a bunch of trade-offs.....just have to decide which setup will work best for your particular application. https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/240z/evolved-roll-center-adjusters-datsun-240260280z

No, it's not IME. As Jon mentioned, it generally results in a performance decrease. Most people with adjustable TC rods use them to increase caster; which improves straightline stability and allows one to run less static camber (for better straightline braking) while still demonstrating good dynamic camber characteristics while turning (when the additional negative camber is most needed). Keep in mind that adjustable TC rods are designed to run in conjunction with adjustable front lower control arms, which use monoball heim joints for frictionless freedom of movement through multiple axes. The stock front LCAs, which use OEM rubber bushings or aftermarket Delrin bushings, do not enjoy such freedom of motion and will bind if stressed beyond their intended range of motion. You didn't say what width wheel spacers you're using....but keep in mind that the thicker you go, the more they will affect your effective spring rate (results in a softer effective spring rate). If you are using "thick" spacers (1" or thicker), you should be using "wheel adapter spacers", which incorporate their own wheel studs. https://www.ezaccessory.com/Hub_Centric_Wheel_Adapters_4x4_5_To_4s4_5_p/4450-4450ha.htm. If you're worried about the asthetics of the wheels not being centered in the wheel well; you can always factor that in when selecting your mounting locations for the new flares.

Yep, that link worked. Thanks for the reference data! @fusion, the discussion may have gotten a bit off track....but did you get the info you needed to make a decision for your 280?

FWIW, my experience is that any of those "smaller" rear spoilers essentially do nothing for downforce. (They can help in cleaning up the rear airflow of the car to reduce in-cabin exhaust fumes.) I can't point to any specific aero testing; but IME you need something like a whaletail, or a tall wing, to measurably increase your aero downforce on the car. Similarly, front airdams can help with engine cooling by creating a negative pressure cavity under the engine compartment. They can also increase high-speed stability by eliminating pressure buildup under the front end of the car. If your car is a "street car with a few passes at the dragstrip per year", I would get whatever you like aesthetically. I've had the BRE spoilers front and rear on several of my cars, and the look is timeless IMHO.

The C-clips are internal to the differential center section. They snap into the machined channel on the splined section of the inboard ends of the side axles -- that's the click one feels when people talk about the side axles "snapping" (or "popping") into the diff during installation. Hope this helps explain it.

Your prices seem pretty reasonable to me. The Euro-style tail lights are particularly desirable, IME. If you haven't yet done so, I would advertise them on ClassicZcar.com and the S30 pages on FB.

I did exactly what Jon did on his, and it hasn’t been a problem in three years of track and street use. Those billet brackets look nice, but I just used an extra set of the OEM rear u-brackets on the front LCA bushed mounting points....they’re the same shape and size front & rear. I have seen failures at those LCA forward mounting points; but only on mega-HP/tq setups with drag slicks.

First off...if you haven't yet read this thread, I would start here. 109 pages of different wheel & tire combos. Many of the early photos are NLA, but anything in the last few years should still be viewable and entirely useful. https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/58528-wheel-show-post-your-pics-of-you-wheels/#comments Also, as @Michael pointed out, your biggest LIMFAC is often the strut spring perches interfering with the inner side of your wheel/tire. Just because a particular wheel/tire combo fits within the Z's outer sheetmetal doesn't mean that it can be used without other modifications to your brakes or suspension. This is one reason that so many people convert to adjustable coilovers with smaller diameter springs (2.5" ID is very common, and much smaller than the OEM strut springs.) I'd be surprised if 15x8 fit inside the stock sheetmetal without interference with the strut spring perch; and there's no way a 15x9 would fit. As @Dat73z illustrates, you can fit a 15x8 inside the stock sheetmetal...provided that you have swapped the stock springs for an adjustable coilover setup. Hope this helps.

What’s the intended application for the car and what’s the rest of your setup? Is your priority on aesthetics or performance?

Sounds like an insane build! Subscribed and following!! Good luck with it.

@danc430, that's a really good find on your part -- thanks for sharing!! I agree with your assessment on the pricing; but that's hard to measure since the stock ZX calipers seem to be NLA. (I looked for a couple of months when I was considering using the ZX calipers with vented front rotors on my 260Z; and had zero luck finding those OEM 280ZX calipers.) If you do decide to purchase this kit, please post your impressions once it's installed...I'm sure a lot of folks would be interested to hear how well it works. As a bonus, for anyone wanting to upgrade their stock S30 front disc brakes to vented (a la the "Terry Oxendale upgrade"), this kit would seem to include everything needed except the rotors, which are readily available from anyone (I found the best pricing on RockAuto last year, FWIW).

Hey @fusion, sorry for the late reply; but no, did not use any kind of sealant.

Good call, Aydin...strengthening the end link attachment points. Also, with your adjustable LCAs, keep in mind that whenever you lengthen them (for increased track width, additional negative camber, etc), you are also reducing the effective spring rate of the suspension...both the coil over springs and the sway bar springing. Changing one element of the system can affect so many other components. Can’t wait to see your car up and running!

Another way to incorporate adjustability into the system is via the end link mounting brackets (that are bolted to the LCAs). You can fabricate brackets with multiple holes, to allow for multiple mounting points for the end links. Or you can make a bracket with a single mounting point that is “off-center” (I.e. slightly inboard or outboard of the carriage bolt used to mount the bracket on the LCA) — for adjustability, flip the mounting bracket 180 degrees to position the end link mounting holes to the “more inboard” or “more outboard” position for stiffer or softer effective sway bar springing. Hope I’ve explained that in an understandable fashion. The more options you have for adjustability and fine-tuning will be especially helpful when you’re at the track, with limited time and facilities. I’ve looked at the cockpit-adjustable and blade-style sway bar systems with envy, but have yet to engineer a sufficiently durable and cost-effective solution. One of the many items on an infinitely-long “to do” list. 😆

Not my car; don't know anything about it...but seems like it could be a great start for anyone wanting a project 240. https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/467641471636318/?media_id=1&ref=share_attachment

Seems like FB has become the de facto biggest digital marketplace. There's a "Swapped S30 Owners' Group" page that would likely give your car the visibility that you're looking for: https://www.facebook.com/groups/v8zcars/?multi_permalinks=2059432294232504&notif_id=1644429827873795&notif_t=group_highlights&ref=notif

I belong to several Subaru forums, and have bookmarked several good discussions on the topic over the years. Here's a couple for anyone wanting to salvage an LSD diff: https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2597453 https://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 Last time I checked, John Williams was offering the best price on adapter side axles, if retaining the stock half-shafts. Futofab also offers them, but the sources are drying up. Sadly, Fritz is no longer producing the integrated CV axles that @Derek and @AydinZ71 refer to (DatsunRestoMods)....I'm guessing he didn't sell enough to make it worthwhile. (Just recently saw that T3 is marketing CV axles that appear very similar to the DatsunRestoMod units: https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/260z/long-nose-r180r200-cv-axles-240260280z) FWIW, I've been running a 3.54 Torsen with John W's adapter side axles in my last two cars for several years issue-free. Modest power with decent torque numbers and very sticky rubber in a variety of road course and auto-x applications. Hope this info helps for anyone considering the swap.

I installed a new windshield two winters ago using the Vintage Rubber "Cal Style" gasket. Maybe I got lucky; but had no problems during the install and no leaks since. Used the common "rope" technique to install -- me on the inside of the car and a friend applying gentle pressure to the glass on the outside of the car. Warmed the gasket up in hot water before installing it to soften up the rubber. I will definitely use Vintage Rubber again in the future whenever I get around to replacing the gasket in the rear hatch glass. Hope this helps.

Wow, looks like they did a nice job, Aydin! Have to admit; I was a bit leery on whether you were going to be able to bend those stout pieces, but it's always nice to find that one shop that has the ability (and willingness) to perform that specialized work for you. Well done.

You mean like these? https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=ADVAN+A052

Yes, it would be useful to know what differential you had that failed. Would also be useful to know what your budget is for the upgrade. What's the rest of your setup (e.g. transmission, wheel/tire combo, etc)? And would also be useful to know what's the application going to be (i.e. intended usage)? You will also find that the outer stub axles are prone to breakage under continued hard use (oftentimes even before the differential itself fails), so include that consideration in your upgrade planning as well.

Howdy Adam, and welcome to HBZ! Nice find there....good luck with your planned projects for it. ClassicZCar.com is another good resource, as suggested by @Mayolives. Also some good reading and tech tips here: https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/ If you don't have a Factory Service Manual yet, you can download for free at: http://www.xenonzcar.com/s30/fsm.html WRT the driver's door....I would first try removing the small finishing piece on the interior handle (should be a a pop-off/on plastic piece, followed by a metal trim piece held in place by a single phillips-head screw.) Once removed, you should be able to manipulate the long arm attached to the door latch and get the door open. If that doesn't work, you should probably remove the entire interior door card, which will give you complete access to all the inner mechanisms for the window and door latch/lock. There's not as many vendors left that provide OEM-style parts as there used to be, but still a few good ones left. Check out these places for those hard-to-find piece-parts. MSA, "http://www.zcarparts.com/". Z Car Source, https://zcarsource.com/ Z Car Depot, https://zcardepot.com/

Nice work, Aydin...impressive as always. This is one of the reasons that I’ve shied away from composite body panels.