Clamp on steering rack?

[Hardway]

I can see from other members pictures that most of us seem to have what looks like an exhaust clamp on the driver side of our steering racks near the mount. What I cannot figure out is what is the point of it? Its not holding anything in place nor is it butted up against the mount. I removed mine when I replaced my oil pan gasket and have not put it back on yet. Before I do I would like to know if I really need it.

[Carl Beck]

That clamp is supposed to have a rubber bumper on one side. It was put there to limit the movement of the steering rack inside the steering rack mount bushings.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Hardway]

Interesting. My rubber bumper must be missing. I can now see what you are talking about Carl on the purpose it serves. Maybe I can find some rubber material and make a new bumper for it. Need to dig out the FSM to see what it looks like. If I install poly rack bushings would I still need the clamp or do the poly bushing clamp the rack down hard enough to keep it from moving?

Edited September 2, 2012 by Hardway

[Carl Beck]

When I bought my first 240Z in March of 1970 - the only problem I had with it was the shocks. The factory rebuilt them once under warranty, at around 6K or 8K miles. Then again at no charge at around 13K miles. Then again at no charge at 20K miles. At around 28K miles the Datsun Dealer installed Koni's as we gave up on rebuilding the original shocks. At that point the Datsun Dealer installed the clamp with the rubber bumper as well.

I was auto-crossing the Z on weekends - and we had previously added a 2" long section, of stick-on wheel weights to the top of the rack bushings, to lock the rack down. So I really don't know if the clamp with the bumper did all that much good or not. The rubber bumper was just glued to the clamp, and over time they usually just fall off.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[HS30-H]

When I bought my first 240Z in March of 1970 - the only problem I had with it was the shocks. The factory rebuilt them once under warranty, at around 6K or 8K miles. Then again at no charge at around 13K miles. Then again at no charge at 20K miles. At around 28K miles the Datsun Dealer installed Koni's as we gave up on rebuilding the original shocks. At that point the Datsun Dealer installed the clamp with the rubber bumper as well.

Carl,

You used the 'F' word....

What happened to your car when the 'shocks' were sent back to the Factory those three times ( was it sitting on chassis stands? ) and how long did it take for the USA-Japan-USA turnaround?

[hls30.com]

Carl,

Other than longevity challenged-under the rigors of autocross, How were the original shocks? I have an original ******* rebuild kit...

Edited September 3, 2012 by hls30.com

[Carl Beck]

Hi Will:

I'm surprised that you actually found a Z that still had its original re-buildable shocks in place! I haven't seen any in years.

The shock valving on the 70 Z seemed to be fine for a stock Z - the problem was with the seals on the shock rods and at the Gland Nut. For some reason they were just not holding a seal. At first they thought it might have been some contamination, dust/dirt that got on the shock rods or past the seals there. By the second or third time they were beginning to believe that the rubber seals were simply compounded incorrectly. Auto-crossing on the weekends shouldn't have been a problem for them - at least not that soon.

If you don't plan to drive the car much - say a couple thousand miles per year or less - you might get away with using the now 40 year old rebuild kits. Personally I'd keep the rebuild kits as "Collectibles" for display only.Maybe pull the original guts and disply them as well. At least get pictures to share -

The Koni's were quite a bit firmer. Helped on the auto-cross course, but too harsh for Daily transportation or GT use. I made several trips from Spokane, WA to Columbus, OH, then on to Clearwater, FL, then back up to Denver, CO and on back to Spokane. Mostly freeway driving, but the expansion joints on the freeways "thump'ed" when you hit them using the Koni's.. you didn't feel them nearly as harshly with the factory shocks. The new KYB's are a great shock for stock / street use today.

The best compromise between handling and ride that I found were the Gas Pressure Bilsteins - which are sadly no longer available.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[bpilati]

Carl, I've been pretty happy with the new stock springs and KYB GR-2's plus some poly bushings. The ride seems firm enough for general highway driving where roads aren't perfect. I don't think I'd like anything much stiffer than that. I assume that a firm ride was normal for a Z, though I never had a ride in a brand new one. Frankly I can't imagine what the ride in some of these cars with racing springs and Tokico Illuminas is like. It must be bone jarring.

[HS30-H]

What happened to your car when the 'shocks' were sent back to the Factory those three times ( was it sitting on chassis stands? ) and how long did it take for the USA-Japan-USA turnaround?

So Carl, did your 'shocks' actually get sent back to Japan ( to 'The Factory' ) or not?

Genuinely interested to hear the answer ( and what your car was doing in the meantime..... ).

[Carl Beck]

So Carl, did your 'shocks' actually get sent back to Japan ( to 'The Factory' ) or not?

Genuinely interested to hear the answer ( and what your car was doing in the meantime..... ).

Hi Alan:

Oh.. I thought you were just being pissy about the use of pronouns like Factory and/or Dealer.

Serously though - It was not a situation like one would have with Bilstein for example. Where the shocks would have to be removed and physically returned to Bilstein for rebuild. Leaving the car with no shocks in the meantime.

Since the original shocks used the strut tube as their outer shell - only the internal moving parts had to be replaced. Nissan supplied "Rebuild Kits" for them - so it was a simple matter of removing the defective parts from the strut tubes at the Dealership - and replacing them with the new parts supplied in the rebuild kits. That took about 30 minutes per wheel - so the car wasn't tied up for more than a couple hours each time.

When I wrote that the factory rebuilt them under warranty, and even after the original warranty had been exceeded - I intended to indicate that Nissan supplied the parts and authorized payment to have the work done each time - rather than me or the Dealership having to pay for it.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[HS30-H]

Hi Alan:

Oh.. I thought you were just being pissy about the use of pronouns like Factory and/or Dealer.

I was keeping you on your toes, and I'm going to get even more "pissy" now....

When I wrote that the factory rebuilt them under warranty, and even after the original warranty had been exceeded - I intended to indicate that Nissan supplied the parts and authorized payment to have the work done each time - rather than me or the Dealership having to pay for it.

Sorry, but I think I was correct to pick you up on the difference. I don't know about anybody else, but when I hear or read about "the Factory" in relation to these cars, I think about Japan. You wrote:

"The factory rebuilt them once under warranty, at around 6K or 8K miles. Then again at no charge at around 13K miles. Then again at no charge at 20K miles. At around 28K miles the Datsun Dealer installed Koni's...

...So you were - at the same time - making a distinction between "the Factory" and "The Datsun Dealer", which reinforced the implication that your shocks had been sent back to the factory three times, and the situation was finally resolved by fitting Koni inserts locally. In fact, the whole thing was happening locally wasn't it? I reckon any warranty claim would have been made to NMC USA ( via your dealer? ) and not Nissan Japan or 'the Factory'.

I think it's worth making these things clear, and being careful to distinguish between the the places and people who built these cars, and the chain of supply and sales that came after they were exported. You might very well have had it in your head all these years that NMC USA was 'the Factory' or the equivalent of it, but I don't think the people at Nissan Japan or indeed Nissan Shatai would agree. Of course, the company which actually built your 'shocks' was yet another entity altogether...

And, by the way, the words 'Factory' and 'Dealer' are not pronouns. They are proper nouns.

Alan T.

[bpilati]

I was keeping you on your toes, and I'm going to get even more "pissy" now....

Sorry, but I think I was correct to pick you up on the difference. I don't know about anybody else, but when I hear or read about "the Factory" in relation to these cars, I think about Japan. You wrote:

...So you were - at the same time - making a distinction between "the Factory" and "The Datsun Dealer", which reinforced the implication that your shocks had been sent back to the factory three times, and the situation was finally resolved by fitting Koni inserts locally. In fact, the whole thing was happening locally wasn't it? I reckon any warranty claim would have been made to NMC USA ( via your dealer? ) and not Nissan Japan or 'the Factory'.

I think it's worth making these things clear, and being careful to distinguish between the the places and people who built these cars, and the chain of supply and sales that came after they were exported. You might very well have had it in your head all these years that NMC USA was 'the Factory' or the equivalent of it, but I don't think the people at Nissan Japan or indeed Nissan Shatai would agree. Of course, the company which actually built your 'shocks' was yet another entity altogether...

And, by the way, the words 'Factory' and 'Dealer' are not pronouns. They are proper nouns.

Alan T.

Not in Americanese, Mr British man :laugh: