Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 i have a 280z...how long should the springs be that come with the ground control coilover kit? i have the perch threaded all the way down and i still have to compress the spring a little to put the top on..should the spring just be loose? or am i just and idiot...need help asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 It depends on what springs you ordered... they commonly come in 8", 10" and 12" lengths. If you have an 8" spring it should go on fine without needing to be compressed, but I would imagine that a 10 or 12 will need a bit of compression to get it on. Try it in the car and use that as your guide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 i think im an idiot...the guy at GC told me to weld the steel perches on the lip where the old ones were....but now i look at the instructions and it says to weld it 5 inches from the bottom of the strut housing...i measured my springs and theyre 12 inches long...can i just get a 8 or 10 inch spring and leave the welded perch alone?...this sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat260 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi, I think leaving the lower perch is useless since the advantange of coilovers is not only for hight adjustment but also for having more room for wider rims. You wouldn't be be taking full advantage of coilovers. There is a site that explains how to properly install coilovers. http://geocities.com/bry593/coilover/coilover.htm Hope it will help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I think the 5" below the top of the strut is the guideline for 10" springs. Regardless, if you put the perches in the right spot you shouldn't have to compress the springs with any length. If you have 12" springs and you can set the adjuster all the way at the bottom and still can't get it on, I'd go with 8" springs, because if you went with 10" you'd still need to be most of the way down just to get everything together, and then you wouldn't be able to make much adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 i think ill jus put 8 inch springs instead of the 12 inch and call it a day...im not really gonna run wide tires in the front so itll be okay....now where can i get 8 inch eibachs springs...also if i section the rear strut housings should i exactly match them to the same height as the front? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Wait a minute. If you haven't sectioned the struts yet, then why don't you just grind off the original bead that the spring perches sat on? Then you can section and put the new perch in the right place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat260 Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 OOPS, I misunderstood the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 the rears i havent touched at all yet....the rears i wanted to section because the struts i have are short like the front ones...so id either have to make a spacer or section...so i guess ill just section so i can gain that travel...now when i section them should i make the tube exactly the same as the front strut tubes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 If you did that and set the ride height level, you would be 2" further thru the strut travel in the front. It would be a much better idea to section both, or not at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 does this go for 280z tubes? because the fronts are shorter than the rears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Yes. If you shorten the rear tubes 2", that will lower the car 2" in the rear. If you don't do the same in the front, than the front will sit 2" higher than the rear. So to even it out you'll need to lower the front 2", which will put you close to the bumpstops. The point is not how long the tubes are, the point is where in the travel the vehicle sits level. Originally it sat level or close with the rear tubes longer than the front tubes, so that's what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun280zmike Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 ahhh ic well explained...thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 No problem! I still say grind off the welds, use the 12" springs you have, and just mount the perches in the right place. I think if you ground the welds off, put the strut in the tube and put the adjuster all the way at the top of the threaded sleeve, then loosely assembled everything, you would want the rear spring perch to be mounted so that the spring was touching the hat on top while sitting on the perch on bottom. You'll probably end up adjusting the front lower than the rear, because the Z's are kind of high in the front from the factory. You should have plenty of adjustment though if you've got 5" threaded collars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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