Yeah so they're basically a ball joint on the inner fixing, like a stud that would go through a vertical bracket, it then an adjustable length tie rod, with a rose joint the other end which you could bolt onto where the steering arm goes on your hubs. Ideally set them up level at ride height, but you could slot the inner mounts to adjust their height for adjusting or correcting bump steer.

You had any thought about the front end pete?

Subframe etc

I've got some ideas for it Max but it will sort of be make it as I go along lol

So I can do it ad get around problems as they pop up but the bay will be completely different a mixture of smooth and racecar

Cool. I'll be making my own for the coupe too.

But won't be using the same design of the PPS subframe. Which yeah, are OK if you don't want to do any modification to the actual chassis legs etc,

I'll be doing something abit more integral, that actually braces the chassis legs themselves, not "Cupping" the filmsy TCA mounts and bolting to a plastic ARB block.

Think it might entail welding on "eyelets" to the chassis legs, front and back, and then building a frame that bolts to the eyelets, which can then be adjustable for pre-loading etc,

I'm also wanting to do it so the ARB can be kept, but i also get wishbones.

Got some thinking to do!

I'm space framing the front end Max not just sub framing it il be getting rid of the flimsy chassis legs and suspension turrets for a stronger framed engine bay all tied in to the internal cage/frame I've got the basic design in my head and il add to and alter it as I go along

But I will have a subframe underneath too not sure if it will be removable I may link it to the tunnel and rear diff brace so the whole car is a lot more rigid and not just the front welded on if you get me

I aim to do the front frame over crimbo and will also be making a spit for te car to go on so I can do all the underneath properly

Edited 28 November, 201213 yr by StinkyPete

Oh yeah, forgot about the space framing.

Looking forward to seeing it all tbf.

more updates and pictures

so the front compression strut mounts are now all welded in place so i have rear wishbones YAY

just need to sort out the tracking tie rod arm as I'm using front struts on the back but have no steering on the back obviously i need to make some turnbuckle linkages with tie rod one end and a rose joint the other this will stop the hub from steering and i will have full adjustability of toe in/out

hopefully get these made up next week as I'm busy atm getting all my ally bits i need welding made so i can weld them as i only have 2 more weeks of welding at college where i can use a TIG before i end up buying myself one next year

And i am now a level 2 qualified MIG Welder :)

so anyways first up is my fuel rail coming along pretty nicely pic of the tube how it started even though its already above the plain tube will become like the standard fuel rail next to it only BETTERERERERER

so machining pics

drilled

AN6 fuel fitting for SS Teflon hose

finished rail

then starting making the injector seats to be welded onto the fuel rail

just need to face these up at one end and then drill and bore for the injector o ring and they should work with the standard injector clip to keep them in place thats what the groove in the o/d is for

right as i had some tube left over from my inlet plenum about 200mm worth of 5 inch diameter 1/4 wall thickness tube i decided rather than spending £80 odd quid on a fuel swirl pot i would rather make my own and it would be alot cheaper

so the tube was sort of free as i put the cost of it into my inlet even though it would probs of only been a tenner say

i then bought five AN6 weld on ally fittings costing £10 and two 5" ally billets of 10mm length for £10

and heres what happened

just got to weld the ends on this wednesday at college

so a fuel swirl pot with AN6 fittings for £20 bargain and i really enjoy making the stuff too so thats extra fun

also finished off welding the inlet manifold to hold the throttle bodies onto the engine as well now this was a bit of a bit*h to weld as i used the standard afh mani which is cast ally and made some adapter tubes which alter the port shape and the spacing anyways heres pictures

needs some port matching and making look a little prettier and tidying up but it hasnt cost me anything :) and i may at some point make a proper custom ally one that will hold the bodies closer to the head would just need to sort out putting the injector ports into it so would need to make the flange from 20mm thick ally plate

but il look into this after crimbo

also been dooing my top secret inlet plenum cannot wait to finish this its looking so good already i dunno whether to keep it a secret til the car is finished and people see it or put the pics up on here when its done just so fellow CP'ers will see and everyone else can see it at the shows

I'm pretty proud of it and its fully custom made from scratch

anyways more to come over the weekend I'm sure and need to start measuring up the front space frame and I'm going to take out the bolt in door bars and weld in some proper cross braces also i have started lightening the shell lets see how much weight i can lose to counteract the frame

forgot to say I've also started stripping the paintand seem sealer from anywhere i can and am trying to get the misses involved over crimbo her job is paint removal :)

what I've done so far in a little bit of spare time but have removed all the sealer around the bottom seem of inner rear wheel arch

Excellent process mate! Love your machining, top notch!

Spoken to my mate also, he's away in Spain testing with work for a few weeks but he says he's not using his Syncro shafts as is upgrading for a lot of power, I'll be in touch when he's back and hopefully sort something out, was it just the one shaft you were after?

Hey guys thanks

Nick I would be interested in both front syncro shafts as then I know they are definately the right length to match the rear and side to side wheel base/width

Just doing a push to get all my alloy bits welded while I can

Got a few more ideas for custom stuff I'm going to make out of alloy and il get them welded wen I make them after crimbo as I'm sure I could pop back into college for an afternoon to do some more welding

morezzzz updatezzzz

right i bolted the main propshaft in so i could get an idea of where it will sit and just to see where it goes to give me ideas and what i can do

also worked out some lengths of tube i need to start the front space frame and so i can put some proper welded in Door X bars for extra strength and driver/passenger safety as i dont really like the single bolt in door bar and it sits really low

so will be going and getting more of the steel tube tomoz

also got started on the front end too getting it ready

got the front wings off so they will now properly be up for sale (let me know if your interested)

nearly got the rest of the old front panel off and will start making the mountings for the car spit soon

stripped some of the scuttle sound proofing off

no wing

also will be selling my Van pannelled and smoothed boot lid will also be making van panels soon too and will be able to properly spot weld them in for people if they want for a small service charge

hopefully thats enough for now got a few other bits sorted too and will get bits done this week in the evenings but next weekend is a loss for car work as its my bday and I'm in Sheffield going out and partying :)

Coming along. How did you get your front panel of pete? Looks like you took the grinder to it to get rid of the middle section, but how did you seperate it from the chassis legs?

Good progress again mate, you're really cracking on with this now it's good to see!

Still not sorted the garage much hey! Haha :p

i drilled all the spot welds Simon and to get the middle bit out i used my air shears as i try to avoid grinding as much as i can

If you drilled all the welds why cut the panel? I only ask as I need to remove mine

because i welded bits together for bracing ages ago onto the front panel underneath as in my rad brace bar and couldnt get to all the spotwelds at the time i needed to get the front panel out so i just cut it out to get access

i will either be buying a new replacement panel or will get a fibreglass one off Phil J

Cool. So would it be easy enough to drill a standard one off?

yeah i would of thought so need the front end jacked up though as some of the spotwelds are on a lip near the bottom of the front and it attaches it to the radiator cross panel if you get me just patience and alot of careful drilling

Sound. Need to do that soon

need help so anyone reading this can you give your opinion i also posted in the engine section

Hey guys I'm about to make my new thermostat housing/ water distributor for the turbo build

basically i have 2 ideas on how to make it i have pics and will give a quick description and i would like you turbo guys help on which idea would be best

so the standard thermostat housing looks like this

Flow out of the head to the rad and flow from rad to block/waterpump

when the thermostat is shut flow is diverted down the small tube straight back to the block so there is still water flow around head and block until water upto temp

now heres my Idea 1

basically the same as standard but with a feed from the head flow to the turbo and then the turbo return goes back into the return to block pipe

now my problem with this idea is it may not give the turbo alot of water flow

Idea 2

basically the same as idea one but with the little connection pipe taken out so while the thermostat is closed water has to flow around the turbo to circulate around the head and the block thus giving the turbo a constant flow of water

i would like pros and cons of both ideas please and thanks

What I'm wondering is about the flow of water... Is it harder to force water through a radiator than it is to force it through the housing of the turbo? If so, the water pump will be pulling the water in circulation from the turbo, to the engine, then back to the turbo, with little of the water being cooled by the radiator.

I'm not saying I know what i'm talking about, for all I know there could be a higher flow through the radiator than that of the turbo. But it's something you could think about anyway.

My solution to this possible problem would be to create a closed circuit, in which the cooling water has to flow from radiator to engine to turbo and then back to the radiator.

more work done

well i finished the injector seats for the fuel rail and i had that welded last night

no pictures of it welded and completed yet i had to leave it at college to cool same with my inlet plenum thats now nearly finished :) pictures next week

so this week i also started ripping out the steering column bracketing as i will no longer need it

now is it left or right hand drive :0

Fuel swirl pot is now finished i welded the end caps on last night and i think i did a pretty good job tbh

then tonight i cut the rest of the tunnel out ready for the remodel and also cut a bit more of the floor out

more to come next week as i now have the steel to start the front spaceframe and do some of the last major bracing in the back my aim is to have the rolling chassis practically finished by after crimbo

and just wondering who knocked me down to 3 stars on the ratings thing :(

Good progress, the alloy welding look ok too to say how extremely difficult it is when your first learning etc.

I always thought of it like trying to stick to marshmallows (SP) together with a blow torch!

Good work

Just gave 5 so its back up to 4 :) Cracking work, why you not using the original steering rack mounts?