tube80z

On my C&R (Jeirco knockoff) I have a two-piece shifter similar to the original Datsun version or a T-5 shifter where only the handle needs to be removed. The C&R has all the linkage on top, so you have more side clearance, but it is exactly the same three-rod shift fork linkage as the Jerico. Bummer the clutch plate is still catching on the flywheel bolts.

I think the only downside, other than size, is the 180 pounds these weigh, from my research. DCGs are very heavy and have a deep oil pan that limits ground clearance. For a high HP car where the weight isn't a problem, I think that they could be a good solution. The MaxxECU is a nice bit of kit. I got to see one being put on a friend's car and it had tons of IO for the cost.

I'd suggest a flat metal bracket that bolts (rivnuts) to the inner fender and goes over the top of the battery and has a small jog bend to capture the side and then bolts to the upper angle of the drysump tank bracket. And maybe some aluminum angle riveted to the bottom to keep the battery from shifting.

On a friend's race car he has two things that help to speed up the removal of the transmission. A dry break on the clutch line and the second is the over the top of the bellhousing exhaust. Having the exhaust out of the way when the car is still warm helps a lot if you need to remove the transmission for gear changes.

Cool stuff Clark! I dig the ARB. Cary

The car I had planned to do this on was going to run very low, so all the suspension pick-up points were raised 2+ inches. The upper mount was a plate that bolted into the upper strut mount and used an 8-inch-long jack bolt with a clevis for the top of the shock to bolt to. The tube holding the jack bolt would have a sheet metal bracket supporting the end of the threaded section, or I'd extend the cage tubes directly into this to make the mount stiffer. That was work still left to do. I have some Penske 7350 Base valve shocks (eBay specials) that I planned to revalve. These have 7 inches of travel, but I didn't plan to use all that, and are very long. This has now been on the back burner while I try and deal with some back health issues. I also have a street car that I want to finish and I have been looking at doing a-arms but using a bolt-in solution to not destroy any value the car may have. So I have been thinking about this more lately, which is why your post has piqued my interest.

I'd probably start in the 400 to 450 range given the tires then. The struts were stock-style reinforced 280Z bodies. Spring rates were for springs but if I remember correctly MR should be 0.97 or close. I can't find my notebook at the moment. It's all detailed in buried threads on this site. There's a lot of it in the shock/unsprung weight FAQ I think 5 inches should easily be enough for a track car. By burm do you mean a banked corner? I know a few people on this site run their cars at tracks with high oval-style corners, and perhaps they can chime in on what they see for travel. My wife has a '65 Mustang. That's a sweet kit from the look of it. My mock was very similar, except it used a Joe's style front 2-piece a-arm. So you only needed to have two holes for the A-arm to poke through. I was doing the upper mount similar to what Griggs uses on their Fox body conversion. It comes down from the stock Datsun upper strut mount.

Hi Carlton, A lot of this has been hashed out over the years. There are some helpful stickies available in the FAQs for selecting damper and spring rates that you may want to refer to. Before you get too far into recommendations about springs, etc., would you tell us what you intend to use this car for (track only, dual purpose, autox, street, etc.) as this will help give you better recommendations. It would also be helpful to know what you intend to use for tires, as this is one of the most important factors to know. Low-profile radials will require softer springs than a higher sidewall racing tire (such as a slick, R-compound, or HP 200 TW). The more grip the tires can generate, the higher the spring rate needed to be able to deal with the forces that take up suspension travel. I'd agree with Mike Maier's criticisms of the Apex upper A-arm on the front suspension. It is going to always limit the amount of available suspension travel that can be used. With regards to how much travel you need, that will depend a lot on tires and the use of the car. On my autoX/hillclimb 240 that weighed 1850 or 2050, depending on class, I ran Hoosier bias-ply racing slicks and some of their radial slicks. The spring rates I typically used were 400 to 600 lbs/in on the front and 400 to 550 lbs/in on the rear. This car was droop limited, and front suspension travel on the roughest hill was typically less than 2.75 inches in the front and 3.5 inches in the rear. I experimented with softer and stiffer rates but found this range worked best. A friend's street legal dual-purpose car running on 200 TW or R comp low-profile tires weighed 2400+ (LS and T-56). This car was happier with 375 on 450 spring rates. It was also droop limited and I found out how horrible this made the car ride on normal street drives. So if you go down this path I'd recommend a quick disconnect when not needing the limited travel. My personal feelings on the Apex upper a-arm are that it should be about 7 inches long to get adequate travel. On my a-arm mock ups, the only reliable way I could see doing this was to use holes or pockets on the inner fender that allowed moving the inner pickup to the center of the frame rail. Then it looks more like a '90s to 2000s Mustang strut to a-arm conversion. The parts to do this are that bad if you use circle track components, and you can source used parts from eBay for trying out different ideas. This requires you to have access to fab equipment, so if you don't, this isn't a road to go down. Cary

If you're using the stock rack you need the 113 u-joint listed above. You can then mix and match to any custom (weld-in, double-D, etc.) linkage between the rack and the steering coupler.

That is a lot of work. Cool to see this come together and can't wait to see it run on the track.

For a street car I think the rails make sense. For a race car that has a cage perhaps not. For a similar amount of weight you can triangulate the cage with tubing on top of the floor that extends to the suspension pickup points.

You can find cheap options on eBay by searching for "used IMCA lower control arm." These straight arms can take various balljoint combos and use a rod-end mounting or a bushing. That will get you options like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/156253492635?_skw=used+imca+front+lower+contrl+arm&itmmeta=01JFH1PRRQS4VARS84HE8VBR09&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAABAHoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmlnKptmEq49QXHuYUVK0t%2FVqtBOgHRzDCm%2BhuINAAj7rXduUHGplWvDm0w32o9rUYodX6FM68bik%2FtkVdR1OEgMQ4I6PEadB120ZYc9zeSyv94OLc3GuJyjb6aYDdKVZxcAMN9rjS5T4ibk%2FjJBDnCv3n%2FZTMwwRG4otjIm1OadN3F8Hka5QshaeMFiCF5qnoASz4Twy1WWKQTodhNhuPEYc28a4ZzlZ8AqqHhHRyyLV34MiKRX9jF82K8A48bmtIK3tFolRCJaAaOOv6BNOSwfDE8qOE5oa9QaEviKS4QtPVw4DgxBXjo4Dm4bOU3SGk%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7aM26H8ZA. Two types of TC links are used. One has a stud and uses a solid rod end for connection. The other uses a clevis that connects the TC link. For research, you can get a few used examples off eBay for $20 to $30 or get the manufacturer's catalog for options. Sorry for the hijack. Cary

Check Amazon. They have shipped by Amazon for the plastic piece of $115 and free shipping. I know you'll need the rest but this may help. https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-89018187-Original-Equipment-Manifold/dp/B00S0A2JHY/ref=sr_1_13?crid=AOD5M4YFK7S2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IrazLZcks-CeAYxm7Nnw9H2LntY3DpM73oIQRsYT5Q4kI1yKjso87_ovlL4gKf7IZwTBIOQwjcjoCZ-wm6uIlepFewMz9Ayqdldqr6r87dC5Ehy4pmoQSIDcWD7pFUPZlXwOMxtO4QzB-smVvXAPewzAbfdukibkpMTnaMkrNUtvILiaJONc57aR6maJaoARvNG1cv-nVY5gaN78BHLNFCheIc7_v1jAALZ5NVwAAZU.S7qhbRJHRfu8O6PFfX2faRbbpk6JiNPx6YMpDGWCdPE&dib_tag=se&keywords=chevy+ls1+manifold&qid=1727123364&sprefix=chevy+ls1+manifold%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-13 You can also get the Blazer SS too. Good luck. Cary

When I need inspiration I check out your thread. Cary

Truth