Dominic Sorresso

So no FX-3 then?

5abivt

Jim ill snap shots for you for sure. The Fikses are incredible but these are the wheels I always wanted for my 93 and since I already have a mesh style on the 93 I just had to have them. They were discontinued in 04 but I sourced a set. With hres help we chose barrel and lip widths to achieve the offset I was trying to achieve while staying on the conservative side as spacers are easy to add afterwards.

I was thinking to take photos of the install but really its as easy as replacing shocks and removing the spring is rejatively straight forward and there are several good write ups on that already.



No the fx3 is disconnected for now. I would have liked to have used it becuse I like bilsteins but I decided on the vansteel setup for a few reasons. One is because the rear shock mount is impressive. I can't even remember if the drm kit utilizes a similar rear lower mount. The second is because at my ride height the bilstein shock length becomes an issue. Travel is near the end and the function of the shock is compromised. I added shorter length bilsteins to my 93 and the difference was night and day. Van steel had an optional shorter length shock that I went with as well.


I'm considering talking to a few builders of e46 m3 suspensions.. Building a nicer c4 kit with adjustable shock bodies would be very nice to have so that the springs can be preloaded etc and shock travel would be the same at any height.

5abivt

Photo of the fronts. I promise to get some good ones once my wheels are complete and do the wheels and brakes up front. Best I could get with the wheels on.

Started the rears.. Unit looks very nice !!

Planned to pull the spare ...Didn't look useful anyways .

Banski camber arms too .. Putting it all back together.

Can't wait to set the use height and get the alignment done asap... And drive it !!!

Rears done!

JimZRyd

Sweet! Thanks for the pics! Can't wait to see more. Tell me, why did you go with the Vansteels rather than the others like from DRM? Were they an easier install? I've heard others mentioning having to have a notch cut in the shock body, was this the same for you? I've also heard of having to relocate the sways, any problems with yours? Thanks!

Jim

5abivt

I mentioned up there I think that I went with the vansteel setup because of a few reasons. One was the rear lower shock mount. Its a well designed piece and makes me feel better about the angle of the shock and support. I like bilsteins but the shock length is also long and at the ride height I planned on being at I know they would be very close to their travel.

Notching the bilsteins seems fairly straightforward. I plan to send these fx3 shocks for a rebuild / notching and revalve matched to a spring rate I plan to go with. I may do the drm setup over the winter. I want to be able to drive both and see which I like better.

With regards to the seats there is no way around it. There is a member on the registry who naked relocation plates and ordered those. I'm impatient so I did without and even though the vansteel lower shock mount gas elongated holes and the upper has an eccentric spacer to allow a bit more clearance.. The coils still touched the sway.

What I did was just temporary as i already ordered a 32mm front bar and I needed to get the car down.. I slit a piece off the end of the sway bushing and added it to the other side. This was basically like making an offset bushing and it moved the bar forward. Ill install the 32mm bar when the relocation brackets are done.

Car looks much better now still needs adjustments and I plan to get adjustable end links so I can set the ride height at each corner.

Had to do something about the trim ..

Few mins later...

Sitting so much nicer (before any adjustments to rear)


Car drives pretty good. Played with quite a few shock settings but still need to play more. Will get an alignment asap just did the rear camber by eyeballing it and will add a few shims to the front equally to bring the camber outwards
s in the meantime

1993C4LT1

JimZRyd

I'm liking the way this is all coming together for you! On my C5 I went with a similar designed set of C/O's from Pfadt. Totally changed that car into a cornering animal! I want to do the same on my Z so I'm following this thread closely! Keep up the awesome work!

Jim

JimZRyd

Also LOVE what you did with the plate surround! What wrap did you use?

Z51JEFF

I couldnt agree more when it comes to flash and wheels.Check out these billet ralley wheels I just put on my Nova.They were polished when I got them,that wasnt going to fly so I brushed the wheel and the center caps.Years ago I made a machine for the sole purpose of brushing one set of wheels,so far Ive done maybe 6 sets.................and counting.[IMG][/IMG]

-=Jeff=-

The carbon fiber wrap looks liKe 3M DI-NOC

I still need to do that along with one other spot

5abivt

Its the 3m 1080 wrap. I still have a huge roll left I plan to wrap a few parts in the interior ill definitely post pics when I get to the interior.

That looks fantastic !! I thought about using a wheel bearing and tying a motor to it on a stand but it never materialized. I'm just using sandpaper and brushes by hand. I should have the wheels done this week.

Rkreigh

how does the car ride? I have the DRM and think I might have the car so low that indeed the shock is out of travel.

how much is the vansteel setup? might be time for an upgrade.

the FX3 stuff is nice, but for me I think that a firm but not harsh shock setting and the adjustability of the shocks on van steel (QA1??) might be a better deal for me. I really like that rear mount, looks much stronger and puts the shock at a better angle. the rear shocks are REALLY close to the drive shafts and if the springs aren't set just right, you can get some rubbing on the DRM setup.

like to see some shots to see if this clearance is improved.

like those suspension bits too, time for some upgrades!!

combatdoc

car looks amazing, keep up the good work!

5abivt

Thanks guys . The car rides pretty good. I don't want to say too much just yet because the alignment is out of wack and I haven't been on big 17s for a while so I don't know if any mushiness is from the huge tires. Ill better judge after I get the alignment done on Thursday morning and actually go for a couple of long drives. I plan to play with the damper settings quite a bit to match the settings to the spring rates as best as I can. The car definitely handles better right now but that's because there's a bit of camber all around but the spring rates are much stiffer than the stock springs. I'm regretting going stiffer as I like how my 93 rides but I have 425/350 right now. Handling wise there is almost no roll whatsoever even though I plan to get a 32mm front bar anyways (mostly because I cut my sway bar to frame mount bushings to offset for clearance and a 32 mm bar is cheap too).

Rear drive shaft clearance is ample if I remember right. The top mount is offset to the frame and there is a offset washer that allows more room to move the shock slightly in any direction as well. When I pull the wheels off next ill remember to take some pics of the clearance.

5abivt

Finally got a chance for a pic in the daylight. My favorite c4 angle. Its because of this shot why a c5 6 or 7 just doesn't do it for me can't believe how amazing the 17 zr1 wheels still look.

Rkreigh

really like the vansteel stuff. but it's pricey!! the lower shock mount on the rear looks very well engineered and I'm wondering if the bilsteins can work with that mount.

the LSV has 425 up front and 275 in back to try and soften up the ride but it feels a little bouncy so I think the shocks are due for a rebuild (80k miles)

your car looks awesome. congrats on the purchase, you got a killer deal and your choices in mods are very well thought out.

looking hard at the banski stuff too. looks like it would improve the already good handling. so many cool things, I need more mod money!

Dominic Sorresso

Ron,

I went w 425/300 springs on my CO using Moracca valved Bilsteins.

5abivt

Got the hurst installed. Added several of my own shims and tape and its super snug and movement free. Beam plates were very easy. Had to clean the top rear c beam of the dried yellow goo but got it done and plates bolted up really nice. Used washers on the bolt heads up front as the bolts go well through the nuts in the top plates. Didn't use them on the rear. Drain plug almost stripped (halfway no budge) even clicked the torque wrench at 140 lbs and then some. Fill plug loosened so I topped up with Amsoil and will call bill for a new plug before I take it to a shop to hack the drain one out. Started putting on the corsa and started the sanding process on the piping got the 2nd HrE finished tonight as well.. Hoping to drop them for clearcoat by Friday ! So much to do !!

Hurst vs stock

Dam drain plug. Been spraying the cat bolts every day to be ready for header install

Beam plates on !

Started the corsa install..

Got Ayron and Senna a new ride too !!

JimZRyd

Nice work! Keep it coming!

Question about the beam plate...I'm kinda new to the C4's and haven't seen this before. I've had C5's for a while and they utilize a "tunnel plate" which runs above the exhaust and really ties the C5's frame together, at least the thicker aftermarket ones do. Is this the same as the "beam plate" you are referring to? Looks like it in the pic, just trying to make sure. If this is one in the same which one did you go with and I'll look into it prior to my B&B install!

Jim

5abivt

The beam plates are kind of like.. The bolts on the torque tube on a newer gen. The c beam connects the trans to the rear diff. Basically, the bolts tend to loosen over time (mine were loose - shifter was moving on acccel/decel). Google zfdoc beam plates and you'll see his website and the best description and pictures. The plates spread the clamping load over a larger area as well as provide easier removal of the c beam when necessary. In my opinion its an absolute must have for a c4.

Got the corsa on this morning.. I had plans to polish up some of the piping ... Coming along well.
Airbox is warped.. Bought another from a cf member but have t picked it up. The warpage left a gap on the sides allowing I filtered air Inside. Temp fix before adding a new green filter..



Took me a few hours of taking my time adjusting all the clamps etc to get the angle I wanted with both tips matching and centered in the outlets... I am still thinking to get a b&b system.. Looks so sweet and fills the outlets much better :/. Started sanding one pipe..



Getting it to the shine I want. Don't want mirror polish because the mufflers are more of a brushed finish. Hazy polished was the goal..

Went to work on the rest of the piping and resonator..


My arms are ready to fall off. Happy now.

Started 3/4

Few hour later.. Doing work @ work ftw!! Almost done! One more to go.. Hopefully I can have these engraved and cleared and assembled by next weekend.