Richard454

What got me started was looking for a Spreader bar for the A-Arms-

This is the Chromoly Adjustable Panhard Bar I found- the curve will fit over the dry sump pump- Speedway Motor's- Garage sale for $45.

It fits great!!!

DSCN5503 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5506 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr


My next thought....

Driving a convertible versus a t-top- I've noticed a cowl shake- mostly noticeable when hitting bumps at low speeds-.

The T-top cars not so much- and even had a couple of C2's verts that didn't seem as bad.

I was looking at some stuff Speedway Motors has and found this tie rod/drag Link Kit with 5/8 Heim Rod Ends for a little over $50.



Now here's what I have cooked up for the birdcage-mounted it to the birdcage plus will also put the factory support braces in as well- they have to be modified to fit w/ the Vintage Air.

Doing a complete custom interior-won't work w/ the stock dash.

Thoughts? Good idea or bad? Waste of time?

Richard454

Better picture-

Big2Bird

Frankly, if flex was that big an issue there, there would be thread after thread about broken windshields.
My 2 cents.

TheSkunkWorks

FWIW, the factory convertible birdcage bracing system triangulates the cowl from multiple points to a central saddle mounted at the front of the trans tunnel.

toobroketoretire

Speedway Motors 1

Consumer 0

Its trinkets like these that make rich men richer and poor men poorer.

lionelhutz

I can't see the curved spreader bar at the front being that effective since the curve allows it to give. I wouldn't use it as a panhard bar either.

For the cowl, you'd be better off triangulating it to the transmission tunnel like the factory bracing.

leadfoot4

"Cowl shake", as experienced by convertibles, is more a "fore and aft" thing, not a "side to side deal". Think about it, the roof, a structural member is removed, and now the cowl "shakes". While the roof does provide some side to side support, it's main support is fore and aft....

Richard454

Hey Charlie-

I'm still going to use the factory stuff - modified to fit the Vintage Air-

Sort of like what fellow forum member "mysixtynine" did to his-

thread- https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...fications.html

Pics-





Here's the factory stuff-




Good thing I sell more trinkets than I buy....



Hey Peter-

My build-as everything else in life- is a compromise. Whether it be money vs time- or having a dry sump oil pump versus a straight speader bar.... It's a pretty substantial piece and will definitely better than no bar at all- not to mention the price was right.

And I am going to triangulate it almost like the factory...


Richard

TheSkunkWorks

lionelhutz

I hear you on only fitting so much into the space and you have fit quite a bit so far. that bar is fairly heavy so it should help, especially if you put some triangulation on it. I still wouldn't use bent bars in a rear suspension.

If you could add bars off that link that go forward and down to the tunnel brace then I bet it'd help a lot more. Basically triangulate it down to the tunnel.