Right i have been working on these since the summer. Finally the top mounts have been sorted and arrived this morning from the states.
As is the rest of my car this is a real heinz of parts.
The setup includes adjustable gas damping spax insert from a toyota top mount camber adjustable from a nissan and the bottom hub and 20mm of tube from the 340. A coilover conversion kit and a custom made damper tube. All tigged up by my good friends at AH fabrications.
I worked out what parts would work with which and this is the final result. I am using 250lb spring at the mo to see how it goes.
This allows me on car adjustable damping, Camber and ride height.
If i get chance and aren't too worse for wear tommorrow i will fit them.
Enjoy.
One of the things I've never managed to get a straight answer to is what shocks you use with coilover conversion kits. Since most people chop the top off the original strut tube, I imagined that the shock now screws into the inside of the threaded strut tube...which would mean there was a universal insert size...but there isn't...so presumably that's not what people do!
I'm guessing they've welded that tube to the stub of the original, and it's the correct diameter for the Toyota insert? If that's correct, the really curious thing is that it's narrower than the 300 series tube...
How close to the correct bolt spacing is the Nissan adjustable camber plate? If they're not spot-on (which I would like, but I think it's fairly unlikely!), I could probably get Kaplhenke to make some to our spec...at a price...
Jason B wrote:stab in the dark here, but they look like mr2 inserts and 200sx tein pillow ball topmounts?
Give that man a pint. Ab spot on.
Yes i will be using 340 hubs as the lower section of the coilover is still 340.
@ Foggy, if you have a strut tube 50mm OD as standard, then you use standard damper insert. For mine the MR2 ones have a shorter shaft but a body the same length as the 340 one. And also the 340 body actually tapers to a smaller top end. The tube design on the 340 is ab pointless, it could easily be made with a 50mm OD shaft.
Anyway i apologise in advance for some poor photos, camera phone only.
I am pleased with the setup, only things to change, are smaller bump stops as they are restricting the travel and i need helper springs in the front and shorter main springs. But i am extremely pleased with the way the top mounts fit in the turrets, only minor mods required to get maximum camber adjustment.
Adam
Second daft question then Adam....if you've now got a 50mm threaded tube (that OD does ring a bell as being common), why retain an inner tube (beyond a certain distance to keep the threaded tube anchored)? In other words, why did you go with Toyota inserts if you could get "universal" ones to fit the threaded tubes? I've never been clear on that point when coilovers have been discussed on Tbricks.
Do the 200sx mounts literally fit directly into the stock holes? Thats a pretty serious stroke of luck!
I'm not 100% sure i understand what you are asking Foggy? Which universal part are you talking about? The insert? If so i have never seen universal ones.
No the top mounts have to be redrilled and modded but it took me rougly 1 1/2 hours to do.
Adam
Sorry, I got the impression that you were saying there were 'universal' shock casings to screw into the inside of those threaded tubes. That'd make life easier and cheaper! I take it therefore that you always need to keep an inner tube to hold the shock (and to retain the threaded tube)? That's what they always seem to do with the bigger Volvos (for which there are various options for shocks)...but I'm guessing the reduction from 50mm is what screws that up on the 300s?
I'd be interested to see what you've had to do to the body to make them fit. Obviously it's not the end of the world to slot the holes a little, or whatever, but I've seen some butchery over the years, and I like neat solutions