Modify monospring spacer?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,004
Likes: 16
From: Gainesville, Florida
Modify monospring spacer?
The VBP monospring comes with .67"-.83" hard plastic spacer that sits between spring & the differential mounting pad. IMHO this is rather thick & adds unnecessary height to the car. I realize it has a purpose but reducing it's thickness seems to be a easy way of lowering the car without sacrificing function. The spacer is flat on top & concave on the spring side. It would be very easy to remove a 1/2" of material from the top.
Has anyone done this or at least thought of it before/when installing the monospring?
Mark
Has anyone done this or at least thought of it before/when installing the monospring?
Mark
Racer
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
From: Winston-Salem NC
I thought about it, but chickened out. My thinking was that it was designed to that thickness for a reason, but it sounds like patsnitrovette had good results. How much did you take off?
I'd still like to drop mine a little more...
Jeff
I'd still like to drop mine a little more...
Jeff
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,004
Likes: 16
From: Gainesville, Florida
I cut mine last night with a small bench top band saw I borrowed. I then block sanded with 80 grit sandpaper to remove any high spots & to ensure flatness. All tolled I took off about .5". It came out nice.
Another "radical idea" ... I also took .34" off each poly spring bolt cushion effectively lengthing the bolt by .68". It dropped the rear about .5". I can hear the worry warts already ... relax, the compression of the poly cushion is almost negligible so reducing its thickness by 50% will not have any negative effect.
So, I should get a 1" drop with these simple mods. I'm installing the spacer today so I'll know for sure later.
Another "radical idea" ... I also took .34" off each poly spring bolt cushion effectively lengthing the bolt by .68". It dropped the rear about .5". I can hear the worry warts already ... relax, the compression of the poly cushion is almost negligible so reducing its thickness by 50% will not have any negative effect.
So, I should get a 1" drop with these simple mods. I'm installing the spacer today so I'll know for sure later.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,812
Likes: 2,029
From: eastern NC
I installed my VB&P rear mono-spring in 1991 along with longer bolts to lower the car for autocrossing. Unfortunately this placed my rear tire sidewalls 1 inch from the ends of the spring. After a few autocrosses I noticed rub marks on the insides of my tires. Then it happened, at the next autocross I ripped the sidewall out of a nearly new 255/60-VR15 Gatorback. I decided that perhaps I had lowered it too much!
I looked at the spring setup and the first thing I noticed was the rubber spacer. Mine was about an inch thick. Its purpose is to keep the heat of the rear from weakening the spring. Since we used a lot of phenolic material around our aircraft I got a small piece of scrap and cut it to the size of the spacer. It is about one quarter inch thick and this stuff has excellent insulating properties. This allowed me to raise the spring ends level with the rims (which do not flex like a sidewall) and retain the same ride height. Almost 15 years and not a hint of a problem.
These folks can tell you all about it. It has lots of applications around our cars you might find useful.
www.sdplastics.com/phenolic.html
GUSTO
I looked at the spring setup and the first thing I noticed was the rubber spacer. Mine was about an inch thick. Its purpose is to keep the heat of the rear from weakening the spring. Since we used a lot of phenolic material around our aircraft I got a small piece of scrap and cut it to the size of the spacer. It is about one quarter inch thick and this stuff has excellent insulating properties. This allowed me to raise the spring ends level with the rims (which do not flex like a sidewall) and retain the same ride height. Almost 15 years and not a hint of a problem.
These folks can tell you all about it. It has lots of applications around our cars you might find useful.
www.sdplastics.com/phenolic.html
GUSTO
Last edited by GUSTO14; Aug 19, 2005 at 12:44 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,004
Likes: 16
From: Gainesville, Florida
Thanks GUSTO ... the heat shielding function of the spacer makes sense. I'm glad we have your long term testimony of no problems. Your mishap is exactly why I chose to go the route I did instead of using those extra long 10" C4 bolts that alot of people are using to lower their cars. I'm getting 5.5" backspace 18" wheels soon so without a shorter spring ala Red73 the ends would hit the wheel/sidewall.
Mark
Mark
