2.3L of fun

[funwithmonkeys]

Well I went by one of the local boat builders today. They have a full machine shop so they are going to make me some standoffs and bend the sway bar for me. I will just need to get myself some endlinks and I will be set.

[funwithmonkeys]

I have been working on getting the re-profiled sway bar installed. It fits nicely and end up in a good spot under the control arm. Now I am on to end links.

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I am going to cut on the red line to make room for the link to move without contacting the control arm. I'm pretty sure it won't affect the integrity of the arm. They are stout pieces.
I will use this as a link.

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It gives me enough adjustment that I can get the sway bar as close as I want to the control arm.

I now have to pull the sway bar and stanchions off and pretty them up while I wait for the links.

[funwithmonkeys]

well I got it all cleaned up and installed. I decided to paint it all red, my son keeps asking me to put something red on my car so there you go.
I have it installed with the old end links but the new ones are on the way. There is minimal preload on it so it will be ok till the new ones gets here.



As it sits the end of the bar is just above the wheel rim and with the links on it now the ends of them are well below. I would put a nice grove in the pavement if I got a flat right now. The center part of the bar is just below the cross member by 3-5mm. It turned out pretty good I think.

[Byron510]

Nice work, had a test drive yet?

My bar didn't have the link in the middle, likely due to being moved forward just a bit more on the stanchions. But I know my bar doesn't work with a late crossmember as the extended lip hits the bar. I used a late crossmember for a short while and had to trim the lip off the front. My car went back to an early crossmember like yours.

Let us know how the test drive goes.

Byron

[funwithmonkeys]

No test drive yet. I need to locktite the strut bolts and tighten the strut nuts. Then put in the seats and finish my door seals. I should have her out by the end of the week. The only reason there is a kink in the middle of the bar is that is the way it came. It is just my Futofab bar that I got bent. I'm pretty sure my crossmember is the 69 one. My car was built late 69. How do you tell the difference?

[RMS]

them's some perdy standoffs.

the late xmember has a longer turned up lip on the forward pinch weld. the 68, 69 has a short flat lip and the control arm pivot is higher.

[funwithmonkeys]

So I have the old style crossmember. I got the front suspension buttoned up. Camber plate spacers installed and strut nuts on with pinch nuts. Strut bolts locktighted and seats installed. I got the new version of my drivers seat and moved my old seat to the drivers side with 6 point harness. Now any passengers will be in there as well as I am.


I have a pair of Koni Ren Sport adjustable inserts for 280ZX struts for sale if anyone is interested. I will put an add in the classifieds for them.

[funwithmonkeys]

I had a few hours of dry weather and some dry roads up here so I got her out for a test drive today. Just a short 45min run down the highway....which on a day like today if only 65kph with all the slowpokes out who don't even get near the 80k limit. I a short higher speed run and then 20 min of twisty bumpy roads back to the house. I think the best thing I can say is it feels almost the exact same as before I changed everything. It drove really nice before so that is for sure a good thing. Over some large bumps around corners it actually feels a bit better. I am sure not having my sway bar hit the crossmember helps there. I will pay with the shocks a bit and see the changes that makes.
I tried out my GPS speedo on my phone and it says I am hitting 100 in 5.8s on a pretty sedate launch from 2krpm. It's funny that it never seams that fast at the end of the year but at the beginning it feels really quick. I love my car. I can't wait for some long drives with the group this year.

[bertvorgon]

You hit one thing on the head...the first few drives when our cars feel like ROCKETS!

I'm turning the boost up a hair in mine this year, so that is going to feel quite scary at first, it sure did when I put that new waste gate on.

[funwithmonkeys]

I got out for a real test drive today. I went up to Earls Cove at the end of the highway and back. I ran through the twisty section between Smugglers Cove and Madeira Park 5 times. It's a really great section of road with fast sweepers with and without bumps, tighter corners that 80 is about the fastest I care to take them at. One has a good size bump in the middle that has always upset the balance of my car going over. I think my sway bar was bottoming out on the cross-member on it. Today I went around it 25kph faster than I ever could before and the car was just planted. It was my 4th run through the section while playing with the shock setting. I'm sure I could go faster but I know what fast enough for a public road is. The new shocks and sway bar setup just inspires more confidence than ever before. It always felt very good but bumps were a bit unnerving. My intake is working great so I may look at getting something to hold the filter inside the engine bay and still get the ram air effect. ITG and K&N both make something I just need to figure out which one will fit properly. I set this up as a proof of concept so now that I know it works well I can move forward with it.
I got a few pictures of how she sits today.


I really love my car.

[two_68_510s]

Looks really potent, nice colors. Is it just a bit high in the front or is that "what it is"?

[funwithmonkeys]

Thanks Joel, I have to take a ferry to get anywhere other than the 80km of highway here on the sunshine coast. I can't go much lower without scraping the front of my car if the ramp operator doesn't do a good job getting it level. I really like the look of it at this hight. I will not be going Icehouse low.

[two_68_510s]

Thanks Joel, I have to take a ferry to get anywhere other than the 80km of highway here on the sunshine coast. I can't go much lower without scraping the front of my car if the ramp operator doesn't do a good job getting it level. I really like the look of it at this hight. I will not be going Icehouse low.

LOL, no it does look very good the way it is. We used to call it a "California rake".

[Chickenman]

Is that in reference to the drainage ditches that run across the roads in LA.. or just the Low-Rider stance? Maybe that's how the droopy arse started in Cali?

[two_68_510s]

Is that in reference to the drainage ditches that run across the roads in LA.. or just the Low-Rider stance? Maybe that's how the droopy arse started in Cali?

LOL Never made the connection, you might have something there. I was from Indiana and everybody was lifting the rear end. The guys from LA were going the other way, low and slow. Here are some videos, oh yeah, and some background music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xTGrfs5TXM