Left Front Spring Spacer Install: Ride Height Adjustment

The finished product.

The ride height of left front side of the Fairlady was dipping by about 5mm compared to the right front side. I decided to add rubber spacers at the bottom of the left front spring to even-out the front stance.

I added three rubber spacer which added about 10mm to the height of the left front. The ride height of the left side is currently about 5mm higher than the right side. The height will eventually even-out once the rubber spacers are broken-in and softened up. Plus the added weight of the driver will further compress the spacers by a few more millimeters.

Note: The double wishbone suspension components are built like those in off-road trucks. The gauge of the steel are really thick and the design is pretty robust. The ride has softened up a bit after the break-in period, but it's still firm enough for high speed cornering. The Gabriel-Hurst shock absorbers provide good dampening on uneven roads at high speed.

I'll have the suspension fittings greased again right before the next vintage sports car race for smoother turn-in and less wear on the suspension and steering components.

Transmission and Differential Oil Change

I used a gallon of Mag1 80W-90 High Performance Gear Oil (API GL-5 and MT-1, MACK GO-J, SAE J2360, Limited Slip) for both the transmission and differential, since there was whining in the transmission after a long high speed drive on the highway. The old transmission oil still looked clear although the viscosity looked degraded and much thinner.

There was a bit of water mixed into the differential oil (oil looked a bit muddy). I suspect some water had entered into the differential housing through the breather while I was driving in the rain. Good thing I got to replace the differential oil as well for peace of mind.

After the changing the oil, there was still that whining sound, but the drive was definitely much smoother. I also noticed smoother shifting especially from 2nd gear to 1st. Before I'd have to "punch" into the 1st gear slot, but now there's much less effort needed.