PeterAllen

Mine are on the car but measurable. I also have a jig. I see you are in Australia, that's handy because so am I. https://postimg.cc/CRrkjC2s

You're absolutely correct Roger, crikey, what a senior moment I had there. I remember (now) that I was going to re-bore and sleeve the strut location to minimise camber change on a widened track but ultimately decided against it. I can't recall the off-set of OEM wheels but the wheels I've fitted have 0 off-set however the larger dia tyres should reduce the scrub radius but not that much. Any thoughts on why it was such a handful on the Sturt Hwy? I'm assuming you've travelled it a few times. It could just be the air turbulence around the trucks I was overtaking. The torque of the LS1 means you start off about 110 km/h to overtake but you're doing 150-160 km/h by the time you get to pass the truck cabin. It was exhilarating but a handful at the same time.

MaygZ - I avoided fitting the spacers by heating and straighten the threaded portion of the forged steel rod ends to have the steering rods parallel to the LCA. I have copied the diagram below from a 260Z manual and I've assumed it is identical to a 240Z (?). The red line represents the Steering Axis Inclination (aka King Pin Inclination) of a OEM set up. The blue line represents the altered SAI which resulted when I raised the pivot point of the LCA on the crossmember and also moved it further outward (ie. lowered the car and widened the track). Red 'X' marks the new location of the ball joint. The red line indicates a large POSITIVE scrub radius as standard, something that is now not considered 'the go' for Macpherson struts and may be why OEM cars have relatively heavy steering (?) All wheels on modern cars have significant positive offsets and I wonder if that is anything to do with achieving NEGATIVE scrub radius (?). Anyway, the blue line suggest the SAI on my car is now pretty close to neutral - although my 16" tyres have 22mm more radius that OEM 14" tyres and could produce slight positive SAI. The information out there tends to suggest a neutral SAI makes the steering less stable so that MIGHT be the issue I have? Although it's a little flighty at speed on uneven surfaces it's still quite heavy at very low speeds. Any thoughts?

You may want to research this further but my understanding is that it is not a proportioning valve at the rear of the car. It is a device which allows more fluid to drain from the rear slave cylinders and thus ease the shoes away from the drums. It creates a tiny reservoir in the line to the rear brakes and the brakes subsequently run cooler but also take a little longer (nano seconds?) than the fronts to start working. If you have rear drums you should keep it, if you have rear disc you don't need it but I suspect it doesn't matter. https://postimg.cc/yJDCG08w

They are Pirelli Scorpion STR and I bought them very early in the piece so I sort out the profile of the guards - probably around 10 years ago. I notice they are now discontinued. They were marketed as SUV suitable so I was forced to compromise a bit. They were just about the only tyre which had the high aspect ratio and narrow width I was looking for to give a 60s look but also had a high speed rating ('V' if I recall) which I thought was required for engineering approval of the car. F = 205/65/16 R = 215/70/16 Looking at them now they do appear to have a square-ish shoulder like cross plys but I'd guess cross plys were the go in the mid-sixties when the 240Z suspension was designed. https://postimg.cc/ph1qJ2yT

Jeff. I was in no real hurry to fit longer tension rods as I favoured the supposed lighter steering but I think I’ll have to reassess the priorities. I’ll wind the coil-over off and measure the toe as the suspension moves. I modified the tie rods to compensate for a lower ride height but never measured the actual outcome.

During the build I had the steering rack rebuilt, replaced the bushes and rod ends and then had an alignment. I don’t think it’s a wear issue. The castor is reduced rather than anything as I relocated the lower arms outwards about 10 mm and the tension rod is subsequently too short - I have the Falcon rods to install but haven’t got around to it yet. It’ll be a difficult issue to assess without running at higher speeds on a road with such bad wheel track depressions as the Sturt Hwy. I'm hoping some of the Redbacks might recall their experiences on the Sturt.

When I first drove the car on freeways and generally good roads I noticed a tendency for it to wander. I'd sometimes take in the scenery or take longish looks at the gauges, etc, only to discover the car wandering out of the lane. It took full-on, two-handed concentration to drive the thing. I just put that down to 60s suspension geometry and the lack of power steering. A 4,500 km around Tassie last year alerted me to the issue but didn't overly concern me. However, on a recent trip from Adelaide to Sydney along the Sturt Hwy the car bottomed badly a few times so I tried to drive with the near-side wheels on the un-depressed centre of the lane and the off-side wheel close to the un-depressed dividing line. If it moved from the crests to the worn depressions (for on-coming trucks, etc) it was something of a handful to maintain a steady trajectory. Overtaking required full-on concentration as the car rode the crests and worn depressions on both sides of the road. I wasn't always sure whether it was air turbulence from the trucks or just the road contour and suspension geometry, or both, creating difficulties. Is it just so long since I've driven a 60s car under these conditions or have I got a real issue to be addressed? Thanks. The 240Z is running 16" rims (6" F & 7" rear) with high aspect ratio tyres giving 25" dia F and 28" dia R.

It is a crying shame that this car never gets run these days. Here are some photos I took of it back in the early 70s - like me they're rather faded; Frank and his wife Joan and their son with the car at Warwick Farm. https://postimg.cc/KR4x2sZt Frank making a rare mistake. https://postimg.cc/6ySw5L3g Colin Bond driving when Frank had built and was racing his own F5000 https://postimg.cc/FYLvfdkR There's a member on here (who is even older than me) who worked on the car in that period.

Another brilliant day in the Adelaide Hills. A Bolwell owner also owns a vineyard so we got firsthand information on the operations. We also had the joy of driving on some of the twisting roads in the area. Finally there was the all important wine tasting. https://postimg.cc/R3rVWWFs I may have spent too long at the tasting - time got a little out of whack.. https://postimg.cc/NLQ8yM2j

Caught up with Linton and saw his beautiful Zed. I followed as he led me to visit another extremely well built GTO. Morning at McLaren Vale. https://postimg.cc/LhfJn6C0

I’ve been thinking about Queensland but I’m unaware of classic tour routes up there. The Great Ocean Road was magic today. Just when you think you have seen it all something more spectacular awaits around the next corner. In Port Fairy tonight. Lorne at dawn. https://postimg.cc/mc6xCNJB Not sure which are Apostles and which are waiters! https://postimg.cc/RWptDmC7

I have to convert the link to text but I can’t work out how to do that on a borrowed iPad I’m using? These should work. Attended ‘Cars and Coffee’ at Ballarat this morning. https://postimg.cc/34s6M5Rb Got fitted for a Lola T70 https://postimg.cc/87N2PSb2 https://postimg.cc/759p5Wsf Visited Bells Beach and gave Kelly Slater a few pointer for next weekend. https://postimg.cc/vggjSHQV

Stopped last night at Albury and the Alvis Car Club were at the same motel celebrating 100 years of the marque. Alvis cars everywhere. Met a member I worked with some 40 years ago. https://postimg.cc/K41y8Hq0 [url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/05f5cgp1/42-ED33-FF-B9-AA-40-D7-A174-47-ACF7-BA8-C2-E.jpg[/img][/url]

Nice work on the shell, Leonardo.

At this rate you'll be ready for Cars & Coffee on Easter Sunday morning!

I thought you had fitted an LSD...

David, it was more a worried grimace in Tassie. I shoved half the garage into the boot expecting the worst and the bloody thing never skipped a beat. This time I'm just taking a packet of cable-ties. Expect Murphy's Law to come into play! Thanks Linton. PM sent.

Hope so; Down to Torquay via Ballarat - Hug the coast to Robe - River cruise lunch at Murray Bridge - A few days in McLaren Vale - A few more in the Barossa - Then back via the Hay. plains. I don't do Facebook, I was informed of the Cars and Coffee by chaps on the Clubman forum. I question whether it would be held on Easter Sunday in the City of Churches and they advised me the 3rd Sunday C&C was a religion! They further advised that Datsuns and Cobras have turned up on previous occasions.

Following a thoroughly enjoyable 2 week Autumn tour around Tasmania last year we are soon to embark on a tour of the Great Ocean Road and the wine regions of South Australia. We will be attending a Cars & Coffee morning at the Rezz in Newton (Adelaide) on Easter Sunday - I understand this is a regular 3rd Sunday of the month get-together. I've appreciated the advice and feedback from S Aus members on here, and others, and it would be great to actually meet face to face if anyone could make it on that morning.

John, I can hardly bear to look at this thread. It brings back memories of the long, often frustrating hours one has to put in creating the foundations of a build. There is little visible on the final product to indicate the amount and nature of this work. What I can assure you of is that this quality work will reward you over and over again as the build progresses. A good friend of mine uses the example of the Sistine Chapel - Everyone who enters immediately looks up at the ceiling and completely ignores the floor and walls, without which there'd be no ceiling. Great work - carry on.

Thanks Leroy. I'm with someone who has access to Facebook. Kicking myself now that I didn't go.

George and I are definitely starters.

A few pics of the Bolwells (Mk7s) would be appreciated, thanks. You'll probably have to use a faster shutter speed than for the S30s!

Marque of the Meeting = Bolwell 50 years of the Nagari and the Bolwell Car Club. Around 60 Bolwells registered to attend. Disappointed I can't be there.