Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I would like some input, please. I've got the Datsun Sport springs in the front, and Nissan Comp springs in the rear. I've still got to add the alternator, starter, and radiator w/ fluid to the front of the car, but nearly everything else is there and it still sits nose high. Even if I stand on the front frame cross-member, it still sits high, and I GUARAN-DARN-TEE you I weigh way more than all of the above components combined.

What can I do? Cut half a coil out of the front? More? Less? Clamp two coils together? Leave it looking odd? Ride quality is not an issue as this will be autocrossed only, and once I get the shocks, it'll ride like the proverbial brick anyway.

To cut a coil I have a pneumatic cut-off wheel, but no torch other than a propane one, and that won't cut it (pun intended). Time is not an issue, and while I'm not fond of the idea of taking the front end apart again, in the words of Dark Helmet in reference to a fair fight, "If I must, then I must."

So how 'bout it?

I would not cut a coil or touch them in any way. You may weigh more than the missing components but you will be surprised how much the front end drops with all the stuff bolted back in place. I would wait until you have everything back in. The competition rear springs almost have a reverse arch in them compared to the stock. They slam the backend pretty good. Too good in my opinion. With the "later" competiton springs my race car looked worse than stock. The Datsun Sports are shorter but you may still end up with a launch look in the front. Wait until you get everything back in.

Steve

Remember too that new springs settle. I've got no experiance with the aftermarket springs but they could settle as much as an inch.

One of the guys at Shasta fabricated a really cool item. It was the one Audi TT silver 69 2000 with the double grey side stripes.

He made a replacement bolt in spring seat that makes the springs sit 2 inches lower than the stock.

He is thinking to make a 2.5 to 3 inch one instead. This way all he would have to do is add more plates to adjust the height perfectly.

It is a really great idea. No matter what springs you have you can addjust the height quite easily.

I have the same setup and the car sits with about 1 degree rake to the front. They will settle. Also check to make sure nothing is hanging up someplace.

Will

Minh,

That is cool someone has actually done the adjustable front spring mount. I thought about it but that was about all I did. It is nice to know someone actually made it work.

Steve

Thanks for all the input. I guess the best thing to do at this time is to wait and see. I weigh about 240 and when I stand on the front cross member it only drops about 3/4".

After installing the fronts, I bounced the car around a few times without the shocks, but it didn't seem to help. I tried to rotate the springs to see if that helped but...

We'll see how everything shakes out.

Thanks again.

Jim's 68 had 16's on it. He told me that to get the nose down his father inlaw cut the bottom of the spring perch, took a piece of pipe that the spring would fit into and created a dropped front spring perch. He didn't state whether it was adjustable or not but made it sound as a permanent attachement. All I can tell you is the car is bitchin! it sits level with rear comp springs and the front end was a simple task. You just need a plasma cutter, if not go to a metal shop. Jim said it took his dad about 1 hour to do it all.

Hmmmmmm...

Hmmmmmm...

I was thinking...instead of cutting the lower spring perch and welding a pipe in to lower the bottom of the spring, how about a pair of flat plates, with four holes in them. Remove the lower spring perch and hang it from the plates, with the plates bolted to the holes in the lower A-arm. This will lower the bottom of the spring, can be returned to stock by removing the plates, or the car can be lowered further by using wider plates, thus lowering the bottom of the spring even further.

The side loads would still be taken by the A-arm, and the spring will still just go up and down like before. The shock still mounts to the stock location, it's just lower. SCCA Solo2 rule 17.8.B.1: "Original suspension control arms may be reinforced, modified or replaced with components of unrestricted origin." To me, the perch, even though a separate piece of metal, is still a part of the lower A-arm.

Think this'd work? It does in my mind. Now to do something about the steering idler hitting the bigger front sway bar on the passenger side...time to get out the cut-off wheel and do a little clearancing.

What shocks are you using?

Those "ultra-stiff" KYB Gas shocks (white?) would actually lift the car about an inch. More noticeable in the rear than front.

Anyone remember the KYB Gas shocks? White, Silver, Red? I think White
was the "competition" stiff ones. Had an issue with the upper shock mounts breaking on the roadster. Simple fix... remove body, reweld.

Tom

It's not the white ones those are meant for street performance.

The red ones I think are adjustable.

KONIs, they are the only way to go for racing, that or a coil-over conversion

Will

Currently no shocks in the front. I put the stock rears back just for grins. The money I had set aside for factory shocks has since been spent on other things by my "Minister of Finance".