JustinOlson Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Anyone thought about raising the strut towers in the rear? Since I'm going to run a weld in camber plate front and rear, I thought I could box in the top of the strut towers and raise the camber plates 2 inches. This would allow me to run 10" coilover springs fully above the rear tire, giving me clearance for a 275/40-17 tire. This would allow for lower springs rates then normally used on 8" coilover springs. I would likely tie together both strut towers with a weld in bar to add stability to the extended strut tower. Anyway thoughts? Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Might have to lengthen the strut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Might have to lengthen the strut. or lower the car and use the stock strut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 You could get a 280Z. They already have the strut towers raised about 2" from 240Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 Thats good to know since I have a 280z. So it seams that Clifton and pparaska both have 240z with 8" springs and tires all the way to the strut tube. I'll have to measure and see if I can run 10" springs in back with weld in camber plates and still clear the tire. Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I happen to have a wheel off right now ( for a few days). I can take a pic and show you how close it is on the collar and perch with an 8" spring. You would have a little more room with a weld in camber plate than I do. The camber plates I'm running on my rear are about stock height. I think most weld ins would give you another 1.5" clearance, still not enough with a 10" spring spring rate was silly soft. I wouldn't worry too much about an 8" spring. You won't have coil bind issues, unless it's a rally car . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 That would be great if you could take some pictures. I think others are also interested in how to make the room for large tires like you've done. So maybe with my raised strut towers of the 280z (2" according to Jon) and weld in camber plates which should give me 1.5" more clearance, I could have enough room for a 10" spring at 225-250lb/in. My main concern with running a 275lb 8" spring is ride harshness. Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 It's roughly 2". I'm figuring that because I know the strut insert and the strut housing is 1" taller, and I'm pretty sure the rubber insulator on top is also 1" taller than a 240. Don't hold me to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 That would be great if you could take some pictures. You got mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJ 280z Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 hey clifton, can you post those pics on the thread. im curious to see them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 hey clifton, can you post those pics on the thread. im curious to see them too. I second that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I didn't need to trim the collar until I went to the V700's. With Nitto Dr's (275's) it was close but cleared. You shouldn't have a problem on a 280. The only place you will probably have to trim is the sleeve. A 17" wheel is real close, an 18" wheel wouldn't require a trim with the same offset, trimming it is easy though. A 16" wheel would need a different offset moving it out some and into the outer fender. The pic of my finger on the tire is where the tire rubbed the sleeve, shouldn't on a 280. Also you can see were the tire rubs a little on the inner fender. This is only when I crank in the camber for autox. It's really tight in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Danger will robinson... Anyone who'se seen my car has commented on how LOW it is. It is TOO low in the rear and I have no more upward adjustment in the strut piston, without eating into the 1inch droop that is required. I wish I'd welded in mine LOWER than the "above" the strut tower position I chose. This would have given me more ability to adjust more ride height into the suspension. As it is now, I can't go any higher. I'm maxed out. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I wish I'd welded in mine LOWER than the "above" the strut tower position I chose. This would have given me more ability to adjust more ride height into the suspension. As it is now, I can't go any higher. I'm maxed out. Taller springs??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Taller springs??? If I read Mike's post correct he's saying his struts are too short and he's rebound limited. Reminds me of when I got carried away shortening my rear struts, put them on, and whoops, they won't even let the wheel touch the ground. Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I thought he was running 8610s. I also thought that the 8610s have 6" of strut travel, and a length that is roughly the same as the 240 front insert. Maybe I'm wrong. I just can't see how it's possible to run out of rebound with that strut. I guess I only have my own experience with my 240 inserts in the rear to go on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Here's a picture of Mikelly's car for reference which is running unsectioned struts, Ground Control camber plates up front and Arizona Z car camber plates in the rear. Koni 8610 inserts. Wheels are 18X9.5" with 275/40-18's. Hope you dont mind me listing the specs. I searched around and found them in various threads of yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Yup, that's correct. And at that stance I have about 1/2inch to 3/4inch of droop. When I welded in the AZC camber plates, I had set them ontop of the existing strut tower and then welded them in, and later cleaned up the area with some minor body filler/sanding/paint. This may not be an issue for some, but if you're running a chevy motor with lakewood/Mcleod bell housing and S&S long tube headers, the car sits too low. You are left with maybe 2.5 inches of clearance. Now that I've removed the lower 1inch lip of the bellhousing and removed the S&S headers, I've got 3.5 inches of clearance. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I know I criticized your camber plate ideas a year or more back and offended you, and that is not the intent here. I'm trying to tread lightly Mike. The rear end of your car doesn't look low to me at all, in fact it looks high to me. Have you measured from the rockers to the ground? Looks like you have about 8 or 9 inches of height there. It sounds like the bellhousing and the headers are a problem, coupled with too large a tire diameter. Have you considered a low pro bellhousing with a 2 or 3 plate clutch setup? They do have some clutch materials that you can run on the street. You could run something like that and maybe get some more clearance, and it would shift bitchin. Then you could get some different headers to put on the engine, and finally you could run some wide 16's like Coffey used to run. You could probably lower the spring perches another inch or two if you did all of that and not have any clearance issues at all, and the body of the car might come down more like 4-5 inches. It's AN answer. Maybe not THE answer. But it is what I would look at doing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Yup, that's correct. And at that stance I have about 1/2inch to 3/4inch of droop. When I welded in the AZC camber plates, I had set them ontop of the existing strut tower and then welded them in, and later cleaned up the area with some minor body filler/sanding/paint. On a similar car I've seen it pick up rear tires at times. If you're not running stiff springs (over 400/500) I think you may find that you have a hard time putting down the power with that little rebound. Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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