2/5/07
Yes, I think the time has come to sell the yellow car. I did some final cleanup, parts sorting and such, and I'm ready to let it go. I suppose if I wanted to really think a while, there are still a few low-cost or no-cost things I could do to it, but I really want to get going on some of the things that the red car needs instead. I don't need the distraction of the second car sitting there waiting.
So later this week I'll start the process. I've got a couple of people who expressed an interest in the past to contact, and will also likely post it on Craigslist and ClassicZCars.com.
As for the red car, I began the suspension refresh on the red car over the weekend by replacing the strut insert and spring on the left rear. I hope to finish the other three this coming weekend.
Spring saga
2/11/07
If you're interested in learning about springs and other suspension stuff for 240Zs, read on. If not, there won't be much in this update to interest you.
Repeat visitors may remember that way early in the yellow car project, I bought a reproduction set of Nissan European Stage 1 springs. The whole reason for the Euro Stage 1 springs (in theory) was to have a slightly more performance oriented spring WITHOUT lowering the car significantly. These springs have about 10% stiffer rate, and were reputed keep the ride height about stock, since the European 240Zs sit at about the same stock height as ours do.
Unfortunately, it is now believed that the European 240Zs had strut housings with the lower spring seats positioned lower on the strut housing, which throws all the ride height assumptions in the dumper. In the real world, people have found that these springs actually RAISE the North American cars somewhere around 3/4" to 1", even with non-gas struts. So the only option to get the ride height back down to stock is to cut the springs a bit. Not ideal, but the only choice now that I have them.
I won't bore you all here with the endless give and take and calculations that many of us who bought these springs have gone through while deciding how much to cut them down. Lots of theory, and repeated measurements. I am lucky, as I had installed them on the yellow car as is, and so had a good baseline to start from. Plus I knew that a stock 240Z (like the red car) had a normal ride height measured at the rocker panels of about 8".
Last Sunday I started the process by cutting the rear springs down by 3/4 coil each. I then pulled down the left rear strut, removed the stock spring, and installed one of the NOS Mulholland non-gas strut inserts I bought recently. I was surprised to find that the strut insert I removed was also a Mulholland, which actually felt pretty good. But I installed the new one anyway. Installed the new spring, and a new bump stop, assembled it all and took it for a short drive to settle it before I measured it.
When measured with only that one done and 3/4 coil removed, the height at the left rear was 8 1/2". Too tall. I feared that might be the case, but was being cautious not to cut too much. Ran out of time last week, so that's where I left it.
Yesterday, I pulled the left rear back apart, pulled the spring off and cut an additional 1/2 coil, for a total of 1 1/4 coils. Put it back together and drove it again. New measurement - 8 1/4". Still taller than I expected, the next 1/2 coil only changed the height by 1/4". But close enough to stock, especially if it should ever settle. So I cut the other rear coil to match at 1 1/4 coils, and did the right rear. No surprises, went just like the left side. Took it for a drive, both rears were now at 8 1/4".
On to the front. After more deliberation than I care to admit, I cut both front springs by 1 1/2 coils. Did the right front first. Again, all went well, I found Mulhollands in the front as well. But I did find that the right front insert was bad, it seems to bind and not extend or compress smoothly. So I'm glad I had the new inserts here ready to go.
And the height of the front after installing the cut-down springs? Just over 8", call it 8 1/8". So while both ends are a touch taller than I'd been aiming for, they are close enough that I'm happy with the height as is. Knowing what I know now, maybe I'd take an extra 1/4 coil off each rear spring and 1/4 to maybe a 1/2 off the fronts. But I won't pull it back apart yet again just for another 1/4-3/8".
But here's the kicker - after driving it a bit with all four springs and the new shocks installed, I'm not certain I like it. On the plus side, I noticed an improvement in the ride when I replaced that bad RF shock. And the ride is not harsh, that's fine too. But the ride seems a bit "bouncy" like there's not enough rebound damping for the increased spring rate, especially in the rear. This despite the fact that the Mulhollands (both new and old) seem to have a whole lot of rebound damping - they are very difficult to extend, so much so that I was concerned they might "pack down" over washboard roads. That was before I knew I had Mulhollands in it all along. I did not notice this "bounciness" or "pogo-ing" with the stock springs, so since I'm using the same struts (only new) I must assume it comes from the increased spring rate.
Now I suppose that the springs may break in a bit with additional miles. So I'm not going to panic just yet. I'll drive it a while before I make any decisions. But after all this fussing, it's very possible that I may end up re-installing the stock springs.
Details...
2/18/07
Yellow car - No serious inquiries on the yellow car this past week. I'm pretty sure that my starting price is a bit high for this part of the country, even if I can show receipts for over half of that in brand new parts. If I could find a buyer in the Rust Belt, I might be able to get this much, but out here I'm going to probably have to accept a lesser offer. I'm OK with that, just have to wait for it.
In the mean time, I finished hooking up the heater control cables yesterday, and installed the heater panel itself. Looks good and works, too.
Red car - I removed all the interior trim from the rear of the car yesterday, initially to look at the fuel vent hoses. I wanted to compare the new ones I got, and assess the job's difficulty. I suspect that I might be able to do it without dropping the fuel tank, but it will be much easier to do the job properly if I do drop it. The hoses I got all look fine, but I still need to get some sealing grommets before I can start the job.
While I had the trim off, I spent some time cleaning, then I removed the antenna to see if I could repair it using some of the spare parts I have. I disassembled it to find - as I expected - the plastic reel coil had broken. After looking over the spare parts, I ended up reattaching the broken end of the reel coil, effectively shortening the antenna's travel by about 8 inches. It now works fine, just doesn't extend as far as it should. But for now, I think that's OK.
Springing forward
2/25/07
Yellow car - Still no action on the yellow car. I've been asking around the country for opinions, and watching various eBay auctions for value ideas. I really don't want to just give it away, but in its current less-than-pretty condition, it might come to that. Still considering other options, though.
Red car - After driving it a bit more this past week, I decided to bite the bullet and change the springs once again. The rears got changed back to the factory stock springs Saturday afternoon, and I did the fronts Sunday morning before lunch. The ride is improved, and I don't expect to change them (on this car) again.
It seems that the European Stage 1 springs were designed to improve the handling of the cars by increasing the spring rate as much as possible while still being compatible with the stock shocks. The Mulholland shocks I installed (and that I already had in the car when I bought it, unknown to me at the time) were a true performance shock designed in the days when aftermarket performance springs were uncommon. So they were designed to stiffen the suspension as much as possible while using the stock springs. Add those two together and you get a ride that is simply too stiff for normal road use.
So after all that, the suspension is much like it was when I bought the car, other than now all four strut inserts are good. And I suspect that's how I'll leave it for now. I'll probably keep the Euro springs, as someday later if/when the Mulhollands are worn or I tire of them, the Euro springs appear to work well with standard KYB inserts. I guess I've got options...
