Matty T

Easier? It really depends on your point of view (and level of skill, patience, access to machinery, etc...). To some, it is easier to just spend the money on S13 gear and fit it in a weekend. To others, they enjoy making stuff themselves and don't mind the fact that it takes them a couple of weeks (and a couple of skinned knuckles). Anyway... I started with a pair of DR30 struts. I went to a wrecker and bought a pair of VB - VP front struts from a wreck ($50). They happened to have a pair of good Koni red adjustables in them (heheh - worth the price alone!). Next, I cut the Datsun strut tube off 25mm above the stub base. I cut the Commodore tube off right at the stub base (so that the Commodore tube was as long as I could get it), and removed the brake line mount so that the tube was bare. Other people actually split the Commodore stub base open and remove the whole tube, then machine out the Datsun stub base to suit the tube. That produces a neater result, but incurs an additional cost. People like Errol at Datrats (www.datrats.com.au) do it for about $400, IIRC. I then cut the top of the Commodore tube off (the part that has the inside thread for the gland nut). You can choose your own length here, but it was about 8 cm IIRC. Now off to the lathe! The inside diameter of the bottom 25mm of the Commodore tube needs to be machined out by about 1mm so that it slips neatly over the 25mm of Datsun tube you have sticking out of the stub base (got that?). Stick it on and weld it around the base. (Oh, while you are there you can give the tube a slight lean one way or the other to adjust the static camber if you want). While the lathe is warm, go to your neighbor's yard armed with a hacksaw and cut down their Hill's Hoist (or you can go to your metal centre and get some tube with a 55mm(or whatever the Commodore tube OD is) ID). Anyway, thread the tube from tip to toe. Now, here's the measuring part: slide the Commodore insert into the newly welded-on tube. You will notice that it sticks out the top some distance. Screw the gland nut (you know, the big nut that holds the insert into the strut) about halfway into the piece that you cut off the top. Now put it on the top of the insert. There will be a gap of about 15mm between the tube pieces. Technically, this is the only part you need to sleeve with the Hill's Hoist tube, but since we are making coilovers, we may as well make them adjustable as much as we want. Mark and measure where you want the sleeve to start and finish. Cut the threaded tube to that length. Slide over and weld. * The second picture in my post above shows you the weld between the top (gland nut) piece and the top of the Hill's Hoist tube. * Here is the bottom: Ah, one thing I should mention - get your adjustable platforms first, so that you can cut the thread in the tube to the same pitch. Places like Heasmans (or Quadrant) sell them on their own. Some people may be concerned about their strength - they are plenty strong. The tube wall thickness ends up at about 6mm (compared to about 2.5mm for the original one). A bit weighty? Perhaps. Strong? You betcha. In total, it cost me about $300 to do the lot (including modify the original platforms), which is pretty cost effective. Once you add new 40mm heavy duty Bilsteins ($500) and a set of new King springs ($175), the cost gets nearer that of the S13 gear. The advantage is, though, parts are easily replaced compared to alot of the aftermarket S13 stuff. Now, does all that sound easy or what?

I made my own coilovers. I used Commodore strut tubes as the basis, and put Hills Hoist tube (threaded from top to bottom) over that. They now accept any Commodore insert - 40mm Bilsteins are shown. It is a bit of overkill for the street, but good for my purpose. I also modified the original platforms so that they fit on the adjusters as well, giving me a broad range of spring choices. Strut with King spring: Modified factory spring platform: Cheers, Matt

That's right - I can't make any modification to the radiator support panel that unless it was homologated like that (ie. mods to allow the fitment of a homologated item) - hence the interest in the Fury Skyline pics. I am interested to see some photos of your pipework Boof - I can't really see where the pipework would go without cutting a chunk out of a) the inner guard, or b) the headlight itself. Cheers, Matt

Excellent! Thanks Stagefumer11. Good stuff (love those flares)! Yeah, the factory side-mount intercooler is a bit of a bugger, particularly for me. Front corners tend to get damaged on occasion, and the original location is just begging to get hit by something. I am still waiting to find out where the "homologated" intercooler's pipes run. There does seem to be enough room on the passenger side (as you have done), but the few shots I have seen of the Fury DR30 seems to have it's pipe coming from the driver's side (and I am stuffed if I can see where it would come from). Keep those pics coming people!

I am in the process of fitting a turbo to my venerable DR30. I can only modify it according to the homologation papers, but think that the homologated intercooler is a 600 x 300 jobbie. Anyway, looking at the front of the car, I can't really see where the intercooler piping goes. Does anyone have any detailed pictures of the Fury DR30 intercooler setup? What about detailed pics of your own intercooler setup? I am particularly interested in the intake (driver's) side. Where does the intercooler piping come through? Cheers, Matt

Where did you get the S13 gear from?

Here's some pics of my rear end (Ooh err!) The crossmember: The moustache bar:

If the clutch (in the fan) is on it's way out, it could cause the problem too. When the engine is idling, the fan should be rotating at about 1:1 with the crankshaft pulley. If the fan is going slower (particularly much slower) then it could be the culprit. With the engine stopped, spin the fan with your hand. There should be a little resistance in it. Is the fan shroud missing / been removed? Is it using water?

What about the thermo fan? Is it a clutch type (as in it is attached to the pulley where the water pump is, but can be turned by hand), or is it an electric one (mounted to the radiator)? It sounds to me like you have fan issues, particularly if the car is fine when moving (air is flowing through the radiator). My DR has a temp sensor in the bottom tank of the radiator, and that kicked in the electric fans. Unfortunately, the temp sensor stopped sensing, so the fans never came on! When driving, my temp was rock-solid, but as soon as I sat idling, it would climb and climb and climb and...well, you get the idea.

I have a 100gb Toshiba brand notebook hard drive for sale. Speed: 5400 rpm Interface: Serial ATA Absolutely brand new. Never been formatted. I won it at auction but it had the wrong interface for my notebook... $200

Just an update post rally. The modded radius rods worked a treat. I didn't bend or break one, so that is a good thing. The suspension copped a few big hits - biggest ones being a 4th gear 5000 rev downhill into a gully and onto a wooden bridge then up the other side. My stomach is still in my left butt-cheek! It had a good go of punching the shock through the strut top, tearing the rubber in a nice semi-circle. After they were installed (and prior to the rally of couse), I went to my friendly steering place and measured it all up. My suspension geometry is all over the place! At least it explains the funky handling... FRONT Caster: 6 degrees Static camber: +0.5 degrees (yes, plus) Toe: Set to 0 REAR Camber: +1.5 degrees Toe: 2.8mm out (L) 0.8mm in ® Interestingly, when the wheel is turned, the front camber changes from +0.5 to -0.5. I honestly thought that it would change the camber by more than that. Obviously my car is set up very differently to how a street car would be set up. For example, I have had to adjust the ride height (home-made adjustable struts) so that there is 170mm of ground clearance under the sump shield. Thus, the car sits higher than standard, and the front control arms hang down more than usual (adding to the positive static camber). Strut tops are 180B items (factory Skyline ones bend too easily). Rear sits slightly higher as well. Personally, I would love to run the car lower, but the low-slung front crossmember makes ground clearance an issue. Next thing on the list is to sort out the suspension settings a bit more. Custom strut tops are now on the cards to try and get some neg into the front, and I now think that the left trailing arm may be bent, so I'll replace that as well to try and get back some toe-in on the rear. Brakes are also an issue (I can't get enough rear bias). Anyway, just thought I'd keep you updated... Cheers, Matt

Good post hrd-hr30. Funny that this subject came up - I pick up my modded rods tomorrow. I am going to go rallying on them (next weekend), so we shall see how it goes. I'll be bringing some spares just in case. I'll keep the SWR ones in mind for the near future. Done already. Good point to mention though.

Normally when the car is running too rich, the exhaust smoke is a black or dark brown colour. Light grey smoke? That sounds a bit like water vapour. Are you sure that you don't have a blown head gasket?

Go to http://www.cams.com.au/content.asp?PageID=...tors&ObjectID=2 and get the appropriate application form. Depending on the type / level of licence you require, you may need to do some Observed Licence Tests (OLTs). Don't forget that you will need to be a member of a CAMS-affiliated club first...

It sounds like the regulator is stuffed though. The alternator should be putting out ~14V throughout the rev range. You aren't doing your electrical system (or your battery) any favours by driving it. I bet your headlights brighten up nicely when you give it a rev, eh? Depending on your alternator, you will either have an internal or an external regulator. From the factory, they had an external regulator (if memory serves).

Unfortunately, it isn't a straight swap. They are very similar to going for a Z32 / R32 Skyline setup. Discs are 280mm x 26mm and the caliper is a 2 piston slide-type. Oh, and since you need the hub as well, you go to 5 studs. Pics / swap info can be found here... Sorry if I got anyone's hopes up!

Umm...do you mean that the car didn't look too shabby, or he didn't look too shabby? Can't help you either way, just curious.

Bingo. We have a winner. They are identical, and an upgrade option is the late Z31 Turbo twin piston caliper. The only potential issue is pad choice (or lack thereof). You can get standard pads over the counter at your local AutoRepcoBarn, but performance pads will need to be cut for them. No biggie.

This is a standard problem with age / abuse. My DR is a rally car, and as such, the rear end cops a pounding. The aluminium "pineapples" that people sell are fine for a track car, but for longevity of the car / suspension (and the hip pocket), do this: 1. Go down to Clark Rubber (or your local friendly rubber supplier) and buy a sheet of 6 mm insertion rubber. It comes in two styles - reinforced and not. Personally, I buy the reinforced stuff because it is versatile (and strong). 2. Loosen and then drop the rear end of your car. You only need to do it one end at a time (rear crossmember, then moustache bar) to the point where they are completely off the mounting pins. Just watch out for your rubber brake line! Oh, and don't forget to loosen off your handbrake as well. 3. Rear crossmember first - take out the large metal washers that have the corrugated rubber on them (if there is any left). Use this washer as a template, and cut yourself 8 pieces of insertion rubber to the same size. The hole in the middle will need to be bigger than the washer hole, as it needs to go over the metal mounting sleeve on the crossmember rubber (if you get my meaning). 4. On each side, put the metal washer back in, plus 2 of your new rubber blocks. Don't bolt it back together yet... 5. Now do the moustache bar, but you will only need 6 rubbers cut. 6. Once that is done, you should have the rear end loosely back in place, with 2 rubbers on each mounting pin. Jack the whole assembly back into place, and put 2 more rubber washers on each crossmember pin, followed by the original metal washer and brace. 7. Do the same for the moustache bar, but with only one rubber on each pin. The rubbers should fill the gaps between the original metal washers neatly. Voila! Your own home-made rubber "pineapples"! Best $6 and 90 minutes you'll spend! The advantage with this method is that it at least allows the rear end to have some "give" under extreme situations, but gives basically all the benefits of their expensive aluminium counterparts. Apologies if the instructions are obvious - it is only there for the uninitiated. My 2 cents. Cheers, Matt

No, they are not the same - they are better. The K/B/Z gearbox mount rubbers are actually a heavier duty item than the one that came with the DR. You do have to make a small modification though - you will need to file the holes in the gearbox crossmember slightly. The distance between the two 12mm bolts that mount the rubber to the gearbox crossmember are a couple of mm narrower (or wider, I can't remember which) than the DR mount. I have done mine and am currently using a 180B gearbox rubber mount in my DR30. Hope this helps. Cheers, Matt

Would anyone happen to have a copy of the DR30 homologation papers? If so, would I be able to get a copy please? Cheers, Matt

Update: Number 1 is not an issue anymore. After a bit of work with some vernier calipers, it appeared that the Patrol master cylinder (which wasn't supposed to fit) may actually work. I took a spare brake booster back to my friendly brake specialist and checked. Bugger me, it fits! It is snug, but with a small adjustment to the actuating rod (which is adjustable) we will have a goer. The only issue is that one of the brake line outlets on the master cylinder is in a different spot, coming out the front rather than the side. Not a real issue as I am putting the new brake lines in it. So, anyone got those rear brakes? Cheers, Matt

Sorry to dredge this back up again, but... 1. Does anyone know a part number / vehicle that I can get a 1" master cylinder off that fits the R30 booster? Sorted. 2. Does anyone have a pair of DR30 rear calipers and discs that they are willing to sell / loan me? Warning: Long-winded, boring background information below My DR came with the 250mm front brakes, 254mm rear brakes and a 7/8" master cylinder. I do't know if the importer / other persons took the goodies out of it, but it also had an open diff. I competed in it once (it is a rally car) and the brakes were on fire at the end of every stage. Literally, there was smoke and flames all over the place. The pads were sensational - Mintex 1155 all round - but the brakes themselves were obviously too small. I got a set of DR30 struts and calipers, and heavily modified the struts, so now I can't go back (not that I would want to), but I still have the small back brakes. Oh, and I couldn't get brake pads in time, so I had to run Bendix (or is it Ferodo?) Advance - crap anyway. By the way, walk into any Recpo or AutoBarnPro and ask for Aussie-delivered Z31 300ZX front disc pads. Identical to DR30 front. I then competed in it again. Didn't really notice much difference, except that the pedal went down much further, particularly once they were hot. Oh, and I had bugger-all rear bias, so the car just wanted to understeer off the road at any opportunity! I figured I would start by getting the 1" master cylinder. No matter what I do, this needs to be upgraded. For the life of me, I cannot get it. The biggest Tokico (or any other) one I can get is a 15/16". There is a 1" Tokico master cylinder for the Nissan Patrol (disc/drum), but it doesn't fit onto the master cylinder. Not without some time on a lathe, anyway. I just don't fancy having to machine down something if there is something out there that someone knows fits. In order to establish some adjustability to the brakes, I am installing a pressure limiting valve. This will only be effective if I can get enough pressure to the rear calipers, so in addition to the 1" master cylinder, I need either a) the DR rear calipers and discs, or cool.gif to gut the bias block, or c) both a and b. I have a set of 4 piston front calipers / discs, and 2 piston rear calipers / discs off an R32 GTS-T sitting here, but the conversion is just a little too yucky for me at the moment. I can only run a maximum of 15" rims, and while they will clear, I will be forced to use spacers, which will probably then require me to buy another 10 wheels that fit (factory S13 Silvia rims spring to mind). While I may be an idiot, I am not a rich idiot... Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Cheers, Matt

From memory, the R31 struts are shorter than the R30 inserts. You will need to use the R31 strut and insert complete (and if you are doing it for compliance / rego purposes only, why would you care). Oh, and when you find a second set, just shoot me a PM please... Cheers, Matt

National Rally (Driver).