Recent discovery about d2 coilovers + 1 noob question

[crzycav86]

I am using the aluminum rear uprights from a 300zx on my s13. For those who don't know this, one of the few differences in mounting positions between the s13 and z32 uprights is the shock mount. I bought a pair of rear lower z32 mounts for my d2 coilovers in order to get past this problem....

Warning: If you have d2 coilovers, you may not use the z32 aluminum uprights, unless you care to do some machining on your shocks threads. Read on...

The d2 lower shock mounts for the z32 application are very strange. They have the threads for the shock, and then a space, and then a bulge that decreases the space that allows the shock to be inserted. When you spin your shocks inside the mounts, the shocks clear the threads and the space, but they hit the bulge and hinder any further ride height adjustment. The coilovers won't be able to fit in the car...

Let me try to illustrate:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - / / / - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . . . . . ^bulge^threads . . . ^space

This is a problem. However, I do not give up easily...

What I did to get around this problem was take careful measurements of the bulge, and measurements of the threads. I proceeded to remove about 3 1/2 inches of the thread on the shocks to allow that portion to pass through the bulge, and thus allow the coilovers to be used with the aluminum upright.

I used a lathe to machine off the threads. You most likely do not have one. I do, so nyah. Lathes are very accurate machines when you want to "trim" a cylindrical object. I got lucky this time.

That's about it with that issue. After the machining, the install was a piece of cake. However, I do not have as much height adjustment, but I dont care..

I don't think many people would consider using the aluminum uprights as it is not a common swap, much less the people with d2 coilovers. However, perhaps several months from now, a person with d2 coilovers would consider the swap and actually search about it and see this thread.. and then realize that it isn't very easy unless you wish to pay a machinist to cut up your shocks. I'm just thinking ahead here..

On to the noob question.. how do I adjust ride height with the coilovers? It seems that I must remove it from the upright and spin the shock mount, but I thought there was an easier way using the collar wrenches...

Sorry for the long post..

[crzycav86]

Alright, here's some pictures of the ordeal...

That is the inside of the mount. The purple part is the threads, the first green part is the space, and then after the space you can see the bulge, and the rest of the mount conforms to that size until it reaches another bulge at the end.

That's the shock getting chopped up by the lathe. Very cool if you ask me..

[j-z]

to adjust the height without unbolting the lower shock body, undo the locking collars and put two of them together and lock them on the threaded part of the shock. then take your wrenches and turn either up or down, whichever way you wanna go. just make sure you have the wrenches to where the locking collars stay locked so you can spin the shock inside the body without having to unbolt it. it may be easier just to unbolt it though.

[VitaminT]

Just courious, where did you get the lower mounts. I would love to get an extra set of fronts, but :cough: Mark :cough: wanted $100+$50 shipping. I just didn't think they should be that much.

[crzycav86]

I got them from mark. He wanted about $50 shipped each, but I did him a favor, so I got both of them for $40 shipped.

What do want an extra set of fronts for?

[VitaminT]

I probably would have paid $100 shipped, but he told me $100 and when I got ready to do it he said $50 for shipping. I only paid $40 to get the entire coilovers shipped. Oh well I even ordered 3 sets of coilovers from him and still get the rip off price.