galloguy05

Johnc- I apologize if anything i may have stated was incorrect. I have no idea of spring rate numbers besides what you have posted here and on another thread about cutting coils where you gave that guy the same advice as you did here. I have no hands on experience wih this and that is why I am here. I have purchased the tokico blue HP's and have decided to cut my stock springs by 1 coil. If I dislike the ride, I will simply purchase the eibach springs and install them and leave it be. If in the future i plan to run a wider tire or something of the sort then i plan to go with coilovers. For now, thought, for MY specific needs and uses for my car, new struts and cut springs are going to be the way to go. Thanks again everyone!

ZR8ED- you have a valid point with your post and I have read your other posts about this as well. It does make sense to get the more "expensive" illuminas over the HP's and then cut the stock springs. As with the more durable illuminas I'm assuming can handle more load than the hp's can (I basing this solely on the price since usually the cheaper the product the less durable it is I HAVE NOT compared specs so please don't flame me). I WILL be ordering my set-up sometime today and everyone ere has very viable solutions. I have,again, ruled out coilovers because of price and complexity and the fact that I don't really need them. So I think what I am going to do for now is just order a set of illuminas and cut te springs ad see how the stance is and test the ride for a few days or a week. If I do not like it, I plan on putting her under the knife for body wrk and paint in the next few weeks anyways so I will just order the new springs if I am unhappy. If anything maybe I will try ZR8ED's set up since I love the stance on his car. Also I figure it's better for my safety if I have a little extra moneys left over to spend on the house/gf to divert her attention away from all the money going to parts and tools into my car. She LOVES my z but doesn't understand why I'd rather spend 7k on a 35 year old car than buy a newer more comfortable one...lol

Yeah that's where I've sourced them. The springs and struts are only 360+45 shipping.

This car is not daily driven. Although it coul be. But for arguements sake we will say it is since it is not used on the track nor will it ever be. It's a weeked cruiser. It has the completely stock 280z suspension as well. I believe I will just go with the hp's and springs and then if need be I will add the 240z top hat to give me the extra 3/4 inch drop. Inreally would like to avoid the cutting of any springs and special fabrication of coilovers. So I have made my decision and it is the tokico HP's with eibach springs for an overall drop of 1inch. The final cost of these will run me about 450 I believe and I will just use the extra money to put toward my paint and air tools. Thanks guysfor all the help I much appreciate it. I will be sure to make a build thread for my car in the near future now that I will hve something that will be presentable. Haha thanks again everyone! Ps. Pray for me that I am able to post again tomorrow evening, I may be in the hospital when my girl finds out that I plan on spending nearly 2k on my car tomorrow. Haha

I am aware that the cut springs cause problems and ruin the struts. That is why it is a last resort for me at the time being. The whole coilover option is over my head atthe moment and I have noT welded anything in a number of years and do not trust my welds on anything structural. Nor do I trust any of my friends welds, seeing as I am the best welder amongst us. If I am missig something please let me know but from what I have read, the cheapest route are the s13 coilovers. But as I read more into it, I see that they do not work with 280z struts as they are 1/8 inch too big IIRC. I know that ground control sells a set though. I am going to look into the instilation of these after I post this but those may even be out of my grasp at the moment, both monitarily and as far as my abilities and availible tools. Sorry if this sounds at all redundant, I am trying to sort through all my options while typing this at the same time and this is probably running together. I am going to clean this up. My car: 75 280z. Wheels I plan to buy tomorrow are:16x7 sportmax 002 or 16x8 depending if I go coilover or not. Suspension budget: $700 options I have narrowed it down to: Tokico illuminas with cut stock springs Tokico HP's with cut stock springs Tokico illuminas with eibach springs that they supply forthe 1" drop Tokico HP's with eibach springs for 1" drop Ground control coilovers with a stut that I have yet to look up and decide on. Uses for the car: street driven only, going for aesthetics only with decent ride not for performance. NOW......with this information, i am pretty sure that eeryone is going to say forget about the first 2 options. But I'll leave them there as they are still options nonetheless. Given that information, with my budget. What does everyone say?

I agree with cutting up the stock springs rather than new ones, and that was my original plan. But i don't think I will be going that route anymore. I looked into the coilover option and it is not really viable for me since I do not have a welder readily available. I have a friend that has one but I just do not feel comfortable welding the suspension, hence why I did not consider sectioning the struts as an option. The only way I would consider coilovers would be if they were direct bolt on. I doubt there is any performance reasons for cutting the springs though. In my experience, it is simply aesthetic and can actually produce a rougher ride. I knew this coming into this discussion as well. I have decided (I THINK) that since I am getting the larger diameter wheel and the 1 inch drop that the tokico HP's and springs, I will get the look I am seeking. If not then I will cut the stock springs and install them and see how that goes but still have the new springs that are uncut.

You know I thought about that. Technically they aren't all that much more than the illuminas. From what I've seen , the illuminas are about 700 or so for the set and I have seen SOME coilover kits for around 950. So that's only really 250 more which isn't all that much I suppose. My only issue with this is that I have not researched which ones I would need and how much (if any) modification I would need to run the coilovers on my car. Also I plan on putting all the extra money I have left after buying the wheels and tires and compressor and suspension toward my paint job. I will look into the coilover option and see what that all entails but honestly I am just more comfortable with the spring and strut option at the moment since it is what I have been leaning toward since buying my car. It also fits my budget plans a little better and leaves me a little wiggle room because as we all know, these cars' budgets never go according to plan. Thanks for the idea though. I am going to look into it right now and see if there are any viable options for me.

Well I plan on only doing a 1 inch drop sincerhat is all I will get without cutting the springs. Based on what you said though I will stick with 16x7 to be on the safe side. If I ever decide to go with zg flares then I will look more into the wider rims. Thanks a lot for all the help guys. I have decided on other the illuminas or hp's (haven't decided between the two yet) with the springs as well and am not goig to cut them. I believe that with the larger rim and 1 inch drop, my car should have the desired look I am after.

Alright I just read it and I must have read it too fast because it went right over my head so I am goingto read it again to fully understand it. From what I have read though, the main difference between the illuminas and hp's are the adjustablility. Since I never plan to put my car on a track, is the adjustability really needed?. Now do not get me wrong, I am not trying to skimp on the cheaper route. I just don't want to spend the extra money if it's not necessary for my specific needs. Also I originally planned in getting the 16x7 sportmax because I knew they would fit without a doubt, but would it be safe to say that the 16x8's will fit as well? I didn't mention this before but I have a 75 280z. Thanks guys

Thanks for the info sticky280zx. I was only planning in getting the 16x7 because i was afraid that the 16x8 would rub. But you are correct. I will just buy the iliminas with their springs or at the VERY LEAST get the tokco hp with their springs ad just use those with that set up. Does anyone have any advice on which I should buy? I know the iliminas have some adjustment in them IIRC and the HP's do not. Money aside, which would be better for my application? I will research this on my own as well but I thought I'd ask since I'm already typing my response. Thanks

do you happen to know which eibach springs I would need to get to achieve the look I am after, that will work with the tokico struts? I have tried searching but cant seem to use the right words to find the info I guess.

My car is only driven on the street and never raced or "street" raced. I do a few spirited runs on the highway but that's it. So as long asthe handling stays about the same as it is that's all I care. I'm not tryig to sound cheap though. I mean I will spend over 500 if there is an option out there but I definately do not want to spend 1k on coilovers. This upgrade will be mostlyVfor looks not performance. On that note, however, I still want to do it as correctly as possible. If buying the tokico struts AND springs and then cutting the new springs is my best option then I will do so. But that seems as a waste for me and I figured I might as well just cut the old ones if I'm going to go that route. When I'm driving my car my rear shocks bottom out on nearly every bump so that why I am pretty sure they are shot. Anyone else care to chime in and give me some advice?

So I will be coming into about 2,000 dollars this week that I plan to spend the majority on my z. I will be buying an air compressor first and foremost. I also plan to buy a set of sportmax 002's (probably 16x7 ? to fill in my fender well) With this knowledge I am asking for your guys advice. I have been looking at tokico illuminas strut and spring set but it only lowers the car 1 inch (as it says). I want to lower my car 2 inches though to close the gap between the wheel and fender. I do not have the skill or tools to section the struts (if need be) and don't want to fork over the dough for coilovers. I know that my rear shocks are shot as it is so they need replaced no matter what. So is it a viable option for me to get the new tokico shocks and just cut my stock springs to acquire my ride height? I do not want to buy new springs along with shocks just to cut them because that seems a waste for me. Or are there springs and struts out there that can give me the look I am seeking? I know that by getting the larger rim will help close the gap ( I haven't decided on tires yet) so I'm kinda stuck as what to do and want to make sure I am spending my money correctly. Thanks guy

I personally dislike the way that 2+2's look. But your setup there makes me kinda wish mine was a 2+2. Lol. Great job!

Click on the drop down box next to your name and your messenger will be one of the options in that drop down box. Hope I read this right and that this helps.

Hey thanks, I purchased one from another member on Monday. Well actually I sent him the money and then he stopped replying to my pm's so if he flakes and I have to get a refund through paypal I will message you and purchase yours. Thanks though

Just an update for anyone that is searching through the treads that come across this one. I installed my gauge faces and I LOVE them. It completly solves any issues of being able to see the gauges at night. The only thing I can say negative about them is that the wiring is very sensitive. The part that actually goes intothe guage face is tempermental and if u crimp it too much or pull it too far, the gauge will not work. I had to take them back out ad super glue the wire to the back of the face after pullin on it too hard I guess. They work perfectly well and I love them but just be careful when installing them.

I am in need of a STOCK tach for my 280z. If anyone has one that they do not need anymore please pm me. Mine is broken beyond repair and i only need the tach to finish my interior. I am also willing to buy a tach from a 240 or 280 if it will hook up and work the same way as my stock one. Thanks

I second the bad slave cylinder. I had the SAME exact thing happen on my car and I had no experience whotsoever with clutch hydraulics. I had a friend help me ad I bought a new slave and master cylinder ad bled the clutch and I haven't had a problem since. I got the slave cylinder and master cylinder off if eBay for like 45 dollars for both.

I believe that one user stated in another thread (or maybe even this one, I didn't go back and look) about using glow in the dark paint on the needle. He said it worked decently well, however the paint only lasts a few months at most and then need to be repainted. This isn't an option for me because once I finish with this gauge face install, i'd like to be done with it for good! I've taken the dash out too many times for my liking and it has gotten easier each time but it is still a PITA to do alone with only kne set of hands. Lol

Yeah it sure is a deep tone! I started it up once I had it unbolted right before the cat and my neighbor thought I had a v8 in my car. Hehe. But that's way too loud for my liking and I don't really want a ton of attention drawn to the car when just at idle and you can't even talk within 50 feet. I was considering just attatching an exhaust right there and ending it at the lca instead of going underneath and all the way back but I was unsure how much of the fumes would get into the cabin through the transmission shift hole. I am most likely going to try a flow through muffler for the time being from kragens or something just to dampen the noise some and make it more driver friendly and then try and decide what to do from there. One problem I have in town though is finding a shop that will run the exhaust for me and leave out the cat. They say since it is there from factory that they cannot legally remove it in California. So one shop said if I bring it in without the cat then they can pretend it wasn't there and run it for me but it's gonna be pricey. So idk we will see I was just wondering if you all had a cheap alternative and it seems as if just a cheapo muffler from kragens/autozone might just be a decent solution for me for now. Anyone else wanna chime in here with any experience/solutions? Not sure if I mentioned it or not but the car is a 75 280z so it is smog "exempt" in California.

Do you have any info on how those dash speakers sound? I am thinking about doing this but want a little info on how they sound before I go and purchase the speakers. Thanks BTW: your car is my inspiration for my cars interior being completely torn out at the moment. So I thank you for this build thread and I also hate you (not really of course) because it is not nearly as easy as you make it look to make the interior look as nice as yours! Lol

Well Im getting closer to gettig my z driveable, just waiting on my speedhut gauge faces right now and then I can start reassembling the interior. So in the mean time I have unbolted the exhaust right before the cat. I plan to run a new exaust straight to a muffler bypassing the cat. I don't really hve a real reason for this besides not having to worry about having to replace it later in the future and I know that doing this will not yeild any ho gains, might even lose some?. I have, in the past, had a cat get clogged up and explode on me before on an older Mercedes, I don't know how or why this happened but it it did. So that's the only reason I'd like to do away with it I suppose. So I guess this leads me to my question. I would like a moderately sounding muffler that isn't too loud but gives the engine sound more character than it has stock. I do not want it sure loud because I don't want to e getting pulled over every other day. I also do not want to spend a ton of money because I plan on upgrading to l28et in the future and don't want to buy 2 expensive mufflers. I've been looking on YouTube and here on hbz but I still havnt found anything through searching besides the msa twice pipes kit or a bunch f muffler options for a v8 z car. So can any of you guys give me any advice on what route to go As far as a decently price (the cheaper the better as always for our budget builds) muffler that isn't crazy loud or one that's going to make my z sound like a Honda civic? Thanks, Matt

I have just purchased these gauge faces and am waiting for them to arrive. Just wondering if anyone has come up with a viable solution to the needle not being easily visible or if speedhut has corrected these issues by now, since this thread is pretty old.

Can a moderator please delete this thread? The problem was simply a plug that was connected to the firewall was loose and once I snapped it in firmly, the brakes started working and the passenger side headlight was no longer dim. The blinker problem is not fixed but I haven't checked the bulbs so it is not a confirmed wiring issue as of yet. Sorry for wasting space with this thread. I feel kinda dumb now....