The long road to Coilovers and new wheels

[70 Cam Guy]

This all started almost before I had my Z running. I decided I wanted the options that go along with the coilover conversion and sectioned struts.

I would like to thank Jon Mortensen for his initial help and advice. I've also read and re-read numerous HybridZ posts to better understand the workings of Z suspension (many written by him and John Coffey). I also ended up buying his old shocks and springs to start my project.

I had also decided to source used struts and found some so I wouldn't need to cut the originals. This, of course was in case I didn't like how it road.

It took me forever to get all the parts bought and ready to do the swap. I disassembled the rear struts before checking prices on rear bearings and that prolonged the madness. I'm glad everything is new but it hurt the wallet a bit.

The parts tally grew and grew, so the car has:

Energy poly bushings, black (have not installed the mustache bushings)

new wheel bearings front and rear

Hawk HPS pads front

stock TC rod bushing with ball & socket kit from MSA

New tie rod ends

RCA's (bump steer spacers) that allow 14" wheels from MSA

Nissan Quest rear studs at each corner

Rear strut bar

Illumina shocks

Eibach 2.5" springs 225 lb fr / 200 lb rr

I used sleeves, perches, and top hats from a circle track racing supplier

more to come in next post...

Edited August 28, 2010 by 70 Cam Guy

[70 Cam Guy]

The actual work and cutting of the struts was not terribly frightening to me because of my other hobby with 4wheelers and rock crawlers. Fab and welding is pretty much required for that.

I did a lot of reading and measuring to make sure I understood how to do it correctly. I also used the instructions on JohnC's / Beta Motorsports website. It proved exceedingly helpful to validate my own numbers and give me some confidence.

I used a chop saw at my friend's performance shop to cut my rear struts. I used a MIG to weld on the rings and weld the tubes back together. To keep the tubes straight, I clamped angle and channel on either side of the tube and made 4 tacks. I checked for straightness after each pass and inserted the shock. I used a flashlight to peer down the tube and verify penetration. I used the grinding wheel and flapper wheel to clean the weld area so the sleeve would slide on.

For the fronts, my friend suggested I use a pipe cutter, which worked very well. He has a large one he uses. Once I cleaned up the edges, he TIG'ed them for me. It was much faster because there was nothing to grind in the end and the sleeve went right on.

more to come in next post...

[spitz17]

And... where's the money shot of the car?

[70 Cam Guy]

The next challenge was to figure what to do with the insulators. EMI camber plates are still not in the budget and I didn't want to cut/weld the body for permanent camber plates.

In a stroke of inspiration, or something, I decided to cut the insulators in the way you see in the pictures. This lets the flat top hat sit against the strut bearing and there is still some vibration damping. I understand this is not necessarily ideal for all out handling but I also knew this gets me ahead of where I was.

I experienced the same woes many had with spindle pins. It took torch heat + press before they came loose with a big bang. After that, taking them apart was smooth sailing.

Assembly of the rear struts (bearings) basically is a big PITA. I had a press to use and it still sucked. I am happy everything I got is new and good quality because I don't want to do that anytime soon again :stupid:

I did the swap in a weekend (when everything was ready to go), only calling on my dad when I needed a set of hands to start the strut nuts in the rear. Those things are heavy! I also chose to grind the rear struts so they fit between the rear control arm bushings. The Energy outers are a little fat. It didn't take much and now they go in with a little persuasion from the hammer. It was 2 long days of work.

A while back I had decided I loved the Rota RBR and soon discovered newly available sizing. I chose 16x8 +4 in Hyper black and am running 205/50/16 General Exclaim UHP tires. These were the lightest tire with this performance, in this size. They were also rated #4 in the Ultra High Performance Summer Tire category from Tirerack. This was next to Michelin's, Goodyear's, and Bridgestone's. I am very happy with them so far. They stick good and look great.

Ride quality in the end is surprisingly good. It took some time to get the ride height right for driving around the streets. Pot holes are a little jarring but overall the ride is nice and the tires only rub in the rear on big road dips. I am also squeak free, I liberally used that goop that came in the Energy box. My good friend says it's still smoother than her Jeep Wrangler

Handling with good tires and suspension? Awesome. I am thinking about a front sway bar for the body lean but I think I'll try a front strut bar first.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff but it's been a long road because life happens and I stay busy. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Edited August 28, 2010 by 70 Cam Guy

[70 Cam Guy]

And... where's the money shot of the car?

If I put the car in the first post, no one would have to scroll down

[dk240z]

205/50/16? They look like 17s

[LeonV]

The car looks gorgeous! Great work.

Just FYI, a strut tower bar will do pretty much nothing to the handling of the car, especially if it's just a two-point bar. If you have a stock ARB and want to lessen roll, get a bigger ARB. Getting stiffer springs would also help, but be a larger sacrifice of ride quality. The strut bar will act as a very good drain for your wallet, however!

[70 Cam Guy]

The car looks gorgeous! Great work.

Just FYI, a strut tower bar will do pretty much nothing to the handling of the car, especially if it's just a two-point bar. If you have a stock ARB and want to lessen roll, get a bigger ARB. Getting stiffer springs would also help, but be a larger sacrifice of ride quality. The strut bar will act as a very good drain for your wallet, however!

Thanks Leon!

I thought about stiffer springs in the front briefly as well but I am quite happy with the ride quality as it sits. I'll definitely look into a bigger front ARB. Currently I just replaced the end links for the stock sway bar.

[70 Cam Guy]

205/50/16? They look like 17s

The 205/50 is a little shorter than the factory tire @ 24.1" per tirerack. It gives a little more clearance and a slightly better gear ratio

By the way, I love the 17" RBR's made for the flares but I didn't want to run flares here. The 17s are a bit heavier and it was just a personal choice in the end.

The wheel and tire combo with these 16s are only 2 pounds heavier than my 14s with tires. Tire weights can vary widely from what I've seen in my research.

[Zealous]

I am looking at doing modifications (not coil overs) and still trying to see what needs to be replaced. It looks like people keep their insulators but haven't found if people replace the bump stops with the poly ones. Which bumps stops did you use? Looks like you just modified your original insulators rather than buy the expensive new ones? I hate to get into this and then realise I need more bits.

[spitz17]

JC,

Energy Suspension Bushings makes a good polyurethane bump stop that I have used on my Z's with much luck! They come in black and red...

[Diseazd]

Great job Andy......the 205-50-16's really handle nice. I've got 'em on my white 70. You don't get the travel that you get on the 225-50-16's.