bantambunny

Good news, it's been a long weekend working away on the car but finally found a solution to the ride height versus clearance issue. I've used a stock 300zx subframe + rack with the new pipes i had made up with the stock zed engine mount and a land rover engine mount on the side that takes the pulling force to start off. I tried using Keith's spacers and longer bolts but this led to the engine pushing tight against the bulkhead (taller rocker covers and larger distributor) so had to go somewhere inbetween. Keith's dropped the engine and rack 1" Rudy's (the one i was using) dropped the rack 3" So using box steel and some threaded lengths i've manufactured up a 2" drop from stock. This means the lower arms and rack will drop 2" and give me just enough clearance for all the bits and bobs i need. Finished the brackets last night and back on it tonight to adjust the steering rack bracket to spin it round 20-30 degrees and shorten the steering column slightly. The car will be running negative camber at that point so i'll put the dropping shocks back on again which should bring the wheels roughly back into line. Once i'm happy with both of those then it's back on to the engine mountings which look relatively easy to make up and fit so i'll get those off to the welders to make up for me after i've cut them out. Luckily i can reuse the chevy plates again to save time then just add a slot in them to access the bolt and get the adapter section welded on top. So hopefully when this is all done it should be riding standard rack and arms and get rid of that bump steer. I've taken some photos but haven't had chance to copy them across from facebook yet but more updates later when i've finished the initial changes.

Great work buddy, looking forward to catching up with you soon to show you the V8 :)

Very nice looking car and incredibly well detailed! :)

Amazing work there buddy, well done! :hyper:

Good work buddy, was thinking of starting on the front and working my way back when i had the chance. I didn't think of perspex before i was thinking sheet ally! Sounds like a good alternative that would work just as well!

lol, nah you make me sound like an engineer - i'm a hobby mechanic who's jumped into the deep and is just paddling along :rofl: Good news everyone - the second engine mount just arrived and it's in great condition! (thanks Andy!) So that's everything i need apart from the nuts to go on the end and we're ready to go this weekend! Will post some pictures up later tonight to show you what's going on :)

Before i took on the project the most i'd done is change brake pads/discs/radiator but nothing more than that. The car had an adapted sub frame and gearbox mounting to suit the Chevy mounts but the engine was an empty shell with cast iron heads on and no valve train. The gearbox was underated for what i needed and very agricultural so got rid of that as soon as i had the opportunity to buy something better. The subframe had been lowered 2 inches to fit the engine under the bonnet but unfortunately he'd lowered the steering rack away from the bottom arms which has caused the problems as they're supposed to stay in line :( I've read hundred of hours of books, articles, made phonecalls and done alot of research on how to do everything but it's been basically just bolting things together like a big mechano set! I'm still in shock i managed to build a working engine from just bolting things together. The devil's in the details though, i've had to learn about engine timing, compression, valve lash, octane, suspension geometry but it's all available online through google! The beauty of chevy is it's been the same engine for 30-40 years so there's so many parts out there and so many articles on tuning it's super easy to find anything out. If i can build this, anyone can! :)

lol, cheers buddy :D To be honest i was trusting the previous owner's decisions with the subframe - it's just lucky i know a couple of automotive engineers to point out these things! It's not that much of a ball ache, i've taken and replaced most things on the car so swapping subframes isn't that bad if you have an engine hoist. Just need to make sure i line it up straight when i put the brackets in! :)

Okay update: I finally got some time on the car last night. I've lifted the back end up on ramps, put some axle stands underneath to hold it in place, removed the wheels and disconnected the tension rods, lower arms and track rod ends. I've also left the power steering rack draining overnight to make sure i don't make too much of a mess tonight. So tonight hopefully i should have the second engine mount, transfer the pipes and mountings to the other rack, pop it in place and see what sort of clearance i have. I really hope i've got enough to get the rack past the sump so fingers crossed! All being well should have all the suspension back in place and power steering reconnected tonight or tomorrow morning then it's onto the mount adapter fabrication.... :headvswal

Happy Birthday matey! Hope you have a great day :duffer: :hyper:

and this one: http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=143554

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=142857 is a reconditioned engine at £400 which is a bargain although a turbo seal has gone

My silver zed had A3 OUX and sold that to Andy then my new one is H3 OOT I'm currently looking at D600X for £400 but we'll see how much i have left to play with next year if it's still about :)

Cheers Andy :) I had looked at them but the current arms sit 2 inches lower than the hubs so all the adjustable ones wouldn't be long enough to reach. I've made a start now on adapting the whole thing now so might as well carry on. I picked up some 4mm black steel today and have a second engine mount coming tomorrow so should be able to get everything done over the weekend all being well. We'll see how my welding is but if it's bad i'll take it to an engineers shop next week and get it sorted out. I'll be back on it tonight when I get back from my parents house, i just haven't had the chance since monday to get started and didn't realise we had a house inspection today so had to spend last night sorting through my wardrobe and room.

Happy Birthday Mike! :D Have a good one buddy! :duffer:

Definately pursue this! Why on earth would the police not prosecute her because of her age? That's rediculous :(

If she's about yep but have a feeling it'll be more likely i'll be on my own

Rats, sorry guys and gals, i didn't realise i'd double booked myself - got it in the ear from the other half because i'm supposed to be down in Reading that night for a big night out. So looks like it's either going to be the friday night for a BBQ only (although you're more than welcome to bring fireworks) or leave it for another weekend and have a BBQ on a sunday afternoon when more people are free?

I was pumping mine for a good 30 minutes on one of the pipes unfortunately matey, it does take ages if there's loads of air in there. I can only recommend a 1 man bleeding kit to speed things up which is what i used to flush the whole system full of oil after sitting dry

Just had a look and it's on the Saturday instead of the friday buddy, so Saturday 6th then: Gates open 5.30pm Bonfire starts 6.45pm Gates close 7.15pm Fireworks starts 7.30pm So everyone could come over in the afternoon for the BBQ then head down about 6.30ish?

Saturday the 6th November 4pm onwards for the BBQ and 6.30 to be there in time to get through the gates at the bonfire/fireworks display. I live just down the road from Snibston Discovery Park in Coalville, Leicestershire and i was planning a BBQ soon so why not both! :hyper: Who's up for it? BBQ at mine first then pop down the road for the display. Could prove to give some great photos of zeds with fireworks in the background? 1) Bantambunny + Dad + Bro

Blimey, only just noticed this otherwise i'd have offered my services :) Congratulations guys and look forward to seeing some meets starting up again!

Will do buddy, I might even do a zed bonfire night if anyone's up for it? The 5th is a friday night and there's a cracker of a fireworks display down the road so we could bbq at mine and drive down?

I've had both NA and TT and my own personal opinion was the NA was better. No need to rev it to get the power and they sound better without the turbos in the way of the exhaust. I loved the none turbo torquey power delivery so much i ended up putting a 6.3 litre chevy V8 in mine :) This is my first short wheel base and although i haven't had the opportunity to drive it much with tweaking the V8 engine and suspension i live the smaller cabin and the sharp handling. The LWB is more of a grand tourer than an out and out sports car.

Hi Tom, Welcome to the club! :) Firstly there's a few variants that you may not be aware of: 2+2 Long Wheel Base (LWB) NA + TT Targa (the most common and the only available for UK spec) You'll find it's easily noticable from outside as it has the petrol cap behind the rear left hand wheel 2 Seater Short Wheel Base (SWB) NA/TT Targa (As above but with the petrol cap in front of the rear wheel and 6 inches shorter and 100kg lighter Then there's a 2 seater SWB with no targas nicknamed the "slicktop" which weighs another 50kg less so handles better and is the ultimate combo for someone looking for a drivers car. These only came from japan and were limited to 2 seater: Then finally even rarer is the convertible 2 seater So a few different ones to look at. You'll pick up a 2+2 cheapest, uk spec in good condition would be more, SWB targa a little more, Slicktop even more and the convertible would be your most expensive option. Have a look in the for sale section as there's quite a few good bargains on here at the moment. http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75 Best of luck and anything else you need to know drop a message on the board and i'm sure someone can help! :) Cheers, Nick