TrumpetRhapsody Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Anybody make progress on this yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 (edited) I actually made it work! I bought 2 "V6" Pathfinder axles from the local JY assuming both would have Birfield joints, not tripod joints, on the inboard side. Turns out one had the tripod joints on both ends and the other had a birfield joint on the inboard side and a tripod on the outer. The one with the birfield was the same diameter and spline count as the 300ZX Turbo axles. So I moved the shorter of my 2 300ZX axle assemblies from the driver side to the passenger, gives a good 1/2" of clearance. Then I took the CV joints off the other 300ZX axle (a pain in the ass until I figured out the secret) and put them on the Pathfinder axle. This makes an axle that is too short so I machined a 1/2" thick adapter from 6061-T6 aluminum. It's not a perfect solution as the 1/2" thick adapter plate is required to make it work but it's better than axles that bind or cost a fortune. Edited June 6, 2011 by wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrumpetRhapsody Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Nice! So as a summary: Get a pair of V6 pathfinder axles, swap tripod cv from a 300zx axle on, use 1/2" spacer on the drivers side, with MM 300zx adapters? Could you skip the cv swap step if you used two of the same side pathfinder axles, or is there a length issue there? Also, have you driven it, and if so how do you like the 2-way action? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 (edited) Nice! So as a summary: Get a pair of V6 pathfinder axles, swap tripod cv from a 300zx axle on, use 1/2" spacer on the drivers side, with MM 300zx adapters? Could you skip the cv swap step if you used two of the same side pathfinder axles, or is there a length issue there? Also, have you driven it, and if so how do you like the 2-way action? The 300ZX Turbo axles don't have tripod joints, I used the Pathfinder axle that had 1 birfield and 1 tripod, removed both joints and installed both joints from the 300ZX turbo axle. The splines and diameter of the Pathfinder axle with a birfield and a tripod are the same on both ends and match the 300ZX axles. The Pathfinder center bar is ~1 1/2" shorter than the shortest 300ZX center bar (I think). I measured them but can't remember the dimensions right now. The other Pathfinder axle I got had tripod joints on both ends, one end was smaller diameter so the center bar wasn't usable. I think this actually came from a 4-Cyl Pathfinder or truck but is marked as a direct swap into a V6 Pathfinder by the JY. Neither end of the Pathfinder axle is compatible with our Z car setups. I can't remember the exact configuration but I believe the inner tripod joint has a 5 bolt setup, the outer birfield is designed to slide through the hub and has a retainer nut on the outer end. I have driven it, raced it actually, no binding what so ever and no sign of movement from the 1/2" spacer. I had figured out a setup that prevented bind up in the old setup but it meant I had to run almost 0* negative camber, now I can run all I can get, which is too much (over 4*), with no binding. Edit: After work I checked the Pathfinder axle I still have and now I remember what I found and why I was surprised (old age and time are conspiring against my memory). I bought 2 Pathy V6 axles. 1 was from a 90 the other a 92. The 90 unit had 2 birfield joints, I used this one to create my shortened drivers side axle. The other had a tripod inner joint with a 5 bolt pattern housing (this one confused me), I put it aside without removing either end or even removing the bellows from the outer end assuming it was actually a 4-Cyl unit. Turns out it has a tripod inner and a birfield outer, not 2 tripods as I had reported earlier. I still need to remove the outer birfield on this one to verify the diameter and spline count but my suspicion is they will be the same as the 300ZX turbo axle. Edited June 7, 2011 by wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Here are some pictures I took while assembling the new axle using the Pathfinder parts: This picture shows the lengths of the center bars from the 2 300ZX turbo axles and the V6 Pathfinder axle. The shortest is the Pathy part. This picture shows the relative lengths of the shorter 300ZX turbo and the Pathy axle. This is the 300ZX CV joints temporarily attached the to Pathy center bar. The newly assembled axles. The longer of these is actually the shorter 300ZX axle with new CV boots. The other is the new axle made up of the CV ends from the longer 300ZX axle and the Pathy center bar. The spacer I fabbed up to make the new Pathy based axle long enough is also shown. Here are the same axles but this time with the spacer shown on the axle, its just pressed on not bolted. This is the tripod joint from the other Pathfinder axle I bought, it can from a 92 V6 4x4 model. I verified this joint has the same spline count and diameter as the 300ZX axle by attaching it to one of the left over 300ZX center bars I have. I hope these pictures help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Very nice, wheelman. Courious, what is the length of the other Pathy 4x4 axle (the other side)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Very nice, wheelman. Courious, what is the length of the other Pathy 4x4 axle (the other side)? Which Pathy axle are you asking about, the one I ended up using or the one with the tripod joint? Both of the Pathy axles I bought were the same length, I didn't use the one with the tripod joint because I initially thought the JY had given me a 4-Cyl unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) Sorry, I meant you purchased 2 axles, both of these were from the shorter side of the path finder, driver side? What was the length of the passenger side axle from the Path finders? Hope that made sense! Curious what to look for at the JY. Edited July 13, 2011 by JSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) There isn't a passenger vs driver side length difference in the Pathfinder axles. These are front axles BTW, there is a central diff/axle unit that has an extension to one side, this makes both CV sections the same length. EDIT: Ask for 90-92 V6 4x4 Pathfinder front axles. I asked for 1990 units but ended up getting one from a 92 that had the tripod joint on one end. It will work as the splines on both ends are the same size as those on the 300ZXT shafts. I don't know whether the shafts are the same in following years so if you get a 93 or later axle it may not be what you want. I paid $50.00 for the pair so it's not a big deal that I only used one of them, leaves me a spare. Edited July 13, 2011 by wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Ah I understand. I recall seeing them in the JY and thought they looked a different length. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayakdude Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Bump from the dead... A couple questions. 1) Why are we only recommending '90-92? My research seems to show that they are all the same for the WD21s... 2) Anyone have a concrete length of the center bar on the pathy axles? 3) They are the same side to side correct? Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayakdude Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) Ok. Turns out my research skills were lacking. PN for 1992.12 onward is 39204-88G51. http://www.nissanpartszone.com/parts/nissan-shaft-sub-assy~39204-88g51.html PN for 1989.08-1992.12 is 39204-88G50. http://www.nissanpartszone.com/Page_Product/PartsFits.aspx?partNumber=39204-88G50 Judging from what was stated earlier we believe that the post 1992.12 axles are shorter than the '90-92 axles. Can anyone confirm? Edited June 4, 2013 by Kayakdude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 This is what I'll be trying out ! I already have a VLSD swapped into my R200 and I just need to the short splined 5 star stub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krinkov Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 another old thread bump, but just to be clear since Im running a Z31 turbo diff+axles, we only need one of the V6 axles to replace/rebuild the long side Z31 axle and run that with a 1/2" spacer, then we just switch sides with the short length Z31t axle to the other side of the diff and it works fine correct? Theres only one axle that needs to be rebuilt/replaced with the pathfinder axle not two? thanks again for all the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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