preith

I still haven't given up with Mike, he's been forwarding my emails to their German tech department. We have found a gland nut with the correct OD and threads, but preliminary reports show an entirely different seal which leads me to beleive they're not for the same type strut, still awaiting for confirmation. 240zdave, perhaps you could bounce this part # off Ramone: e4-b36-816b2

Agreed. My street experience with race rubber is extremely limited but IMO they were probably worse than any street tire I've ever used when cold. As for tread depth, new ones don't look much better than those after shaving. My most recent set of tires on my road racer were Victoracers, 225/50/15's. As with my ESCTA's, I've found their grip drops significantly after about 2 race days of heat cycles (practice/qual/race). They still had some life in them but probably worth a second or two in lap times. I've also found the Victoracers like lower pressures than the ESCTA's, about 25psi.

I checked the 'other' gland nuts previously mentioned, which also came with the Bilsteins, I still beleive they're for a VW app, but anyway they are the same part # Jon mentioned (B30-629 Q1) and are a no-go. I measured these at 50mm x 1.5 and test fit them with a spare 280 strut just to make sure I wasn't loosing it.

Thanks for quick reply Jon. Weird, the part # on the famale nut corresponds with the ones they special ordered for me. There were also male thread nuts supplied, i assumed those were the original VW ones. I'll measure them tonight and see if they're the same you mentioned, B30-629 Q1. I did call Bilstein in an attempt to resolve and recived a "I'm only a salesman" reply from Mike, the account owner for Shox.com. He said it goes through liason back to Germany and I'd be better off going through Shox... I realize the bottom of the shock has a taper but it's fairly shallow and am still a bit skeptical. After some thought the tubing you mentioned would work well with perhaps an additional larger OD sleeve stitch welded to it for good measure. EDIT: eagerly waiting for a seal part # if anyone can provide it.

I just ordered the revalved Bilsteins from shox.com (280 strut app) and the gland nuts have turned into a fiasco. I don’t recall seeing the 280 part number here and only supplied them with the diameter and thread(52x1.5mm). When I received the struts they supplied some female thread ones not even close, DON’T USE PART # E4-B30-627B1! To make matters worse, shox.com is refusing to cover shipping charges for the incorrect parts THEY provided citing Bilstien as the culprit. From my perspective that’s their responsibility, not mine. They finally agreed to ship the replacements (no part # yet) if I would ship back the incorrect ones on my dime. They’re also threating a 20% restock charge for the seals. I’m assuming I can use the same ones from the incorrect nuts, does anyone have the seal part #? They supplied me with E4-B30-626A, I assume or hope they’re somewhat universal. As for the camber plates, I have GC’s too and have yet to compare them…doesn’t sound promising. The strut spacers have me scratching me head a bit. It appears they would have to be specially machined with a collar or cradle for the strut to rest in. Anyone have pics of theirs?

I agree, the banjos will most likely work, I have the adapters and 90's. I'd personally avoid any inline banjos and keep each carb on it's own feed from a fuel block.

Yes the price of AN hardware and hose can be painful! The 16AN stuff for the dry sump tank feed lines really hurt. The majority of hose on the car was purchased from Pegasus, they're only 15 min from my house They don't say what brand it is, but it's my guess they source it though Goodridge, the remaining is Aeroquip, none is teflon lined. Gas fumes are present in the cabin, especially when the car has been sitting for a while, but I find them tolerable, though not for a daily driver of course. I usually have it covered and have always wondered how much of it is a result of the carb bowls evaporating and perhaps the cell vent. On a side note, Pegasus also sells Goodridge AN fittings for the most part. These have a "cutter" design whereas Aeroquip are a compression type and are much easier to re-use and assemble.

I road race with The Midwestern Council of Sports Cars Club, we mimic SCCA rules for the most part. I recently posted on Jon's fuel system thread about the fuel lines going through the cabin and have confirmed, they CAN provided they are of the braided stainless variety only, with AN fittings, NO HARD LINES. This of course is for W2W, I don't know your intentions. My car has this setup and I do agree they're less vulnerable this way, especially for off road excursions, and they will happen, driver error or not... The rule book also goes on to state is it prefered that all lines and the filler cap all be contained on the top of the cell. With that said, you'd probably pass tech with the bottom fuel feed, but don't quote me on that. For reference MC's is available online: http://mcscc.org/files/2007%20GCR%20rev%20b.pdf Outstanding club, for anyone who's interested, shoot me a PM or email.

Wow Jon, 5 posts in a row It took some effort before I got my fuel system where I like it but now there's zero fuel feed issues at high rpms, here's what I have: 8AN supply AND return lines, all braided hose - I beleive the only type allowed by SCCA if passing through the cabin including hard lines. The fuel cells come with a traditional AN bulkhead, I doubt you'd have any issues adding a return to it as you describe. Personally I'd avoid the Summit "kit" and buy the fittings and hose separately. Holley bypass regulator, 4.5 to 9 psi, the fuel pump runs MUCH quieter with the return and I suspect less stress and longer pump life as well. Carter comp pump, IIRC around 100 gph - it's still quite loud with the bypass but has worked flawlessly! Aeromotive fuel filter installed pre-pump, the style with about the same dimensions as a smaller oil filter A friend machined a simple distribution block for the carbs, it literally took about 1/2 hour to drill and pipe tap solid AL stock on a lathe and mill. Metric to flare adapters for the carbs were used with 6AN lines to the block. The AN hardware can really break the bank, I beleive I have over $600 just in the fuel sytem alone. I liked the idea of running the lines through the car to protect them during any off road excursions - there's been a few - and in that case it's pretty much a commitment to AN thoughout. I suppose with autocrossing the vulnerabilty is not a concern, aside from rolling it, and being on a tight budget you'd probably be better off keeping everything external from the cabin going with the 'ole rubber and flared hard lines wherever possible.

I forgot to thank NZeder and rudypoochris for the bearing info, and the ceramic app is quite interesting! I have to agree with Mr. Coffey, it’s out there in aftermarket form, just have to know where to look. With that said my parts guy was unable to source it. Not sure if this has been posted either, but here are the National part numbers for the remaining bearings (excluding spider gears) and seals: 2011 Front seal 223542 Side seals 32306C Front pinion bearing (tapered) 32307 Rear pinion bearing 30209C Carrier bearings L&R

Yes, that IS interesting, pehaps it worsened the condition, I have no idea, but I have a difficult time believing Nissan would make a change like this "on the fly" without any R&D.

Slightly off subject, but worth noting. If this has been mentioned before, my bad, but the later Z31 long nose R200's have a slightly refined casting incorporating an extra oil path between the front bearing and carrier area on the underside. I've only exclusively used the newer casting and cannot offer any comparison to the older ones but I've yet to have a front bearing failure under exclusive road racing conditions. Also, assuming the drive flange angles are correct, IMO raising the rear of the diff to compensate for a lowered car/half-shaft angles can only help supply more oil up there.

1. I’ve been Vintage racing with Midwestern Council for the past three years. The club is 2nd only to the SCCA in size. As for competitiveness, it really depends on who shows up for the weekend in our club, but I’ve only had 1 race in the past two years which I did not start on the front row. 2. They have a very good school consisting of a half day classroom and 1 full day of track time. The instructors actually ride with the students whenever possible – SCCA does not do this. The school is a requirement for all groups including vintage, and their full comp license is translatable to SCCA, NASA, etc, whereas this is typically not the case with other vintage clubs. 3. I’ve run 3 to 4 events per a year on average, primarily at Blackhawk Farms which is about 1.5 hrs from my house. A typical race weekend consists of arriving Saturday afternoon, getting registered and the car through tech (if required, I usually have an annual) and spending the night in my trailer - I built a fold down bed for it with a single sized mattress. The entry fees are usually about $180. Sun usually has two 15 min sessions in the morning, practice and qualifying, followed by a ½ hour race in the afternoon. 4. No sponsors for myself. Even thought I run on an extremely tight budget I have to agree with Dr Sideways (who has been a great help to me), I’ve partially avoided it because of the hassles involved. 6. I’ve been running Kumho DOT’s; one set typically costs $6-700. I can usually run the entire season (again 3-4 events) on them, though they loose their grip quite noticeably after the first weekend. A typical race weekend for me with the cost of tires spread out would be roughly $600.00 for everything including food and diesel fuel, but of course not including any additional car or truck maintenance. I can do the weekend without any time off of work, though I’m usually pretty beat on Monday. My engine overhaul times have also been 10-15 hours. I was fortunate enough to acquire Alan’s 7.25†Tilton dual disc clutch. I’ve been able to get some remarkable time out of the discs, the set in there now has over 2 seasons on them. I agree with Alan, tenacity and desire rank at the top. I built the car myself, the initial cost was around $25k, which is actually quite cheap, and it’s been continually improved since. Phil

Good news, the steering joints are now available, this is no joke! Again, a big thanks lbhsbZ, he was the sole Hybrid member to step up and send me an additional rack gear example. I was told fitment was good on the two samples I sent and the same holds true for the current rack on my car. Tony has sent me two versions of joints with bores opposite the rack side, one smooth bore .56†weld-able, the other .750-20 splined for use with the entire line of Woodward Steering products. The overall quality is very good. I would like to start a group buy, please see that section. I’ve thought of a few solutions for the joint on the steering column side. The first would be cutting off the splines on the other end of the steering shaft, drilling and welding to the steering column. Or, Woodward also sells a .750-20 male spline weld in stub, part # ST201A, for 3/4 OD x .120 wall tubing. The column OD is about 3/4" as well: it would be drilled to 9/16†ID and the stub welded; the intermediate shaft to the rack would then be .120 wall tubing of course. Again, if welding directly on the joint, Tony actually recommends MIG over TIG because of the lower temps and also recommends using a ER80SD-2 wire, which has the most desirable properties. Also, somebody PLEASE tell me if the S130 cars and any other Nissan models share the same spline/diameter, I’m assuming this is the case.

I can't stress enough the key to a good, straight panel is Evercoat Metalglaze, basically a watered down version of bondo. Your roof and door look good, but I would coat the entire panel one last time and sand it down with this stuff. I was amazed how "good" a panel felt after sanding and how much more continued to show up. I typically do the initial sanding with a random orbital, then a longer hand sanding board, approx 18", and finally a traditional sanding block. My roof looked about as bad as yours initially too. EDIT: I also wanted to add, the Metalglaze sands much faster than the thick stuff, not much more time required in comparison to all the other work.

I'd post a pic but unfortunately the car is on jack stands with the driver's door too close to the wall at the moment (passenger side has an aluminum panel). I cut mine pretty much the same as you have taped, but 1/2" up from the corner on the latch side and bottom. For an inside door handle I welded a plumbing valve handle to the arm which the linside linkage nomally attaches to and also eliminated the locking portion of the latch completely. The handle has enough of an offset to clear the door and is surprisingly easy to use when seated, reaching across the chest to open with the opposite arm. It works so good I wish I would have shaved the outside handles too. It's not the easiest to remove the door bars. The latch side spot welds can be drilled out, but for the front I ended up torching the visible part of the bar out and carefully cutting the remainder (closest to the door skin) with a cut-off wheel. The outside skin was unaffected with no warpage, etc. I beleive the door weighs about 7 pounds (without the window frame, etc). I also got carried away with the hinges and removed a bunch of material from them too.

I'm sure Sparks will reply, but the base stock is used cooking oil which is of course free. As you stated, he is probably not adding the cost to actually heat the oil during refinement but even still, it is an economical alternative to diesel.

An older thread, but I thought I'd throw my $.02 in. Thanks to Jon, I too am sold on Swepco/ATF. I tried Mobil One and royal purple but had some slight grinding when down shifting too fast. Once I switched to Swepco/ATF that disappeared and it shifted much faster, I was very happy. Also, in addition to thinning out the mixture, the added detergents in the ATF aid the synchros and deposits, not as much an issue with synthetics, but worth noting. Curiously enough, this is noted as being used by the old ElectrAmotive team in the How to Hotrod race book back in the 70's and early 80's.

To be fair, I mentioned the "hats" first Anyways it should be noted 280Z Turbo states he'll be running a high speed autocross. This is structured similar to a solo2 environment with a minimal amount of laps at a time, IMO alot of the stuff from the IT board is overkill.

Agreed, the brake fluid is the most critical part of the equation. I W2W in Council and last year there I met another Z owner, also in W2W, who still had the backing plates and no ducts! I couldn't beleive he didn't have any issues, but he did bleed the brakes between sessions. Motul RBF600 and ATE Super Blue/type 200 seem to be the best choices. Ducting still wouldn't hurt of course. If I were still using the stock calipers or even the toyota ones I'd probably make some "hats" for them with their own ducting. That aside, you can weld some exhaust tubing to the backing plates, clamp some hose on it, and a 280 with a stock lower valance has alot of room to add some intake ducts, you could try something like these:

Agreed, all I want to know is who actually produces them!?! IMO Dave is a bit too secretive in this regard with most of his products.

Actually Tony at Woodward has not expressed any concern with recouping the cost. I've told him there aren't any other producers and a strong followng with the cars, which was probably enough for him. I contact MSA when initially trying to get these produced and did not receive any response them, but as a thank you to Tony I will inform them of this. Also, I just spoke with him on the phone, he reassured me they WILL be produced, but again has suffered some delays, he estimated another 2 weeks at a minimum. Apparently the foundry which they've dealt with for the past 30 years has burned down and all of the tooling vaporized as a result. They're slowly digging their way back out.... We spoke a bit about welding them. He recomended MIG over TIG because of the lower temps and also recomended using a ER80SD-2 wire, which has the most desirable properties.

The weights are actually the same, 10lbs, but IMO that is a bonus because you're essentially getting a driveshaft which is heavier duty without a weight penalty. Driveshaft Specialities fabricated and shipped this one within a few days of ordering as well. My reason for buying this is I've had a hard time getting the stock ones to hold up on my road racer since day one. This includes Spicers but not the OEM ones, but as I understand they're not quite the same anymore. The geometry/angles are good. The other guys in my club with Z's haven't had issues, but none are putting down as much power either. I should elaborate on my previous post. PSTDS was willing to make one for me, but they weren't aware of anyone producing a slip yoke for the Nissan trans, or perhaps didn't want to take the time to research it. For anyone willing to go the extra mile, the yoke on my driveshaft is stamped as a Spicer part, #MDI 5 C2-3-2189-5. I cannot read the diff end as the numbers are stamped facing the u-joint, but I do recall seeing the Spicer part # posted online at several different places, maybe JTR...

I did contact them first, they weren't very helpfull. I contacted several places which cater to the v8 crowd for the most part and did not get anywhere.

I thought I'd give everyone a heads up on a driveshaft I just purchased. I found a place in Texas who custom fabricated one basically identical to the MSA version, but 2†shorter in my case, and a bit cheaper at $425 total. They have a good list of Nissan models and other makes allowing for many trans/diff combinations. http://www.thrashdriveshaft.com/import2.htm#NISSAN