theBrit Posted April 30, 2005 Share Posted April 30, 2005 Hi all, I just put my qaife equipped r200 LT1/ T56 back together and I suffered the dreaded clatter as the diff rose and let the drive shaft touch the hand brake bracket in my case. I have read a ton of solutions to this on Hybrid Z, but I like to home brew and I though that some solutions I read about didn't look like a Datsun original part. So I just welded some thick stock to the sides of the standard Datsun diff mount, I did this very slowly so that there was little heat build up to damage the rubber. I then tapped it to take 2 bolts on each face and hung an inverted 'U' shape off it that passes under the stock differential front cross member and put in a 1/2" rubber pad in the saddle of the 'U'. Now when the diff lifts it also starts to compress this rubber and it seamlessly stops the diff lifting. Under normal driving the stock Datsun mount works unhindered so there is no increase in harshness as you get with a solid mount. In addition to working flawlessly, it looks stock, is easy to make, easy to fit and remove and is dead simple. I am tickled pink, it came out so well. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted April 30, 2005 Share Posted April 30, 2005 Sounds good. Pics would be nice. I have quite a picture collection of of diff mount solutions. The clamshell type you chose is probably my favorite, for all the same reasons you list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoldman Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 I like the sound of that idea, too. Pix please??? Thanks Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 I just changed my diff yesterday. Finally broke the R180 on the trip to and from MSA. A while back, when I also got tired of the driveshaft/handbrake interferance, I changed over to a Ron Tyler mount. It made changing the diff simple, one bolt. Rons design also has the advantage, for us V8 guys, of being able to lower the nose enough to get proper u-joint angles. I did have to cut a section out of the crossmember to make clearance for the larger R200 snout. But this is no big deal as all it does now is just clamp the LCA bushing to the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 The clam shell mount can also be used to adjust the height of the front of the diff. Just cut some of the rubber out. Thinner rubber means lower front end. Plus it doesn't interfere with the brake cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 The clam shell mount can also be used to adjust the height of the front of the diff. Just cut some of the rubber out. Yes. I just couldn't get the nose low enough in my car to even up the u-joint angles without it sitting right on the crossmember. Plus it doesn't interfere with the brake cables. I know Pete P. had some trouble with that in his car. I haven't had any with mine. I just bolted it up, used some washers to set the angle, and off I went. No trouble at all. Pete fixed his with a simple spring to hold the cables up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Pete fixed his with a simple spring to hold the cables up. Yeah, and an extra 240Z emergency brake cable spring to boot (like the one that helps the cable return to the off position, above the diff nose as well). It was a SIMPLE fix. Nothing that I should think would keep someone from using Ron's mounting idea. I had to grind clearance holes in the top of the diff crossmember for the bolt heads that mount the mount to the top of the nose of the diff. That's how close the diff gets to the lower front crossmember - and it was needed to get the u-joint angles correct too. The other solutions I've seen don't allow the diff to get as low at the nose and that precludes getting a small u-joint angle - something I was definitely wanting to make as close to 1 degree in the vertical plane as I could. No vibrations under acceleration was the reward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 Mike, Paul thought of this a while ago. Pictures were shown on his web site, but the site seems to be down. With a quick search, here is the thread where he speaks of his differential mount modification. Click here I have the page printed out, so if anyone wants to see it, I can scan it and paste the picture here. !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 Mike' date=' I have the page printed out, so if anyone wants to see it, I can scan it and paste the picture here. !M![/quote'] I for one would appreciate you posting it. Thanks...... LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 I really hope Paul doesn't mind me doing this. Here is his design click here !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted July 16, 2005 Share Posted July 16, 2005 I think I'm gonna have to give this one a try, looks like the best solution for my car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I did the same thing on mine except instead of a steel "U-shackle" I used a thin peice of 1/16" Stainless sheet metal bent into a U shaped strap wrapped under the crossmember and tapped it into the legs of the stock mount just like it's shown in Pauls design. I used a peice of rubber to isolate some noise also. I really like Pauls execution of the design. I think its the most logical of all that I have seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srgunz Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I used that same design as Paul except it is an "L" shape instead of "U" shaped. Made from piece of 2in x 2in angle iron. Simple and quick fix. Plenty strong for a 6cyl. I have not taken a photo of it yet. Will try to do soon. Here it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 SRGunz, I know I am bringing this thread back from waaaaay beyond death but - that is exactly how I built my diff mount, and a good application of torque actually bent the angle iron! Your 6banger shouldn't kill it but I need something more robust. This is FYI for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briann510 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Wouldnt a solid front diff mount work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Solid diff mounts are noisy. One trip around the block and I took mine out and fabbed up a movement limiter too. A little different than this one. I don't mind some road noise but if it's avoidable all the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briann510 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Our car is so loud with 3" and a Borla Raceline I dont think we will even notice a solid front mount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Yeah but noises that the diff transfers to the body with a solid mount are ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Our car is so loud with 3" and a Borla Raceline I dont think we will even notice a solid front mount. The solid diff mount I had on my car for all of 10 minutes was so loud I felt physically ill when I got out of the car. Results do vary, but for some reason with my old R180 and a solid mount the noise was absolutely unbearable. FWIW I ended up building a Ron Tyler style mount for my car. Once I got everything apart for the engine swap I realized just how simple the over the top mount really is. Here is an excellent write up on what needs to be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twoeightnine Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 On my 77, it has two large bolts extending from the rear cross member. A 2 inch wide strap goes from thoes bolts and across the top nose of the diff. Is this a stock mod? If so has any one considered replacing the strap with something more stout? A steel band or such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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