TT, how closely modeled after the greenwood kit is your rear? I remember you mentioning a while ago that you were using some c4 stuff. What exactly were you using?

 

TT, that looks like pretty good progress to me. How did you cut out the rear suspension brackets? With a plasma cutter? They look nice.

Your project is moving forward while mine is going backwards a little. I'm pulling the engine down now so I can fix the broken cam.

 

patrolman, I was going to use C4 stuff but not anymore, it's just too wide for my rear tires. If I find a C4 D44 diff I will use it but not their hubs 7 stuff. I may use C4 1/2 shafts but haven't decided yet, need to know the difference in length. Another reason I decided not to do it is theirm brakes, theya re junk and the rotors are pathetic while the C3 stuff is more than decent already. ...and the price of wheel bearings for the C4...ouch!

It's somewhat close to the freenwood kit but then different again, all the kits that are or were available are for the earlier cars and 80-82 have a different camber rod arrangement (angled) and it's just a lot harder to build a "6 link" for it, so the only real resemblence is the part you see there, the hubs will be different (greenwood uses bolts that looked like a clevis in the lower shock mount to connect to the forward rods)

Burners, I went a little backwards also, I removed tranny, engine & body also. Good luck w/ the cam.

I cut it out w/ a bandsaw, hole saws (for the narrow inside radius) and a little grinder, smoothed w/ flapper wheel & belt sander. I made 4 of them, drilled the necessary holes, bolted them together through those holes and then w/ sander & flapper I sanded them in 1 go so they are exactly the same.

It's a lot of work that way, especially getting them all exactly the same and a plasma cutter is still on my wish list.

 

Norval, all you'd have to do is replace the trailing arms with a setup like that, the 6 link you already have finished and the camber arrangement is different on your car. Then all you'd have to add is a toe control rod (I'm going to use a C4 center pivot and then 2 long threaded rods w/ heims at the end) And yeah..I hopew to finish it before all of you guys pass away LOL. I do have a permit to start building the shop, when that is completed I will be able to make some real progress. Cage is coming in next month...I'm on a roll again (and hopefully I won't slow down again)

 

My hat off to you, for working outside this time a year.

 

I don't work outside, it's just the frame (now with an emprty body shell on top) that sits outside for the time being. I just quickly put the diff in place for measuring and the crossbeam I had already welded in earlier.

Now that we're speaking of it sitting outside. I finally have a building permit for the new shop YEA, so if that one is finished (which shouldn't take too long) everything can go inside

 

There are some AWFUL jaded hotrodders on this forum, Norval/TT come to mind immediately, there are many others,

I just wish I had you time/tools/patience/talent for that jaded edge sort of stuff, I need to learn welding....

GENE

 

Gene, buy yourself a nice 160+ amp 220V MIG welder w/ infinitely variable wire speed and about 6 or more voltage settings and you will be able to lay down nice welds also, it's not that hard. TIG & gas are much more complex than simple MIG.

I'm now building some hub sections but forgot to take the actual hubs with me to see if the stub yoke section will still fit..damn

Here's the start of it, basically a mounting flange and a roudn section to which all the strut mounts & stuff will be attached. The only problem is...will the yoke fit inside that round pipe LOL. I just tacked it together because I'm not certain it fits and I still have to install the mounting studs (anyone know a source for those??? used is fine, as long as the thread is good and they are not bent)



Here are the ball joint surfaces for the new arms, the angles are correct, tubing will connect this to the cross shaft. The little tabs on the bottom are for the ball joint bolts, the tubing will integrate into that. One is sandblasted, the other is not ..so there, another one of my trademark crappy pictures LOL

 

Oooo, those hub pieces and a-arms are going to look trick. I look forward to seeing those when they are done. I'm working on some a-arm ideas as well.

 

The holes in the mounting flange are a little tight. No bolt can pass through them. You would have to grind a good part of the head off. I never used the original mounting studs. I might still have them kicking around. I went to a slightly larger grade 9 3/8th bolts that I have lots of.

 

No bolt has to pass through, a stud is welded in there w/ the head on that side, the thread is on the other side. I still need to clearance the round section for the stud head but that's no problem, only a couple of tacks hold it together. It's just like looking at this side of the trailing arm:


See, only the head of the studs on this side.

 

I understand that. Put to put a stud like in the trailing arm you need clearance unless you are cutting part of the head away. Also if you weld a stud in the hole and anything happens to it you will never be able to replace it.
Since you are only going to use studs any good 3/8th bolt the correct length would work.
I worry if you change too much at one time. Something doesn't work/feel right and where do you start looking.
Another interesting project you need to do is the steering.

 

Yes, I am going to cut one side of the head away but if you look closely the round tube has fat sections on it as well.

I just picked up the hubs and guess what.,. IT FITS LOL
I eyeballed that one pretty good, a few mm smaller and it wouldn't have fit.

I can't get 3/4 bolts here readily, I'll have to go to a special bolts supplier to get them.

I am not changing too much, the only thing is I'm replacing the trailing arm w/ the thing above and then 6 link & coil overs, it's not that involved, just a lot of work.

And yes, still have to do the steering also, when I finish the susp. that's the next thing on the list

 

And yes, still have to do the steering also, when I finish the susp. that's the next thing on the list

To me this is the most interesting. As for 3/4 bolts what are you talking about. Are you using them for the heim joints??? I have unlimited grade 5 3/4 inch and some grade 8 or 9 depending on length. For the hub I would use 3/8th instead of the stock ones. I went the 3/8th route. I could help you with those too. I have a good supply.

 

yes 3/4 is for the heims, I am using 3/4th ones for the trailing section and 5/8th for the camber & toe control rods (because 5/8th is the hole in the hub, and it's plenty strong)

What size ar those studs for the hubs? I think they're 3/8th

I have a terrible source for bolts...as in they are jerks & rip off artists (I needed 5 allen heads unf, they ripped me off...had to pay 45$ for 5 bolts but I needed them right away and they must have smelled it somehow)

The steering will be similar to what george kull posted not long ago (the yellow/green race car), a racing r&p, front mount.

 

Between my son and I we have most bolts. Not always in grade 8-10 but all sizes. When I was doing my hubs I just substitued 3/8th bolts for the pressed in studs so the originals are probably 3/8th too. I never reused them once they were pressed out.
Give me a list of the bolts and maybe I can put them together for you.

 

I will do some measuring tomorrow. I ordered my last batch from McMaster, they're not here yet so right now I'm low on bolts

 

Got a question for you guys...

The story I've always heard was that for the majority of the suspension parts you want to go with a lower grade bolt, a little bit more stretch before they snap.

Sorry to hijack the thread, just wonderin if I could get some learnin sent my way

 

Yes, grade 5 or 6 instead of 8, however not on the hub mounting, they just clamp. It only applies to mounts that see a lot of dynamic stresses (so stuff that bolts susp. links together), best would be aircraft grade stuff but figuring out what you need from the huge selection and NAS #s can be quite an ordeal. Also, always use UNF for suspension stuff.

 

I would not use a 5/8's bolt on a rod end. A 5/8th bolt is about .614 in a .625 hole or about .011 slop. I would use a 16 mm bolt which is about .626 maximum. Stick the bolt in a lathe and a little emery paper brings it to .625 and a slight press into the rod end. A perfect fit.
Next the hub bolts. They are 3/8 yes but the knurl is .415. How about using a 10 mm bolt instead? It is slightly bigger then the original 3/8th bolt and with just a slight bit of opening the hole would be better??? Both metric bolts should be readily available anywhere.
The 3/4 inch rod ends are a problem. They don't make 19 1/2 mm bolts. 20 is just too big.