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76 280z with MSA Spring Kit 23-4042 and Tokico Blues


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Anyone have a clue as to why this car is so damn high? I understand we can get the rear lower with an early shock isolator but what about the front? We're building a chumpcar which keeps us from using the typical sectioned struts with coil-overs. Springs are sitting in the perches correctly and the spacers/bearings are installed between the top perch and the isolators. We don't want to sacrifice shock travel to go lower but it seems to me that it should at least be a few inches lower than it is.

 

Anyone have any idea?  

 

 

 

 

post-817-0-73043000-1449603162_thumb.jpg

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The lift under the crossmember hasn't been released.

 

It hasn't been rolled to unbind the suspension after lifting.

 

That guy in the picture is very strong and is pulling up on something.

 

You have low profile tires, creating a bigger gap.

 

You installed too-tall springs.

 

 

 

There's a few clues.  You haven't really given any info about the parts.  Springs, isolators, perches...every car has those. 

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The lift under the crossmember hasn't been released. 

 

Its lowered completely 

 

It hasn't been rolled to unbind the suspension after 

 

Everything is unbound

 

That guy in the picture is very strong and is pulling up on something.

 

Im not that strong... but thanks for the compliment :P 

 

You have low profile tires, creating a bigger gap.

 

They are 225/45/15... not that abnormal on these cars. We can throw on a set of 225/50/15s but its not that big of a difference. 

 

 

You installed too-tall springs.

 

See the title of the thread

 

 

 

There's a few clues.  You haven't really given any info about the parts.  Springs, isolators, perches...every car has those. 

 

Again, See the title of the thread. Its the off the shelf MSA/Eibach kit for a 280z.  (http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic20c01/23-4042)

 

 

 

 

Filled in the blanks. 

 

Just seems to me that for an off the shelf performance kit, it should be quite a bit lower. 

Edited by Cobra_Tim
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I did miss the title pieces.  Best to list things out, for me anyway.

 

You didn't mention the bushings.  With factory rubber bushings, the caps need to be torqued with the car down, and rolled to unbind the tire/ground contact, and at ride height.  If you torque them with the suspension hanging the rubber will hold the car up.  

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I did miss the title pieces.  Best to list things out, for me anyway.

 

You didn't mention the bushings.  With factory rubber bushings, the caps need to be torqued with the car down, and rolled to unbind the tire/ground contact, and at ride height.  If you torque them with the suspension hanging the rubber will hold the car up.  

 

Thats a good point. Used offset bushings were installed and torqued on all the inner control arm mounting points front and back (the typical kits that have been around forever.) But I swear there was no little to no binding. Still have the oem rubber in the outer rear. 

 

There is a 1" diameter difference between a 225/45/15 and 225/50/15 so I'm sure that adds to it. 

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I am also working on this car. I have put many of these Eibach spring kits from Motorsports Auto on cars like this. None of them have turned out looking like this.

If part of the suspension is binding and holding the car up in the air, we have other handling issues to worry about.

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I would make sure the springs are in the hat completely, that might require jacking up the car and manually setting the spring in the hat. 

 

I was going to say a 225/45/15 is quite a bit smaller then stock. It is a one inch difference between a 225/50/15 and a 225/50/15 is about a 0.4 inch difference from the stock wheel. 

 

I vote for making sure the springs are sitting in the hats completely and roll it around a tad.

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JMortensen has written in the past about removing the springs and running the suspension through its travel range to make sure there's no binding.  Nobody seems to do it when they have these problems, but it would probably be informative and save a bunch of head-scratching in the long run.

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  • 1 month later...

I just installed the Eibach kit/Tokico HP struts on my 78 280z. I have the same problem, suspension is now higher than stock. I have the springs installed with part numbers 6303.001 Front(shorter spring) and 6303.002 Rear(longer spring). I have installed springs with writing right side up and readable. The struts cannot be installed backwards as the spacer on the bottom of rear strut wouldn't fit in front I believe. I bought from Whitehead Performance and they told me where each spring should be installed even though its not clearly stated online and there is contradictory information. I did tighten everything up with car on stands but went back after and loosened/tightened suspension with each side jacked up as it would sit on the ground. I can't drive the car now  to unbind suspension as it is undergoing a small resto, and we are in the middle of winter here in Canada. Hopefully some of the smart Z people on here can offer suggestions as I have scoured the Net looking for answers. From what I have seen others post on the Eibach/Tokico HP setup, their pictures of their Z look good, so something is definitely wrong with our setup. Sorry to hijack your thread, hopefully we can find some suggestions from the smart Z people on here as I have scoured the Net and found nothing. 

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suspension is now higher than stock.

How about some numbers, or a picture, or at least a description of which end is higher, or if it's just one end or both.  Most people with Eibach problems say the front sits too high.

 

Could be that somebody made a large batch of counterfeit Eibachs and the dealers just keep buying them.  With all of the bad press it's surprising that anybody sells them, and that people keep buying.  I guess the second drives the first.

 

Also, did you check that the stock springs weren't cut?  Maybe you're comparing new Eibach to cut stock.

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And new zed's original comment still stands. Run the suspension through it's travel. If you are too lazy to do so, then at least run the control arm through the travel. Things I am seeing that are binding include aftermarket brake lines, sway bar, rubber bushings, end links. If you get certain items in an unfavorable position, they will hold up the suspension or keep it from coming down. 

 

A picture would indeed be nice especially in comparison to the stock suspension. These springs should in theory be a tad loose/shorter/easier to install. If you had to compress them and fight them the entire time to try and get them on, then they aren't the right spring. 

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Are you sure the springs are the correct ones?

When I did that kit on my 240Z years ago I didn't have to compress the springs at all to put the top retainer on, unlike taking off the originals.

Mine lowered the front of the car more than the rear and didn't leave much travel before coil bind, but the fronts were progressive so that was supposedly normal.

I got rid of them.

Edited by wheelman
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