NZeder Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 How does the bearing fit inside there after those mods? replacement - lower profile bearing Quote
RB30X Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 Dont remember the part number for those bad boys do you? Come on, it was only the thirty years ago. Quote
NZeder Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Dont remember the part number for those bad boys do you? Come on, it was only the thirty years ago. Shit not that old - 20 years and no I don't remember Quote
RB30X Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 New vinyls from HybridZ. Not 100% sure about them yet. Quote
RB30X Posted June 9, 2011 Author Posted June 9, 2011 I've cut open one of these factory strut top insulators and heated up the rubber so it popped out. I'm doing this for the purpose of investigating how I can: 1. Shorten the strut top itself to gain some extra strut travel at the same (lowered) ride height as before. 2. Modify them as a non adjustable strut top with added camber and castor. Talking to Warren Skimmings the other day and he said the best position he has found for his adjustable strut tops (camber and castor wise) is with the strut hole between or almost between the two rear most strut top threads. To make the most of this adjustment you would also need lengthened castor rods (next modification). photo by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 001 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 003 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 004 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 005 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 007 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Picture 008 by MR240ZED, on Flickr Quote
RB30X Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 The strut tops have been put on hold until I can track down some pillowball mounts. On another note, My picked up a sheet of red polyurethane from work so I thought I'd cut some bushes out to see how it goes. I'm going to do my sway bar bushes as well as my tension rods too. Everything else is already done. I went out to the drags tonight but due to rain the day before the track was slippery as. Even with a decent skid the dunlops did nothing. I'll try again another time. Only managed a 13.2 @ 113mph which was still a lot quicker than some imports and blown v8's. Quote
benny Posted June 11, 2011 Posted June 11, 2011 hey tim, please correct me if im wrong but isn't there ment to be a bush on the top and bottom of the bar?? Thats how mine is anyway!! Ben Quote
RB30X Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 No idea Benny. I only put things back the way they come off. Can anyone else confirm? Quote
Riceburner Posted June 11, 2011 Posted June 11, 2011 Yeah Benny is correct. One on top, one on bottom so they sandwich the bar. 13.2 is a good effort especially with poor traction. Quote
RB30X Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Bugger. They're a mission to take off too. Oh well. Would someone have just stuffed up or could they have been thinking it would stiffen it up. I know that talking to Warren skimmings, some people that know stuff have worked on this car's suspension at some stage of it's life. I'll fix them up next time I'm under there which won't be far off. My clutch decided it had had enough last night. Being the factory organic, the pedal just disappears as you're going down the strip but comes back when you let it cool down a bit. I must have had some extra horses too as it was bloody freezing last night and the zed was very toey on the drive out there. Quote
Riceburner Posted June 11, 2011 Posted June 11, 2011 Sounds good! I know when I raced at Calder it had rained and the track was super slippery. I think its something to do with the trye softener/grip drag racers use. Didn't sound like you got full throttle to half track Quote
RB30X Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Thats because I couldnt grab any gears ;D Once the clutch came back I just gave it a stab in thrid and forth. Quote
PeterAllen Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 "...bloody freezing last night..." in Townsville! Yeh sure, I believe you. Here is the normal configuration of the bushes. There's probably not too much of an issue with the way they fitted them other than a harsher transmission of forces to the car shell. In fact, there are a few positives; it lowers the car the thickness of the bushes (10mm) and it probably limits the up and down rotation at the nose of the diff. I wouldn't bother to change them unless I was replacing the moustache bar bushes - something you should consider. Quote
RB30X Posted June 12, 2011 Author Posted June 12, 2011 it lowers the car the thickness of the bushes (10mm) and it probably limits the up and down rotation at the nose of the diff. I wouldn't bother to change them unless I was replacing the moustache bar bushes - something you should consider. Wouldnt it just affect the height of the diff, not the car? My current confid would have the diff 10mm higher than normal. So if I put one spacer above the bar that would lower it and the diff and possible make the drive shafts more horizontal. I've already been under there pulling things apart and found damage to both foward and return fuel hoses. I forgot to mention I was sent home last night due to a fuel leak. It was pissing out just infront of the diff so I knew it had something to do with how the hoses were just cable tied up above the drive train. Sure enough it looks like one of the ties had broken and the hoses had been rubbing through on a uni joint. Hmm, while the middle section of me exhaust is off to fix the hoses I've got some stainless pipe there............ Quote
garvice Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 If it is changing the height of the rear of the diff, then it is changing the angle of the diff too. You might find that they were put in that way so that the diff angle was corrected (L6 motors have the diff angled quite a bit up which is a problem when you put a different engine in there and change the angle of the driveline). If you do remove them, check the angle of the diff and transmission first to see how much you are changing it by moving the bushes. If you find more vibration when you move the bushes then you will either need to revert back to how it was or lower the nose a bit more. Quote
PeterAllen Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 1. Wouldnt it just affect the height of the diff, not the car? 2... I was pissing out just infront of the diff... 1. Yes, you're right. I remembered I was trying to mount my diff higher, I just got confused as to why! 2. You uncouth country boy, no wonder they sent you home. Quote
RB30X Posted June 12, 2011 Author Posted June 12, 2011 dammit, there supposed to be a t there..... it was pissing Yes you're right Garvice it could be an alignment thing. Quote
RB30X Posted June 14, 2011 Author Posted June 14, 2011 More bush replacements with the magical piece of polyurethane... I'm having a lot of fun learning about this stuff. As mentioned previously, the handling of this Zed at speed is not comparable to a modern day car. Having said that, having intact sterring rack bushes did make a huge difference but it still seems to follow bumps or ruts in the road etc. I've been reading up on Castor and from what I've seen, perhaps my castor rod bushes were also worn and there was at least 15mm on thread showing after the nut, where as on HybridZ someone mentioned that in the process of increasing their castor they had no thread left on their castor rod. For those less knowledgable then me, increasing castor or the angle at which the wheel hub is moved towards the front of the car so the strut is on more of an angle improves handling at speed and helps turn in etc. to increase castor a large amount you would need adjustable lower control arms so you would have a pillow ball joint where it bolts onto the cross member so it supports the control arm angling foward more than factory. I replaced the old bushes on the castor rod with poly ones I cut out, and also installed an extra washer on the wheel side of the bush mount. It took some effort to get the castor rod bolts to fall onto place at the base of the control arm where the strut is but I am confident I have increased the castor or at least returned it to where it should have been. You can see in the pic above, the remaining thread is now shorter so this has pushed the rod foward to some degree. My car is in a lot of pieces at the moment so it will be a while until I get to try it out. Quote
NZeder Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Old racing saying "castor makes you faster" as in faster turn in. However increasing the castor does increase the steering effort some what. Quote
RB30X Posted June 21, 2011 Author Posted June 21, 2011 I've been spending a bulk amount of time on the Zed getting it ready to be on display at the Townsville 400 in a couple of weeks. I think I even get to do a lap (in second gear at 20km/hr probably). I've installed new fuel lines to join the pumps at the tank to the reg in the engine bay (old ones were leaking ). New rocker covers that I've given a sand. New breather hoses to suit the new look covers. I've relocated the coil packs and ordered some longer spark plug leads. Also ordered coil harness extensions to join the coils up. I've removed the middle section of exhaust and made new sections up in stainless but so they sit a bit higher up inside the gearbox cross member I modified, to give me more ground clearance. I've cut out and install new sway bar bushes from my sheet of polyurethane. My second pair of Formula R's have arrived thanks to LGee and my Rota Grid drifts shouldnt be too far away. Number 3 loves spending time in the shed with Dad. All I plan on doing once everything has arrived and been installed is fit my underdriven balancer if I get time. Quote
PZG302 Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 Looking good, and don't forget the big burnout just before you leave the track so I'd you get kicked out it doesn't matter Quote
Riceburner Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 Just what every race car driver needs... His own pit crew How does the new system sound, from what I've read stainless is supposed to sound different... Quote
Moderators Zedman240® Posted June 21, 2011 Moderators Posted June 21, 2011 You've been very busy! +1 with the burnout... whack it on youtube later on too.. Quote
RB30X Posted July 3, 2011 Author Posted July 3, 2011 The engine bay is finally done. Thanks so much to Peter (Allen) for organising to get my custom length leads made and sent up to me. Still waiting on my rims, hopefully Monday. Quote
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