Homebuilt coilover system

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Jan 15, 2011 | 05:40 PM

#21

musnicki

3rd Gear Member

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 959

From: Bangkok, Thailand

I'm trolling this topic as well. Keep us posted, more pictures.

Amazing work btw.

The link below goes to my facebook where I have some pictures of my front coils if you need some refrences. Let me know if you need me to take pictures of any particular area. I'm humbled by your work, I paid an arm and leg for mine.

James

Jan 15, 2011 | 07:15 PM

#22

Thread Starter

5th Gear Member

Joined: Jun 2005

Posts: 2,258

From: So. California

James/musnicki

Your link just brings me to facebook.com. It does not bring me to your page.

I got my shocks in yesterday and mocked them up. Ill try to do some welding this weekend and Im still waiting for the chromoly hex bar to show up for my UCA. Other than that I should be able to bolt it all up this week. Ill post detailed pics when I do the final installation. After that Ill try and break something by driving the bejesus out of it!

Jan 15, 2011 | 11:27 PM

#23

F15Falcon

1st Gear Member

Joined: Apr 2010

Posts: 67

From: Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregski

So you're using MIG and not TIG?

There is no strength advantage to using TIG over MIG.

Jan 15, 2011 | 11:51 PM

#24

F15Falcon

1st Gear Member

Joined: Apr 2010

Posts: 67

From: Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by eZ

I did consider this intially but if you look at the design of the original LCA it is not a straight line. Also How would you attach the sway bar to the afco? also the ball joint would set at the wrong angle on the afco, probably run into a binding issue. Just seemed really easy to make a bolt on mount.

These are a couple of pics of the tubular lower control arms I build for Mustangs and Falcons. Very similar to the AFCO units but I use 1 1/4" x .120" wall round tubing. For applications with a sway bar, I slug right through the tubing with a piece of 1/2" O.D. tubing to bolt the sway bar end link to. I also incorporate an adjustable strut rod as well:

Jan 16, 2011 | 12:36 AM

#25

Thread Starter

5th Gear Member

Joined: Jun 2005

Posts: 2,258

From: So. California

F15- Nice simple design on that strut rod. I was lazier and drilled a hole through the frame rail. I wanted to do it this way so that it would not shorten the arc of the strut rod. Im going to do away with the misalignment spacers and do a solid spacer all the way accross.

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Jan 16, 2011 | 10:34 AM

#26

Norm Peterson

6th Gear Member

Joined: Feb 2007

Posts: 7,635

From: state of confusion

Quote:

Originally Posted by eZ

. . . why do we pay upwards of $500 for tubular control arms while circle track and offroad guys pay about $100?.

Because most people don't look outside sources that say "Mustang" or "Ford" or the various sponsors of this and other Mustang forums. Good to see some out of the box thinking and DIY fabrication going on here.

Looking at sources like circle track racing supply houses is frequently a good, solid option, but I think you do have to be looking at your project more like the old-time hotrodders did than like the new breed of "checkbook car builders" seem to.

Sometimes, you might even have to consider modifying the part before installing it, or figuring out what else has to be changed. That's a problem for some folks.

(That said, the use of circle track upper arms is somewhat more widely known over on the boards that cater to the 1978 - 1987 GM intermediates; don't know why it seems to be such a secret here.)

Norm

Last edited by Norm Peterson; Jan 16, 2011 at 10:40 AM.

Jan 18, 2011 | 06:07 PM

#27

Thread Starter

5th Gear Member

Joined: Jun 2005

Posts: 2,258

From: So. California

A little update...

Finished welding and boxing in the upper and lower mount. Turned out really well. No binding throughout the suspension travel. Im finishing up the upper control arm mount then that should be it!