Fellow Z buffs,

I have a problem. I had a very old Wilwood brake set up on my 81 ZXT which I tried to have serviced in time for the Z meet this week. To make a long story short, the set up is no longer in Wilwood's system, and I had to go with an entirely new set up because of parts availability.

I searched the net and found a company called JSK Innovations (jskinnovations.com) who makes brackets that mount on the existing caliper mounts, as well as hats for the rotors. I had ordered a kit, along with the recommended rotor and caliper parts and began the installation.

Upon completing the install, the caliper does not clear the ball joint / end link connecting the spindle. If I reverse the brackets, the caliper sits about 1/4" too high. From my recollection, I think the 81 (production date of 5/81) is different from the rest of the ZX's produced in regards to brake parts from an 82 or 83 set up.

If you peruz his web page, www.jskinnovations.com/datsun.htm and view this z with this set up: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... Id=1140351

you can see that the caliper sits way up on the strut mount no way near the steering linkage.

I've called Juan (JSK's owner), and we're both scratching our heads on this. He's installed many kits without hiccups, and this is the first one he's come across that has this issue. He's offered to come to the city from Albany to try to figure this out, but I want to confirm his thought of the strut being different.

The question I'm posing, are the strut assemblies on later model zx's 82's / 83's different from an 81 in regards to the mounting of the caliper?

If so, is there anyone who can recommend where I can locate parts?

Thanks in advance.

_________________
WaZZabi
...Rice burner with a Twist...

Humm.

I had a 81 non-turbo. They did come with, and with out power steering that year. Possible different tie rods and ball joints

My collision parts datebase shows

79 to 83 rotors
79 to 80 calipers
81 to 83 calipers
79 to 83 hubs
79 to 81 strut housings
82 to 83 strut housings (spindles are attached to struts)
79 to 83 balljoints

Well Burns Z shows us that the calipers are listed as different so their mounting can be part of that difference.

Burns Z, is there any info in the Spindles for the different years?

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My Mod List & More
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I will check tomorrow when I get to work.

Corrected above list struts, which includes spildles listed as 79 to 81 then 82 to 83

I'm going to try to get to the shop tomorrow and take some photos. Hopefully this helps you help me.

If I recall, the set up on the car now has the caliper bracket mounted to the spindle. If it turns out the later model zx's have them mounted to the strut, does that mean I need an entire new strut / spindle set up instead of just replacing the strut?

Again, thanks for the help.

Rob

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WaZZabi
...Rice burner with a Twist...

I sure the setup is the same. I would assume the 82 83 struts are heavier duty than the earlier strut assy, due to the turbo. I thought 81 turbo models had different struts than 81 non turbos.

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/SSSC02A01

Above link may be some use.

Well I think the fact that the early vs. late years have different calipers and strut/spindle assemblies would indicate that the parts are not interchangeable. So while your kit may work one one generation, it won't likely work on the other (yours).

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So lets say if I found a complete set up for an 83, could I replace the components on my 81 to make it work?

_________________
WaZZabi
...Rice burner with a Twist...

Why guess? Somebody call the Parts Dept tmrw and ask if they show different stock numbers for those years/models. The partsman could also read you any notes on the screen regarding those parts.
Frank

No need to bother the parts guy, I looked in my copy of FAST.
There are different part numbers for the different years on the brakes, but they've all been superseded by one new number.
There is only one part number on the strut-assembly for all years.

Maybe wazzabi has the wrong rotors, too small(?)

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My Mod List & More
At Motortopia

Not shure what Wilwood is? All I know is 79-81 was one brake system, and 82-83 was a different style. Turbo didn't matter, for you're still stopping the same weight of a vehicle. I could be wrong, so don't punish me, I'm tired and it's late and just got done working on a GM, may they burn in , well you know.

Yup. We know.

Wazzabi, do you know the diameter of your discs?

Paul, I think the turbo's may have had the improved brakes due to the increased speed capabilities, not because of the extra weight...

The Wilwood set up on the car originally had 11" rotors. There was no adapter used for this set up.

I called Wilwood with the caliper #'s and rotor dimensions and the caliper had been superceeded 15x with a new number. The rotor in that dimension was no longer manufactured, and the next size up did not work with the hats.

So began my quest for a kit that would work and I found JSK. Upon speaking with him prior to the order, he directed me to his web page with the set up and it looked like it would work. The part numbers he supplied made the rotor dimension 12.2", and I had enough clearance with the rim.

For some reason, when the kit was installed, the lower part of the caliper does not clear the ball joint. If I reverse the adapters and mount the caliper up top, the caliper sits about 1/4" too high. Thought the rotors were too short, but they measure out right.

I went back to his web page and noticed on one of the photos, the caliper is attached to the strut verus a spindle. Then I posed the question about the 82 & 83zx's having the caliper mount on the strut. If not, then does the spindle set up on the 82/83 model years move the caliper forward?

I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

Thanks to all who replied.

_________________
WaZZabi
...Rice burner with a Twist...

Phil, the only difference I notice is the 82-83 have a more stout rotor than 79-81. If you lay them on the bench, the 79-81 is taller than the 82-83. Also, did you request the bumper for a pre 82. (one piece)