KONI Sports for Classic Z's

[jonbill]

Thanks Lee, I'll do some measuring tomorrow.

[Zed Head]

You might be able to make your KYB nuts work.  The nut serves two purposes - centering the top of the shock, and clamping it tightly in to the tube.  Some of the manufacturers just ship a sized metal ring, to fit the application, along with a common nut.  Tokico did theirs that way.

 

[Joseph@TheZStore]

Jonbill, another helpful confirmation would be to see if you can get the numbers off of the strut housings, and we'll check from that angle.

40 minutes ago, jonbill said:

I have some other corroboration that my build date is earlier than I thought. 

What else was telling you that the build date might be earlier?

[jonbill]

Jonbill, another helpful confirmation would be to see if you can get the numbers off of the strut housings, and we'll check from that angle.
What else was telling you that the build date might be earlier?

I'll see what I can find.@ak260 does dating service for the UK club and that was his assessment of my VIN.

[Zed Head]

6 minutes ago, jonbill said:

.@ak260 does dating service for the UK club 

Like Tinder for Z owners?

[Zed Head]

The insulator on the top of the back strut would be a clue.  The big body's used a taller one.  And the strut towers are taller inside the car for the later style.   People use the 240Z insulators on the back of 280Z's to lower them,  they're shorter.

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20n01a

[AK260]

Like Tinder for Z owners?

Ha! I am such a whore! Dated so many Zs in my time, and I have intimate knowledge!!!! [emoji13][emoji41]

[jonbill]

The insulator on the top of the back strut would be a clue.  The big body's used a taller one.  And the strut towers are taller inside the car for the later style.   People use the 240Z insulators on the back of 280Z's to lower them,  they're shorter.
https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20n01a

My strut insulators are the same front and back. So early car?

[Zed Head]

6 minutes ago, jonbill said:

My strut insulators are the same front and back. So early car?

Seems that way.  Otherwise the back of your car would be much lower than the front.  Assuming that you have factory springs.

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic20n01a/23-4370

[Zed Head]

I'm not sure but I think that the US market got the first body change cars, with the reinforcements.  The taller strut towers would give leverage to make a stronger strut mount.  The cars got heavier and stronger to comply with US safety regulations, I think.  The big bumper years were part of that, along with the 5 mph damage limit.  Not an expert on European market cars.  I'm not sure the early/late thing applies to European market 260Z's even.  Hard to tell because they didn't get the big bumpers, did they?  You have the small attractive bumpers, not the big solid ones?

Don't know.  But it looks like you need "early' gland nuts.

[AK260]

I'm not sure but I think that the US market got the first body change cars, with the reinforcements.  The taller strut towers would give leverage to make a stronger strut mount.  The cars got heavier and stronger to comply with US safety regulations, I think.  The big bumper years were part of that, along with the 5 mph damage limit.  Not an expert on European market cars.  I'm not sure the early/late thing applies to European market 260Z's even.  Hard to tell because they didn't get the big bumpers, did they?  You have the small attractive bumpers, not the big solid ones?

Don't know.  But it looks like you need "early' gland nuts.

 

 

The early/late thing definitely applies to us too. While we didn’t get the “impressive” bumpers or the BHP reducing emissions stuff, the earlier “inferior” 260Zs (joke flag flying high and proud before I get shot) have many commonalities with the 240Zs - e.g. the hub offsets are the same, the floor supports / chassis rails don’t go all the way back, inferior door cards [emoji12] etc etc. My ‘77 “Late” 260Z is much closer to your 280Zs (which we never got) but without fuel injection. All our S30s got rear anti-roll bars out of the factory.

 

In the UK we got the 2 seater until ‘75 then all only 2+2 until 77/78 when the 2 seater reappeared with the stronger chassis etc for just two years.

 

Alan can tell you a huge lot more but this is based on what I’ve seen in the flesh / photos between the models here.

[jonbill]

I've been to measure, and my strut tube really is about 380mm deep, no way can it accommodate a 394mm insert, even at 42mm diameter. 

I couldn't find a part number on the tube - the underseal is thick  anyone know where on the tube the part number is?

The 8641 1033 is about maybe 2mm taller than the KYB strut, see the pic.  The KYB is a 361002 and is listed as for a 240z, maybe it has to have a spacer in a 240z. (I installed them, but it was a long time ago and can't remember!)

Even when fully bottomed in the strut, the 1033 is going to be a couple of mm proud. I may be able to modify the KYB gland nut to fit with it, maybe not. 

@KONI Lee is there a Koni distributor in EU that I might be able to buy the 48mm gland nuts from? or can you see in your parts catalogue a 42mm insert that's a bit shorter than 384mm?