My alterations to use ally uprights on a wider track/info

[stylussprinter]

Sorry Tony , I forgot to answer your ' rack ' question . I have an Escort M2 2.4 quickrack fitted with ally clamps . The threaded rods are standard length but I've extended them to reach my wider track with ally extentions . My steering arms are from Rally Design but I've cut/ shut them to a position closer to the disc and lower . Being lower helps keep me clear of bumpsteer , being parallel now with the bottom wishbones . Closer to the disc helps in low speed cornering . It does mean of course that the steering arms are now effectively shorter by 15mm's which quickens the already quick rack . My whole front end can't be replicated for less than £1500 . Then there's remaking the rear end to suit plus all the body mods to allow use of this ability to adjust . With me it's been a gradual process as I've found out what made me quicker and when it worked , simply building in more of what worked . Another point I ought to make is that when saying I've used 1/2inch rodends and advising 5/8ths shank for rocker ends ---------- those rodends aren't the common cheapies , they are F3 spec and very expensive which mitigates the '' not within design brief '' concern

[MattD]

Matt, how would the spherical bearing be held in place matt? can you buy a housing for it which would be welded to the end of the rocker?

Hi Tony

Try these for starters
http://www.mcgillmotorsports.co.uk/inde ... ductId=481

http://www.aurorabearing.com/technical- ... fault.html

http://oem.cadregister.com/asp/PPOW_Ent ... ister.ppow&

Yes, then drop the bearing in & retain with a circlip. Think I'd put the bearing in from underneath so that circlip failure doesn't result in a collapse of the upright.
The spherical bearing probably wont be tapered either, so the existing metro part won't fit without mods.
Will need a threaded insert & pin for the top of the upright to suit the bearing.

And above all... jig it all up so both sides are the same & be accurate with dimensions.. get it wrong & you're creating more problems than you're solving.

Matt

[pigeondave]

I too have been looking at the fully adjustable front end and have seen the BDN sportscars front end.
http://www.bdnsportscars.com/images/gallery/34.jpg

This uses spherical bearings and is adjusted by shimming the upright.
The beauty of shims is that camber can be calculated in the warmth of home.
When you want to set the new camber you can just drop in the shims. no measuring needed, and its accurate.
Remember that with rod ends you can only get to the closest 1/2 turn. Ball joints closest full turn.

If you're going to have to modify the top rocker anyway would this not be worth trying?
I'm not sure if BDN would sell the upright separately.
But if you need to get new (RD/cortina) uprights to get the full benefit of the adjustable front end, its worth asking them.
If you're getting billet ones made up you could have what ever you wanted.

Would this setup be a bit harsh for the road though?

Dave

[stylussprinter]

One complete turn of a 1/2 inch rodend is 1.5mm so half is 0.75mm ----- pretty small amount to worry about plus most people if not tracking their car competitvely wouldn't feel that very tiny lack of adjustment. There's no way I would spend the money just for road going and occasional trackday . I think it's only worth it once you've competed a lot and just need that final edge to experiment with.

[pigeondave]

One complete turn of a 1/2 inch rodend is 1.5mm so half is 0.75mm ----- pretty small amount to worry about plus most people if not tracking their car competitively wouldn't feel that very tiny lack of adjustment.
There's no way I would spend the money just for road going and occasional trackday . I think it's only worth it once you've competed a lot and just need that final edge to experiment with.

I agree rob, but people do seem to get hung up on the finer points. I don't know why, as most cars have the rubber bushes that give a bit of movement.

Isn't all this rose jointing and spherical bearing stuff too harsh for the road?
Has anyone actually got rose joints on a road car?
I'd like to know just out of interest.

[MattD]

I have a fully rose jointed rear-end (oo-er )
Live Axle car.

Did manage to shear two rod-ends, but that was due to not thinking things through properly.
More to do with running out of piston travel than anything else.
Now reverted to nylon bushes at one end of the lower arms/under the axle.
Did allow me to centre the axle on the panhard & equalise the wheelbase on both sides.

Stupidly... didn't do the front end at the same time.

IMHO.. I think rod-ending the front lower wishbone will give me 90% of the precision adjustment I want.
Then I need to spend the money on double adjustable shox before anything else.

Modifying rockers & billet uprights is a distraction for some other day when I've got a spare £800+.

Tony has already past this point I think, so is looking for more
Slightly less right foot on corner entry might help the 300+ horses turn in

[pigeondave]

Matt,

Does the Stylus have the same watts linkage set up like the Fury on the rear?
Two running front to back with a panhard rod left to right?

If yes what did how did you fit the rod ends in the end of the rectangular arms (watts linkage). Was it a welded endplate with a threaded hole in .

We'll have to talk more at the Liphook meet next time im out there.

[MattD]

Dave

Start here & move on a couple of pages.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=464&start=180

Most later Stylus have round tube lower arms that are cranked as per the pics, allowing longer travel shox to be used. Early ones had box section arms that tended to bend.

Matt

[stylussprinter]

Matt wanted to lower his car more than was possible using ssc standard bottom arms . Tim/ssc developed dipped arms allowing 50mm lower shock position. These arms are tubular same as mine so it was easy to weld in a threaded insert after cutting off the poly mount tube.

[Antnicuk]

have a look at my 'bringing back the dead' thread, you will see what i have done to my suspension so far. My rear end is similar to Matts. I have also converted from bush to rod end on the front wishbones. I noticed difference at all on the road but then my car is quite 'exciting' on the road. )Matt its, 330 at the wheels which is 400 at the engine )

I agree with Matt that doing any more to my front is for another day, i am interested and want to do it but dont want to spend the time or the money.

Is there any way of 'tweaking' the front end with whats there to allow me to run it a little lower without maxing out the movement of the stock ball joint?

[stylussprinter]

If you don't mind taking the uprights off then yes . Remove the top Metro joint and cut off '' an amount '' from the macpherson strut stub . One inch off will lower the front one inch , so it's up to you . Easier still would be to do what I did many years ago rather than buying new shorter shock/ spring units , before the mods I've had since 2005 ------ weld two pieces of say 6mm x 25 mm flat together with a piece of tube at each end keeping them apart. The tube to take the 1/2 inch shock bolts so the complete construction to bolt between the two bottom shock mounts . Holes drilled through both parallel 25mm steel pieces but not so close that you can't adjust the shocks . Probably about 70 or 80 mm's towards the centre . You'll then have the ability to adjust the spring platforms up to clear the Tyres from the arches , unless like me you do some fibreglass mod's . I did this in a matter of months after building the kit , finding I wasn't competitive on track which served me well until doing the job properly as mine now is ------ very cheap though , you must admit . Your spring lbs will reduce slightly due to the new angle but I upped the rate anyway . Something to play with Tony

[stylussprinter]

Dave

Start here & move on a couple of pages.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=464&start=180

Most later Stylus have round tube lower arms that are cranked as per the pics, allowing longer travel shox to be used. Early ones had box section arms that tended to bend.

Matt

Sorry Matt , we must have been answering that question at the same time

[pigeondave]

I have flicked through the 'bringing back the dead' thread before, but never saw half of those photos. (I've been a long time lurker)
All very interesting.
I was told that rose joints would probably be too harsh on a road car, but if a few of you have done it and can live with it,
it'll be ok for me.
Just out of interest how often do you need to change the rose joints.

Thanks

Dave

[Antnicuk]

Thanks Rob,

I have already got the bottom shock mounting point mod but i run out of ball joint movement rather than shock travel. I like the idea of shortening the upright, can i buy new threaded inserts for the metro ball joint ? otherwise i would have to cut below it.

I think rose joints are noticeable on a normal car but a kit car isnt exactly refined even if it does have soft suspension and rubber bushes, but i had poly bushes and hard suspension so the rose joints made no noticeable difference.

[stylussprinter]

Dave ----- the only rodends I've replaced have been through track accident as long as they are not in '' sheer '' like my top rocker rodends . What happens is that the spherical bearing becomes slack within it's housing but it doesn't happen on the others operating within design. Tony ----- not sure where to buy ready made inserts but they'd be simple enough to make on a lathe. Ask Matt what he did after cutting his off.