Opinion on Apex Engineered rear control arms and frame rails?

[Mitchel0407]

As I’ve documented on this forum before I got kind of stift by the auction company and the previous owner of my 77 280z. The frame rails are rusted and need replacement to pass inspection and something is wrong with the rear suspension. I’m trying to not spend too much money at the moment but still want good parts that will stay on the car trough out the build as doing thing twice costs more in the long run.

I will have to take the car to a body shop to get the frame rails welded so I’ll be looking to get pre made frame rails to save on labor cost. That gives me two choices, 1,5mm thick reproduction rails from KF vintage or the 3mm thick rails from Apex. The KF rails are send trough a warehouse in Spain so that saves a lot on import cost for me but the Apex rails are twice as thick which may give the almost 50 year old car some much needed strength and rigidity. Does anybody have the Apex rails on there car and how are they holding up?

As for the rear suspension the question is if it is the chassis itself that’s crooked or something in the suspension. As I can’t find many stories of bend chassis online I’ll take the bet that it’s the rear suspension. That means I’ll have to look for adjustable rear control arms. That way even if the chassis itself is a little bit crooked I can tune it out for now till the car will be fully restored. Again that search let me back to Apex, there was also Silver Project from Europe which was a lot cheaper but I don’t hear much good from them. Has anybody installed the rear (or front) control arms from Apex with mostly stock suspension?

I currently have a list of products form Apex which interests me and I’ll probably wait till Black Friday to see if they got any good deals. I don’t know if I’ll order everything but the frame rails and rear control arms I’ll probably order. This is what I’m interested in at the moment:

-    Frame rails
-    Rear control arms
-    Fender brace (If the car gets welded anyway, why not)
-    Rear strut brace
-    Front control arms
-    Low profile outer tie rods (I run 15” atm)
-    Inner tie rods (because of the threat difference)
-    Steering knuckles

All combined should give the chassis and suspension a nice upgrade and the adjustability I need to get the car on the road. I do plan on keeping the four lug setup and the coilovers that are currently on the car. I do like there coilovers but That may be too much money for now. Yesterday I contacted Apex Engineered with some questions and they claim that the suspension components I’m looking at do work with the stock components.

Are there people on here running Apex components (except the track attack kits) and what is your opinion on them. 

[jhm]

Another source of frame rails and chassis reconstruction pieces is Charlie Osbourne of "Zedd Findings" in Ontario, Canada.  He used to have a website; but I think his only online presence is on FB, and he retails his products through MSA Auto.  I've used his frame rails and can vouch for their quality and fitment...he's an extremely reputable vendor.

https://www.thezstore.com/product/5249/premium-front-frame-rail-kit-70-78-240z-260z-280z

 

I've used Apex Eng for their steering knuckles and some other pieces; and have always been impressed with their quality of construction and customer service.  I really like the design of their low-profile outer tie rod ends, which should be a great choice for your 15" wheels.  Keep in mind that wheel design and construction, and wheel offset, can still affect interference between the rim and the outer tie rod ends.  If you know your specific wheel model and width/offset, I can probably give you more definitive answer based on my own experience.

 

Not to take anything away from AE; but have you looked at the other vendors for those pieces (e.g. T3, Futofab, etc?)  They all have their pros and cons; so make sure you've done a full industry survey before spending all that cash.  And nearly all of them also offer Black Friday specials; so you're smart to wait a few weeks before making your purchases.

 

Good luck with it -- it looks like you're really digging into this project aggressively; looking forward to seeing your progress!!

[Brad-ManQ45]

Whatever frame rails you choose, have them put on by a body shop that can straighten your unibody first.  You shouldn't have to use non stock parts to correct a tweaked unibody car - that's poor economics.

[Mitchel0407]

I am planning to do it the right way but finding a body shop that can straighten the car is a bit difficult. I was always planning to fully strip, repair, straighten and repaint the car at some point but if it’s possible I would like to at least be able to drive the car on the road. Seeing as I don’t have a car trailer and “officially” my daily driver isn’t allowed to tow more then 1400kg it would be a lot easier to transport the car to body shops under its own power. And for that I need an valid inspection….

 

Instead of diving head first into an full restauration, which will take years and tens of thousands of euro’s in one go, I’m just trying to spread out the costs and take it on piece by piece. I would like to at least enjoy the car for a bit and attend some meetings in my 280z instead of my Opel Astra diesel estate. Seeing as most parts come from the US it’s a big hurdle to buy. Shipping is very expensive, there is a 4,5% import cost and then a 21% tax on the total amount. In all I pay 50% more than someone from the US for parts.

 

This also gives me time to calm down the misses a bit as she only sees the dollar signs flying away. I have seen this spiral before and I don’t want to end up with a stranded project. I want to keep my Z for life and I will take care of her.