c5 Z06 - making alignment kit
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
c5 Z06 - making alignment kit
Hi all. I am looking at making my own alignment / lock kit for the front and rear lower arms. Like this one:
https://www.corvettemods.com/C5-C6-C...m_p_11384.html
Basically $400 for $20 material is not good value in my book!
So I need a small square of steel / ali to fit into the recess the eccentric bolt currently sits in. I will have a set of plates with the hole gradually moving from the left hand edge to the right hand edge of the plate.
Q - When I spec the plates for cutting, how much should I move the hole each time? Does the vertical position of the hole have to change as the horizontal hole moves across the plate? Does it matter where the bolt hole is located in the vertical plane?
https://www.corvettemods.com/C5-C6-C...m_p_11384.html
Basically $400 for $20 material is not good value in my book!
So I need a small square of steel / ali to fit into the recess the eccentric bolt currently sits in. I will have a set of plates with the hole gradually moving from the left hand edge to the right hand edge of the plate.
Q - When I spec the plates for cutting, how much should I move the hole each time? Does the vertical position of the hole have to change as the horizontal hole moves across the plate? Does it matter where the bolt hole is located in the vertical plane?
#3
Pro
Thread Starter
I've got no problem paying for something that actually requires significant development. I don't think these kits qualify for a 20 times price markup!
Last edited by Sub8; 12-11-2018 at 10:18 AM.
#4
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St. Jude Donor '08
For what it's worth, we made a few of our own camber kits and it's much more than $20 in material for each kit if you use the appropriate metal and hardware. By the time you have the aluminum stock for the lock out plates, hardened bolts, washers and nuts and then a couple hours of time into each kit, the cost savings ins't what you think.
With the upper arms being fixed on the C5/C6 base cars, you need several different off-sets on the lower arms to be able to dial each side in. It's a lot easier on the aluminum frame cars where you can make small adjustments with washers up top.
Let us know how it turns out when you're all said and done.
With the upper arms being fixed on the C5/C6 base cars, you need several different off-sets on the lower arms to be able to dial each side in. It's a lot easier on the aluminum frame cars where you can make small adjustments with washers up top.
Let us know how it turns out when you're all said and done.
#5
Pro
Thread Starter
For what it's worth, we made a few of our own camber kits and it's much more than $20 in material for each kit if you use the appropriate metal and hardware. By the time you have the aluminum stock for the lock out plates, hardened bolts, washers and nuts and then a couple hours of time into each kit, the cost savings ins't what you think.
With the upper arms being fixed on the C5/C6 base cars, you need several different off-sets on the lower arms to be able to dial each side in. It's a lot easier on the aluminum frame cars where you can make small adjustments with washers up top.
Let us know how it turns out when you're all said and done.
With the upper arms being fixed on the C5/C6 base cars, you need several different off-sets on the lower arms to be able to dial each side in. It's a lot easier on the aluminum frame cars where you can make small adjustments with washers up top.
Let us know how it turns out when you're all said and done.
#6
Le Mans Master
I've been making and selling camber kits for track cars for years ($175 shipped btw). There are more racers that run my kit than I can count. While I admire your motivation, a hundred bucks says that you'll waste money trying to duplicate the Pfadt kit and that doesn't include the studs or your time. You're already trying to source the wrong material and in the wrong way. I stopped advertising my kits once Mark at AMT started making his. It's a much better design for the average person.
#7
Supporting Vendor
It all boils down to what your time is worth to you. If you have all the tools, all the means, and wanna measure up your car and make some solid non adjustable locking plates, then hopefully that takes less than $175 worth of your time since that's what you can buy Scott Perkins's kit for. If you want adjustability then our design is pretty unique but at $350 is twice the price of Scott's. I don't know who the heck would pay more for the Pfadt kit than ours at this point but I'm a little biased. But I can assure you a whole lot of time, thought, tooling, fixturing, and man power and resources from a full service CNC machine shop went into the development of our kit and I'm not keen on giving that info away.
Good luck whichever way you end up going. If you make your own be sure to post up so we can see the finished result!
Good luck whichever way you end up going. If you make your own be sure to post up so we can see the finished result!
Last edited by Mark@AMT Motorsport; 12-12-2018 at 01:18 PM.
#8
Pro
Thread Starter
I've been making and selling camber kits for track cars for years ($175 shipped btw). There are more racers that run my kit than I can count. While I admire your motivation, a hundred bucks says that you'll waste money trying to duplicate the Pfadt kit and that doesn't include the studs or your time. You're already trying to source the wrong material and in the wrong way. I stopped advertising my kits once Mark at AMT started making his. It's a much better design for the average person.
I wouldn't do the studs or shims, just locking plates. I don't run any upper shims now.
The AMT kit does look to be much easier to set-up. Although potentially not as fine adjustment.
#9
Pro
Thread Starter
It all boils down to what your time is worth to you. If you have all the tools, all the means, and wanna measure up your car and make some solid non adjustable locking plates, then hopefully that takes less than $175 worth of your time since that's what you can buy Scott Perkins's kit for. If you want adjustability then our design is pretty unique but at $350 is twice the price of Scott's. I don't know who the heck would pay more for the Pfadt kit than ours at this point but I'm a little biased. But I can assure you a whole lot of time, thought, tooling, fixturing, and man power and resources from a full service CNC machine shop went into the development of our kit and I'm not keen on giving that info away.
Good luck whichever way you end up going. If you make your own be sure to post up so we can see the finished result!
Good luck whichever way you end up going. If you make your own be sure to post up so we can see the finished result!
Completely understand the commercial aspect - if you can sell at your price point, the price is right for your buyers!
And it is very nicely finished and yumyum shiny.
Last edited by Sub8; 12-12-2018 at 02:26 PM.
#10
Make them out of aluminum. It lighter. If you like working for 0.25 an hour make your own.
i only made my shim because I needed to set the car up that day and vould not wait for the part to ship. There are pics on cf of what I did to make them. How you search that I do not know
i only made my shim because I needed to set the car up that day and vould not wait for the part to ship. There are pics on cf of what I did to make them. How you search that I do not know
#12
Intermediate
Making fronts studs aren't too bad $$$ and time wise, but they aren't too expensive to buy finished either once you price out hardened threaded rods, nuts, and pay dimensional shipping.
I just received my order of a 36" 10.9 M10 all thread rod and 10.9 flanged nyloc nuts. If i hadn't already had an order going in, parts and shipping would have been about thirty six bucks and I still have to figure out what length I want the studs, then cut the studs and treat them so they don't rust, and I won't make them with the pretty hex end
I just received my order of a 36" 10.9 M10 all thread rod and 10.9 flanged nyloc nuts. If i hadn't already had an order going in, parts and shipping would have been about thirty six bucks and I still have to figure out what length I want the studs, then cut the studs and treat them so they don't rust, and I won't make them with the pretty hex end
#13
Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Any product AMT sells is top notch. Save yourself the time and order from someone who has done the guesswork.
#17
Drifting
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St. Jude Donor '10
Im running Mark's AMT kit on my car and have no issues from them. Scott Perkins got the car aligned up few months ago and got the kit from Mark working as designed. Should have seen the the wreck of alignment from a local well known shop here in Atlanta but I digress.
After seeing Scott's kit, you can't go wrong with either kit. I didnt know Scott was making and selling them too, but it has 1 adjustment compared to Mark's many adjustments.
Both are plug and play and you wont be disappointed either way! Both fellas are stand up guys and they provide the support you would need after the sale!
After seeing Scott's kit, you can't go wrong with either kit. I didnt know Scott was making and selling them too, but it has 1 adjustment compared to Mark's many adjustments.
Both are plug and play and you wont be disappointed either way! Both fellas are stand up guys and they provide the support you would need after the sale!
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sperkins (12-20-2018)
#18
Instructor
I haven't installed my AMT kit yet, i purchased it a couple months before I was leaving for a deployment and didn't want to do any more work on the car. His kit is insanely nice for the price. I'm very happy with the purchase and it will be installed when i get home and get the car aligned.