1970 corona mark II. how low to go?

I got some western wheels, model vector. you know, the "turbines". the previous owner had them chrome plated. they are amazing, i think i scored. 13x7 rear, and 13x5.5 front. almost brand new yoko's

Since you already have the wheels, did you try to put it on?
If the rim extends out beyond the fender then you can't really fit the tires into the stock fender unless you change the camber to an extreme negative amount which is not recommended.

fitted the wheels, fronts are perfect, rears extend maybe a half inch. any opinions on how low to go?, (i know terrible picture, my wide angle lens distorts everything.) I'll send a better pic after my camera charges.

this is how low mine is. I dont like wheels that stick out. i like a nice old school Japan style look.

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NOT STOCK!

oh and this is the front end of my 71 RT72

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NOT STOCK!

i have a set of the same wheels, with the orignal finish but mine are 14 x 7 +25 offset, i just need tires for em' , those look gooooodd

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gone: 82' datsun maxima
gone: 87' 300zx n/a 2-seater
gone: 87' cressida sedan
current project: 82' s11 200sx (ka24e swap)
current daily: 89' integra RS 5-door

What size are the tires? Maybe look into 185 60 13 (I know federal makes them) and then drop the car 3-4". Looks like you'd need to roll the fenders a bit, and if you are live axle you'd want to look into your options for an adjustable panhard or get your's shortened.

My opinion is pretty biased though, I like my cars scraping .

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'70 sl350, '86 spree, '88 cressida

As low as is physically possible,

The question becomes do you want it to handle well, or look low and handle like crap? I say do some homework and lower it till the roll center and roll axis are correct, then it will both look good and handle great.

If you over lower a car and the roll center goes below ground the only way make it sort of work is run stupid high spring rates (just ask any Alfa Romeo GTV or Spider owner who has lowered their car at all from stock. 1300 # spring rates for the front end are not uncommon for a street car that never will see track time.) You could also run drop spindles but those have there issues as well. Simply lowering the car is easy to do, doing right is another story. In my book, if I'm going to do something I might as well get it right. That said, my Alfa is lowered from stock and it does run 1300 lb springs in the front. There is no easy way to fix the roll center and other geometry issues. I just have to be aware of any dips in the road or places that my oil pan will scrape hard. I have knocked the oil drain plug loose on more than one occasion. (I quit driving that road in that car.)

Just a thought,
Will

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1969 Datsun 2000 (track car, driven daily)
1959 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Sprint (big project)
1969 Alfa Romeo 105.51 GTV (R.I.P)
'87 BMW M3

In response to your inquiry about my choices of handling vs. looks, I choose handling. I live in sonoma county, home of the crowded, but beautiful and windy mountain road. I have experience with suspension set-ups for motorcycles, but zero toyota specific experience. I should let you know that I would also like disc brakes. I recently found a 18rg(eu) capable of 140 stock horsepower. my goal is a 2000 pound car with 200 horsepower, (it's nice to have dreams). I should just swap in a more modern rear end with disc brakes? a live axle isn't the worst way to go around a corner, is it? feel free to blab about this, I am very interested in your roll center thoughts.

We should meet up some place and I'll take you for a spin in a near 200 hp sub 2000 live axle leaf sprung Datsun. I was running between 2:05 and 2:10s at Sears Point a week ago in it. I know I left a lot of time on the track as well. (It was still in street tune even.) Mt Vider road is fun, Trinity isn't bad either. Oh I have disks up front with finned aluminum drums in the rear. The car stops pretty well. Mt St Helena is an awesome playground.

On a side note, when was the last time anyone saw a correctly set up race car with a bad suspension stance? Sometimes you see Alfa's a little low in the back end, but those have the opposite ends of both extreams. The front roll center is way below ground level, and the rear end is way way too high. Even the Autodelta prepaired (Alfa's factory racing division back in the 60s) cars sat low in the back end.

A car that looks good and handles like crap is frustrating. Been there and done that. Now my Datsun doesn't look quite as good (the back end is too high in my opinion) but it handles so much better. Its your car and your $$$$ so do as you wish.

Will

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1969 Datsun 2000 (track car, driven daily)
1959 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Sprint (big project)
1969 Alfa Romeo 105.51 GTV (R.I.P)
'87 BMW M3

Rad2ltr. Have you tried the OS LSD yet? you should try...

My MK2 handled very nice for what it was. In the rear all I really needed was 1" lowering blocks. The front you need to go find some truck springs and cut them. I had custom swaybars made for the front and the rear was an addco for a TE51 I modified to fit. If you are using a manual tranny, invest in some traction bars. No No No... not the muscle car Lakewood ones from back in the day... An SRL311 will have one mounted above the rear axle but the MK2 will not have it. I would somehow modify some AE86 ones to make it fit. (this is on my to do list)For shocks, go with Koni and you wont look back. that pic up there is an old one and tokikos have too much compression damping. Koni shocks are very smooth and will absorb shocks very nice.

195/60/14 tires will be a very good balance with 14x6.5 wheels with about 22 offset.

For brakes, I think the 2 pot Sumitomos on the MK2 are similar to the Datsuns of the day. One question you should ask before changing brakes; Have you rebuilt, installed new parts, used upgraded pads and experienced brake fade? If so, then maybe you need an upgrade. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. Typically, if you are not running around on the race track, well maintained stock brakes with good pads work just fine.

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NOT STOCK!

I have a VERY VERY rare h190 locking diff. Its essentially a Detroit Locker but for the H190 roadster diff. There are no part #s for it from Nissan, no part #s on the part and no one knows who made them. Its obvious they came from some place, but no one at Nissan knows who made them, where they could be found, but the do exist because people have them.

The OS Giken stuff is good stuff. They make one for the roadster and for the Alfa, however I don't think they have sold any for the roadster. They are about the same price as a used H190 roadster LSD, and they can be rebuilt. Parts for the roadster LSD are few and far between. That said, they are still big $$$$. The LSD could be the hot ticket for autoX but for the track the locker is the way to go. Even the BRE drivers said the lockers were the way to go on the track as long as it wasn't wet, then things got exciting. (And I drove mine for years on the street in the wet when it was the only car I had.)

Will

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1969 Datsun 2000 (track car, driven daily)
1959 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Sprint (big project)
1969 Alfa Romeo 105.51 GTV (R.I.P)
'87 BMW M3

"Slow and Low, that is the tempo."

Beastie Boys 3:16

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1987 Nissan "Datsun" S12 200sx XE notch
1988 Acura Da3 Integra RS
1981 Toyota Te72 Corolla
1983 Toyota Ae72 Corolla