Paddle Shifters for the Nissan Z32 300ZX 8HP DCT
This is something I have been working on for quite a while.
The Brief I gave myself was to attempt to Integrate Motorsport quality, magnetic Paddle Shifters, to the Original Pre Air bag Factory Nissan Z32 300ZX Steering Wheel.
Finding the ideal setup was a major undertaking. The factory Z32 steering column and indicator stalks were never designed to accommodate paddle shifters, making clearance extremely tight. To overcome this, I measured and benchmarked various factory paddle-equipped performance cars. The result is an optimized mounting location that balances comfortable ergonomics, natural reach, and clean packaging.
After investigating many flavors of Paddle Shifters I settled on the DomiWorks Magnetic Paddle Shifters, not cheap, but you really do get what you pay for.
A setup like this is perfect for adding Paddle Shift Functionality to any of the popular modern gearbox conversions such as the Quick Shifting Bullet Proof 8HP range of transmissions or DCT transmissions in general.
I have settled on what feels like about version 15 of my adapter brackets after fighting the desire to move a couple of mm one way or another, only to later find out that now something else is affected.
Wiring
Part of the journey has been the electrical side of things, on my particular setup I have utilized the electrical circuits in the factory clock spring to avoid needing to have any external cabling for operation. Those circuits were originally for the Steering Wheel mounted Cruise Control Functions, which will no longer work.
To get around this I will be mounting a Cruise Control Stalk from one of the later Z32's.
On a side Note, the Wheel retains the OE Horn functionality.
I figured this may be something the community may be interested in, so I have reproduced the adapter brackets as a kit & put them up on my website.
I plan on keeping these in stock, be aware the kit contains the adapters & hardware only & does not include the paddle shifters. Also the Kit will only work with the DomiWorks Magnetic Paddle Shifters on the Z32 Pre Airbag Steering Wheels.
I recently finished the 2 year contract I had with another company & am now devoting a heap more time to product development, The Aussie Shed, & Project Fairlady .
Cheers Everyone
Trevor.
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