Suspension and Drivetrain

Due to the age and condition of the car when I bought it, almost every single component of the suspension, brakes, and drivetrain had to be replaced. Most of what you see are OEM replacements, but I did make some improvements. I'll be running '97 Altima rims with 195/50 ZR15 Yokohama tires and a set of KYB GR-2 struts and shocks.

Below are pictures of the suspension as it came together.

Fully assembled with axles:

Feb. 2006

The suspension and brakes are just about done. I need one more hardline to install for the left front, and I need to swap in new rubber hoses in the rear. The rear suspension has also been de-rusted, re-finished, and fitted with GR-2 shocks. Here are pictures from 3 different corners (excessive fender gap because its on jacks stands).

May 2006

The brakes are done, and I ended up having to replace the entire rear half. The cylinders and hardlines were all bad; unfortunately I had a chronic soft pedal after bleeding them, so I have concluded that my re-man master cylinder is faulty. I will be replacing it this week.

Here's a bonus pic of the rear suspension:

Jun. 2006

After a lot of hardwork and headaches, I finally have the brakes pressurized and working correctly. After replacing the master cylinder (again), hours of bleeding, and swapping the front calipers side to side, the final weak link turned out to be a leaky proportioning valve, which I replaced with a JY unit. The only original brake components left are the upper hardlines from the M.C. to the prop. valve. I guess that goes to show what happens to pressure systems after years of neglect.

Jan. 2007

The thing I hated most about the car after the first few test drives was the overwhelming body roll. I made that my first priority and was luckily able to pick up an ADDCO swaybar (originally sold from the NISMO catalog in the early 90s) from Mike Kamm. I had to fabricate my own mounting hardware, but when all was said and done I was really impressed by the improvement in handling. Here's a picture of the bar and the passenger-side end link (Energy Suspension links with poly bushings).

Jul. 2007

After I got the chance to drive the car a little bit and test the limits, I located some weak spots under the car. First, the front end links were shot. I replced them with giant polyurethane Energy Suspension links. Next, the brakes were fading a little quickly, so the front OEM pads got swapped out for EBC Red Stuff pads. Lastly, the front spring rate felt a little to squishy. Instead of spending thousands on a custom suspension setup, I just threw in some thick spring rubbers to increase the rate. All of these modifications made a world of difference on the track in terms of stability, stopping power, and steering response, all at total cost of only about $110.