Meph

I wish these were available 16x9 16x10

If you only want it done once, you're gonna have to think about paying for it. Id really recommend looking online classifieds for a local hobbiest painter who would do the prep and spray work for a lot less than body shop prices. Alternatively, buying a non metallic (solid colour lacquer) and a cheap spray gun and compressor (about 300 or less total) plus supplies and paint, you could do it yourself for under 400. Lacquer isnt bad paint, its not as durable, but it can be buffed glossier than anything else out there, and its 1000 times easier to work with than you might think. Also, it has none of the 2K paint chemicals that can really hurt your health. Charcoal respirator and your good to go. Personally, If I could get the colours and clear in lacquer Id do it myself. In canada lacquer paints are banned (generally, duplicolour paint shop is an option. I had my car painted metallic blue and it looked amazing, untill I melted my hood) Ive decided to use urethane this time. Ive always used urethane clears but this time its urethane base and clear. Ive also purchased a SAS supplied air resperator. Costly investment but I got it used, and after a bad reaction to urethane paints last time, I feel its well worth the money.

another thought, lacquer will fade over time but you can usually bring the shine back with oils and polishing, to like new shine. Is the paint intact everywhere on the car? That might be a cheap option.

if the lacquer hardens as it ages, and can even start to crack and spiderweb. Ive done it before, painting over, but not for a long term paint job it was more of a temporary thing. Ive also been told that if the lacquer is really dry, aka years old, you can most likly spray over it alright. If you want it done cheap, look on your local kijiji or whatnot to find someone who paints cars in their garage. You should be able to get quotes well under 1K. (most shops have to spray water based paint, garage guys can still use whatevers forsale) If its a cheap paint job, Id probably block sand the lacquer till I start breaking trough to whatever is under it get it as thin as possible them just prime it and spray, might last 5 years, might last 50 really hard to say. Another option. look at "paintforcars" you could ask someone to spray one of the solid lacquer colors onto your car, its really easy stuff to work with, and dries instantly. Not as durable, and will need to be polished after spraying but you wont have issues with lifting or incompatibility and for like, 100 bucks before labor you could have a nice shiny car.

oh I love wagons, one day Id love to get one too! any plans?

Maybe this is just in my instance, but I dont have binding issues with z31 turbo axles, but they are hard to find. if you flip the bearing races around and can even grind the end of the axle down a few mm's to help it all squeeze together

eastwood. I got base and clear shipped to canada in 4 days for 300 dollar flat

Thats my theory atleast, if you check about swapping a vlsd into a z31 there is a pretty documented write up that talks about axle options any one of them is to combine the q45 axles with the z31' so I assume its possible. BDO is a style of CV (6 steel balls with races), the other being a "tripod" style, similar to a u joint. "METHOD 5 The fifth way is to combine the Z31 Turbo half shafts (BDO type) and the 92-E94 J30 half shafts (BDO type). Once again, the diff side CV is removed from the J30 half shaft, and installed onto the diff side of the Z31 half shaft. This is the method that I chose for my hybrid half shaft assembly. My VLSD was pulled from a 93 J30. BUT I have a 87NA2T...This meant I would need Z31 Turbo half shafts and 4-bolt axle stub companion flanges to install the hybrid half shafts into my 87NA rear end. Note that it would have been much easier to use the L94-96 J30 half shafts and follow method 1. Instead, I made do with what I could get my hands on. " http://www.xenonz31.com/vlsdInstall.html So in this case, get the diff as well from the J30, and install it into the r200 long nose.

It would be a 240sx, pretty common, even here in Canada. But, this isnt the best option. Id recommend, aiming to get the q45 infinity diff. It should be LSD with the larger 30 spline input stubs. get the axles aswell and you can install the CV BDO joints onto the z31 turbo axles. This would require no welding or messing about, in theory. Swap the gear carrier into a long nose r200, and replace the ring gear with your old one. You might need to shim the 12mm holes to 10mm. I used some copper pipe from home depot that was 12mm O/D 10mm I/D. This is a helpful post http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/70534-r-200-spline-counts-and-mystery-hlsd/

I wasn't totally satisfied with the weld, so I had another go at it, built up more material.

Ok, so this is what ive come up with. I tried Infinity Stub axles but they dont fit into my vlsd carrier, they are too big. maybe it was an r230 im not sure. I then moved onto a 240sx vlsd. and pulled the stub axle/input shafts and they fit the vlsd I had already, but didnt have enough spline enguagment, and the tripod CV's do not fit onto the z31 turbo axles. So, the only real option I can say is safe, is to try and find z31 ss axles :/ or a different lsd. Now, being that Ive been waiting around for stuff to get here in the mail to finish the rear end, I decided to go agaist the advice of the entire internet. So there you have it, my custom vlsd stub axle. Its the z31 turbo with part of the 240sx stub axle welded on. I followed my method for welding cast iron. ether pre-heat or keep the temperature as low as possible. Tapered both ends and did it in many many small passes. letting the metal cool before adding more weld. Then I used a grinder to bring the weld down below the splined section so it doesn't interfere when inserting the stub axle axle. I then stuck the thing into an oven at somewhere around 500 degrees F to temper the steel and help to remove some of the internal stresses. It should not have effected the heat treating of the steel done from the factory, but reduced chances of having issues around the weld. Do I recommend this? No. If it was tig welded with the correct rod, and heat treated fully again, I think it would be fine. Mig welded and stuck in an oven, is no guarantee for success. I do however, think its a solution for now. The VLSD is weak, and doesn't lock with a high percentage of the torque compared to other options out there, and if it does break, I will not loose my axle or anything catastrophic I just wont have engagement to my VLSD section of the diff. I made sure to keep it cool and not effect the section of the stub that normally engages the diff. Ill report if I break it next year!

Thats mine, the white zips are gonna be black in the spring. I like it because it was free, but also, I think it looks cleaner that most options out there, you need to mount the bumper very close to the body to get this look. Lower section is 2 pieces of thin plywood, top is lexan stuff. Its mounted directly to the bumper, and to the hood. When I open the hood, the grill pivots with it Opinions?

I was thinkning the same thing, worst case scenario I break the weld and and get an "I told you so". The vlsd is not a very aggressive LSD and the weld would only be effected by the resistance of the VLSD cartridge and the most resistance it can generate. Just street tires, no hard launches on slicks. I'd do my best to limit the tempature to the surrounding metal to not mess with the metallic structure. Are the stub axles hardened? heated and quenched? if they are I would assume the rapid cooling of the weld would produce a similar structure if I quench it when still red hot. What I'll try first, is to get a VLSD stub axle and axle at the junk yard (hopefully) and try to combine the CV to my z31 axle, and see if it's short enough to install. If not Ill try to combine the cv's onto a pathfinder axle, and make welding a last resort till I can get my hands on the right axle.

after pulling it all apart, I've decided the easiest and cheapest option is to lengthen my passenger axle input by welding on lenth of splined donor axle. I need about 1.5 inches more spline to engage the VLSD correctly so ... cut off end of another tapered spline, but the tapers together, align and build up a nice thick weld.then grind down any of it that interferes with the the spline engagement. Ill update with pictures

Hey Guys, I wondering if anyone here has come across a way to run a standard nissan r200 VLSD in their S30? I ask because for the last 3 years Ive running one in my Z without even knowing it. All this time I thought it was open diff, but in reality the Z31 Turbo axles do not enguage far enough into the diff on the drivers side to engauge the VLSD mechanism. Now I got to thinkning, would I be able to take a 240sx stub axle, and CV joint and install them onto my drivers axle and differential output? Maybe I can use pathfinder axles that are shorter, if the above combo is too long ( as the z31 axles are a super tight fit to start. Has anyone done this before or will I be breaking new ground? Thanks guys heres some pictures of the parts Im talking about My diff and axles (not an actual picture) the q45 stub axles that will engage the VLSD unit, I cant find a 240sx stub pic but same idea then swap the matching CV onto the z31 axle Any thoughts or experience? It would be nice to get it working as is, vs buying a 1000 dollar clsd which I know is better!

replied, thanks!

I sent out emails/called about 6 local places any they either want a stupid amount of money to do it / are too busy or dont want to do such a small project. Id be happier keeping it within the community anyways if I can Also, I ordered some other custom work from a shop online and when it got here, along with a 600 dollar bill it wasnt to order, and they wouldnt return any calls or emails to me. Id feel better getting to talk with someone who actually cares about more than the money.

Hey guys, I need to find someone who can spin me a driveshaft spacer for use on my 1JZ 240Z. The cars together and running on the road for 3 years now, but one thing Id like to scrath off the to do list is getting the driveshaft length corrected. I do not need holes drilled for the bolt patter, I can use my press at home. (appx. numbers, exact specs when I find a craftsman) 1" thick 3.5" diam. Pilot bore, female side - 1.77" Depth - .7" Male pilot diam - 1.77" Pilot height - .2" Through hole (optional) 1.25" Can anyone out there help a fellow HybridZ'er out? Send me a pm or post if you can help! I will pay for your time and supplies, take you're single mom on a date, water your garden and feed the pets while you're on vacation whatever it takes!

just to complicate the situation, you dont need argon or MIG to do the welding. Flux core works fine aslong as its set up correctly. I have a 220v welder ive been runnign flux stuff in for a few years and have done stuff like motor mounts and a 12 ton press (welded joints) Make sure you have enough heat to get good penetration and a good wire speed. for metal like floor boards Id have my welder set to level 2 (of 4, 1 being weakest) so a 110 will probably need to be around 50% of your potential welding strength, maybe a little more. Keep the surfaces as clean, you'll probably find things around it will be occasionally on fire, lots of flammable things coating floor boards. I use to have a 110 and it was balls, the biggest problem I have with cheaper welders is wire feed, usually inconsistant so set the tension on the tire accordingly and use a knurled feed wheel if you have one. Have fun, wear a p95 face mask when your welding or a respirator.

Post up some pictures when its gets back from the shop. I love seeing custom work!

style 32 bmws' 17x8 +20 17x9 +26 2.45" adapters all round, rears will be getting turned down 6 mm to help with rubbing 205/40 front (205/45) soon to go on 225/45 rear

Thanks guys! The fronts are 17x8 +20 with a 2.45" adapter custom made to go from 4x114 to 5x120 Rears are 17x9 +26 with a 2.45" adapter, that was made too large, so Ill be turning it down 6mm, clear the fenders a little more, its rubs ever so slightly. Front tires 205/40/17 that will be swapped to 205/45/17 so get some more meat and the rears are 225/45/17 that will be going to 235/40/17 when I find a set. Rims are style 32 bmw

New everything, first Z with BMW rims? Before After (issue with clear coat so I repainted)

Shaving is exactly what my tires need to ride smooth I believe, but Im trying to get a set of 17x10 in the near future so Im holding off spending any more on the current setup. I adjusted the pre-load on the rack (15-18 on the diagram) and it got ride of 100% of the up down travel on the drivers side. If I grab the passenger side of the rack it still has up down play, leading me to believe there in in-fact a worn bushing hiding in there somewhere. The knocking I would hear when dry steering from the rack is now gone thanks to that preload adjust so Ive got my fingers crossed that everything will ride a little better. Ive checked for play in the tie rods and they seemed tight/new, and have re adjusted the wheel bearings. Im sure 75% or more of my problem is due to tire true-ness/ballance. Thanks for the input so far!

Check this out here, #15 in this PDF, Tube End Bushing! Thats what Im looking for, im sure its why the rack has play. Can anyone confirm these bushings actually exist? http://www.blackdragonauto.com/pdfcatalogs/pdf/ZR/0038.pdf