deltrr
07-09-2003, 01:59 PM
I picked up a whole rear section of a 93' 300zx NA w/ ABS from a local junkyard for $120.00. The only part I originally wanted was just the pumpkin (viscous lsd) but the guys at the junkyard were really busy and just told me to take the rear section instead of having them remove it for me. So, I threw it into the trunk of my car (with half of it sticking out, haha) and drove to work. Since I work @ a Nissan dealership, I have the god-sent privilege of being able to use the lifts on occasion for my own use. The plan was to buy output flanges for an S14 that had a LSD and replace them with the output flanges that were currently in the Z32 pumpkin. Why? because the bolt pattern on the axles/output flanges on the Z's is a 5-bolt-star-shape, which differs completely from the US-spec 240's 6-bolt-triangle-shape. A few days after I had dropped off the rear section, I looked up the part #'s for the 2 output flanges. Turns out that the prices combined for the two flanges were nearly $300.00(retail). Reluctantly, I special ordered the flanges. The expected date of arrival was that Friday(I had ordered on Wednesday.) I came into work on Thursday to find out that the left flange was coming out of Cali, and the right flange was on international back order. Naturally I was ****ed, so I canceled the orders and started thinking of a way to make everything work out so I could install the pumpkin on Friday(that way, I could compete in Hyper-fest that Saturday.) I won't go into detail on the ideas I thought of that failed, but the idea that I thought would work was the following:
Instead of changing the output flanges on the Diff, I would dis-assemble the inner CV-Joints on the 300zx axles, remove the inner joints, dis-assemble and remove the inner joints on my 240sx axles, and finally install the inner joints from the Z onto the 240's axles.
(Now, some of you are probably thinking "Can't you just use the 300z's axles?" Well, the answer is no. The Z axles are wayyy too long and the outer diameter of the spline grooves that go into the spindle are too big. Otherwise, it would work great.)
This plan is INSANELY easier said than done. I consulted both FSM's(Factory Service Manual) for a 93' 300zx and a 93' 240sx, studied the axle break-down diagrams, and came to the conclusion that this would most likely work. It was worth a try because it would be saving me $300.00
Friday same soon, and at the end of the working day, it was time to get down and dirty. I put my car on the lift, removed both rear wheels, removed the rear sway bar, unbolted and removed the stock diff, then removed both the axles and put one of the axles into a vice. I dis-assembled and removed the inner joint, exposing the bare drive-shaft end with the splines showing. I then put one of the Z axles up and removed it's inner knuckle, and then tossed the rest of the axle. It was when I tried to put the knuckle on the 240's axle that disaster stroke. The 240 axle is approximately 2mm smaller than the Z axle, and thus, the spline is 2mm smaller. This meant that the inner-most part of the Z knuckle did not fit in the spline and just spun around freely. After about 20 minutes of ****ing/moaning about this projects certain doom, I thought about possibly welding that part onto the axle. I aligned the bearing housing(this is the part that im talking about.. the part that splines onto the axle) where I wanted it, then took a cookie(plastic grinding disc) and cleaned up the area where I would be welding. Then, I went next door and fired up the MIG welder. I started a bead and basically just went around and made 2 rings around the bearing housing, securing it to the axle. Job well done! it looked like it would hold up. I took the axles back to my car and let them cool off for about an hour. During that time, I drained the oil from both my stock diff and from the LSD, cleaned everything up, and put the cover from the stock diff onto the lsd so that it would bolt up to my car(the Z's have a 2 bolt lineup on the back of the diff[like S14's] and the S13 has a 4-bolt lineup.) I also grabbed the same cookie and cleaned up the welds that I did because they had a few messy bits that looked like they would fall off and perhaps get wedged between a bearing and the housing and cause some trouble. Then, I re-assembled the joints onto the axles and everything was looking great. I re-installed the axles with no problem, then I raised the lsd and bolted it in. Everything lined up perfectly(the axles, drift shaft, pumpkin bolts) except that the two mounting bolts that bolt the pumpkin on its front side were not lining up. One bolt lined up, and the other one was about 2mm off. Luckily, that diff had rubber bushings suspending the bolt-holes so i used a screwdriver and got everything bolted in. Over all, my car looks JDM from the bottom now because of the 5-bolt-output-flange pattern, haha!
I dropped my car down and drove away into the night with absolutely no problems, everything works great! I even got to compete at hyper-fest in the drift competition as planned.
I just wanted to post this story because it saved me $300 and all I really had to do was a bit of welding to make everything fall into place. Reluctantly, I didn't take any pictures. =[ but I did all the work by my self and my hands were entirely too dirty to use a digital camera anyway. oh well!
cheers! (perhaps a sticky?)
Instead of changing the output flanges on the Diff, I would dis-assemble the inner CV-Joints on the 300zx axles, remove the inner joints, dis-assemble and remove the inner joints on my 240sx axles, and finally install the inner joints from the Z onto the 240's axles.
(Now, some of you are probably thinking "Can't you just use the 300z's axles?" Well, the answer is no. The Z axles are wayyy too long and the outer diameter of the spline grooves that go into the spindle are too big. Otherwise, it would work great.)
This plan is INSANELY easier said than done. I consulted both FSM's(Factory Service Manual) for a 93' 300zx and a 93' 240sx, studied the axle break-down diagrams, and came to the conclusion that this would most likely work. It was worth a try because it would be saving me $300.00
Friday same soon, and at the end of the working day, it was time to get down and dirty. I put my car on the lift, removed both rear wheels, removed the rear sway bar, unbolted and removed the stock diff, then removed both the axles and put one of the axles into a vice. I dis-assembled and removed the inner joint, exposing the bare drive-shaft end with the splines showing. I then put one of the Z axles up and removed it's inner knuckle, and then tossed the rest of the axle. It was when I tried to put the knuckle on the 240's axle that disaster stroke. The 240 axle is approximately 2mm smaller than the Z axle, and thus, the spline is 2mm smaller. This meant that the inner-most part of the Z knuckle did not fit in the spline and just spun around freely. After about 20 minutes of ****ing/moaning about this projects certain doom, I thought about possibly welding that part onto the axle. I aligned the bearing housing(this is the part that im talking about.. the part that splines onto the axle) where I wanted it, then took a cookie(plastic grinding disc) and cleaned up the area where I would be welding. Then, I went next door and fired up the MIG welder. I started a bead and basically just went around and made 2 rings around the bearing housing, securing it to the axle. Job well done! it looked like it would hold up. I took the axles back to my car and let them cool off for about an hour. During that time, I drained the oil from both my stock diff and from the LSD, cleaned everything up, and put the cover from the stock diff onto the lsd so that it would bolt up to my car(the Z's have a 2 bolt lineup on the back of the diff[like S14's] and the S13 has a 4-bolt lineup.) I also grabbed the same cookie and cleaned up the welds that I did because they had a few messy bits that looked like they would fall off and perhaps get wedged between a bearing and the housing and cause some trouble. Then, I re-assembled the joints onto the axles and everything was looking great. I re-installed the axles with no problem, then I raised the lsd and bolted it in. Everything lined up perfectly(the axles, drift shaft, pumpkin bolts) except that the two mounting bolts that bolt the pumpkin on its front side were not lining up. One bolt lined up, and the other one was about 2mm off. Luckily, that diff had rubber bushings suspending the bolt-holes so i used a screwdriver and got everything bolted in. Over all, my car looks JDM from the bottom now because of the 5-bolt-output-flange pattern, haha!
I dropped my car down and drove away into the night with absolutely no problems, everything works great! I even got to compete at hyper-fest in the drift competition as planned.
I just wanted to post this story because it saved me $300 and all I really had to do was a bit of welding to make everything fall into place. Reluctantly, I didn't take any pictures. =[ but I did all the work by my self and my hands were entirely too dirty to use a digital camera anyway. oh well!
cheers! (perhaps a sticky?)