NewZed

What would the mods mod? This forum is its own thing. Facebook is a whole different ecosystem. There's a discussion happening here, which is what forums are for. Facebook is people posting about random things that they like. I went through the first six Facebook links and found projects in progress and private Facebook groups. I didn't learn anything about the products. Ohmster says he will be fine, that Hybridz is a small community and Facebook is large. Doesn't seem like he needs help. People know where to look now for more information. No need to do any moderating here. It's just a thread of experiences and opinions. Everything seems honest.

@ohmster101 Equal time. How are things going?

He's still forging ahead with new products, taking orders and deposits too, you'd assume. Wants your stimulus money. https://www.facebook.com/apexengineered/ https://www.facebook.com/apexengineered/photos/a.169350783569251/1006884353149219/?type=3&theater

The heart of the problem is here. Ohmster did not "make things right". He, apparently, gave up on a customer and left them paying for his poor work. If Ohmster really is inundated with orders then he should have chalked this one off as the cost of development, to be made up on future successful orders filled. But, again, apparently, he's using the customer's money to support his development costs. So, these types of stories are valuable and are the reason forums like Hybridz exist. The possible causes of the difficulties are many but how Ohmster handles the problems will determine if his business succeeds. These uncomfortable stories help people decide if they want to take that risk, or if they just want to "donate" their money to a growing business. Nobody can fairly complain about the guy that reported a bad experience. They're doing the unsuspecting future customer a favor. So far, there are numerous delayed orders, some bad axles, and one "completed" order that left a customer dissatisfied. Time will tell, hopefully, if things get better. A person would think that at least one or two other people out there had received their complete subframe orders by now. Feel free to add your story if you have one.

Ohmster already said what the issues were. It's not a COVID or supplier or outsourcing issue. And he's an engineer, he says, so the issues with fixturing and fit should have been foreseen and manageable. He's just a guy who took on a big challenge, to start a business, to make money, and he's having problems. No free passes in a free market economy. The poor spelling is a bad sign, in general. Attention to detail. These stories have been told before. Hope he makes it. He's the only one that can make it work. So far, nobody has reported a successful installation of this kit. He needs to get some good product delivered. Bad product delivered is not going to work, obviously. Good luck Ohmster.

Relays aren't a bad idea, in general. But the V8 versus L6 issue only matters to the battery cables. The small wire only powers the solenoid, which actually has its own relay at the end of the stroke. Minor point. Maybe Chevy used a bigger solenoid and draws more current. Or maybe Chevy has a bigger safety margin. But it's the solenoid draw that would matter.

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Forgot to say, he's a member here, but he doesn't respond to notifications either. @zcardepot.com

How long ago? I've read a few things. The company is run by one guy and I think he's getting too big to keep up.

You're probably thinking of dropping the strut and letting it swing out while still attached to the inner mounting points. Sometimes it's possible to do that, sometimes you still need a spring compressor to get enough room to get under the fender lip. Then, even if you do get it swung out, you still need to remove the spring, and gland nut and strut guts (stock internals or aftermarket shock), before cutting the tube and installing the BC parts. How you decide to do it depends on how much room you have and how good you are at figuring things out. It's actually somewhat convenient to have the strut attached to the car, if you don't have a bench and vice and fixtures. The guys are right though, if you're asking about the gland nut and avoiding spring compression, you'll want to do some more studying before starting. This one? https://www.bcracing-na.com/product/br-series-coilover-datsun-260z-280z-1974-1978

$1500?

Did you win? It's a gasket. https://www.google.com/search?q=oil+filter+gasket&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS862US862&oq=oil+filter+gasket&aqs=chrome..69i57.3881j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

p.s. the Nissan filter would be the obvious starting point. p.s. 2 that gasket would not normally be considered an "O-ring". It's a gasket. O-rings are more complex, although a quick Google shows that the term is being dumbed down (no offense) to refer to any gasket that is round. https://www.parker.com/Literature/O-Ring Division Literature/ORD 5700.pdf

Is it a Nissan part or aftermarket? Seems like you could peel the gasket out of a filter and it would work, if you find the right filter. A sensible engineer would design the seal to match an oil filter seal, since the sealing surface is the same.

That sounds correct. If you know the colors you can just bridge them earlier in the harness, no need to get all the way up there. Unfortunately Nissan changes colors at the connections for some reason so the wires in the harness might not be white.

Post up the instructions for the Speedhut gauge. The white wire on the right of your picture, with the loop in it, is the one that the current passes through to the ignition system. It's the current that causes the 240Z tach needle to move. But there is also a voltage sensing tach that just has a wire from the negative post of the coil that terminates at the tach. You need to know what type Speedhut is using. Here's a bigger diagram than the tiny snippet you posted. https://www.classiczcars.com/files/file/1-240z-wiring-diagram/

Here's the 71 wiring diagram from the Owners' Manual. It's a green wire with a 20 amp fuse. Finding it and using it is discussed off and on over the years on various forums.

I wonder why somebody hasn't designed a solid replacement. All steel.

You guys are right about the stock parts. Crushing the control arm ears would not happen. With those parts it's just the simpel safety factor of breaking the bolt and having it slide out. I'm still a fan of thinking things through to the extent that a person can. It's more than just "throw out the spindle pin and slap a 5/8" bolt in there instead". With the PU bushings that most people install when they remove their spindle pin the control arm ends slide forward and backward on the bushing. Does the nut and bolt need a proper sized washer to support the bushing or control arm surface? What size should it be? Worth thinking about. Most of the PU bushings are too thick to fit in the gap. Should they be trimmed or should the control arms be spread to squeeze it in there? Why didn't the PU guys get the PU part right, so that it fits? Is the sleeve that they supply right? The first guy's post was about the InvincibleExtremes setup. Might be far from the crusty old stock Nissan bonded rubber parts. You'd really have to see the parts to know if the Nissan design is being followed. There's an assumption that he does do but so far it doesn't look like anyone has actually got theirs together yet.

The control arm will be moving in relation to the hub casting as the suspension moves. The bolt and nut will be clamping the "ears" of the arms against the hub surfaces. Regardless of whether the arm ears deflect enough to make the surfaces contact my point is that the bolt is an axle, or think of it as two separate axles, one on each end. There is rotation around each of those axles. Again, over-thinking, but that's part of the point of a forum. To be clear though, I think that gnosez is talking about the simple act of replacing the spindle pin with a 5/8" bolt, no mono-balls or rod ends. You might be talking about a different application.

Torque specs are set to get proper clamping force from the nut and bolt. But this application uses the bolt as an axle. It's not meant to clamp. You'll be clamping down on a moving bearing surface. I don't think the common torque specs apply.

1976 has a switch in the AFM that controls the fuel pump relay. When you start the engine cold the idle speed is higher and air flow keeps the switch closed. As idle speed drops air flow does too and the switch might be closing. You can check that possibility by taking the black cover off of the side of the AFM and manipulating the counterweight by hand. Ot you can just watch the switch, it is just two very small contact points attached to a piece of stiff wire. You can bend the wire to adjust the switch if needed. Another check is to just turn up the idle RPM and see if that makes a difference to keep the pump running. Here's a picture. Don't mess with any of the things shown in the link, he's showing how to fix an AFM that has been messed with. https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/afm/index.html

Here's some overthinking - it should really be a 16mm bolt.

I was responding more to gnosez's comment about "over-thinking". He has a tone of superiority, but really he's just a guy who decided to use a bolt, apparently because it's easier and cheaper. Nothing really superior about that. It's just a choice. The whole point of these forums is to generate things to think about, but the value of those things is opinion.

Most of the discussion about the spindle pin and locking bolt is about why Nissan did things that way. And, as often mentioned, just because something didn't fail doesn't mean it's better. There are many areas on the Z where you could just use a cable or a chain or drill a hole and use a bolt. In the end the car owner needs to know what they're trying accomplish and take responsibility. The internet is full of all kinds of starting points to think about but it can't decide for you no matter how many posts are posted.