My suspension mods (big pics)

Before i start i take no responsability if u copy me then your car falls apart and you crash, if you want to do these things make sure you know what you are doing and understand whats going on, be sensible really.

Okies lately i have been doing a fair few different things to my suspension, all in all i'm happy with how it's come out as a result of them so i'll tell you somthing about them here.
As a basis i already had cusco front struts from a S13 and S13 tie rod ends but most of these mods will apply to ordinary S12 suspension to.

Castor rods: I had the castor rods machined down shorter where the rod mounts to the body of the car. Where the rod steps down in thickness to go through the bush on the car i had that step moved 20mm back along the rod and i can now adjust the castor with washers (20mm is miles, 10mm is probably fine).
Here you can see the rod installed and the washers that i used to adjust the ammount of castor, obviously to much castor = the wheel hitting the front of the guard = not good.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/100_3992.jpg

More lock: Full lock in my car was governed by when the tie rod ends bottomed out on the rack ends. By spacing the threaded part of the tie rod end (the left side in the photo below) out with a washer that is small enough to slip inside the rack (4mm washer i think i used) you can gain some extra lock. Make sure you thread lock the tie rod end in good though, your locking tabs (which you will probably break when you take them off) won't work anymore.
S12 and S13 tie rods, basically add a washer or spacer to the left side (rack end) so that the rack can slide that fraction further before bottoming on the flat base of the rack end ball joint.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/DSCN2600.jpg
Dunno how much lock i had before but this is what i have now, it certainly looks like more than standard. The tyres just clear the inner guard even with the extra 15mm of control arm length on each side.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/100_4132.jpg

More track: I swapped my S12 control arms for S13 items, i did this cos one of my S12 ball joints was flogged out but in the process i gained 25-30mm of track so that can't be a bad thing. To swap to S13 control arms it's best to use the S13 swaybar and nessessary to use R31 Skyline/Pintara or similar castor rods (i modded these for castor the same way i did the S12 rods). It's a bolt up fit using those items.
The S12 arm is at the top the S13 arm at the bottom.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/100_3993.jpg

Sorry the pics are shite cos my digi camera is playing up with it's focus :(

Any questions just ask away, my wording is probably bad and stuff.

Hey, awesome write up! Love all the junkyard pieces! Is the R31 Skyline/Pintara comparable to anything in the states? S13 stuff is a dime a dozen, but good luck finding a Skyline anywhere!! :mrgreen:

Where'd you get all the poly bushings? I know the Sway bar bushings are easy enough to find, but are the strut rod bushings made for the 200, or are they adapted from something else?

It's surprising how much extra steering lock that little mod got ya... Looks good man!

I don't think the skyline was ever brought out in the states under any name, the one i'm talking about is common in australia with either the RB30E (skyline) or CA20E (pintara).
The bushes are all available off the shelf in oz, the bushes from more common nissans are probably the same tho (ie the S12 bushes fitted the R31 rods fine, and the S12 swaybar bushes fitted the S13 bar fine).
Just have to look around and see what you can find, i found the R31 rods just by looking at them and going 'yeah i can make em fit'

With the longer S13 control arms, do you ever have problems rubbing the outside of the front guards?

There is a little rubbing but it's to do with the castor not the track, it rubbed when i had S12 arms too, not alot tho so i just did some bashing and bending and it's pretty good now hehe. I am running 5 degrees of camber tho so it's ok, if you wanted to run 2 degrees it might interfere with your guards.
My car is actually jacked just off the ground in those pics, maybe i should get some with the weight on it to show how it really looks.

Hey, awesome write up! Love all the junkyard pieces! Is the R31 Skyline/Pintara comparable to anything in the states? S13 stuff is a dime a dozen, but good luck finding a Skyline anywhere!! :mrgreen:

Where'd you get all the poly bushings? I know the Sway bar bushings are easy enough to find, but are the strut rod bushings made for the 200, or are they adapted from something else?

It's surprising how much extra steering lock that little mod got ya... Looks good man!
The 300zx z31 tention rods are similiar to the r31 rods. Just make shure to use the ones with our style bushings not the 240sx style. Don't quote me on this but I think Its 84-88 z31. They'll need to be shortened.

Great poast and Great work Neb! :) I'll be doing this very soon. Now thats some agressive steering angle!!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Nebuchernezzer/My%20Car/100_3993.jpg
How did you get the tension rod (caster bar) to mount? The holes are completely out of alignment... I tried this myself... and the factory S12 tension rods wouldn't bolt to the lower control arm. =(

How did you get the tension rod (caster bar) to mount? The holes are completely out of alignment... I tried this myself... and the factory S12 tension rods wouldn't bolt to the lower control arm. =(
Moast z31 tension rods are straight "240 style to the control arm". They'll work but may have to be shortened.

If you read the post i used R31 castor rods. If not available in your area you will have to look for alternatives like perhaps the Z31 rods.

I tried late model Z31 rods, but they're the none threaded type at the ends (not like what you've shown). I guess I'll go look around for some earlier model (84-86) style ones... the later model (87-89) don't look like yours. =(

Bummer the R31 skyline/pintara parts are a bolt in swap, i'm sure there will be at least one US market car with somthing that'll fit or almost fit.

Kaz when you checked out the 87-89 Z31 don't spose you noticed if the brake rotors were 'slip on' type like 240sx, or bolt on behind the hub like s12 ????

this might be a stupid sugg. considering i dont really know much about my s12 cuz i dont own it yet but couldnt you just drill another whole for the rod ryte next to the other one so they'll line up? :werd:

Yes you could but it'd be hard to get em in exactly the right spot and they'd be very close to the exisiting holes in the control arm. I thought of it but decided it was a bad idea when i could just use a pair of R31 rods for like $10 a pair.

Yup, I did the same thing with mine. I couldn't use the early z31 rods untill I shortened them. Way to long. The S12 rods are still to long stock. (for the s14 arms) If you use these, your castor will look like Indy's. (sorry Indy. I had to use an example. :)

the s12 sway bar mount bushes will only really work if the s13 sway bar is anywhere from 24-26mm thick (approx. 1 inch).

so you used the entire ends and rod from the s13 stering rack thing ?

or just the s13 ends on the s12 rod ?

okay..this is gettin too confusing..i cant keep up w/ it :disgust:

so you used the entire ends and rod from the s13 stering rack thing ?

or just the s13 ends on the s12 rod ?
The first one, you use the entire tie rods and screw them into the S12 rack.