1976 280Z Restoration Project

[Zed Head]

22 minutes ago, zKars said:

All that said, the poly bushings are a very very tight fit. Many have trimmed the inside edge to match the chamfered/rounded rack casting down at the bottom of the flanges and I've had to use hose clamps and grease to squeeze those suckers in place. Usually have to use longer M8 bolts to catch the caps without the bushings fully seated then tighten them down to squeeze everything together. Later you can change out the bolts to the right length. 

I was going to say the same.  I'll add that my MSA kit came with Ground Control bushings, apparently.  There were instructions from them for one of them.   They're black.  I could not get the gap to close completely even with grease, but the clamps were fully tightened.  I left it that way, figuring that the movement from usage would level things out pretty quickly, with the lubrication, and it did.

1976 280Z

[zKars]

The only set of new poly I have is a pair from GMachine, labelle as for 260/280. The left side bushing is 1.45 thick.

I also measured the right side bushing flanges. Same width as the left side, 1.1 for 240 and 1.35 for 260/280.

i have one stock 240 (used) bushing set, left side is 1.15 wide, no wonder it takes little aging to make them loose.

Notice that the steel caps that hold them down are all the same width. So the outside groove in the bushings all all the "same" regardless.

Edited January 5, 2018 by zKars

[zKars]

I'd love to try some solid bushings and remove ALL play.  Gimme dat road feel!

[wheee!]

[emoji15]

[Zed Head]

I didn't really see a problem with adding strips of rubber to a loose bushing.  In use, because it's so thick, the precision of the fit is almost irrelevant.  If you put a camera on it you'd probably see it squishing and deforming pretty dramatically.  The fit is more for recentering everything, after the squishing during cornering, I think.

[Captain Obvious]

I found I needed to slightly modify the driver's side poly bushing to get it to fit to the rack correctly. And even then, it was a tight fit. I had to tap it into place with a plastic mallet.

Here's two pics of the reason, but there are lots of details in this thread. Pictures have been reloaded to page four:
http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/48621-steering-rack-disassembly-and-refurb/?page=4

[Captain Obvious]

4 hours ago, wheee! said:

The passenger side fits great.

And to be honest... That passenger side looks too narrow. I wouldn't want any gap at all. I would want to have to squeeze that one into place as well.

[zKars]

11 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

And to be honest... That passenger side looks too narrow. I wouldn't want any gap at all. I would want to have to squeeze that one into place as well.

Yeah that right side sure looks like a 240 bushing on a 280 rack.....

[Captain Obvious]

That's what I was thinking as well. Looks just like the work that my PO did:

[wheee!]

So I should order another set? This is the wrong one?

[EuroDat]

Mark, I agree with captain, the passenger side looks way too narrow. I used an Energy Suspension kit in 2012 and it fitted really goed. Took all the side movement out.

I still have the documents somewhere. Ill find them and oost the numbers.

[wheee!]

I have the box from energy suspension and it is printed right on top “74-78 280Z rack bushings”. What are the chances they put the wrong parts in the right box?