R200 Moustache bar

[Brett240]

hi guys,

while going for a hard drive the moustache bar on my R200 diff just snapped clean in half, more like a shatter. is this a common thing? has anyone had any success with metal strengthening treatments like cryogenic freezing?

[sjcurtis]

Brett240, that failure sounds really odd. I must say that's a first I one I have heard of. To shatter the moustache bar, I would have expected a primary problem with an onset failure of the moustache bar as the secondary problem.

Is your forward mount solid with no fractures around the attach point , have you replaced the tensioner strap or at least retentioned to suit the R200. Has your LSD failed iecaught a spare locking ring in the mechanism and locked up.

With the exotic metal process, I would set up with another standard item and try again it could be the one in a million failure. If you go big bucks mod straight away you may be paying for something you dont need.

Oh and what kind of power where you applying at the time, I know I get a lot of cork screw under max power this transfers to shear load thru the moustache bar.

Good luck

Steve:classic:

[Brett240]

i dont have a strap on the front mount as ive got a custom front mount, its not a solid mount though it has a rubber bush in it so it has some flex, i hope this isnt the problem.

The diff is fine, i had it reco'd as i originally thought the diff was stuffed until i saw the moustache bar, it wasnt the problem.

when the bar let go i was getting a bit of axle tramp and then BANG as it let go and the diff hit the underside floor.

i hope it your right and maybe it was a one off, ive got a spare to go in, im taking it to the drags in two weeks so if its another problem it will show up then!

[sjcurtis]

That is an interesting mod on the forward mount. Is it similar to the mount the Zed Workshop in Brisbane is offering for sale. I would be interested in just how stable it is under load, hard to monitor though. I still have a strap on top tensioned down with a fresh lower mount, it is working for me but I am not producing big HP, I only run the standard Zed stick profiles.

Good luck with the new moustache Bar, the drags should check it right out if you can stay consistant in your bracket.

Cheers

Steve

:classic:

[Zpeed]

I broke my moustache bar, R200... was about to drop a burnout, and BANG, full on snaped in half... had to tow the car home, and i bought a new one, put it in, and keept on dropping the cluctch, no problems since

[sjcurtis]

AH!! the plot thickens. Wonder if this is a more regular problem than we thought.

Steve:classic:

[Zpeed]

yer, its not a one off thing, lots of people snap them, i know this as friends have broken them, race cars and street cars, most people just weld them back up, as they are becoming harder to find therefore expensive,

when i took my broken one off, it was welded up once before, but it didn't snap in the welded spot...

[sjcurtis]

I a going to add one of these babies to my shopping list for JUSTINE (just in case). I would hate to get caught up for the tow and find a moustache bar on the day.

Cheers Steve:classic:

[Royce]

I have not heard of this being particularly common but I have broken a R180 Mustache bar, long time ago. There are two things to watch out for.

First, the R180 and R200 bars are different. The R200 bar is beefier than the R180 bar. Also the rear mounting bolts are larger on the R200, therefore, the holes were the diff mounts to the mustache bar are larger. I have heard of people drilling out the holes on a R180 bar to fit it to the R200. This could easily result with a weaker bar that will eventually fail.

Another thing is to keep the rear diff mount nuts tight, where the diff attaches to the bar. There is a little space for movement so if the nuts are not kept torqued the diff can move around and damage the bar. If this happens a couple time in 30 years there is a greater chance for failure. I don't think there are any shortage of R200 bars, at least not in California, since they are the same for '75 - '78 280Z's.

Hope it helps.