2126 Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 FWIW, When I went through this exercise I discovered that the bearings in these U-joints are a proprietary bearing, exclusive to Nissan only.....meaning only Nissan is allowed to purchase them. I checked the numbers on the bearings and found them listed in a common bearing cataloge with a foot note "PROPRIETARY". Maybe a letter to the right person at Nissan could allow us to purchase these bearings since its been quite some time since these car were sold. Just a thought to ponder. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 Just an update, I've sent the only two examples I have to Woodward, many thanks to lbhsbZ for stepping up. Tony at Woodward said it will be about 4 to 6 weeks until they're produced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 What years did your examples come off of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 I had a single early and late S30 example, which share the same spline dimensions. If anyone can tell me model/what years also have the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I sent one from a '73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Good news guys. I just heard back from Tony at Woodward, he said these WILL be produced, and should be ready in about 3-4 weeks. He also said the first one was mine He's currently waiting for the broach to be returned from hardening. EDIT: I also forgot to add, I'm fairly sure they will be available in both a weldable 9/16 dia, and splined for use with their stock car style racks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mileski Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Anything new to report on this? Mike Mileski Tucson, AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Bump this sucker up. I have aquired 4 racks from 1972 and 1973 240Zs. I also have 3 steering columns. I have even more intermediate shafts. They all show some signs of wear. 2 complete steering systems are functional and usable. 2 of them are trashed and unusable. I have pretty much decided that I will need to replace the entire steering system with aftermarket parts when I decide to do this right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I have some play in my 73 but have not been able to find any used parts in better condition. As BJ said, "Bump this sucker up". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 An update for everyone and sorry for letting this fall by the wayside. I exchanged some emails with Tony at the end of May and he told me some horror stories about workers getting injured (outside of work) etc, said the broach blanks were semi finished, and had to go to heat treating after that but did not give any ETA. I emailed him again late last week and have not heard back, which is unusual. I'll keep bugging him for an update. Unless there was a very large setback, I would expect them to be ready very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 You might contact the guys at MSA about buying a few dozen of these. I would think they could more than recoup there investment, and the added quantity count might kindle a little more interest from the guy making them. Black Dragon auto would be another source of component count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 You might contact the guys at MSA about buying a few dozen of these. I would think they could more than recoup there investment, and the added quantity count might kindle a little more interest from the guy making them. Black Dragon auto would be another source of component count. Actually Tony at Woodward has not expressed any concern with recouping the cost. I've told him there aren't any other producers and a strong followng with the cars, which was probably enough for him. I contact MSA when initially trying to get these produced and did not receive any response them, but as a thank you to Tony I will inform them of this. Also, I just spoke with him on the phone, he reassured me they WILL be produced, but again has suffered some delays, he estimated another 2 weeks at a minimum. Apparently the foundry which they've dealt with for the past 30 years has burned down and all of the tooling vaporized as a result. They're slowly digging their way back out.... We spoke a bit about welding them. He recomended MIG over TIG because of the lower temps and also recomended using a ER80SD-2 wire, which has the most desirable properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Be careful with this fella. There is going to be some developement work to get them right. If he makes servicable parts then he will be able to sell them. I was forced to put some effort into finding 2 good steering systems. I am building a track car with wide tires. I needed at least ONE set of spares to justify using the stock parts. I have had no luck with JY steering parts. Most of the S-30 cars in the yards are relatively new arrivals and they are almost always worn out with a quater-million miles on them. The good finds are at swap meets and some of the E-Bay sellers who pick over swap meets. I managed to find a brand new OEM rack with the matching brand new jointed shaft. Ten years ago I found a nearly new column that had been shelved 30 years ago from a rear ended 240Z. The rest of the servicable stuff consists of really nice low miles parts from peoples aborted projects. I spent 2 years hunting this stuff down. The servicable factory parts are becomming harder and harder to find. This fella shouldn't worry about selling parts. People will demand them one way or another. He should be more worried about another manufacturer making a large lot of them and swamping the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 Good news, the steering joints are now available, this is no joke! Again, a big thanks lbhsbZ, he was the sole Hybrid member to step up and send me an additional rack gear example. I was told fitment was good on the two samples I sent and the same holds true for the current rack on my car. Tony has sent me two versions of joints with bores opposite the rack side, one smooth bore .56†weld-able, the other .750-20 splined for use with the entire line of Woodward Steering products. The overall quality is very good. I would like to start a group buy, please see that section. I’ve thought of a few solutions for the joint on the steering column side. The first would be cutting off the splines on the other end of the steering shaft, drilling and welding to the steering column. Or, Woodward also sells a .750-20 male spline weld in stub, part # ST201A, for 3/4 OD x .120 wall tubing. The column OD is about 3/4" as well: it would be drilled to 9/16†ID and the stub welded; the intermediate shaft to the rack would then be .120 wall tubing of course. Again, if welding directly on the joint, Tony actually recommends MIG over TIG because of the lower temps and also recommends using a ER80SD-2 wire, which has the most desirable properties. Also, somebody PLEASE tell me if the S130 cars and any other Nissan models share the same spline/diameter, I’m assuming this is the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 OK... I see the part number referenced. Part number ST201A to fit 0.120 wall 3/4" OD tubing. The column shaft end would need to be drilled with a 33/64 or 0.51562 in order to get a good fit. The actual dia of the stub adaptor would be nice to know. But I figure it to be .51" or slightly less. If you use a 9/16 drill you will have a considerably loose fit between the stub and the shaft. A 0.5" drill would be too tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstallings Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 You might also try Borgeson Universal at www.borgeson.com to see if they make this size. I use their stuff on streetrods, but I'm still new to the Z forum. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 You might also try Borgeson Universal at www.borgeson.com to see if they make this size. I use their stuff on streetrods, but I'm still new to the Z forum.Steve The Z rack has an odd ball diameter and spline count. No one, until now, makes the right size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I thought I would bring this up again since I am in the final stages of my project car. I have completed the front suspension parts and installed them all. I figured I would post a pic of the final product. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mileski Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 What is their part number for rack universal joint and what exactly did you do up on the column end? Mike Mileski Tucson, AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I thought I would bring this up again since I am in the final stages of my project car. I have completed the front suspension parts and installed them all. I figured I would post a pic of the final product. ... Exelent! Nice Work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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