R30/R31 Front control arms .

[discopotato03]

Can anyone tell me if R30/31 front lower control arms are the same . The R30 type have non replacable ball joints and Melbourne is fresh out of new ones . If R31 ones fit it'll give me the option of replaceable ball joints but , the bush to ball joint length needs to be the same and the caster rod drillings as well .

Cheers A .

[SteveL]

They're not the same...apart from the pivot bush. I used to make some money on the side converting R30 arms to use a replaceable ball joint (Bluebird), but it was a fair bit of effort for relatively small return plus the demand was also quite small. Not a simple job and requires access to a lathe, mill and MIG or TIG welder.

[Matty T]

What SteveL said. The R31 arms are shorter as well.

I will be going down the "modify-the-control-arm" path very shortly. Seeing as it is for my rally car, there will be a bit of cutting, shutting, plating and reinforcing going on there...

Discopotato03, if you have no joy in finding any control arms, I'll see if I can find some newbies for you. I only just got a new pair about 3 weeks ago.

Cheers,

Matty T

[stagefumer11]

You can replace the ball joint as i have gotten new ones personaly myself. The only hard bit it Increasing the diamiter of the lower section holding it in, Then pressing it back in when your done, It can be done

[discopotato03]

While I'm here is there a way to remove the slop in the Idler Arm assembly . Mine is new (whole unit) and it still moves up and down taking the drag link with it and making eratic steering . I have visions of ball race bearings or even a gutted steering box on the other side . I have to say that steering dramas have been the most frustrating part of my time with the DR30 .

Cheers A .

[SteveL]

While I'm here is there a way to remove the slop in the Idler Arm assembly . Mine is new (whole unit) and it still moves up and down taking the drag link with it and making eratic steering . I have visions of ball race bearings or even a gutted steering box on the other side . I have to say that steering dramas have been the most frustrating part of my time with the DR30 .

Cheers  A .

Steering mechanism is what really let the R30 down AFAIC......recirc ball box+lots of joints/links+a bit of wear=a car that steers like a boat.

I found that replacing the standard idler arm bushes with polyurethane improved things, but I don't know if you can still get them. Datto 1600's have a similar steering system so might be worth looking at what the guys that use them for rallying do.

[stagefumer11]

Yup i replaced my Idler arm bushes with Nolathane units made a nice diffrence

[0HR-30T]

While I'm here is there a way to remove the slop in the Idler Arm assembly . Mine is new (whole unit) and it still moves up and down taking the drag link with it and making eratic steering . I have visions of ball race bearings or even a gutted steering box on the other side . I have to say that steering dramas have been the most frustrating part of my time with the DR30 .

Cheers  A .

Disco,I found my old HR30 to be very irratating in the steering area.Part of the reason I didn't put my FJ20 into it.Going even futher back,I had a 180B, (same set up) and I got a whole single piece bush machined up from some type of poly-eurathane (sp) Worked wonders,but the steering box sucks teh ass!

[DR JOSH]

Hehehe Thats why I am looking into a R31 crossmemeber with rack and pinion steering and making engine mounts from there.

Can anyone else tell me if a r31 cross member fits??? (or else it will be all custom) I want rack and peanut damn it. It's not like everything else in my car isnt custom it just would be nice if something fitted good for a change might have to go to u-pull-it for a measure. :chairshot

[stagefumer11]

If you dont have power Assisted Steering, Adjust your steering box, im about to get mine done. i have Huge amounts of slack in mine which can be adjusted out

[0HR-30T]

Hehehe Thats why I am looking into a R31 crossmemeber with rack and pinion steering and making engine mounts from there.  

Can anyone else tell me if a r31 cross member fits??? (or else it will be all custom) I want rack and peanut damn it. It's not like everything else in my car isnt custom it just would be nice if something fitted good for a change might have to go to u-pull-it for a measure.  :chairshot

Homer,do you even know what rack and pinion steering is?

Don't hold your breath on a '31 crossmember fitting in a '30. Ahhhh,so glad all my steering box woes are behind me.

Go the HR31! :uh-huh:

[discopotato03]

I asked ghostrider this ages ago to which he replied no the mounting pads are further apart . Also the R31 lower arms are shorter (pivot points different) wich is a disadvantage for camber change .

I was talking to my Nissan rally specialist and he believes its all in the idler arm bushes , even genuine (new) they're too compliant . I'm going to try and machine some bushings up out of a special acetyl material to get firmer ones .

Cheers A .

[discopotato03]

OHR-30T , thats interesting about the 180B idler arm fix . Did the machinist turn up two taper walled bushes or bore the arm section parallel walled for a cylinderical bush ? Also what material was the bush made of ?

I was under my car yesterday afternoon pulling up and down on the idler arm and watching the nearside wheel toe angle change markedly . This is with a new genuine idler arm assembly (1 month old) , the arm rocks on the tapered bushes which is totally unacceptable . The offside doesn't budge on its end of the drag link because the power steering box and pitman arm are robust and rigid .

It appears that the idler arm vertical movement is the weak part of the system and a workable fix should not be an engineering feat . If I can get my rally specialist interested (very busy ATM) , if enough people are interested he may be persuaded to do a short production run of something that works for an acceptable cost (economies of scale) .

I aim to fix this one way or another otherwise the vehicle is useless to me .

Cheers A .

[Doctor 30]

I have replaced my ball joints/lower control arms, had 3 wheel balances etc, and I still have an awful clunk on big bumps and vibration at 80kmh, I bet my drag link or idler arm is stuffed too. I'll get under it next weekend

[stagefumer11]

i used to have a clunk all the time also, happens evry six months, look at the ball joint top plate ataching to the strut the bolts can work loose

[0HR-30T]

Disco, it's been that long I can't bloody remember exactly what was done! I do remember it was a one piece bush though,so unless it was slotted or something,I'd say the housing was machined parralell? Don't quote me on that though.The bush material was some sort of poly urethane...what ever grade the guy thought was suitable. I thought you were giving up on the FJ,and going with an RB30 hybrid anyway?

[DR30RULES]

Do any other steering racks/crossmembers fit or be easier to fit into a DR30:confused:(S13, R32).

Are S13 racks rack and pinion?

Cheers

[discopotato03]

OHR-30T yes in time the plan is R32 RB26/31 DET . ATM I'm living with the DR30 (which is OK) and trying to correct any niggly probs . A clean car that responds nicely to driver inputs is a pleasure to drive and sells itself . Also refuse to be beaten by minor technical hitches . The plan for the back is to find its squat height and align the semi trailing arms to have zero toe and zero or just a tiny bit of negative camber .

I want to make the best of what I have and apply the results to later cars with more sophisticated factory suspension . If Fred and the boys made respectable racers out of R30/31's we should be able to make reasonable road cars of them .

Cheers A .

[0HR-30T]

Do any other steering racks/crossmembers fit or be easier to fit into a DR30:confused:(S13, R32).  

Are S13 racks rack and pinion?

No, and yes

Disco: Sounds like a plan, but wouldn't the squat height vary depending on how much grip you had at any particular time?

If Fred and the boys made respectable racers out of R30/31's we should be able to make reasonable road cars of them.

Amen brother! :uh-huh: Speaking of such,I've just had poly ethelene bushes for my rear HICAS rams machined up.You should've seen th eold rubber bushes that came out of them! (or lack thereof)

[discopotato03]

Its been said that a couple of cable ties around the rear damper pistons will move up to show squat height when under maximum acceleration or power load . This is where you need neutral camber and toe to put the most rubber on the road ie largest contact patch . Once this is known I suppose enough bags of cement in the boot at aignment time should re create it .