JMortensen

Positraction is GM's name for limited slip. Your car should have an open diff, no limited slip. It spins both tires sometimes because it's not a live axle. You should expect about the same after the swap. Tons of options for LSDs. Search and you will find many informative posts on the subject.

In the mid 80s the Subaru XT Turbo had a R160 with a clutch LSD and 3.90 gears. These are pretty popular with the 510 crowd because they're a direct bolt in. I think they also bolt into a Z, but there doesn't seem to be too many people trying to get one installed. I've heard a few autoxers say that they're using them over the years but that's about it. The WRX (maybe only the STi, dunno) came with an R180 and it has an LSD. I have no idea what kind of LSD or if it would work on a Datsun. Lots of other Subarus like the Outback Wagons from 2000 on have R160 LSDs, I think they're viscous and again no idea how hard it would be to convert one for use in a Z. Check with the 510 sites. They're probably more in the know on this stuff.

I always wondered how those racks work. Can you get extensions or something to make the inner tie rod line up with the control arm pivot, or do you just run a super long tie rod? And if you ran a super long tie rod, wouldn't that mess with the bump steer quite a bit? I do like the idea of going to all standard circle track components. Probably can get a bunch of different steering ratios, and I'm guessing that they're relatively inexpensive. Not sure I want to get into completely fabbing a new crossmember at this moment in time, but it's an interesting idea anyway.

I don't honestly know the answer to that one. One idea would be to use the same rule of thumb that I was taught for rod ends. You want 1.5x the diameter threaded on. So in the case of a 12mm lug stud, you would want 18mm or about 3/4" of threads to engage the lug nut. If you put longer studs in you could cut them down to the right length if they bottomed inside the lug nut before they got tight.

Yeah finding a threaded 5/8" tube is easy, the problem is threading it onto the 14 x 1.5mm rack. I think at this point I might try Cary's suggestion. I checked into the 14 x 1.5 LH tap and it seems fairly impossible to come by. Even if I found the tap I've tapped enough tubes to know that I can't get the hole straight, so I'd probably want a machinist to do that for me as well, and Cary convinced me via email that modifying the swedged tie rods isn't that hard a procedure. I took a look at my crossmember, and the thing that sticks out first and foremost is that if you move the rack more than about 1" back you start running into interference issues with the LCA bolt. They're already pretty close unfortunately. Plus it doesn't look terribly easy to do anyway you go about it. Looks like you can move the rack back about and inch or so, then bend the knuckles about 3/8" out, and then... ??? I'm even starting to wonder about lengthening the steer knuckles. Just not too many other options. Maybe the other option of running a buttload of toe out is better at that point. I'm not giving up yet but it doesn't look like it's going to be easy...

He's also a NIHILIST. He doesn't care about ANYTHING.

Did you ever see "This is Spinal Tap"?

I'd put longer studs in if you don't have enough to stick all the way through an open lug nut. 6 threads isn't enough.

They're not that expensive. The Nissan Comp one is the cheapest I think. It also isn't infinitely adjustable. It has 8 holes and each one is 1 degree different. Gets you close though. http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CP&Category_Code=s30_nismo_adjustablecam The Arizona Z Car slotted type, for only ~$20 more. I've heard tell from various racers that you need to keep on top of the bolts and make sure they don't loosen up, but it is the more precise way to adjust it: http://www.arizonazcar.com/sprock.html

You can't vent the hood at the back. Well you can but what you'll get is air coming in the vent, not going out the vent. The air that goes over the hood is low pressure air, good to vent to. Once the air hits the windshield it packs up and becomes high pressure. Whereever you put a vent in this area, the air will go INTO it, and not come out of it. This is why there is a fresh air vent in the cowl on most cars and we have cowl INduction hoods, not cowl EXduction hoods. What you'd probably accomplish with this is to slow the air coming through the radiator at speed. Either the pressure of the air entering the radiator or the pressure at the cowl would be greater, and whichever turned out to be the winner would force air in their direction. So if at speed the pressure at the radiator was greater and you had sealed the area between the core support and the air dam then the air might still flow in the right direction, although slower than if the "vent" in the back weren't there. If the pressure at the cowl was greater, then it would force air backwards through the radiator. This is assuming a perfect seal around the engine, which realistically wouldn't happen. If you want to vent the engine compartment, do it in the middle of the hood towards the rear, like where Nissan put the vents on the 280 hood. You could use the same deflector idea and shove the air up and out of the middle of the hood. Better yet is Terry's tunnel for radiator air to go through and out the top of the hood, but that's also pretty extreme from a fabrication standpoint. Goodoldjam's idea is interesting, but I don't think you'd want to vent where his diagram shows because that's basically right in front of the front wheels. Maybe further back and out a fender vent with a lip in front of it to create a little suction at speed. Still out the hood is best because it would give you more downforce.

KAAZ carriers are a big step up from the Nissan LSDs. They have more, bigger clutches in them and you can get a 1.5 way or a 2 way LSD, where the Nissan only comes in 2 way. The KAAZ runs something like $850, and IMO is a better LSD than the Quaife. I'm just not a fan of Quaifes or TBR diffs at all, and yes, I realize that I am in the minority on this one. If you care to learn why you can read this old post: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=93879 You're right though, the Quaifes do have a lifetime warranty, even if you race.

Rear camber is important and you want less neg camber in the rear IME by about a degree. The problem is that just lowering a Z gives you a BUNCH of neg camber in the rear and not much at all in the front. You'll probably need to run the rear camber plates quite a bit up from the max setting, and the fronts at the max setting. I ran into the same problem and had to go with custom control arms to get the camber I wanted. More caster will help a lot in the front end. You can also make two marks on the one of the tie rods, one at 1/8" toe in (street) and one at 1/8 or 1/4" toe out (race). Then you just adjust it at the autox. Just do it on one side and that way you don't have to screw around as much. Just takes a minute to do, and it helps.

Can't say I'm terribly familiar with what you're doing, but the brake master shield doesn't move with the engine, so if the engine rocks it's going to pull on the rod.

Might be those filters. They look really restrictive. Or could be a timing issue. I don't know what the timing curve is like on the Mallory distributor, but if you can get the timing at idle to somewhere in the 18-20 degree BTDC at idle neighborhood with a total advance of about 15-18 degrees or so all in by about 2500 that's just about ideal. With a light flywheel and triples it should respond better than that.

That's just one more really cool thing about your car man! Very nice!

Tires are HUGE. Problem is if you get the tires and are still running a stock seat good luck holding on... A seat also makes a HUGE difference. I'd suggest that as your next upgrade from the list you provided. The first time I put DOTs on my car I had a friend driving it and there was a long right hander into a slalom that was the fastest corner on that course. He came back in laughing and told me he had fallen out of the seat and had gone all the way around that turn slammed up against the door, and that was despite the 4 point harness. You can get a racing seat fairly cheap. I got my Ultra-Shield for $225. I've got some pics here: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=103817 The padding is supportive enough that I honestly think it would be OK for a daily driver, and the side bolsters aren't so huge that you need a removable steering wheel to get in and out of the car.

Sorry, monoball not rod end.

Ooh, yeah, well you aren't going to be able to put the front studs in with a knurl diameter that is that far off. It should be easy to see if you have the right ones with zcarnut's post.

My understanding of these things isn't perfect, but I think the idea is that the center sleeve has a rod end in it, and you can move the rod end inside the sleeve towards one side or the other. The side you move the rod end towards gets more pressure.

How about turning the threads? Is that a realistic option? That swedged tubing solution sounds a little messy.

If the parts store listed the same part number, then I suppose so. The question is are they long enough? If so, then go ahead and install them.

Looks like a custom balance bar to me. What exactly do you mean by the rears actuate first? It might be that the appearance of the balance bar is throwing you off. When adjusted one way or the other it might look like it isn't straight. This page has a pretty detailed explanation: http://www.essexparts.com/CatalogPDF/Essex_53~BrPedalBalBar.pdf

Coat a washer in anti-seize and put it over the stud, then put a lug nut on and tigten it down until the stud bottoms. Repeat 15 more times. Done.

OK, I suppose that works too, I just don't have a lathe so its easier to drill it to 5/8". I have a friend with a 510 who is using the 5/8" stuff and it works for him, but he drilled it undersize then honed it out to an exact fit on the bolt. I don't have the hones either, so I'd prefer to just drill it and stick a bolt in the hole, I guess what I'm worried about is a little looseness in the hole, and I'm thinking that this is where the tapered pin would have an advantage.