Guest soulfly454 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 ok well ive been busy all day sandblasting away at the complete front suspension im about to put in my car cuz i bent mine up in my wreck but i jsut know thought i havent even checked to see if theyre the same onb all the cars i have a 72 240z with the scarab hooker conversion and the suspension is off a 78 or 79 280z with the stock l28 im wondering if everyhtings the same or if this was jsut a complete waste of time i need some help quick cuz i really wanna drive my car again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 79 is completely different. 78 control arms are the same. Cross member is the same. Strut housings are different diameter but will bolt up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 'Er Uh...How do you tell a guy he has waisted his time??? There is a difference in a number of the parts... The strut tuibes themselves are a different length. The springs are a different length. The rear stub axles are different, and actually the later units are prefered. What else am I missing guys... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 well im pretty sure its 78 cuz am i msitakin or is 79 a zx abd its not a zx so i do i need my struts o can i sjut use these and mix abd amtch with 240zs in the rear when i relpace em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 man so am i screwed or can i make this work i still have my old front suspension and i was plannin on using coilovers if this matters i really hope i can make this work cuz im 15 and am in no kind of shape to be be buyin a new suspesion theyre expensive as hell or another parts car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Guys, as long as it`s 78 or earlier, would it be feasable to change the entire front suspension, crossmember and all? He said earlier that he had the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I wonder if the strut rubber cushion at the top of the 280 is shorter than the 240 cushion is. Being the suspension pick-up points are basically the same between all the Z models, would this account for the difference in strut tube lengths between the two models? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 As I understand (and seen) The front rubber insulators (on top of the strut) are the same thickness. the rear rubber insulators on the 280 are almost 1.5" thicker. Free length on the front springs from 240 - 280 are about 1" different in length. Sorry.. don't have much more experience with 240's.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 The ID of the strut housings are different anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Mike, am I wrong, or did someone mention once that the front control arms on the early Zs were of different length? Also, I'm aware that the driver's spring is longer than the passengers by 1/4" to compensate for driver weight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Nope, the control arms off all 70-78 are the same. The diameter of the strut tubes and the length is about 1.5-2 inches longer...If he stuffs them under his car without cutting them, he'll have problems getting the car low enough without bottoming the struts... He could cut and weld them and use either 240 struts, or do the MR2 or Rabbit strut swap some have done... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 ok so i need to fix the struts to fit and is that it or it alot more then that and how hard would that be my dad can help with cutting and welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 ok guys well i went ahead and finished blasting my suspension cuz from what i understand i can use it cant i and me and my dad are about to order coil overs too so am i gunna have to get both 240 and 280 or what and also how much am i going to have to section the struts and have we finnaly decided that all i ahve to do to make it work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Have you established that the suspension is a first generation (no later than 1978) 280 and not a second generation (1979)280 ZX. One year can make a big difference. You can probably use and interchange about everything in the first generation z's but maybe limited with Zx parts to a 240 Z...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 yeah im sure its not a zx it says 1/78 on the tag on the drivers side and it has 280z emblems on it ans its definatly first gen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silverbullet Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Are the spindle dimentions different between the 240 and 280??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 ok well from what i read all i have to do is section the sruts so im jsut gonna go ahead and purchase the 240z coilover struts and that should fix it am i right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Soulfly why are you putting 240 strut cartridges in the replacement 280 strut tubes? The 240 strut tube id is 2.02 inch and the 280 is 2.185.?? I would imagine the tubes on the 240 are shorter also. Why limit yourself to smaller 240 strut cartridges? Are you going to section the 280 Strut tubes? If you are get strut cartridges for a 1985-92 Golf/Jetta(these are beefy) for the front 280 tubes and use the front 280 strut cartridges in the rear 280 strut tubes which will allow a 2 inch section to be removed from all the 280 tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soulfly454 Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 uh im not sure i understand why would i go to the trouble of sectioning when i can jsut get 240 tubes and catriges im not sure maybe u can clear things up on what i should do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 If your going to do the coilovers, section your struts to fit the mentioned 1985-92 Golf/Jetta strut inserts for the front. You will not have much suspension travel after you get the car at a decent stance with the coilovers as the tubes will be to long right now. Do the same with the rear, but using the front 280 strut inserts, on the rear. This will again, get you the additional suspension travel needed on a lowered Z. I wish I had sectioned my struts while putting in coilovers. I like the ride, but I can't get it low enough without making the ride harsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.