Jethoncho

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Thanks for the heads up, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here but I want to try to keep to BC stuff on all four corners. Right now the car is mocked up with the T3 tabs on my BC coilovers. So far camber and clearances look fine but I’ll have a closer look after I get the axles mocked in.

I finished the initial mock up my rear suspension and came up with the following approximate measurements. The suspension consist of: Full T3 rear end swap kit, minus the T3 coilovers. BC Coilovers with T3 tabs welded to the BC lower mounts...this allows the BC coilovers to be bolted to the T3 hub mounting plates. The resultant clearance is in the drawing attached. Given these dimensions I believe I should be able to stuff a 9.5" wheel in the well but its going require a positive offset of approximately 40. I may be able to adjust the lower control arms in a bit to get this down...I'll have to take a look at that.

I back on the road for work but I get home Thursday. I’ll get some photos up when I get home.

Well I went back to my metal work...this past weekend I fabricated the aft driver’s side floor, there was a small area of rot but I ended cutting our a section approximately 6” long and the full width of the driver’s side. This required me to remove the rear seat mount. I also had to purchase a bead roller to roll reliefs/stiffeners in the replacement floor to allow it to fit properly over the aft section of the frame rail. All in all it came out pretty good. Still have a little welding to get this repair finished. It’s not very photo worthy but once I get the rear seat mount reinstalled I’ll snap a photo or two and post to this thread. Still have to get the driver side rear quarter welding completed but it’s on the list. Also spent some time over the weekend removing all the OEM rear drivetrain and suspension then installed all the T3 candy, both rear control arms, drop down mounts, mustache bar. It’s all in for mock up purposes but excited to see it in there just the same. I also installed the T3 front control arms. The quality and fitment of the T3 stuff is phenomenal... I highly recommend their stuff. i’ve posted a couple photos, please keep in mind this is only mocked up to ensure fitment, please excuse the condition of the bottom of the car...it’s on the list;-)

Okay on a different note, I have been following Ivan and Hung’s (Vintage Dashes) work on their fabrication of a new reproduction dashboard for the 280Z. Well, I received notification today that they are ready to start selling these and since I’m on their waiting list I was qualified to buy in their first offering. I paid their selling price immediately so I should have a new dashboard in 6-8 weeks! I’m excited at the prospect of getting rid of my seriously damaged dash for a new pristine dash. I’ll make sure I post when I receive it and install it.

As predicted once the T3 candy showed up I couldn’t resist. Plus, I’m waiting on some welding aids to continue the left rear quarter so I unpacked all the T3 odds and ends, unforturnately a couple of pieces were damaged in shipping but as soon as I let T3 know they immediately shipped new parts. I was able to remove the stock left rear suspension and install the T3 control arm, hub adapter and BC coilover. The BC coilover was a weld in unit but T3 was kind enough to sell me their mounting tabs. My welder is not high enough amperage to weld the 1/4” plate tabs so they are only tacked in place until I can weld them up with a stronger TIG welder. I am quite pleased with the result,the rear end is lowered by about 3” on the initial setup...keep in mind these are only mocked up and will need final setup once they are permanently installed in the car. Next week I’ll get the right mocked up and lower the fronts to a move level attitude.

Jumped back on the left rear quarter panel. Started butt welding it in place but it’s slow work trying to prevent excessive warpage, plus I have a couple areas where I have an excessive gap between the weld area so I ordered a magnetic copper backing plate to back these areas up to aid in bridging the gap. I’ll get some photos up ASAP. On a different note, my rear end conversion kit from T3 arrives today so i’ll Probably get sidetracked from the quarter panel to mock up the new rear suspension and BC coilovers. I’ll keep you posted how it goes.

Hello, i am searching for a left side 280Z 2+2 power window regulator to convert my Z to power windows. I already have a right side unit, this must be rare as hens teeth cuz I can’t seem to find one. Does anyone know of or have one to sell? thanks!

Been working on the rear valence for the past couple of days. Let me start by saying this replacement part is much heavier gauge than the original part but it was delivered in a nearly flat condition and the rear of the car is not flat so it takes quite a bit of massaging to get this panel to fit. And, the only part available is for a 240 so this creates more work too. The 280 bumper brackets (behind the valence) were bolted and welded to the chassis (genius), they are totally different than the 240 so these had to be cut off the chassis. Then I fabricated new ones to be welded back in place. Then the only indentation in the 240 valence falls right on the rear chassis crossmember so it had to go as well. Now Im ready to move forward with final fitment before I weld it in place. This piece is a lot of work but should be a vast improvement over what was there.

Thanks!

I am just putting this out there for comments. Anyone have any thoughts? I’d like to run this exhaust on my RB25 powered restomod...it’s twin 2” pipe from collector to tips. With twin 2” pipes that provides 6.283 vs 7.068sq inches for a 3” single. It’s slightly less area but I wonder how it would flow otherwise. Any experts here?

Man that wheel/tire combo looks awesome! The car looks fantastic, actually much better than fantastic! If I understand what the final setup that worked for you it is: 1. You started with a 17x8.5 +4 offset wheel then added a 1” ring into it on the backside resulting in a new offset of 4 plus 1/2 the 1” or +16.5 2. Then added a 6mm spacer on the right and a 10mm on the left resulting in a net offset of +10.5 and +6.5 respectively Would it be safe to say if you had 3-4mm more space on the inner right side you could use a 17x9.5 wheel with a +6mm offset and no spacers? I am also trying to stuff as much rubber as possible under the rear without flares. I’ll be running T3 rear control arms and BC coilovers so I hope these might create a couple more mm of space. Any insight you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Good point

After pricing out new 5-lugs hubs and brake upgrades for my S30 project I decided to go a different route. I purchased a complete Nissan S14 rear subframe that included VLSD differential, axles, 5-lug hubs, calipers, rotors, e-brake cables as well as front rotors, calipers, spindles, 5-lug hubs. This was a very complete front and rear suspension minus coilovers. It set me back $799 shipped to my door. I removed my S30 front struts, spindles and steering knuckles and mocked up the front suspension with the S14 spindles (left spindle on the right side and vise versa) which bolted right to the existing S30 lower ball joint. I attached the upper part of the S14 spindle to a hybrid/custom coilover supplied by BC Racing ($630). The BC coilover is a 280Z upper strut with a lower S14 mount. This S30 outer tie rod is too long to accommodate the S14 steering knuckle so to temporarily allow me to roll the car around I cut 37mm out of each outer tie rod (they were junk anyway) and welded them back together. The car now has 5-lug hubs and 4 piston S14 brakes up front for what I consider to be a pretty good deal. I was leaning toward the T3 outer tie rods to solve my tie rod length issue but after reading another post on this forum I think I will manufacture tie rod adjuster sleeves that will accept 79-81 outer tie rods that will then mate to the S30 inner tie rods... 2 '79-'81 S130 outer tie rods, 2 M14x1.5mm Left Hand Thread inner tube adapter, 2 M14x1.5mm Right Hand Thread inner tube adapters, 4 appropriate jam nuts, 12" of 4130 Chrome Moly 1"x.063 tubing and a new inner tie rod for the left side of the vehicle can be had for about $140 combine this with a little TIG welding which I'll do myself means I can have great adjustability for around the same price as the T3 outer tie rods. And I wouldn't have to drill my steering knuckle which really wasn’t exciting me. I was gonna have to buy new outer tie rods even if I stuck with the S30 original stuff so the real excess cost of the custom tie rods is only about $80. As for the rears, I don't see many options to get a real upgrade without spending big bucks. I bit the bullet and invested in the T3 rear end conversion (I'm in their 4-6 week waiting period right now). I guess someone could also buy some off the shelf 5-lug stub axles ($330), some weld on coilovers ($630), and rear disc brake upgrade ($685) or $1675 and still have a R180 or R200 open differential. When I think of it in those terms I don't feel bad about spending the bucks with T3.

I think you may have misunderstood the intent of my response to your posting, I meant no disrespect I can appreciate your goal. I can also certainly appreciate your comments well except for the wise crack but hey your entitled to respond however you like, LOL.

I can certainly appreciate where your going with this but I figured I would chime in. First, I certainly respect the need to build on a budget but is someone wanted a nearly all Nissan there are options. I purchased a complete Nissan S14 rear subframe that included VLSD differential, axles, 5-lug hubs, calipers, rotors, e-brake cables as well as front rotors, calipers, spindles, 5-lug hubs. This was a very complete front and rear suspension minus coilovers. It set me back $799 shipped to my door. I removed my S30 front struts, spindles and steering knuckles and mocked up the front suspension with the S14 spindles (left spindle on the right side and vise versa) which bolted right to the existing S30 lower ball joint. I attached the upper part of the S14 spindle to a hybrid/custom coilover supplied by BC Racing ($630). This S30 outer tie rod is too long to accommodate the S14 steering knuckle so to temporarily allow me to roll the car around I cut 37mm out of each outer tie rod (they were junk anyway) and welded them back together. The car now has 5-lug hobs and 4 piston S14 brakes up front for what I consider to be a pretty good deal. I was leaning toward the T3 outer tie rods to solve my tie rod length issue but after reading another post on this forum I think I will manufacture tie rod adjuster sleeves that will accept 79-81 outer tie rods that will then mate to the S30 inner tie rods... 2 '79-'81 S130 outer tie rods, 2 M14x1.5mm Left Hand Thread inner tube adapter, 2 M14x1.5mm Right Hand Thread inner tube adapters, 4 appropriate jam nuts, 12" of 4130 Chrome Moly 1"x.063 tubing and a new inner tie rod for the left side of the vehicle can be had for about $140 (such a deal) combine this with a little TIG welding which I'll do myself means I can have great adjustability for around as the same price as the T3 outer tie rods. And I wouldn't have to drill my steering knuckle which really doesn't excite me. I was gonna have to buy new outer tie rods even if I stuck with the S30 original stuff so the real excess cost of the custom tie rods is only about $80. As for the rears, I don't see many options to get a real upgrade without spending big bucks. I bit the bullet and invested in the T3 rear end conversion (I'm in their 4-6 week waiting period right now). I guess someone could also buy some off the shelf 5-lug stub axles ($330), some weld on coilovers ($630), and rear disc brake upgrade ($685) or $1675 and still have a R180 or R200 open differential. When I think of it in those terms I don't feel bad about spending the bucks with T3.

I’m going another route to upgrade brakes and 5-lug hubs on my ‘78 280. I purchased an entire S14 setup that included front spindles, hubs, rotors, calipers, rear differential, hubs, rotors and calipers. Basically it was a complete rear subframe with the front component thrown in. I have mocked up the front suspension by removing all the factory S30 coilovers, steering knuckles. I then installed the S14 left spindle on the right side of the S30 and vise versa. I fitted custom BC coilovers (280 upper and S14 lower). It was necessary to switch the spindles sides due to the fact the S14 rack is behind the crossmember. The steering arms on the S14 spindles turns in so this means the current tie rods were too long so I removed the stock S30 outer tie rods and cut a 37mm section out of them then welded them back together just so I can roll the car around...still looking for a permenant solution for this tie rod issue. I am waiting on parts from Techno Toys Tuning to mock up the rear, TTT also manufactures a shorter outer tie rod I will likely go with to solve my outer tie rod issue up front. I’ll end up with 4-wheel disc brake, 5-lug hugs and a vastly safer rear hub that doesn’t rely on a stub shaft to keep the wheel from departing the car. For the time being a friend offered me a set of 300zx wheels so I can keep her rolling until I buy my Rota RKRs.

I’m doing a conversion to S14 front spindles, 5-lug hubs and brakes to my 280Z. BC was very helpful, they sold me a 280Z upper coilover that the fitted a S14 lower mount to. I have it all mocked up in the car but I am still looking for a solution to my tie rods being too long. Don’t want to hijack this thread but I wanted to mention BC was very helpful with this project...great tech support and customer service. They quoted me 4 weeks for the custom build, the coilovers arrived on my doorstep 4 days after I ordered. Would be great if other companies performed like this!

This is a great build thread with loads of good info. Great looking Z! It’s an inspiration as i’m Just starting a build myself. My is a 280 that i’m fitting a RB25 in and modifying to look like a 240 on the exterior. I’m starting with an ugly duckling so loads of repairs before I can even get to the fun stuff...but hey its all fun!

What an awesome build, love the color and all the custom/special touches you incorporated. Your build is inspirational...I just started the restomod on my ‘78, it was a basket case so I have a long way to go. I have a thread on here for mine...but I am mostly doing rust repairs right not. Thanks for your work building this thread, it’s motivating!

Yesterday’s project was to mock up the front suspension upgrade, S14 spindles with 5-lug hubs and BC coilovers. Started by removing the factory S30 struts, brakes, spindles and steering knuckles. Then installed the S14 spindle (left on right and vice versa) this was necessary due to the location of the tie rod connection on the S14 spindles. I was pleased that once I removed the S30 steering knuckle the S30 lower ball joint bolted right up to the S14 spindle. I am waiting on new Techno Toys Tuning lower control arms and tension rods but the S30 stuff works for now. Installed the BC coilovers which bolted right in except for a little modification to the upper body mount due to the 4 bolt mount on the new coilovers...the upper body mounts will change when I get my weld-in camber plates from Techno Toys Tuning. The BC coilovers are custom order for this application (S30 upper unit and S14 mount), BC quoted me 4 weeks for the custom build, I received them in 4 days, great company and outstanding customer service. Then there is the issue of the steering...the S14 steering knuckle turns in where the S30 was straight. This has was temporarily solved by removing the S30 outer tie rod ends and cutting a 37mm section out of them and welding them back together...don’t worry I won’t drive it with those but it works so I can roll it around until I come up with a permanent solution. I’m thinking I’ll go with the outer tie rods that Techno Toys sells, they are available in two lengths and I believe their shorted set will fit my needs. I temporarily installed a borrowed set of 300zx wheels with 205 16R 60 tires, vast improvement over the stock S30 stuff! I’m holding off on buying new wheels and tires till I get it all mocked up and can do some proper measurements (not to mention the car is a long way away from being on the road). The S14 brakes will be a nice upgrade to the front of the S30. As soon as my stuff comes in from Techno Toys Tuning I’ll get the rear mocked up too (S14 hubs, brakes, axles and VLSD differential).

She looks awesome. Very nice find especially considering your location...was it local?

She cleaned up pretty nice, I bought a '78 basket case that looked almost as bad as yours. I am well into the restomod of mine. I started a build thread, I'm going with a RB25 powerplant and looking to emulate a 240's outer appearance.