Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Wanting to make adjustable suspension on cheaps. Anyone know of anything that would be usable as the thread to sleve over my strut? Also any ideas on using something (nuts?) as spring mounts? I had a feeling someone on here had done this way rather than buy a kit. Hopefully someone knows something from use in industry that may be helpfull. Want to run 2.25' springs so need the seat to be adaquate for that. Where would I start looking for these parts I have no idea other than steel and tube. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Doohan Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 push on a hunk of heavy wall .. weld base .. put in lathe and threed it ... get some hex bar and thread to suit in all honesty .. how we did phils ones were prolly the cheapest way to make coil overs .. they work .. and i believe hes never had a issue with them i think it was only abour 150 bucks for the setup bits ... be hard pressed to get them made for that cost just my opinon ..not a statement of fact lubs wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Doohan Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 .. unless you get some big galvi threeded pipe ..... but even that shit is faily expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 use km nuts for spring seats. Can get them in heaps of different sizes and they have the notches for a c spanner as well. they are a bearing locknut tis what im rolling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Doohan Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 about 15 bucks a pop ? could probably get the tube threaded for 50 bucks a foot from any eng shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 yea I got them for about $6 through work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Ahh cool thats the type of info I was after, Do these KM nuts come in diff diameters etc? Look like exactly what I need. Wayne what did you do for Philies? Just buy a kit from somewhere? I kinda want ALOT of adjustment so wanted a longer thread than most kits have. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 yea I got them for about $6 through work. What ya using for top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 yuh go onto the skf website and have a look at the pdf, and then you can select one that is bigger than your strut tube and still allow a decent thickness wall threaded tube. I have some top hats off an old set of coilovers that im using Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Ahh I see, I have some of them too but wanted to keep them on the set of adjusties they are already on!. So I just need to either get some threaed tube made, or find some from something else. The rest I can do easy. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Ahh cool thats the type of info I was after, Do these KM nuts come in diff diameters etc? Look like exactly what I need.Wayne what did you do for Philies? Just buy a kit from somewhere? I kinda want ALOT of adjustment so wanted a longer thread than most kits have. Gaz having a shitload of adjustment can be a pain in the ass. cos you run into huge captivity issues. You could setup sonmthing like bc coilovers do. would you be looking running keepr springs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuel Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I got my threaded sleeves, spring perches/locking nuts and top hats for the springs from George stocks, think it was about $500 all up for those parts (for four corners). Then got some 62mm ID springs from a set of Legnum GAB coilovers which had stuffed shocks ($100). The sleeves on mine have about 75mm of adjustment - don't really know why you'ld want more as you'ld run into captivity problems as mentioned above - just make sure you set the sleeves in the right place to begin with. You could always change the height later on by running taller or shorter springs (I'm using 210mm springs + keeper springs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Will decide on keeper springs or not at a later date. At the moment the idea is to get them made so they can be used later. I have the struts here but not the car. I have no decent front shocks for the car yet and will prob use a bilstein or similar adjustable unit when time and money come. I dont use the original escort top hat but rather a Tanabe camber top roller bearing type arrangement. It has a diff size hole in it than the escort shocks so I was hoping to find a shorter shock with the right size shaft to suit my application. The car with current shocks in with no springs it doesnt sit low enough, so either way I need differant/shorter shocks. Basically I was going to make the shock suit the application rather than the strut suit the application. Its for the escort and the height I ride at will depend alot on where the lower arm sits I think. I think, and dont mind, if I have to cut the housing down a bit and rethread the inside. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filthy one Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 may have some sleeves & nuts at work mate will get the boys to check morra for you & let you know tomorrow night. If there is you can have em bro.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Will decide on keeper springs or not at a later date. At the moment the idea is to get them made so they can be used later. I have the struts here but not the car. I have no decent front shocks for the car yet and will prob use a bilstein or similar adjustable unit when time and money come. I dont use the original escort top hat but rather a Tanabe camber top roller bearing type arrangement. It has a diff size hole in it than the escort shocks so I was hoping to find a shorter shock with the right size shaft to suit my application. The car with current shocks in with no springs it doesnt sit low enough, so either way I need differant/shorter shocks.Basically I was going to make the shock suit the application rather than the strut suit the application. Its for the escort and the height I ride at will depend alot on where the lower arm sits I think. I think, and dont mind, if I have to cut the housing down a bit and rethread the inside. Gaz that could easily result in having to make a setup twice tho. it would probly be a better idea to make the coilovers once you know the length of shock you are going to run. To make epic slam you may need to cut the strut tube down in length, and the legth to cut is dictated somewaht by the shock you will be running. If it were me id either collect the parts and wait until everything was together, or instead of making a weld on sleeve just weld on a seat for the sleeve to sit on. making the whole setup easier to change later on. fucken rant that didnt say much ftl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Yeah I see what you mean but I can take measurements for shock length to determine before hand. I just want more adjustment for whatever reason. Putting on and off trailers, differant wheels, fiddling for track, just really want max adjustment and I dont know what height I will rock just yet. I already have a set of adjustables in the car at the mo so I do have a rough idea of where the thread needs to go, the thread on that set up is around 12inch long. Id like to keep the thread in the same place but have it going lower down. I guess differant springs is an option and I wll borrow some springs from UJ for testies. The fact the shocks in it now are way to long dont help much. I have a funny feeling ithas extra long shocks in it at the mo, it was a rally car I think, or at least setup to be one. Cheers Filthy thatd be mint as man. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 tbh bro I think you are trying to make these for the wrong reasons. They are for finetuning of suspension setups, ie raise and lower corners to get optimal corner weights and heights and the ability to easily change spring rates etc. They arent really there to raise it 100mm or so to throw it on a trailer. As fuel said, his has 75mm which is a fair amount for a coilover setup of this style, if you build one with 75mm it should easily cope with changes of wheels and will cover a fairly wide range of slam/anti slam EDIT: I am also making these for the wrong reasons Im just doing it to make epic low, will slam leaf rear hard then just wind the front to suit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Yeah I jus figure If I make some I may as well make em with as much adjustment as I can. The set I used to have in my last escort had the thread right the way to the bottom of the strut. Was handy as you could wind it right down and drop the strut out without having to take top hat out etc. Not that thats a reason to install them. If its easy to make em VERY adjustable then I will, its not going to be much extra effort anyways. Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truenotch Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Agree with Brock-lee here Gaz, having that much adjustment has the potential to be bad for your handling as well. If your shock is at full extension for the max height then slamming it by 50mm will mean the shock will droop a minimum of 50mm (plus extra droop for springs). If you're running a short stroke shock there won't be too much downwards travel available and when slammed the shock wont be working right cause it's already mid stroke. Talk to the Bilstein Motorsport / autolign / Stech in Auckland. They all have experience doing adjustable setups for escorts and know the maths behind what valving will probably suit your application, how much droop you need, what spring rates to use, how much "working stroke" there will be etc etc. Bilsteins are really good shocks - I'd recommend them - but they don't have adjustable valves. Better than an adj valve Koni and around the same price for a pair depending on what you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Nah, I dont think that's the point... Point is that if there's a big amount of adjustment, he could use the struts for having the car slammed with short stroke shocks and hard springs, or if he decides to rally it or something, haha, he could use the same struts with longer stroke shocks, way softer springs, and still have a sweet amount of adjustment either. I cant see the downside to having too much thread on there, apart from a marginal amount of extra weight. Better than not enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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