BrandenZ

Yeah, after pondering on it a bit more I believe I've got two issues. One of them was an absolute length issue due to my setup. Now I believe I have an issue where the provided adapters do not have deep enough pockets. Given that the kit allows the CVs to both slide on the splines and plunge in both directions, I believe under load it's enough slide and plunge for the end of the axle to contact the adapter. I could probably resolve this by either adding a circlip groove on both sides of the CV, only allowing movement with plunge, or possibly machining an adapter spacer with a very large groove. Whatever the final solution is here, I really really want to keep my R180 clsd... Unfortunately this isn't really an option for me with my wheel and tire setup. If I spin the LCAs back out, I run the risk of the sidewall of the tire contacting the fender / lip. As a side note, my half-shafts have zero issues running with my current LCA and camber plate setup. Yep, that's the email address I used. I sent a follow-up today to that address and dave@futofab.com, so hopefully I'll have more luck reaching him. I'll give that number a call later today after work if I still don't hear anything. Also, I have the Type2 (100mm) kit. I also have the STi stub axles, but I got those from John years ago, on I think his first production run of them.

I'm at my wit's end with this kit. I'm down to 14-1/8" axle length from the original 15-3/4" and am still having issues under acceleration. I swapped back to my half shafts and have absolutely zero issue. At this point, I'm likely abandoning the kit entirely until my half shafts or u-joints break racing. It's so bad that 50% throttle in 3rd gear at 25 mph causes issues. I did 100% having a smoking gun of inner diff side adapter interference. At my current length the circlips should hit first, but dynamic forces and diff shift may still allow it to drift. My suspicion at this point is the 400+ ft/lbs of torque throw the axles towards the diff under load and cause a more severe angular plunge of the CVs than the adapters were designed for. I could verify this theory by possibly lathing out the inner adapters, likely at the cost of strength. Alternatively, I could turn some aluminum adapter extensions hollowed way out to give the kit breathing room towards the diff. Sadly at this point and with no response from FutoFab, and additionally knowing the kit was engineered by someone that's no longer among the Z community, I'm just going to consider this money and time wasted and run my half shafts...

Thanks for the replies! I contacted FutoFab on the issue but have yet to receive any response back. They sell the johnc side axles with the kit now, so in theory I'd expect them to work together with it. That said, empirical evidence seems to suggest otherwise... Axle length checker lathed out of PVC: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2t7c7bfbdy3z0fm/20200119_165400.jpg?dl=0 Then after accounting for plunge on the CVs, custom mock-up axle lathed from delrin: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lbcrm5q7ygneaj9/20200119_191158.jpg?dl=0 Seemingly correct axle length: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5kscrhxp2rzsvc1/20200119_193101.jpg?dl=0 An interesting point of note is that even with the 15-1/4" length axles, there is not bind in the traditional sense of absolute length. What's happening is that the combination of the axle length and plunge distance available in the CVs allows the axle to drift enough that it _will_ contact the CV adapter on the diff side before stopping / resting on the circlip on the outboard edge. I am very, very dramatically experiencing this under load. Perhaps a lower torque output Z would not, I'm not sure. Anyway, the correct length for my application appears to be 14" drivers side, 14-1/4 passenger side. This is a HUGE difference from the 15-3/4" original length axles I was shipped. Unless I was sent the wrong axles, or my understanding of what's happening here is grossly incorrect, I'm not seeing how this kit ever works on a Z (although maybe it's correct for the longer wheelbase 510). I'll report back my findings if / when I'm able to correct this... though it sure is tempting to just slap my old half-shafts back in at this point!

I've read the same about droop, but anecdotally I have to disagree. I added droop by dropping my coilover to fit the axle in the driver's side, meaning I added length. Also on the initial install, at droop I could feel lateral play in the axles, but dropped at ride height I could not. For my suspension setup, jounce definitely is a shorter length situation with the axles.

I'm having a very bizarre issue with the Wolf Creek CV axle kit, some relevant points of note: 1973 240z Subi R180 diff with johnc side axles Toe bushings adjusted bringing LCAs as far inboard as possible (for extra wheel clearance) while maintaining 0 toe Kmac camber bushings with ~1.8 degrees negative camber dialed in On the initial install, axles measured at 15-3/4" length, I had major install issues and had to loosen and swing the LCAs out. At ride height, I noticed I could barely move the driver's side axle laterally with my hand. Casually driving, there were no issues. Under WOT (LS2 T56 btw), I get what feels like aggressive wheel hop but isn't. After teardown, I noticed the driver's side inner safety wire was chewing into the adapter bolts. Both inner adapters looked like this, showing clear signs of interference: https://www.dropbox.com/s/llliattb2slzaa5/20200111_165439.jpg?dl=0 I suspected I was right on the edge, so I took both axles to a machine shop and had them remove 1/4" from each side, 1/2" total. The current axle length is 15-1/4" in total. On re-installation, the passenger side just barely fit with both adapters installed. On the driver's side, I had to drop the insulator / strut assembly about 1/2" for a little extra droop to get it in. Now at ride height, I can freely wiggle the driver's side axle laterally quite a bit. Unfortunately under WOT, I'm experiencing the exact same issue. The axle seems to still be 'slamming' into the inner adapter during heavy acceleration. The best next step I can think of is to drop the collar fully on my coilovers and see if I can re-produce the bind by jacking the tire / LCA up, and to measure center to center at varying points from full droop to full jounce. I can't find any posts describing any similar issue with CV conversions, so I'm a bit baffled at what I'm experiencing. Any thoughts or ideas are very welcome here! Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to help me... ahem... out of this bind! 😅

I can't speak for that particular kit, but I do know that a lot of Z community members (myself included) have worked with John and his kits with great success: https://www.ztrix.com/fender-kits/subtlez/ The fiberglass I purchased was exactly as described and excellent fitment, only requiring very simple / easy trimming. I have nothing but good things to say about the customer service and willingness to work with me on finicky / custom needs. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I should've done the same while it was out of the car. I'm not running AC or PS and wouldn't have noticed a thing aside from extra HP! Did you swap out the cam too? Do you plan to have it dyno tuned once it's road ready?

Maybe so. I received the same and also installed one on the top mount and one on the bottom on both sides. Well, the install looks fantastic aside from that one blip! An extra washer or two on both sides should do the trick. BTW -- Is that an underdrive pulley on the crank?

That's odd. I had no such U-bolt clearance issues. In fact, due to steering rod placement adjustments that I needed to make with the Hawks headers, I actually had to loosen and move it with the motor installed. Did you use both sets of washers included in the Hoke kit? If so, I'd probably just add a 2nd set to both sides. Bonus: that'll get your exhaust a bit higher.

Hey Pete, you pretty much nailed my only complaint with them. The collectors are the lowest point on the car, and if you plan to spend a lot of time on the street, you'll definitely have to be extra careful. In my case, my Z sees mostly autox / track duty, and usually I trailer it. That said, I just got back from a 500-mile trip up to Deals Gap to Asheville and back home and had 0 issues on any of the surface streets or entryways...

Very nice, steady progress! I installed my FPR in a similar spot to your sump. You probably already know this, but you can swap the fuel rails with very little effort and place the inlet over on the passenger side instead. Having a set of Hawks headers myself, they're probably overkill for my current NA application, and they definitely made running dual exhaust fairly challenging, but I love 'em anyway. They look outstanding, sound outstanding, and future proof the car for any extra goodies I decide to add. That said, getting them in is quite the challenge. If you decide to go with them, also make sure to fully loosen your steering rack, and place the rod in-between the two primaries before tightening down the rack or drivers side header. PS -- I'm soooo jealous of your remote transmission bleeder, which I neglected to even consider until I had the motor and tranny bolted down.

Nice work, and honestly quite a lot accomplished in just a summer! I too decided to strip down and POR15/rust-proof mine, and can attest to what a giant, giant PITA it is. Even though it took absolutely ages, it's still worth it to 'future proof' the car. As is taking your time with all of the swap work. If it makes you feel any better, I thought I could knock my swap out in just a few months over the winter, ahead of this year's racing season. I finished it all almost a year to the day I pulled the L28, in June! Some of my swap parts I think ran out of their one-year warranty before I ever even had the chance to use/test them! As much as I beat myself up over how slow going everything was, it was all worth it in the end. She ended up cranking on the very first try and has been issue free all the way to the alignment shop, dyno, and now multiple autox events. I'd say take your time (and loads of pictures), so you can eventually just enjoy the ride and very little else! If you don't have time to do it right the first time, when are you going to have time to do it again, right?

I can say from personal experience that the factory clutch master cylinder will _not_ work, at least not with the LS6 clutch and pressure plate package that I used from Tick performance. I went with a 7/8" MC and the pedal feel is outstanding. Also my primaries are 1-7/8", 3" collector which I immediately stepped down to 2.5" to clear the transmission crossmember and keep the exhaust somewhat up inside of the tranny tunnel.

Whatever product and shipping discount you're able to negotiate, I wouldn't mind "gifting that" as an additional donation back to the site, as opposed to receiving a small PayPal refund on my order. Just a thought, as others may feel the same way...

One other note on the steering rack is that if you're using the Hawks headers, be sure to rotate the rack itself while it's all loose to make sure you get the rod nicely placed between the primaries on the driver's side header. I did not take care to do that and had a bit of rub initially. Thankfully, I was able to adjust it with the motor still installed... but again it took the help of a buddy and was not fun.

I can also recommend and vouch for the Hoke kit. I've got about 200 trouble-free miles, including a few autox events on the swap now. Yes, I mean for the slave cylinder. Based on where the transmission sits, it was almost impossible to bleed the clutch master cylinder after the swap. I was legitimately concerned that I'd need to drop the transmission, and kicking myself for not installing a remote / speed bleeder ahead of time. I got it done with the help of a buddy, but it was noottttt fun!

Nice prep work! I received one of their beta kits and the fitment across the board was darn near perfect. All I did was swap oilpans (which I already planned on doing for road racing anyway) and that was that! I do highly, highly recommend going ahead and installing a remote bleeder on the transmission before you mount it in the car. It is a giant PITA without it. Ask me how I know!

30308 1 Short Sleeve L - Asphalt 1 Long Sleeve L - Black

I used my 240z's factory 5/16 feed, 3/16 return all day long at countless autox and track events, at 5 psi to dual webers on a 10.2 comp 2.8L E88/F54 combo using a mechanical fuel pump. The only issues I ever had were vapor lock on the hottest days of summer, autox only. Swapping to an electric pump and re-routing the lines around the headers sorted it.

Another member here, RebekahsZ can chime in on his experience with the JCI kit. Personally, I can vouch for Hoke's kit: http://hokeperformance.squarespace.com/store/s30-ls2-engine-mounting-kit I recently finished an LS2/T56 swap into my 240z. The only thing it required was swapping to the C6 Corvette oilpan. I'm using all the factory sensors, alternator, etc (I did delete power steering and A/C). Other than drilling holes for additional supports for the transmission mount, it's about as bolt-up as it comes. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions and best of luck with whatever you decide!

My Hawks headers are the lowest point on my car, and I'm in the same boat as you. It's an autox/track car that only sees casual/pleasure driving on the street. I'm not sure I'd trust the ground clearance daily driving in and out of the city, but for neighborhood romps, avoiding speed bumps and taking any driveways reallllll easy, it's been totally fine so far. Technically I could shim the mounts and bring the headers up higher... or just raise the dang car on my coilovers... but I'm not gonna.

I'm measuring roughly 1" below the frame rails, but unfortunately my car is a terrible candidate for this question. The PO appears to have replaced the floorpans and re-welded in the rails. I don't trust them as a reference point. In fact, they caused issues for me with the transmission mount install. If you take a close look at my picture, notice the wedges attached to the mounts, which I had to use to even out the massively uneven floorpans. I'd probably check with Hoke here on theoretical ground clearance. If I had perfect floorpans, the wedges would not have been necessary and I believe that would have the effect of tilting both headers, and also the exhaust as a whole, a bit higher up in the transmission tunnel.