JMortensen

http://www.auburngear.com/aftermarket/faq/#q3 That's bizarre. I've heard from many people over the years that if you put FORD friction modifier in it will make an LSD more aggressive. I always thought that was BS. When I worked for Randy's R&P, I was told that it was all the same stuff, GM, Ford, Chrysler, makes no difference at all. We sold Ford stuff because it was the cheapest. I believe Randys, and I KNOW that it is used to reduce chatter, but maybe it doesn't actually reduce friction, just stiction, assuming that's even possible. Anyone who has driven a clutch style posi with no additive then added the friction modifier can tell you that it makes a big difference and that it reduces chatter which to me always implied that friction was being reduced. Maybe it has some other effect in transmissions that I'm not aware of.

Take a look here: http://www.betamotorsports.com/benchracing/index.html and click on R200 handling issues. If you have an early 260 I think you'd have this problem, if you have the later body style 260 then I think you're OK. I'm one of the people who made the argument that the R200 shafts were shorter, and now I think I was wrong. I've measured every shaft I have, and come up with the same measurements John has on his website there.

Well I've had a GMC Sierra 1500 5.3 for about 7000 miles now and I love it. So far, the only complaint was a squeaky door panel. Fires right up on cold mornings, tons of power, shifts good, brakes are great, especially compared to the older front disk rear drum setup on the older trucks. I also have a 93 Toyota P/U that has been to hell and back. It was my first autocrosser and has some interesting suspension under it (I never placed out of the top third in the field). This vehicle has held up wonderfully in every respect except the engine. First problem was the timing chain. I replaced it at 60K because it was loose, then it broke the 2nd chain after about 40K more miles. My sis-in-law drove it for a while and a piece of the timing chain guide broke off and got into the oil pump and it lost oil pressure. The whole front of the motor was replaced, but now it was getting loud. Started pinging on hills and burning lots of oil, so I replaced the engine with the cheapest engine I could get. That was a bad idea. The valve seats on #3 fell out of the head, and the #3 intake valve guide was only finger tight in the head. So I replaced the head again. Now it runs OK, but still not what she once was. A lot of the problems I've had with my Toy came from trying to race the thing, and despite the engine troubles the rest of the truck has been flawless. Sadly, every one of my friends with a 3.0 4Runner has had the dreaded headgasket failure, and I understand Toyota no longer covers those under warranty. I've been told by various people that the newer 3.3 or 3.5 (can't remember which it is) also has head gasket issues, but all I can say for sure is that all of my friends and relatives have the 3.0 and every one of them has had problems.

The main thing about the caster is that you can't be binding the front control arm bushings. Stock caster in a Z is about 3 degrees. Get too far over or under 3 degrees and you'll bind the bushings, which is not good. The more caster the better from a handling perspective. I'm running 5 degrees and I had to fix my fenders because my 250/45/15 slicks rubbed FWIW. With a taller tire you can't run as much. Running a smaller tire would help, or trim the fenders. You really want to keep the control arm bushings from binding though, so if the control arm bushings are looking good then trim the fenders would be my suggestion.

Wasn't there a move a couple years ago to completely disband the FCC? What a friggin waste of money. I agree with you Mike, but I really have to wonder if that kind of legislation will get through. I'm doubting it. Certainly for those who did vote GOP this is something that a would justify a letter to your Republican Congressman reminding him that you voted for Republicans on the basis of less govt, not more morals.

Am I wrong in saying that the FCC can only make rules for broadcast entertainment? So only for CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX(?) and the radio basically was my understanding, which explains why Comedy Central can show Bigger, Longer, and Uncut in pure uncensored form. I thought the rule was that if you PAY for it then you are accepting the content... I'm more pissed about the radio than the Big 4 as you call them. I never watch the shiza on those TV channels anyway. The radio is developing its own alternative outlets with the satellite radio and all that. Let the regulated channels dwindle and die, it's not like the Big 4 are just going to sit there and go down in flames. As people move to cable for realistic entertainment, you'll see more of the entertainment shows on channels like CNBC, CABC, CCBS, etc, and then the FCC can go shove it. I HOPE the next big move is towards a TV station that you pay for that then shows NO commercials. Damn, it's getting out of control with the freakin commercials...

Is it just me or is it a little retarded to paint the block without putting an oil filter on? I'd get all that paint out of the oil filter area before you run it.

My '80 parts car with T-tops came with a 3.90.

About the only autox damage I've seen is a nasty cone hickey...

Well the rear Comp LSD for a R180 fits in a front 180 out of a truck, because the 180 in the front of a truck is the same diff, just mounted backwards in the truck. Even if the R200 in the truck is a short nose, I'm sure just like the 240SX short nose stuff crosses over (except VLSD, right?). Maybe get a part number from the CalMini guys and cross reference with Nissan. If it's a Nissan part should have a Nissan part number, right?

I remember Safety-Kleen from my wrenching days. Wonder if that's the same outfit. They'd come by in their yellow and black truck every 6 months and change the filter and the solvent. That's kind of why I was asking. I was wondering if I could get away with NOT doing that.

Dumb question then. What do you do when it gets dirty? Clean the filter and dump the solvent? Doesn't seem like a good idea, since the solvent is enviro friendly, but the grease, oil, etc isn't. If you do use kerosene or diesel can you recycle it at a used oil facility? It is a petroleum product...

Anyone have a solvent tank at home? What solvent do you use? Recycling? I realize I could use diesel fuel or kerosene, but I think I'd prefer to use something green if possible. Looking at the 20 and 40 gallon Harbor Freight units, just got too damn many greasy parts around the garage...

That shouldn't be an issue with CV's like it would be with U joints. You should see the Porsche CV's in the back of a 911. The transaxle output shafts have got to be at least 3" forward of the stub axles, and they don't go bad very often. TimZ, I love that cradle idea. I know Terry and I have discussed the rear suspension before and we both thought that someone in Japan was smoking crack when they decided to hang the rear on those 2 uprights. Your setup would provide a lot more support for the transverse link. Very nice. If you added a piece of angle between the uprights on the top you might get even more stiffness out of it at very minimal cost. It would keep those uprights from trying to lean over in turns. I've heard of a couple ITS cars tearing the uprights out of the frame at the top where they bolt up.

$2500 to paint with no interior in the car and the engine compartment already painted black. All he had to do was the bodywork, pull the windows, and spray it. Took 2 months and looks like utter crap now, ~5 years later. He didn't strip it down like he said he would, rust poking through, etc. "Good" body shops gave me estimates of $7 or $8K. After getting really into the unibody I understand why a good paint job is so expensive. Lots of work to actually get all the rust out. Lots. Bottom line for me is I'll never get an old car painted at a shop again. I might have them spray the paint on for me, but if you want all the rust out, you've got two options. Option A involves a good body shop, some vaseline and a donut pillow, Option B involves buying some tools and spending a lot of time in the garage.

Just for kicks I tried to search and didn't come up with anything, so here's a short answer. I don't know about the R200 in the front of the trucks, but the earlier trucks (mid 80's) have R180's in them and they have really low ratios like 4.11 and 4.36. None are LSD AFAIK.

Friction modifier doesn't increase friction. It keeps clutches from chattering in a limited slip, so I would actually guess it reduces friction. Use regular gear oil with any LSD additive (friction modifier) or you can get some really expensive gear oil. Best stuff I've used is SWEPCO 201, doesn't require additive, and I use it straight in the diff and cut it 50/50 with ATF for quicker shifts in the transmission. Works great, about $40/gallon, you can find it in European parts stores and Porsche shops.

ATE Super Blue

fo shizzle my dizzle...

That's why I paid you for them. Bolt spacers are a good idea. But there are other setups, like ring gear spacers commonly used on American diffs where you put a spacer between the ring gear and the carrier and install longer bolts. These don't have any pilot interference fit, and the spacers aren't super tight, AND you are using a longer bolt. Oh, did I mention that you only use them when you go to a LOWER gear ratio (more torque multiplication). I wouldn't use one, but lots of guys do. I did have some customers who had the ring gear bolts shear in this type of setup, and I think its a really bad idea. What we do with the R200 is not too big a risk though. The only strength we lose is from the 12mm bolt to the 10mm bolt. How many 10mm bolt guys have complained about the bolts shearing??? I've never heard of it...

Just wrap the yoke with a rag and hold onto it with your hand.

Long ones go in back, tighter wound part on top.

Well I guess I stand corrected. I started with a 70, added a 80 ZX rear end, and it bolted right on. Then I swapped to the Z31 Turbo R200, and I swapped the flanges. Then I got a 200SX diff, and it has the same flange as the 80 ZX, and both bolt right up to my 70. I guess 75 is an oddball from the sounds of it. The pinion flange is swappable, but they are usually red loctited and the torque is in the ~150 ft/lbs range, so you'll need an impact or maybe someone sitting in the car standing on the brakes to get the flange loose. Sometimes the flanges are rusted on the splines, the last one I pulled off required a small pulley puller. Red loctite it and torque the crap out of it. Manual says 137-159 ft lbs, in stages of 50 lbs, and spin the pinion in between torques.

Were the ones you made perfect Mat? I didn't notice when I installed them, but 2126 is right. They don't have to be perfectly fit to the carrier. In fact, they don't have to be terribly tight either. If there is a couple thou slack in there it doesn't matter. 10mm bolts in a 10mm carrier have a little slop too. What holds the ring gear is the interference fit with the "pilot" and the ring gear bolts' clamping force. The pilot is the surfaced area of the carrier that the ring gear presses onto. FWIW, on my R200 this was more of a slip fit than a press fit but on everything else I've worked on you had to beat the ring gear onto the pilot with a dead blow hammer.

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