Can we talk 124 Coupe?

[ital]

No problem contact me any time for coupe advise.

[RoyBatty]

The wife gave me an Addco rear sway bar for Christmas.
Took me about an hour to do the install.
Took it out for a test drive right away.
WOW!
The Coupe already handled great and was fun to take thru turns.
But now, it is much more eager to turn in and about dead neutral once into the turn. I am able to enter and exit turns faster than before the installation of the rear bar. The body roll is not totally eliminated, rather it is reduced to the point that is just barely noticed.
This addition will REALLY make the right seat occupant uncomfortable.

[sptcoupe]

Hi Roy. Glad to see you making progress on the coupe! The best suspension set up on my coupes has been staying with a stock front sway bar, add the rear (which you did), and if you have to have Konis, put them on the rear, with KYB Gas Adjusts on the front. That will get the body lean to a minimum (as you see) and get that nearly neutral handling you have now. If you go to a stiffer front bar (as many guys do), you will move noticeably back towards the inherent understeer in these cars, with, in my opinion, a practically imperceptible improvement in body roll. Lowering springs, a rear bar and decent shocks are all you need to enjoy the car on the street or at club track days. Just an opinion, but I've owned coupes for 44 years and experimented with many different set ups, and this one seems the best. Other who have driven our coupe agree that it handles really well.

Looking forward to your updates!

[RoyBatty]

Hi sptcoupe,
My experience is verifying yours.
Something fun to relate, I had a, "what's that", moment on Christmas eve.
I was picking up a bottle of wine at the Safeway and noticed a new dark metallic blue 370Z a couple cars from me as I went into the store.
Done in the store, I was just opening the door to get in the Coupe as the Z car drove by to leave. I saw the driver, slow down and as I was getting a foot in the door he stopped and backed up. He rolled down the window and the driver was a 20ish kid at the wheel. "What kinda car is that?", he asked. I informed him off what the Coupe is and he just smiled and said, "that's sick! ".

I think i will go and redo the run thru this turn to see if i can capture a visible difference in the body roll.

[sptcoupe]

I love those "what is it?" moments! Happens a lot. There are also quite a few folks from my generation who actually know what it is, and really like seeing one that has been brought back!

I would much rather have a bit of body roll and dead neutral handling, than understeer. Just my opinion.

Keep us posted.

[So Cal Mark]

this thread sure makes me happy every time I read an update to it. I'm glad to see this coupe resurrected and improved

[RoyBatty]

Have no fear sptcoupe,
I have no intention of doing anything to reverse the handling improvements I have made.
And Mark,
It makes me happy to know you appreciate what I'm doing.
Now about that supercharger......

[RoyBatty]

Two months later same road with the addco's rear bar.
I guess the improvement in handling causes a psychological effect that makes the body roll seem to be substantially less than it actually is.
Before

After

[Redline]

Your head is less tilted.

[RoyBatty]

That must be why it feels so much better Red!

How I spent the last couple hours,
Installed three 40 amp relays per Csabas' drawing and all is working well.
Only wires to the ignition switch are to close the circuits on the relays.

[Redline]

For wipers, lights or ??

[RoyBatty]

Hi again Red,
All of the above, I suppose.
No they are not specifically for each headlight.
There is one specifically for the starter.
The other two handle the rest of the electrical system.
The main objective here is to prevent passing all of the cars electrical needs thru the contacts in the ignition switch.

[So Cal Mark]

very good mod, and the car looks much flatter thru the corner

[vandor]

I do have a nicer looking diagram now that we send out with the ignition switches on request.

[So Cal Mark]

it's much less complicated to use a continuous duty solenoid and connect all of the wires there instead of using all of those individual relays