WE SUPPORT THE
MARKET POINT PRODUCTIONS
March 14th, 2010
Winston-Salem, NC
For more info visit www.motorsportreg.com
_________________
TRIANGLE Z / TAR HEEL SPORTS CAR CLUB
Great Piece of Asphalt & Time Trial
April 3rd & 4th, 2010
Virginia Int'l Raceway
North Course
Alton, VA
For more info visit www.motorsportreg.com
_________________
ZDAYZ
"TAIL OF THE DRAGON"
Fontana Village Resort
May 20-23, 2010
Deal's Gap, NC
_________________
CARLISLE IMPORT & KIT NATIONALS
May 21-23, 2010
Carlisle, PA
For more info visit www.carlisleevents.com
_________________
EMERALD CITY Z CLUB
ANNUAL CAR SHOW
Gabe Rowe Nissan
June 5th, 2010
Rocky Mount, NC
_________________
CVs in the Zs
By Roger C. Schlobin
After I added a turbocharger and methanol injection to my sweet 1977 280Z (essentially increasing the torque by over 60%), I decided that more substantial, CV rear axles were probably a wise move. Of course, I complicated this by swapping out the differential for a 3.90 (requiring a new speedometer gear), adding rear stainless steel brake lines, and finishing replacing the rear bushings with Energy Suspension ones (requiring removing the spindle pins*). Hell, I was there anyway.
So I summoned a number of Emerald City Z Club members (minions?): Roger "Oh Yeah" Williams (more about that later), Allen the Artist Smith, and Jesse the Chemist Gavette and his friend, Chris Kempfer. "Oh Yeah" brought special expertise since he’d already installed these on his 1975 Z. This group complicated issues a bit because of Schlobin’s Law Number Three: "Put a number of large IQs in one garage and they subtract from, not add to, each other." My wife, in a moment of audacity, actually ventured into MAN’S LAND to dare my baleful look: "Oh Yeah" is in the foreground; Allen’s in the back.
ACCUMULATING THE PARTS
I’m a great believer in accumulating all the parts in advance or, at least, all the ones I can think of or imagine. While this may sound obsessive, there is no truth to the claim that I lay them out on 600-thread-count, new white sheets.
I was lucky with the turbo axles. Allen had purchased a set on eBay that he wasn’t ready to use. $100 changed hands, and the axles went off to have the boots replaced and the joints refreshed at the local drive shaft shop. I didn’t want any problems after they were installed. "Oh Yeah" Roger told me it would be $100; it was $300. The Z Barn would also be a good source for these as would be other sources who will complain after they read this.
Modified companion flanges are required to install the new axles. I followed "Oh Yeah’s" recommendation. There are two ways to get these from Modern Motorsports, Ltd., in Canada (its web site has a wealth of information). I took the cheap way at $215 (plus shipping). I had to supply my own companion flanges. The 1977 to 1978 are considered the strongest and the best. I got a set for $40 (plus shipping) from the Z Barn in Tennessee. The other reason I sent my own flanges to Modern Motorsports was to reduce the jack stand time which would have been much longer if I’d had to remove my originals, mail them, and await return. The expensive way is a complete, modified set of flanges for $395 (plus shipping). Modern Motorsports recommends the latter and can also, on occasion, supply the axles.
THE REMOVAL and THE PIPE
Once the rear is up in one way or another, removing the stock axles is easy provided we did it right. You may have to drop the exhaust; we managed to get by with just the two rear hangers. Unbolt the axles at the wheel. Sliding them around while still attached makes it much easier to pull the stub axles out of the differential. You can, also, unbolt the axles at both ends and lever the stubs out of the differential with a screwdriver.
Removing the flanges on the wheel side is more difficult. They are held on by pressed or notched nuts (Modern Motorsports supplies new ones with its hardware). The standard procedure to cut out the notches to release the nuts is to use a cold chisel and hammer. This requires removing the entire strut assembly to be able to swing the hammer. My solution was to cut the notches out with a burr (the larger the better) on a rotary tool like a Dremel.
Then, I didn’t have to remove the strut. The nuts require 181 to 239 foot pounds to loosen. This is when Jesse and I were grateful for the pipe on the end of the ½ inch ratchet with a 27 mm socket. I attacked the companion flanges with my hands and hammer and tongs, mangling them.
Jesse stepped out of the garage onto the driveway. His IQ restored, he said, "I have a gear puller." Lo and behold, a Pitman tool (a.k.a gear puller) pulls the flanges out like butter.
THE INSTALLATION – "OH YEAH" CHIMES IN LATE.
The modified Modern Motorsports’ flanges fit perfectly. However, they require 181 to 239 foot pounds to tighten (bless the factory shop manual!). My standard and super duper Craftsman electronic torque wrenches only go to 150 pounds. So Allen and I figured if we got them to 150 and then used the pipe, we could get close. As it is, there is a stop, so the nut can only be tightened so much. Of course, once the car was back on the road, "Oh Yeah" Roger said, "Hey, I have a 250 lb. wrench" (wait, there’s more).
To install the CV axles, we loosened the bolts at the top of the strut and disconnected it at the bottom. After plugging the stubs into the differential, you do need to move the struts out to slip the axles into the modified flanges. Then, it’s simply installing Modern Mototorsports’ first-class bolts through the axle and into the flange. I reinstalled the sway bar and popped on the tires. Since the entire project had been fueled by Heineken and I am a responsible driver (in my old age), the test drive would wait until the next day.
TEST DRIVE – "OH YEAH" STRIKES AGAIN
The test drive began well. Gone was any clunking in the rear. However, as I headed for another Club member’s house, Eric "Eagle Eye" Atkinson’s, I heard an ominous thumping in the rear as I turned. However, I’d heard that once before when I had thrown one of the bushings that holds the sway bar to the body. I figured I’d misinstalled the bar. "Eagle Eye," ex-Marine, immaculately pressed and surrounded by his two frolicking sons, threw himself into the dirt and under the lowered rear (Tokico springs and shocks) and pronounced, "The end links are hitting the axles."
I had noticed the clearance was tight. I shivered: had I cut my $300 boots? Limping home, turning corners as if I was driving my grandfather’s Roadmaster, I slipped Allen’s low-profile jack under the lowered differential and stared and ruminated. Then, I realized that Roger "oh Yeah" Williams had done this before. On the phone, with his IQ restored since he wasn’t in the garage, he replied, "Oh yeah, didn’t I mention that? You have to shorten the end links. You have to shorten the sleeves to 9/16 of an inch and use 4½ by 3/8 inch bolts with lock nuts."
Ah ha, all was well.
LAST WORDS – WITHOUT FRIVOLITY
Despite my clowning around, my Z would not be the smooth beast it is without Roger Williams’ experience and inspiration and the very able assistance of our club members. Clearly, the Modern Motorsports’ parts insured a quality installation.
NOTE
*There is a great spindle pin puller occasionally available on eBay. The seller is v8-240z. The auction starts at $99.99 with $15 shipping. This avoids having to replace the pin if it has been hammered or punched out. Do be sure to remove the retaining bolt in the center of the spindle housing. If you don’t, you’ll break the pin with the greatest remover – that’s from experience.
_________________
The Dream Factory’s board made a presentation & gave the Emerald City Z Club a plaque, which will be displayed in John Dunn’s garage. They took photos which will hopefully appear in The Daily Reflector. As Allen Smith observed, “we may not be the biggest club, but we may be the happiest.”
___________________________________________________________________________________