j260z

Ivan, i don't think not having bump stops is your problem but you should still have them. you say that even going over the smallest bump will produce the metal on metal sound? and you have coilovers? what shocks do you have? i think your problem is you missed, or didn't think you needed, putting something back on when you assembled your struts after installing your coilovers. if you have the same upper spring perch as the one in this picture then... you need to have at least 2 if not 3 washers under the strut bearing (for the fronts and rubber bushing for the rears). if you do not have enough washers you will not notice anything wrong when assembling the strut but what happens is, the strut isolator ends up resting on the upper spring perch instead of the bearing and washers allowing them to bounce around inside the isolator. this makes the bearing useless and gives you those noises that you can't pinpoint. does this make sense? also check out this thread http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=1710

if you do try to remove your transverse links yourself then check out this thread http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21175&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 good luck.

anything can be done... check out these links: here's one for useing 300zx stub axles http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23208&highlight= it is quite in depth and something i wouldn't try unless you are very mechanically inclined or have lots of money. here's one for installing the 300zx turbo cv axles http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20393&highlight= there is no chance of useing these without adapters here's the link for the cv adapters and 5 bolt rear conversion http://www.modern-motorsports.com here's a link to using 5 bolt front hubs http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21046&highlight= good luck.

you have to keep rotating the wheel until you can find the one spot where you can get a wrench on both ends. once you get that one you start the process over again. why are you removing the stub axles? do they have any play in them? if not i would leave them alone. they are a PITA unless you have the right tools and you will have to buy new nuts for them because you destroy the origionals getting them off. if you are doing ross's 240sx rear brake conversion you don't need to remove the axles anyway. http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Boulevard/6117/zbrakeupgrade.html good luck

you have to take into account that for $345 you're getting new rotors, pads, hub spacers, stainless brake lines and new mounting hardware. if you're on a budget you can always order the package without rotors and pads and save yourself $170 off the package. here's the link http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_35&products_id=48

prepare to be eaten away at... that kit contains everything you would need to install the later model toyota 4x4 brakes with the 300zx vented rotors. the kit does not include the calipers.

i have heard of a master cylinder bench bleeding kit but i'm not sure where you would get one. you could try your local auto parts store. the basic idea is that you disconnect the brake lines from the master and hook up another set of lines which feed back into their respective reservoirs so you have a closed loop. then you keep the brake fluid topped up while pumping the brakes. any air that is in the master should be pumped back out into the reservoir and replaced by fluid. once the air is gone you can remove the lines, reinstall the master cylinder and reconnect the brake lines. now you can bleed the rest of the system knowing that you aren't just pushing fluid past an air bubble in your master.

check this out http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=55

you hit the nail on the head. you have to remove the gas tank in order to get the shock absorber/ bumper brackets off... at least on the passenger side anyway.

i know that the z31 calipers look the same as the 240sx caliper but i believe they differ in the bracket for the emergency brake. the reason the 240sx calipers work so well is that they allow for a clean install of the e-brake.

that is going to look awesome!!! i've owned two dodge rams in the last 6 years and both of them were the intense blue. i have been throwing around the idea of using that color for about a year now. i will be very interested in seeing the whole thing!!!!

sound's like you may need some wheel spacers? awesome looking wheels though. just remember that it's not how you feel but how you look! and you look marvelous!

i got ross to get me a set of 8" threaded sleeves and ground the spring perches flush. i then welded the new perches on about 2" lower than the old ones.

looks good! it's nice to see guys refurbishing a good set of wheels. it doesn't cost nearly as much as new rims and with a little work they look great.

here's another thought. is the smell an exhaust smell or more of a gas smell. the reason i ask is, if it is the latter, you could have a crack in the rubber filler tube from the gas cap to the tank or one of the vent tubes. those pieces are probably 31 years old and they have been known to crack.

have been thinking about your problem for a while now and have a few questions. i now recall that you have sectioned your struts. do you know what inserts you had to order? the problem you are running into may have to do with the fact that the front struts are not from a z car and as a result the thread lengths and such are not the same as the stock z illumina. if that is the case then you may have to resort to trimming the isolators and going with less washers to get the desired amount of thread for the nut to engage on. does this make sense? and is your camera still working? if not then i'll have to find some pictures to explain.

you should have more room than that. the 3 washers shouldn't have anything to do with your clearance problems. if you take off the strut bearing and the 3 washers and just put the isolator on, how far down the threaded part of the strut insert does it go? on mine i have 5/8" of thread showing.

haynes manual says: clearance (hot): intake....................0.010 in (0.25 mm) exhaust................0.012 in (0.30 mm) clearance (cold): intake....................0.008 in (0.20 mm) exhaust................0.010 in (0.25 mm)

one of the reasons the coefficient of drag is so bad on the early z is because of the design of the rear of the car. it allows the air to swirl around the back of the car and more than one person has noticed the exhaust smell. other than trying to lengthen the exhaust tip, the other option would be to install a fin on the car to help clean up the air flow out the back and add some downforce at the same time.

your best bet for a remote system that would open both doors and the rear hatch would have to be a standard car alarm system from a reputable company like alpine or viper. a friend of mine works as a car audio installer and does that type of stuff all the time. any decent alarm system has the capabilities of locking and unlocking the doors and trunk, disabling the starter and rollling the windows up and down (provided the car has power windows). i would think the hardest part would be fabricating the mounts for the actuators. as for the parts, like solenoids and relays, i would think that any installer worth his salt would be able to find them in his sleep.

resistance is futile deadushki! 3 out of the 4 people who have responded to your thread have the RB26DETT engine in their z cars. there may be 3 or 4 more people who know as much about this swap in this car as they do but i would be willing to bet that if they say it is impractical it is. just my .02.

do you know how much dust boots weigh???? not to mention the fact that they change the rebound and dampening characteristics of the shock itself!!!

the other reason being that when you go to adjust the spring height, by turning the adjustable lower spring perch, you don't want the threaded aluminum sleeve to rotate.

i almost forgot. before you put the threaded aluminum sleeve onto the strut you should run a bead of silicone around the strut on the new spring perch you welded on. after you have applied the bead, put the sleeve on and press it into the silicone. you can then continue to build up the struts. the reason for this is that when the silicone sets up it will prevent the sleeve from rotating around the strut. sorry, i didn't think about that last night. if you have already assembled the struts, not to worry. you should still have enough slack that you can lift up the threaded sleeve and put the silicone in without disassembly. what i would then do is thread up the adjustable lower perch (gold piece) until the spring presses the upper spring retainer into the black washers. make sure the spring is in there snug so that the threaded sleeve is tight against the lower perch you welded in and leave them like that until the silicone has set up.

just follow what it looks like in this picture. the washers should stop just under the threaded section with the bearing sitting on top of them. the washers will not go further down the shock shaft than they do in the picture. the washer will end up acting as a stop for the upper spring retainer (your silver thing) when the weight of the car is on it. the strut bearing has a larger hole than the strut shaft but the bearing will be centered and held in that position by the isolator when that is put on. the order in which you put the parts on should be: 1: insert shock insert into strut assembly. 2: install threaded aluminum sleave. (red piece) 3: install and tighten gland nut. 4: install bump stop. 5: install adjustable lower perch. (gold piece) 6: install spring. (blue spiral thing) 7: install upper spring retainer. (silver piece) 8: install black washers. (2 if you cut off the rubber lip of the isolator. 3 if you leave the isolator stock) 9: install the strut bearing. (bearings on the front struts, rubber bushings on the rears) 10: install the strut isolator over the strut bearing. 11: install and tighten the nut that secures the shock insert to the strut isolator. (you'll have to secure the shock shaft like Dan Juday mentioned in order to get the nut tight enough) 12: repeat for other three strut assemblies.