KONI Sports for Classic Z's

[adivin]

Another observation from today.  Factory Service Manual says to put 290cc of oil in the strut tube.  That is way too much.  I had oil spilling all over when I put the strut in.

Also tightening the gland nut and keeping the strut rod from turning was interesting.

[Captain Obvious]

30 minutes ago, adivin said:

Another observation from today.  Factory Service Manual says to put 290cc of oil in the strut tube.  That is way too much.  I had oil spilling all over when I put the strut in.

The reason you had oil spilling all over the place is because the original strut (as described in the factory service manual) did not use an insert. They built the damper right into the strut tube. The insert that you substituted for the original design takes up much greater volume than the original. And because of that, there is a lot less volume left over for oil.

[Captain Obvious]

3 hours ago, madkaw said:

You will notice the one pic showing the distinct bulge from the weld bead . The fit is so tight that it makes a difference.

Nice work. I would have done the same. That bulge is obviously where the weld bead overlapped near the end of the bead.

Doesn't look like you had to remove much and hopefully you're home free now.

[madkaw]

2 hours ago, red67 said:

Did you do that with a grinder, or belt sander? Whatever, nice job!

I have a 12” disc table sander - HB special. Good sander for most projects 

[adivin]

4 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

The reason you had oil spilling all over the place is because the original strut (as described in the factory service manual) did not use an insert. They built the damper right into the strut tube. The insert that you substituted for the original design takes up much greater volume than the original. And because of that, there is a lot less volume left over for oil.

Oh boy!  Well, that explains it.  The Captain lives up to his namesake.

[Captain Obvious]

Haha! It's a calling.

Seriously though... Glad to help!

[red67]

So @advin, did you have any issues with fronts? Which gland nut did you use?

[adivin]

2 minutes ago, red67 said:

So @advin, did you have any issues with fronts? Which gland nut did you use?

I haven't started the front yet.  I am finishing up some more work on the rear.  I will keep you posted.  Rear went smooth.

[red67]

Did you do any bushings??

[adivin]

16 minutes ago, red67 said:

Did you do any bushings??

I did bushings and wheel bearings.  After the spindle pin and rear wheel bearings, I feel like I climbed Mt Everest.

[Neb]

Just wanted to chime in after installing these on my '75 280Z.  I definitely researched this thread, and very much appreciate all of the great feedback and information here.

Nothing but a good experience for me.  I replaced the stock springs paired with KYBs with the full eibach lowering kit (23-4042 on MSA) and koni shocks (2x 23-1033, and 2x 23-1034 on MSA).  I also did the MSA sway bars at the same time. 

Everything bolted up fine.  I had the usual issues with the rears when trying to get enough clearance without pulling the spindle bolts. I ended up dropping the rear subframe; pita, but there was no way those spindles were coming out and I wasn't ready to tackle that monster just yet.  I did not have any issues fitting the gland nuts, or with seating the shocks into the strut tubes.  The fronts were done in about 1/4 the time of the rears, mostly due to having to drop the subframe.

Once installed, the drop in ride height was definitely noticeable.  I didn't measure, but I'll include a picture or two of the before/after.  I set the shocks to 1/2 rotation from full soft for starters, and haven't felt the need to adjust them further yet.

I've been out on 2 short twisty drives so far.  The car feels firm, but in a sporty confident way.  Bumps are felt but not harsh.  Far less dive and roll.  I'm sure the sways are helping there as well.  The shocks and springs seem very well paired.  A definitely improvement over the floaty feeling of the stock springs/sways + KYBs.  Looking forward to pushing it a little harder this summer!

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Neb
spelling/double pictures

[lapriser]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues with the top nut stripping out or crossthreading?

I installed the strut with no issue which involved hand threading the supplied nylock nut until it hit the plastic locking section, then tightening by hand with a socket wrench. I realized I forgot to put the bump stop into the assembly and began unthreading the top not and it eventually froze up and would not move. After some creative clamping and a lot of force I was able to remove the top hat assembly but the threads and adjustment knob on the strut are destroyed. The adjustment knob does not move and the strut seems to have lost its dampening resistance.

I am a little baffled about how this could have happened so aggressively. I don't use nylock nuts usually and this one seemed very aggressive. Is this a common issue with nylocks?