JMortensen

I don't think you need to drill, just tap. I stuffed some paper towels into the oil galley, then tapped, then vacuumed out most of the loose metal, then pulled the paper towel out. On the front there is the oil hole for the timing chain tensioner that is just inside the front of the block. You might want to pay special attention to make sure that that hole doesn't get clogged.

Thanks for noticing! Been an admin for about a week and a half I think. I supose I could have made a big announcement, but I didn't think it was necessary. We have another new admin too. COZY Z COLE is the newest member of the club.

No, those are made to fit a V8 with a totally different bolt pattern and flywheel. Mario, if your 280Z has a gear reduction starter I think that at some point the stock starter died and somebody replaced it with the gear reduction unit. IIRC all 280ZX's came with the gear reduction units. They're lighter and from what I understand more prone to failure than the normal ones.

Yeah, I don't think that Subaru used an R180 at all until the WRX. Some say the R160 is strong enough. Search and you'll find some threads on that issue. Definitely lighter! Easy swap? Depends. The diff would bolt in, but you'd really have to know if the side gears in the diff had the same spline count as the stub shafts from a Datsun R160. If they were the same then you could just get some 510 side stubs, and use regular old Datsun halfshafts. The question is really whether or not the spline count is the same. On the R200 the VLSD spline count is different, which poses a problem. If they were different, I think the CVs that come with the diff would probably be too long and would require an adapter for the companion flange that isn't currently available. So you could have a new shaft made and an adapter made if that's necessary, but it sounds like a PITA to me. All of this is speculation, you should try some 510 sites. If there is a way to install the newer Subaru VLSD I'd bet that they've already figured it out. They've been using the older clutch LSD for decades.

That sounds good. A dyno would tell us more, but at least we know its advertised to be capable of handling some serious spring rates.

Go back and check every connection in the braking system.

You might still try raising the back of the seat before cutting the whole thing out and starting over.

Datsun truck uses 1" I think. I believe Dan Baldwin is runing one. Might search or PM him for more info.

We still don't have a shock dyno graph for these I guess. It'd be nice to know what kind of spring rates they're good for.

With smog being an issue I'd suggest a fully legal V8 swap. You can swap in an L28ET and get the whopping 180hp that it provided stock, but when you start upgrading the turbo and intercooler and all that you'll need more fuel, as soon as you start adding more fuel you've crossed the smog line. You basically need a stock engine that makes the hp you want with all of it's smog crap intact. Sounds like maybe an LS1 swap to me.

Search for username rc's240z. He's got a fairly accurate BRE replica. There has been some discussion about the GT2 L24 engines (CP which they raced back in the day turned into GT2). I guess 9000 rpm and 350 bhp and a lifespan measured in hours is what to expect there. You might also see if you can find a copy of "How to Hotrod Your Datsun". That's not the complete title, but I'm sure you'd find it with that. It had a lot of 510 info, but had a section on the Bob Sharp and BRE cars too IIRC.

Didn't mean to be harsh. I just don't like adjusting camber from the bottom, especially when you have to fix it when one side is 2 degrees off from the other side. I'd rather set the track width with the rod ends and set the camber with the plates on top. Yes, it means that you have to buy both. But it does allow you to keep your track widths consistent and inline front to back.

If memory serves I bought my 135 for $607 and that included a helmet and pair of gloves and shipping. Maybe you can use that to judge by.

Maybe we've finally browbeaten people enough that they search before asking the same old questions. (yeah right) I've seen some really really really good info come through in the last couple weeks. Quality over quantity for me...

Tim, they usually have the size cast right into the side of the master. The 1.38" pistons in your case is a pretty significant difference and that alone might explain why you're OK with the smaller master.

There was another thread that talked about carts. I bitched that my Miller cart was too large for my 135. Apparently the 175 is the same size as the 135 so don't get the Miller cart. Surprisingly the HF generic welder cart was supposed to fit perfect, plus it tilts the welder up so that you can see the knobs without having to bend down. I guess I'd rather spend my time welding something on the car than welding a cart together, plus casters are freakin expensive if you're just buying them at an industrial supply house. You'd probably have almost the same amount of money in materials to just buy the damn thing from HF. The cart would make a nice first project though. 135 is big enough for just about anything on a Z including roll cage, brackets, exhaust, etc. If you need to weld a trailer or something that is 1/4" thick then 175 is a necessity IMO. If I had the choice I would have gone with the 175, but I am renting and the garage doesn't have 220, and I wasn't about to have it installed.

That's what camber plates are for...

OK, primer&rust, you figured most of this out. If that's what you meant by "turning them upside down" (swapping sides) well then I'm in agreement. Having to literally take the caliper off and flip it to bleed every time isn't a very good option, that's what I thought you were saying. Pop is right on the master size issue as well. Having driven a Z with Toyota calipers in front and with the stock master and stock rear drum brakes, I can tell you the pedal travel is excessive. Having driven my own car for years with the same fronts and rear disc which displace a lot more fluid than the drums, I can say the 15/16 master was a good upgrade. With the 4 piston calipers front and rear there will be still more fluid moving, which may require another larger master. The three things I was taking issue with were the pressure/pedal/size issue, the idea that you would have to dismount the caliper and turn it upside down to bleed it, and the comparison to a Volvo, which is totally useless without knowing ALL of the specs on the pedal box, booster, and caliper piston sizes. In rereading my post did look a bit harsh though, didn't mean it that way...

Wrong, wrong, wrong. In general terms a larger master does produce less pressure, but it will have a stiffer pedal. But comparing the master cylinder from one car to another is a bad idea. There are many things going on here. The leverage ratio of the pedal assy, the amount of assist from the booster, the size of the master, and the size of the pistons or wheel cylinders in the calipers or drums. You also don't need to turn the brakes upside down, unless they were mounted upside down in the first place. The bleeder goes on top, which is where the air in the system will go as well.

Isn't the bandsaw friggin awesome?!! I had always cut metal with a sawzall or a cutoff wheel or a jigsaw. I got a little 4" HF bandsaw and that thing has really changed the way things get done on my project. No more struggling to get a straight cut or any of that. I love it, even if I do kinda get that feeling that it would cut my finger off in a split second if I ever lost respect for the thing. Might be that the fear also has to do with all of the safety guards falling off too, and the switch being about 2" from the exposed blade. I'm sure your JET is a lot higher quality than my HF.

OK guys. You've all read the rules. No political BS. Take it to another forum.

The problem with the Z seat brackets is that the front is so much higher than the back. It's pretty tough to lower the front of the seat unless you cut the whole seat bracket out. When I installed Recaros I had a similar problem and my calves would go to sleep if I drove for more than 20 minutes or so. I cut the bracket that attached to the slider and welded it in place at an angle to try and fix this problem. The other thing you might try is raising the back of the seat. If you get totally frustrated, you can try something like I did for my new Ultra-Shield seat, but that's going to be a bit more involved. Info here: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106974&page=3

There might be an adapter for the arbor. If not, then you could conceivably make one, but it would probably be cheaper and easier to just buy a metal chop saw from HF or someplace like that. You need a fairly large blade to do anything useful. An 8" blade sounds impressive, but you'd probably run out of room at about a 2.5" or 3" piece of metal.