Z32 BC Coilovers & Aircups System

Having a discussion with a fellow Z32 owner & long standing friend regarding a suitable suspension solution for his performance focused Z32 build.

Straight up factory 30 year old struts will not cut it & upgrading to coilovers comes with its advantages – improvements in shock technology since the Z32 production, smoother performance valving, adjustable height & damper BUT the major downside of many performance vehicles suspension setups is the usually ending with a statically low height condition. 

I have fitted & modified a few airbag systems in the VIP automotive sector over the years but the clearance & comfort of an Airbag system is stepping away from putting proper horsepowers down on the ground…enter a set of BC Coilovers BR-RA edition Coilovers with Stanceparts Aircup system coupled to them.

The BCs offer everything needed to enhance the Fairlady Z’s ride & looks but with the Aircups onboard offering near 50mm of suspension lift at the push of a button, hazard clearance of a premium sports car.

The setup is simple enough, once you figure out your base settings on the shock, disassemble the top hat to mount the cups and reassemble, times that by 4 units, plumb your airlines & install the tank, compressor and valving and good to go!

**A potential wrinkle i found with the 120mm Aircup body when trial fitting this system on a separate vehicle, was in this test vehicles case having a huge stack in the front and whoever has unstitched/restitched the frame & struts tower has overlapped and added material which did not allow the cup to sit centrally on the shock and would have been unable to fit – Since the actual car having the setup is an immaculate Z32 example this wasn’t the case. 

Airline routing is straightforward in the front. The Z32 have appropriately placed grommets inside the frame at the base of the A-pillar that deposit right behind the fender liners, coil the lead up with the AIV system anchors and straight to cup fittings. The rears required a bit more talent, picking a good position to drill through the frame which will yield a good angle for the line to travel without excess stress but still have some droop to work with any cup rotation.

Not wanting to sacrifice Targa Top storage real estate in the trunk, Concepts choose to put the compressor, tank valving & electronics underneath the carpet where the space saver was evicted from…Bit more custom work in the back here making a cubby to protect & insulate the hardware and provide a solid floor to support the TargaTops when stored in the trunk.

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A ZC32S Suzuki Swift Sport portable tyre sealant & inflator kit replaces the spacesaver & fits in the OEM foam storage on the left & full factory Nissan tool kit on the right remains.

The whole cubby setup adds 10mm to the overall height of the floor in the rear so no custom or trimming of the cargo carpet. Overall the weight addition of this system is relatively negligible, all the Aircup componentry is compensated by the lack of spacesaver spare & weight savings off the BCs over OEM Shocks.

At Concepts, we are always going for that extra something in our setups. Hiding the Aircups hardware in the car is good, but drilling a hole in the dash somewhere for the switch is not “OEM Plus” special enough…so we sourced an USD mirror switch with the damper control button to give the car that original feel, repin mirror control  wires for and use the switch’s comfort damper position to inflate the cups & sports position as intended…sports driving!

Some of the best customization is making it appear OEM!

Good products, fantastic results, certainly a big effort to hide the hardware & maintain vehicle functionality without sacrifices. 50mm grants plenty of lift to clear obstacles, speed humps, driveways & curbs and still maintain a performance system that can handle the future power upgrades and what is coming later for this build.

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