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B210 Suspension Questions


Tolkmod

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74' B210 - 4-Door Sedan

 

So, I've started the long process of upgrading my front brakes and suspension to the 280zx setup.  Already got me a set of hubs, rotors and calipers (correction, waiting for them to arrive, but they have been purchased). I'm going to have the calipers completely rebuilt and serviced while I'm saving up to get the coil-over struts and camber plates to drop them in.  (By saving up, I'm proly waiting till the end of the year for the full setup seeing as I'll be getting a little infusion of cash around then)

 

My question is this:  Is there a viable rear suspension drop in that would give me disk breaks in the back as well, or is it just too much retardation to get disks and change out the whole axle and back end of the B210 to accommodate them.

 

Just curious of the options out there, seeing as my suspension and brakes are my primary focus before any engine swap can be attempted.

 

 

Thanks!

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The '80-'83 S110 is about the correct width, has disc brakes and is an H-165 through '81 and H-190 for '82-'83.... same size differential as the 620 truck. The problem is it is 4 link and coil spring. However you can cut and grind away the mounts for these and weld on leaf spring perches. Wish I had one.

 

The S110 is the second gen. 200sx.

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I would never advise removing a leaf to droop the suspension down. Two things...

 

A lowered car is closer to hitting things on the road

With a leaf removed the spring is softer and will travel farther when driving through a dip or hump in the road.

 

A lowered vehicle should have a stiffer spring to reduce suspension travel and avoid contact between road bumps and the body or exhaust. In addition a softer spring will degrade the handling of the vehicle.

 

At the least keep the spring just as it is, and slip a lowering block between it and the axle. A 2" block will space the axle up or the body down (depending on how you think about it) exactly 2".

 

A flipped leaf is not supported by the leaves above it. All the vehicle weight is on the lower main leaf which is bending away from the smaller leaves above it. You could take the spring pack apart and stack them upside down with the smallest on the bottom working up to the main leaf. Now the lower leaves support the top main leaf. I think this will end up severely lower, too low. Better to just use lowering blocks

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Drop a heavier engine in to lower it. :lol:

 

lol  i might actually be doing that.  If i get a good settlement at the end of the year I'm going to go for the full KA24DE swap (i think it's an aluminum engine so it might not be heavier), if i get a GREAT settlement i'm going for an SR20DET  with a 6 speed  :devil:  :devil:  :devil:

 

if i get crud, it'll be the L20b  lol

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Correction....

 

lol  i might actually be doing that.  If i get a good settlement at the end of the year I'm going to go for the full KA24DE swap (i think it's an aluminum engine so it might not be heavier), if i get a GREAT settlement i'm going for an SR20DET  with a 6 speed  :devil:  :devil:  :devil:

 

if i get crud, it'll be the L20b  lol

 

 

I've narrowed it down to the KA24DE, or L20b  

 

I think the SR would just be too much.   

 

Moving forward

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The E and DE are so close I would go with the E.... they look nicer..... and the DE has a complex valve train and gearing.

 

you are right, they do look better, never thought that it was an option so thanks Mike, am I safe to assume it still uses the same flipped crossmember?

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I think so. A KA weather E or DE is pretty much the same block.

 

Truck KA also have a vertical throttle body that looks like a carb. With it off, the intake looks like for a 4 bbl. An aluminum plate cover and you could run a weber... or w/e on it.

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E with front sump is a 240sx motor from 89 or 90. Then they switched to the DE in the 240s. Truck ran E until 98?ish, then switched to the DE. They are all rear sump.

 

I agree with Mike on the engines. E was only 10 hp weaker when new. By now, with wear and tear, who knows. And DE is definately ugly in comparison.

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Also the sr20 de 6 speed will put your shifter wayyy farther back. If you use a hardbody 5 speed that the KA will be bolted to your shifter should fit in the same hole, or damn close.

 

I have a friend sr20ing a corolla and the shifter is closer to the back of the front seats :P they have long ass trannys.

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The car (240sx) engines were much heavier than the truck KAs. Car KA engines had a heavier block with more support bolting to the transmission and a crank girdle to support the mains, trucks do not.

 

Car starters will not fit on truck KAs.

 

Car KAs have fully floating piston pins, trucks are press in.

 

Car KAs have a different intake than the truck but the truck one is easily converted to run a carburetor.

 

All truck KAs engines are built in Mexico.

 

All truck KAs engines E and DE have external high output oil pumps. Only the KA-E engine in the 240sx had the external pump.

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Just a thought for you if you do upgrade the engine, the b210 only has a h145 rear diff, rated for 100 lb/ft of torque. A stock ka has something over 150. An l20b is right around 100. So to do any swap other than an a series engine and not worry about blowing up diffs you'll need a different one of those too. H150 is good for 125, h165 is good for over 200. Of course, Nissan overbuilt everything on these considering what they went in(the stock a14 makes like 65 torque

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seriously thinking about swapping out the whole drive train, right now all is dependent on the settlement i get at the end of the year. 

 

I'll probably be going with an L20b or something similar, as I have the feeling that anything more than that is going to be a PITA for me (a mechanical noob) to deal with.

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Is something wrong with the a series in it? I know they're not the quickest in the world, but they're workhorses and get great mileage. If you wanna go faster and are OK with doing the fab work to make an l20 or ka work(neither is a drop it in swap) then go for it, just research research research. Otherwise, an a14 or a15 with a little work done to it will be more than enough to get you into trouble. Hell, mine has nothing more than a Weber swapped on and it can get me in trouble...

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its more along the lines that it feels like I need to stick my leg out of the door and give it a push every now and then.   Might just be a tuning issue, but it's hard enough to find a12 parts, let alone swapping to something that only has parts that are just "A LITTLE" easier to find, but still hard.   If i could find a good condition a14 or a15 and a 5 speed transmission, I would be very interested, but I haven't even seen any, let alone for sale.

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yup... also one of the reasons why I was thinking of sticking with the L20b, a lot more available out there, people more familiar with them, and a lot more after market parts to pick from.

 

I'm just keeping my eyes open at this time, not actively searching for one, as I haven't gotten my settlement yet, so i can't really budget for something I don't have yet.

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