Savage42

You are right about that, Bill. I was reading a book on race car engineering from HPD (Honda Performance Development) and they said the difference between a true cold air intake (taking air from in front of the radiator) and the hot air under the hood was roughly 3% more power with cool air per 1000cc (1 liter), which would be roughly 17-20 HP on most LS powered Zs. That is well worth it. As for the water issue, the only way you'd really get enough water to the filter is to practically submerge the front end enough to actually get enough water through the filter, around the intake and into the cylinders to cause a real problem. Water injection isn't a bad thing and a little water does wonders in getting the carbon deposits to go away. I'm running mine up front.

This picture is not of a CLSD and the XT turbo came with a 3.70, not 3.90. That center section does look like a stock open diff. All I know is that all of the R160 & R200 LSDs I've had and opened up have a more solid case where you can see clutches, not an open carrier like this picture. Something is off!! CLSD looks like this:

I assume you got a pair of Datsun 510 stub axles? I did this swap in my 510 back in 1991 without a problem (nobody knew if it would even work), but you will need R160 stub axles, as R180 won't work. Just thought I'd throw that out there. They are different lengths, left & right.

Thanks, Bill. I've got a 2nd brace that I'm adding to a modified stock brace that keeps part of the original material across from one side to the other and not just the center section cut out. Stay tuned for pics if that version. At least we have another option for a brace.

Ok, so I got the rear setup installed with a new transverse link arrangement that allows the use of the rear mounted 240Z rear sway bar in a 280Z with R200 with finned aluminum cover. I am making up a second link like this and will post a dimensional diagram for anyone wanting to make their own. Here you go.

The US distributor of Tokico products went bankrupt and for many months you could not buy Tokico products in the US. They just finally last week started shipping to suppliers again.

I know we have been covering this in the other thread, but here is a picture I just found of my car with the MSA 280Z rear bar installed and you can see how it reduced clearance (my ability) to tuck the rear dual exhaust up like I would prefer to have it at the rear crossmember. As mentioned previously, check for clearance issues strictly on the fact that the bar will be larger in diameter in those few areas. It most likely won't be an issue since the stock bar has been fine.

Gotta love when it's that simple and easy to fix! Right on!

If you are wanting to just go with the thicker bar in the stock location (front mount), then you should be fine. The reason I went to the ST 240Z rear mount bar was to give me more clearance at the rear crossmember. I added a 2nd notch for the dual exhaust and the MSA rear 280Z rear bar ran right across part of those notches. While the 240Z bar is smaller, is doesn't need to be as think since it is shorter. It's a leverage thing. Here are pics of both away bars MSA 280Z & ST 240Z. I never ran the MSA bar, so it's going on eBay now that I've got the other setup.

No clearance issues between the sway bar and the diff cover. There is about 3/4" clearance from the flat part of the mounting section of the transverse link we still have, but the diff brace is 1" wide, so "No Go" there. If the brace was 1/2 the width, it would work. I'm currently getting the new brace solution made up. Will keep you posted.

OK, so I put the ST rear sway bar (for 240Z #51075) on my 280Z with R200 CSLD w/ finned cover. It fit without any fitment issues, but I do have to fab up a new diff brace since the sway bar runs across part of the same area. I've got 2 different ideas on how I'm going to do it and neither are that difficult. Here are some shots.

Gotcha. Did you ever go with adjustable control arms to you can play with camber front & rear? Camber & toe play a big part and then you have tire pressures to play with, as well. Did you mark your tires with white shoe polish to see how much tire roll you got? Having autocross for 12 years in the Pacific Northwest, there are many great events to do up there. My ST rear bar just showed up, so I'll get it in this weekend along with the Techno Toy Tuning rear arms to get it adjusted right. Front already has adjustable arms & T/C rods. I'll give an update on how the bar mounting works in consideration to the setup we both have for the finned cover.

There are technically 5 pieces there: 2 x drop downs (attach to bottom of car) 2 x control arm mounting caps 1 x cross brace that ties both sides together I just need the cross brace,

Need the rear suspension brace that connects at the bottom of the drop down brackets and connects at the rearward control arm mounts across the back of the diff cover. Thx!

I do have to say that my experience is dialing in the car for best handling in autocross, hillclimb and road course in a street/track car over the last 20 years and driving at 10/10ths. Most won't ever drive there cars to the limit to find where a single setting on the swaybar makes a real difference and John's comments on the other end of the spectrum is right on. Driving style, type of driving and other factors like camber settings and shocks will also have a big impact on what kind of bar is needed. I've often run a stiff front bar, but with rubber end link bushings and quite a bit of negative camber to get the handling I like from the front. Another point to bring up is that the diameter of the bar is not directly related to how it works when comparing the front mounted 280Z rear bar to the rear mounted 240Z rear bar, as length of the "arms" relative to the distance from the mounting/rotating plain will also dictate the true stiffness of the bar. Smaller is not always softer.

Would that oversteer be from an improperly balanced/setup car or from a lack of right foot control/calibration on the accelerator pedal?

I've always dialed in my cars so that I fine tune handling via the rear sway bar (via rubber or poly end link bushings or adjustable end links). With my 510, the rear sway bar on the medium setting was great for street & hill climbs, the full tight/firm setting for autocross and full soft for road course. I would also soften the front bar to get better tight turning performance on autocross courses with a hairpin or spin cone, so I need the rear bar. I don't see any fitment problems overall, just having to modify/fab a cross brace for the finned cover since the one I have won't work. I appreciate the pics. Since the rear bar was only $143 delivered, I figured that it was worth getting even if it does take a little work to get all sorted.

I went ahead and ordered just the ST rear bar for the 240Z (51075) and looks like it should fit (JohnC also thinks so). The only mod will be switching from the diff brace (to allow for the finned cover) to something more like Ross used to make for his R230 kit. Shouldn't be too difficult. I just like the rear mount setup as opposed to the MSA rear bar in the stock location. I'll be playing around with it this weekend when I install the T3 rear control arms.

Do you have a picture of it mounted in your car? Are you running an R200 or R180 diff? Looks like it wouldn't work in my car with the R200 in my car, at least with the R200 LSD with finned aluminum cover, as you need to run the mustache bar behind the drop-downs, making it not possible to mount that way. Would be nice to find a solution to run the rear mounted ST 240Z rear sway bar with this setup, but it doesn't look like it will be easy.

Our local Costco here in Sarasota, Florida adds a very high level of cleaner to their gas and it's the lowest price in town. There is definitely something to running good gas and some additives really do work. I have run XLP fuel additive (about $13 a bottle where you run a high dose the first tank and then just 1 oz per 7 gallons thereafter) in my 2000 BMW 540i 6-speed for several years. I recall getting down to about 3/4 tank on the first time I used it and could tell an improvement in power & acceleration. I have continued to use it for years and when I had pull the intake off to replace the valley pan gasket, I was amazed at how clean the valves were with 209k miles on the motor. Unfortunately, I recently ordered a few more bottles (online only) since it was being discontinued. Not sure if you can get it now. Anyway, I am a firm believer in Chevron and Techron, as we had to run a bottle of Techron in our older BMW every 6 months or so when it started to miss a little and would clear it right up. Have any of you guys seen valves with clean in a motor that has never been opened up with over 200k miles on it? The little bit of dust/dirt that fell in was vacuumed out before I put it back together.

I've been wondering how to protect my Magnacor wires and even with the 90 degree bends, there are 2 plug boots that just touch the header. (with the JTR ceramic coated headers) Frustrating that they even make them that way!! I had a friend who burnt his wires all the time with the SBC 400 in his 240Z and went with the Jacobs wires with ceramic boots and they lasted many years, track days, etc. even sitting right on the header. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/jac-4830400 I wonder if these sleeves are a viable option or not? http://www.3m.com/market/industrial/ceramics/products/spark_plug_boots.html

On a slightly different note, we have hundreds of C6 Corvette owners (and many more than that overall) who run the B3121 AGM battery in place of a stock battery, Optima, etc. This is a quick way to save 20 pounds and you definitely want to have a sealed AGM battery in your car to keep the acid from eating our prized possessions. I was at a show in Orlando a few weeks ago and there was a brand new Viper there with the B3121 in it and the owner made to sure to mention that the very battery in that car was previously run in this last gen Viper, as well. Pretty cool. Since they are not far off in price, it is another possibly upgrade to at least save weight even if it doesn't offer the electrical benefits and increase lifespan of lithium. Always good to have options.

DJWarner, thanks for passing on the info. I recently "liked" the club FB page, as I just got my Z shipped from Oregon (where it's been for 3 1/2 years since moving) to Sarasota. I am still working on a few things that need to be finished on the car before I take it out, but I may still be able to make it to the gathering. Would get great to get to know the other Z guys here in the area. I may be going to the Houston Indycar/World Challenge race next weekend and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta the middle of October, so I hope those dates don't conflict. Is my page and the page for Braille for those who really want to get a better idea of who has run the product with great success. https://www.facebook.com/BrailleBattery https://www.facebook.com/garysavage42 Oh, I forgot to mention that Peter Brock (yes, of BRE fame) is also a Braille dealer? We had his V8 Datsun 510 (Datzilla) as a Braille feature car at SEMA last year. Pretty darn cool.

I can certainly help clarify some confusion here. First, you will not find ANY lithium batteries at East Penn, as they are an American battery manufacturer (one of the largest in the world) that does lead-acid/AGM batteries. Just like Johnson Controls (who has nearly 20 major brands including Optima, Die Hard, etc. but just because they are all the same company does not mean the batteries are all the same), East Penn manufactures many batteries to different companies, some by just rebranding and others are contract manufacturered to a certain specification. I do know for a fact that the minimum power/performance levels of the batteries made under contract for Braille is much higher than the companies that will just take any battery pumped out and throw a sticker on it. Just because a manufacturer may use the same casing does NOT mean that the batteries (internal build design/quality or performance-wise) are all the same! There are many custom bike builders, race shops and even factory race teams (MazdaSpeed, most Grand-Am DP teams, circle track racers) that use the Braille stuff because the lower cost stuff just doesn't have the power to crank over their vehicle. Braille also is the only one who's batteries come with solid brass terminals and a full racing warranty. If you actually put a tester on an off-the-shelf Deka and a Braille, you will certainly see much different/higher cranking power numbers. As for the lithium batteries, every Braille lithium unit is built by hand in their Sarasota facility and then shipped globally. You will NOT find any of these units under any other brand (other than a couple OEM situations) and is the only lithium battery run by nearly every factory race team worldwide, as stated in the first post of this thread. Did you know that there are only 2 antifreeze manufacturing facilities in the country and that every brand you see on the shelf comes from one of the two? There is no doubt that there are differences (additives, cooling properties, color, etc.) and they do come in different jugs with different stickers. Some of the "green stuff" variations might be the exact same, but most do have something different. Just like different grades of gasoline....you get what you pay for. (most of the time) ;^)

It may be a lithium battery, but it's not a Braille. If it's not branded, it's probably just a cheap Chinese battery. Does it have automotive terminals or ring terminals on it? Can't tell from the pic.