bump steer spacers needed for 1" drop?

[CEgg11]

Hi all - 72 240 with Eibach/Tokico setup. I am working on the full install, and now I am reading about bump steer spacers on blackdragon.com that are needed for lowered Z's. Does 1" count? Do I need these spacers?

And lastly, does anyone else notice that the blackdragon catalog is the old MSA catalog?

[jfa.series1]

The spacers are not needed for a street car, would only be a benefit to a heavily tracked car.

[rcb280z]

I never installed the spacers on my Z after lowering it 1" (eibach & KYB) and mine is a street car.

Not sure I follow you on the catalog, doesn't look MSA to me.

[Jeff G 78]

I dropped my '78 exactly 1" and the bump steer is pretty bad. When I built my '74 race car, I lowered it a bit over 1" and I moved the inner pivots on the crossmember to correct the bumpsteer. The '74 is great, while the '78 street car sucks. I plan to do the crossmember mod to my '78 as well. I haven't used the spacers.

[CEgg11]

What crossmember mod? Is there a link? I'll do some research on the old interweb.

[Jeff G 78]

It should be pretty easy to find through a search. The mod involves moving the front lower control arm pivot points up and sometimes out. Up will help the geometry for bump steer and out will add some camber. Most people move up 3/4". I also moved mine out 1/4" which is about the limit due to tie rod thread engagement. You will also need to grind the corner off the LCA's so they don't catch the crossmember after they are raised. Once you have the crossmember out, the mods take about an hour with the right tools. You have to knock the doubler washers off and then reattach them after you drill the new holes. I used an air chisel to remove the washers and the three spot welds popped right off. Once the new holes are drilled, the washers need to be tack welded back on. Otherwise, it just requires some measuring and a drill. I didn't have a welder at the time, so I took it to a coworker with a welder to have the washers tacked on.

Here is a pic of my mods. This is the only one I could find quickly, but at least it gives you an idea of the new hole location.

[Captain_Zeros]

does anyone else notice that the blackdragon catalog is the old MSA catalog?

You mean the old Victoria British catalog? Black Dragon is the same company, they just split their japanese car division off under a separate name a while ago.

[z boy mn]

I installed the Eibach springs last winter and discovered the bump steer spacers had already been installed on the car by the PO--maybe because he increased the rim size. For what it's worth, I called MSA and asked if I needed to reinstall them and they said I did or the geometry would be all out of whack. Generally, I trust what they say, so I put them back on.

[Sean240Z]

This weekend I installed bump steer spacers from MSA (Motorsport! Bump-Steer Spacers, 15" & Larger Wheels, 70-78 240Z-260Z-280Z - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z-260Z-280Z-280ZX-300ZX(Z31/Z32)-350Z-370Z Parts). My car has been dropped using Suspension Techniques Sport Springs and has 16" Konig Rewinds installed). I do not track my car; however, I regularly drive a couple of twisty roads that highlighted a bump steer problem (i.e. when traversing a sharpish corner and I hit a bump mid-corner, the steering wheel would move ~20-30 degrees and the car would feel unsettled, over the bump). Took my Z for a drive after installing the spacers and bump steer is no longer noticeable.