Twiz

He bought a hatch in pretty good shape, couple of little rust spots, but overall not to bad. Thanks for the suspension info, it will be a big help as he decides how far he is willing to go lol. It has a decent little KA24E in it, still chasing down a few bugs (the previous owner swapped it in from a 90', said the original locked up) but he picked the car up for $800 and it runs and looks pretty good so he can't complain.

First off, get subframe bushings. They're like $20 and really tighten up the rear end (I actually need to check if I have these on my car). If you have the money, the best possible suspension upgrade is to swap the hubs for 5-lugs (fronts come from a S14 240SX, rears from either the S14 or Z32 300ZX). In the rear you can use the Z32 upright, which is made from aluminum and is 7 pounds lighter. You'll need custom coilovers, but since it's pretty popular, most major companies should be able to set you up. You just need coilovers with a Z32 lower mount and an S13 upper mount. At the same time, you can now swap in any brake kit from either the Z32 or Z33 (350Z). You can also get some killer tires for this setup, since you'll need new wheels. I'm not going to lie, if you do this, figure to pay anywhere from $3000 to $5000 for all of these parts, so it'll get expensive. Another good option is to swap the caliper for an Infiniti Q45 caliper. The Q45 uses 2 piston caliper and the rotors fit right onto the 4-lug wheels. Make sure when you order wheels you measure how much distance you have to play with between the shock and tire. There isn't much room with the stock setup. Most true coilovers are a lot narrower, so keep that in mind. Also don't make teh mistake of lowering the car too much. Old Nissans don't have much suspension travel, so if you're not careful, you'll end uo riding the bumpstops all day. Or you may cut a tire on the front inner fender (there's a nasty seam which you can weld flat. You'll also need to move the wires between the fender and inner fender). As for the Silvia front end, it's 30 pounds lighter than stock, but I can tell you right now it's a royal PITA to live with. Parts are nonexistent for it, so everything will probably be coming from Japan (I broke a headlight lens and it took over a month to get a new one). Also if you're buying the parts used, expect a lot of broken bolts and clips. The biggest trick to 240s is to not think of it as a $3000 car (or whatever you paid for it). Think of it as a 55K discount on a Corvette. Because these cars, when built right, can really turn some heads. BTW, which kind did you buy (coupe or hatch)?

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about 240s. Mind you, I bought my car in March with most of the mods already done to it. And I haven't done too much digging around since I bought it. But I will do what I can.