mydatsunroadster.com

Today I didn't get much of anything done on the car, but I did do some research into the parts I will need when I rebuild the front and rear suspensions and the steering linkage. There are several rubber bits, including bushings, grease seals, and dust boots that I will replace with new pieces. The following table shows the results of my research, including Nissan part numbers and current prices from Everything Nissan.

Part Name	Part Number	Price (each)
Leaf spring rear bolt bushing (8)	55046-04100	$1.36
Leaf spring pad (4)	E4043-C9001	$5.99
Leaf spring front bolt bushing (2)	55045-04100	$12.29
Rear bumpstop (2)	55240-25500	$5.38
Torque rod bushing (2)	55404-25500	?
Upper ball joint boot (2)	40142-25900	$7.24
Lower ball joint boot, inner (2)	?	?
Lower ball joint boot, outer (2)	40192-25900	$8.26
Tie rod bearing boot (4)	48522-25900	$12.94
Center rod bearing boot (2)	48522-16501	$7.90
Upper A-arm spindle boot (4)	54541-04100	$0.59
Lower A-arm spindle boot (4)	54539-04200	$1.55
Front spring isolator (2)	54036-04100	$2.28
Small upper bumpstop (2)	54053-04100	$0.80
Lock-washer clips for spindle (4)	54509-04100	$0.61
Ball joint clip (4)	40091-08000	$0.21

I'm not sure which of these parts will be available from Nissan and which are NLA. Some of the rubber bushings I may replace with eurethane where available from Energy Suspension or one of the roadster vendors, provided it doesn't get to be too expensive.

The front bumpstops need to be modified to use competition springs that drop the front end an inch or so. Using comp springs with doing this would result in the bumps contacting the A-arms all to frequently, which can be pretty harsh and make you momentarily use traction. One option is to cut down the stock bumps to about half their intended height. Another option is to use smaller bumpstops. I plan to do the latter, and Energy Suspension part number 9.9103 ($9 per pair) fits the bill. At 1 9/16" tall, they are just about an inch shorter than the stock bumpstops.

Also from Energy Suspension, parts 9.13105 ($6 per pair) and 9.13119 ($6 per pair) can be substituted for the upper and lower ball joint boots respectively, and are somewhat cheaper than the Nissan boots, so I will probably use them instead. I buy Energy Suspension products from Suspension Restoration in California. ES has a eurethane universal spring isolator that should fit this application, but at $9 per pair they are nearly twice the cost of the Nissan parts, so if they are available from I will buy from Nissan.

ES has no eurethane rear leaf spring bushing kit for the roadster, but they do have one for the early Datsun 510s (part 7.7102, $17). If the leaf springs in a 68 510 are the same as in the 68 roadster, I will buy the eurethane bushings instead of rubber for the leaf spring bolts.