CU Zcar Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I'm buying a 240z project that comes with some shiny stuff from Arizona Z car...namely their coilover set and rear control arms. Anyone use these or know where I can read up on the shocks? The seller suggests they're based on Tein components. Hoping this will someday be an ITS car. Might have to dump the RCAs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar240z Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Check the stickies at the top, search for coilovers, theres been at least 1 thread on the newer version, and you could email Dave, of Arizona Zcar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildky Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I'm pretty sure AZC sells koni's, i don't see where they're listed anow but pretty sure he used to sell koni's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 Well, I sent off an email to AZC at the same time I started this thread, I just wanted to get some feedback from users. I'd also searched on "arizona coilovers" and didn't see anything other than passing mention of these, plus one person who simply said they felt good. I'm unaware of any Konis that have 'click' adjustment, those I've come across were always a continuous-sweep adjustment. I'm sure I'll hear from Dave at AZC soon enough though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 AZC has the newer stuff with the upside down piston and the older stuff was your typical coilover where you welded a perch to the stock strut housing and set a threaded adjuster on top of the perch. Apparently he is no longer selling the older style coilover setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 What I'm getting is exactly what is pictured on the page I linked in my first post. I've seen them, the threaded tubes are already welded to the spindle assemblies. What I'm after are things like are they mono or twintube, are they rebuildable/revalveable and by whom, does the adjustment change rebound separately or rebound/compression at once, etc. Dave did respond promptly to my Email, but linked me to the same page I just mentioned and said he provides no other literature. I'm going to ask a few more detailed questions, but if that's all he's got I'm surprised anyone puts forward the money for these things new. He's either holding back or he's buying them from someone else. When I get the car together I'll see how they feel, my seller was building this car as a more tame "toy" than his GT2-prepped 240Z so he could race with one or another of the vintage groups that didn't like his big brakes or built motor or 45DCOEs. Instead he ran across a Datsun 710 raced by Bob Bondurant in the 70's and is working on that now. Anyway, he seemed to know his stuff so I'm supposing he chose these shocks because he researched and thought they would do OK under racing conditions, but I'm probably holding onto a set of stock strut tubes in case I decide Konis (etc) would be the way to go if/when I want to get into ITS At that point I'll have to be careful not to badmouth them 'cause I'd probably try to sell shortly thereafter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Your seller wouldn't happen to be Bill Baker, would he? He was talking about one on another board, sounded like a fun car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 A-yup. Going to pick up the stuff when he gets all of it out of California. Which other board? I remember one of the boards had a good spring rate discussion among people running Z's in ITS, I'm thinking 240z.org but it's down at the moment. He's got this one sprung pretty soft, I'm going to see how the soft spring/big bar thing works and go from there. [edit] The stickied "Strut Thread" on this page might be the post I was just talking about. I need to keep up with these places a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/westcoastzracer/ It's usually pretty dead, but occasionally it has some interesting threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I've heard good things about their new strut/coil over setup... By the time you spend $640 on some Koni Yellow 8610s, and $420 on a set of coil over tubes and coilsprings, you're most of the way there. Had I now already had GC coil overs on my car, I'd have done this route. And I can REALLY recommend the camber plates sold by Dave! WAY better install and function that the GC units I have on the front. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmark Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Shaun, I believe Katman will be a big help here. He knows ITS 240Z's. Another site to consider is www.improvedtouring.com. There is alot of 240Z ITS talk there. Later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Dave did respond promptly to my Email, but linked me to the same page I just mentioned and said he provides no other literature. I'm going to ask a few more detailed questions, but if that's all he's got I'm surprised anyone puts forward the money for these things new. He's either holding back or he's buying them from someone else. A friend put these on his car and seemed to have a number of teething problems. The biggest was the lower adjustment kept coming loose. The setup that was recommended was much too soft and the springs were changed to being a lot stiffer. While it may be attributed to other factors these shocks didn't make the car faster, in fact it was slower than when it ran Konis. I would agree, if you're racing you need to have a serviceable shock and should get dyno traces for your shocks when you get them. If not shop elsewhere. Some info that may help at http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets.html Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Had I now already had GC coil overs on my car, I'd have done this route. And I can REALLY recommend the camber plates sold by Dave! WAY better install and function that the GC units I have on the front. Just curious how are the AZ plates way better? Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 They were easier to install and have less parts to come loose. I'm not a huge fan of those "bolt-in" plates. Do they both do the job? Sure. But the welded plates are a better solution in my mind. Rules may not allow them in ITS, but I'm building a track biatch, not an ITS car. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 SCCA says for IT: "If slotted plates are used, they shall be located on existing chassis structure and may not serve as a reinforcement for that structure. Material may be added or removed from the top of the strut tower to facilitate installation of adjuster plate." It doesn't say anything about the method of attachment (i.e. doesn't require bolt-in or prohibit welding). I don't know whether I consider the weld-in plate a reinforcement. I guess it's thicker and probably stiffer, but it's not improving the ability of the strut tower to hold its position (as a triangulating strut tower/firewall brace might). I'd better do some reading, quick. Bill already installed the front plates, and is going to weld in the rears for me before delivery. If I need to ditch the weld-in plates I'll have to cut-and-paste with my other 240-turned-parts car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Shaun, I believe Katman will be a big help here. He knows ITS 240Z's. Another site to consider is www.improvedtouring.com. There is alot of 240Z ITS talk there. Later Yea I remember reading some of his posts. I'm signed up already for itforums but haven't spent much time over there yet. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CU Zcar Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Holy crap, I just read through a 5-page flame war about camber plates on itforums. On the one hand, I think I'm fine with the ones in the car...on the other hand, I'm scared of SCCA rules now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hmmmm.... $400 PER CORNER is definitely in the upper end of what you can spend.... We have been over the camber plate ideas before... But I must say the the EMI plates offer a few degrees of extra caster adjustment in addition to the camber adjustment... and they use the stock tower holes... A few things I dislike about the EMI type plates are 1. they bend the spring sideways which will wear the upper threads of the threaded sleeves OFF.... 2. They are held in place by only 2 screws... there is not much clamping force on the plates to the towers... I have not see any evidence of rocking... but the plates could be prone to cracking the tops of the towers or the fasteners.... The EMI plates are only adjustable in steps(switching bolt holes).. but I have adjustability in several areas... so not a problem for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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