blueovalz

Off topic, but I think we need to upgrade Mr. Pete to Dr. Pete.

It can be made really simple by using a hydraulic throwout bearing (I use the Mcleod-spelling?) with a 3/4" master cylinder (I used a Girling). No arms or slave cylinders. Very straight forward and simple as can be. I am only assuming your powerplant is a V8 and not a I6?

IMO, since it doesn't matter that the bars are sold as pairs, go with a matched set. The manufactures get the balance fairly close. With a very few rare exceptions, the front will ALWAYS be larger than the rear. The only time I ever had the same size front and back was when I had 2" wider tires in back. Once I went to the same size tire all around, the oversteer was dangerous for street driving (idiots pull out in front of you, you let off the gas in a curve, and WOOO HOOO!!!). I immediately dropped the rear bar by 1/8" inch to get the oversteer in a safe range again. Do the #2 on you list and you will have a good starting point.

I used the 1.125" bar on my '75 280. It worked very well with the .875" rear bar (perfect balance). On my ex-race car turned street queen, I am using a 1.062" front and a .938" rear, but thats like comparing apples to oranges. Being the 240 is lighter than the 280 I would say a 1" bar on front is all that is needed. I have heard that the 280 unibody is a slightly thicker gauge metal than the earlier 240 unibody was (have no proof of this, only heard it in a conversation about impact requirements with the larger bumpers needing a hefter unibody to assist bumper support in impacts). With that said, my 1.125" bar (I feel strongly) caused the cracking, and the spreading of the crack of both the box frame rails directly over the bar mounts. Not only this, but the bar is very hard to mount because of it's large diameter (had to use socket head cap screws because the bolt heads touched the bracket and I couldn't use a socket on them). I would definitly stay away from metal bushings. They will be a unique experience, but that will fade quickly and before too long you will want the urethane back. Good luck on your choice. Terry

I'll second that. I saw a live steam 4-8-4 locomotive leave town on an exhibition tour. Absolutely awesome when they start moving these things. 400,000 lbs, bearings that are nothing more that over-greased bushings, and the noise and sound is without description. Something your kids should see if ever a chance. Terry

Thanks for the leads and links Terry

The angle of the tie rods themselves is not nearly as important as the relative angle and position of the tie rods compared to the lower control arms (specifically, the line that connects the inner control arm pivot point to the ball joint pivot point) position. Simplistically, if the control arm has a downward stance, then it would not be out of the question to have the tie rods with the same downward stance (Plus, the car may have been jacked up a bit so the picture could be taken, causing this stance), and being roughly parallel. This is not the whole picture on correct geometry, but we have just finished a pretty good string about this subject and can most likely be found under the "search" feature. This will give a little more detail on a more ideal geometry. Terry

I keep reading the references to this POR15. Where would I most likely find this product in a small village? Terry

I'll bet that's one H#!* of a ride. Hate to be at speed and have that rear slick tear apart though.

I know you guys are probably tired of my wierd stories, but I'll tell a short one here and follow up on it later. Last week my 3hp compressor motor went south, so while talking to the fix-it guy (old hot rodder) about my Z, he told me of a guy in Cabot (about 45 minute drive from here) that had a salt flat Z car. I asked if he didn't mean a Z28, and he was very sure it was the jap variety. Anyway he said this guy recently brought the car back home. I guess I need to go look at it now. He said the body has been narrowed and was very radical, and used the L6 powerplant, and lots of trophies for records in this car. Terry

I made the side skirts too, but they are siliconed on (permanent me thinks) and I'm pretty sure they would be just about destroyed in any attempt to remove them, but the other parts are simply unbolted.

I talked to the owner yesterday. The original pieces I made are bolt-on, and we are currently discussing the making of some molds?????? I'll let you guys know if anything progresses. Terry

It's official. Today while I was at my best (greasy and sweaty in a junk yard) I saw an '82 ZX 2+2 (non-turbo) that had the CV jointed axles. I had heard about these from someone many years ago but was never able to verify it. Terry

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Yeah Pete, the Z was, and still is, good on the exterior (and interior too). A couple of cracks in the front dam from curbs, but everything else is still there and in good shape. The Z found a good home. Terry

Thanks guys. That was my very first Z, and it was the "experimental" car. After enough glass work on it, I got my nerve up to do the blue beast. Then I let my boy have the red Z for school in Memphis. I got 235K miles out of it, and he only got 11k before he ran it out of oil (front seal was gone, and my mechanical skills somehow refused to osmosize (is that even a word?) to him from me during all his growing up years. "I was wondering why there was oil all over the engine" he said, when I picked him up 100 miles out of town, stranded, with my beloved, innocent, and violated Z sitting on the side of the highway. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water, but..... Anyway, the car was then gutted for spares for the blue car, and the body was sold to a fellow Z-car enthusiast here. I saw it on the road the other day finally. When I saw it, my face looked like that old indian in the 70's commercial about littering. A single (but very manly!!!) tear emerged from my left eye as I saw the car drive by. This is why my wife talked me out of selling the blue one a couple of years ago. Heck, she knows me better than I know me (what a woman!!!!!). I did finally have to hog-tie her down to a chair and make her sit through the chase scene in "Bullit". When it was all done, she looked at me with that "deer in the headlights look" and said "why did they have to pass that VW bug so many times?"........... AAAUUUGGGGG! First my boy, and now you!!!! That's when I went out and laid prostrate across the hood of my blue beast and then knew all was still right with the world. Hee hee, tomorrow night I'm renting "Ronin", and this time there will be no mercy. Good Night all. Terry

Mine are fairly compressed too. I think I have about 1/4" of spare travel at full bump, but the slight amount of play that they had prior to my use is not in this range anymore, so it almost made them like new again. Terry

The only help I can give at this point is to pull the other side out, and compare the two stubs side by side. One will be about 5/8" (it's been a long time since I've looked at them both together)longer than the other one (passenger side longer). The clip groove to end distance (1/4-3/8"??)I believe is the same for both though. You may be able to view the clip from the hole, and perhaps stick a rod of some sort into the hole along the splines and measure just how far back from the outside edge the clip is, Then compare this length to where the clip actually is in relation to the stub you are trying to keep in the diff. If all this checks out, I'd say the clip may be bad. One light side to this is the CV jointed axles so many now use are spring loaded so that the stub has a constant pressure pushing it into the axle, sooooo....

On my old 280, I did the same thing with the lower rear valance. I took 1/8" aluminum sheet, and slowly hammered it till the metal started to expand in the middle more than the outside edges, thus creating the compound curves. The same idea was used in making the aluminum panels for the old cobras. It took one afternoon to shape and file it smooth enough for the finishing normal body work and paint. Thin steel will work just as well, and then you can weld it on instead of using flathead screws like I did. My original one was beyond help too. Lets see if this will work (first time to try this image thing)

Curie Enterprises has been doing shortend 9" Ford rear ends for decades (it seems). Try http://www.curieenterprises.com/ some time and take a look.

This tranny you have sounds like a very close ratio tranny. I can't recall what the gears ratios for the Maxima are though. Anyway, this close ratio is probably why the previous owner had it in the car if he was autocrossing. Ideally, close ratio transmissions are "faster" than wide ratio because you can stay in the peak torque range longer. So IMHO I would say a wider ratio will be slower. I don't know if the Z32 trans will fit up (I don't think it will being the blocks are different). Terry

51" will require positive offset (even for stock sized tires) because I think my Z has around 57" hub to hub span (close guess). I'll bet it is set up for leaf springs too. Weld the perches, and brackets for links, etc. Lot's of work.

I've heard much the same thing, and some that race even say they don't help measureably. I've got one from a friend that took his off, and I've never installed it yet (2 years now). Terry

Yes, we are also ashamed. The 280ZX turbo ( and I believe the 2+2's may also) have the CV jointed shafts. As far as I know, the only two shaft designs between the Z's and the 280ZX's are the one CV design or the one U-joint design, and no others. So in answer to your question, this CV jointed shaft is the same as the turbo, provided it was a 280ZX. Who knows, these may have been put on by the owner when his U-joints went out, so they may not have been factory installed. Terry

If you do 90% of the fabrication yourself, I see it possible for the "1 grand" you propose. I had a already had the motor, so I paid $1100 for a new WC-T5 (I would use this only in a NA mode, not blown), and probably between 1 to 1.3 Kilo-bucks to be able to drive it. BUT, I went about things a little more "specialized" then needed to be, thus it most likely could have been done cheaper. Terry