modified struts & suspension

thanks jumbo for the very nice compliment. I am a bit of a sick person when it comes to my cars & I guess I get pretty involved with altering my rides because it is something that I really enjoy doing & it's probably a much higher priority for myself than most would set as priorities for there own cars too I guess. I do enjoy sharing my mods here but don't want to look like I'm showing off or bragging either, I just really enjoy sharing & showing how I did things so others can maybe benefit from it, & it is also nice to see others appreciate my work too no doubt.

I agree 100% that if I wanted the best handling car possible then there are surely more appropriate cars out there, but I wouldn't trade my fx for any of them, I love my fx & yeah, I do want to try & make it even better suited for my own use, I too don't intend on building it to the point that it is uncomfortable or unusable as a luxury car & a daily driver, but I am willing to make some compromises to get it to lean more towards the performance end of things... I've always been the type that wants it all... my name of turbocad6 came from a cadillac that I built with a v6 grand national turbo setup, because I wanted it all, I wanted a fast car that performs well, but I also wanted the luxury & comfort of a cadillac over say a camaro or a mustang, which may have been easier if performance was my only goal... the grand national v6 turbo engine was choosen because of the power it could make while still being a perfectly tame & civilized driver, as opposed to just stuffing a big block in there... it's all a balance & a matter of compromise in the end really, & to try & make it be as good as it can be, without loosing the other qualities that also make it good in the process...
 
Okay-I read the whole thread. It got deep, like to the point where I didn't understand some of the suspension bits but I stayed the course. NOW I am left with ONE burning question-How the hell did the CAD/GN hybrid turn out?
 
turbocad6 said:
thanks jumbo for the very nice compliment. I am a bit of a sick person when it comes to my cars & I guess I get pretty involved with altering my rides because it is something that I really enjoy doing & it's probably a much higher priority for myself than most would set as priorities for there own cars too I guess. .
Click to expand...

You are welcome and I totally agree. Everybody has the things that interests them. I'm just glad the FX interests you. It's sorta like having a ringer on your team, you know? I know I get exactly what it is you intend for me to get - I have never once thought any of the guys that have serious mods are bragging. And please continue with the nice, detailed write-ups. Most of the time that's all I need to go tackle something myself. But enough with the kumbaya! IMO you should MOD ON, FTW!
 
I totally agree with jumbosrule .... thats really what I wanted to say in my earlier post. :)

-----------------
as for my front struts.... I dropped them off today at a 4x4 shop. the owner told me it will be ready by Sat. I went with 1/4 metal plates and longer bolts.

hopefully I will have time this weekend for the install....

also a quick question on H&R, I didnt put them in, but I will be doing this install. Will I need to get a spring compressor on the H&Rs ? (I can rent one from Auto parts store)
 
Logan said:
Okay-I read the whole thread. It got deep, like to the point where I didn't understand some of the suspension bits but I stayed the course. NOW I am left with ONE burning question-How the hell did the CAD/GN hybrid turn out?
Click to expand...



ha, so that's the one burning question? turbocad? :shy:... well, it was a great car, it had everything, a beautiful custom updated body, nice big for the time 17" billet wheels, a kickin system, a great drivetrain that was bullet proof, towards the end a full steel tilt nose that pops off with 2 pins like a pro stocker, but an all out sleeper too, everything was pretty much hidden, even the roll bar was pretty hidden & I used to have a trailer hitch to hide the exhaust & the fuel sump & the braided fuel lines & stuff. used to drive to the track with her at least once a week for quite a few summers, beat the hell out of her & beat up on some trailered cars even, then drive her home,

she also had my first carpc install with a 10" crt monitor in the dash & a bunch of other custom stuff, wow, that was like 14 years ago already since I last drove her, figures, my kid is 13, guess I retired her when my wife got pregnant. was a great car & had a whole lot of good times with her. still have it, pulled it out of storage a few years ago, got a few pictures & stuff about that car here:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show-off-your-project/57254-turbocad6-origin-win-3-11-dos.html

only have very few original pictures of her from back in the day, wasn't big into pictures of my stuff back then really, not much reason to back then, no places to share them back then though like there is now I guess. heres one of her at the line just starting a burnout:

39406d1170120333-turbocad6-origin-win-3-11-dos-mail0001.jpg


& heres a cropped one of her that I found on an old pc hardrive, towing my other racecar at the time, she also did duty as my tow car for a while at times & it was a lot of fun to beat other guys racecars with my tow car:tongue::

39407d1170120687-turbocad6-origin-win-3-11-dos-turbotow.jpg





still have this car & will someday restore & update her, don't ask when, I have no idea:tongue:


alan, I think I mentioned before that the holes should be the same size as the original holes were & that the inside area of these holes must sit flat directly around the perimeter of these 2 holes for proper tightening to the knuckle, you mention longer bolts, just saying this again so the guy doesn't just put the plates on top of the existing plates, then it may not sit flat enough to the knuckle to avoid movement. do you know for sure you'll need longer bolts? woulda thought the originals would be long enough?, although it might be a good idea to pick up a set of camber bolts for the install & alignment too. yes, you will def need a spring compressor to install the H&R spring to the strut
 
Last edited:
I got longer bolts just in case, I am adding 1/2 inch of steel (also 2 washers and a lock washer per bolt)
its going to lay flat , the sides will be grinded down, adding metal to the extra part up top, I thought about camber bolts, but I wasnt sure if the length would be right.


----------
nice photos!
 
Last edited:
What a kick in the ass, the total sleeper car. I really appreciate seeing an enthusiast in anything (especially cars) take the leap and just make it happen. Thanks for sharing the photos. I wish I had kept some of my old cars, the money I got for them wouldn't buy a good stereo system and now I couldn't afford them unless I took a second mortgage on my house. Like I said a lot of the suspension thread is over my head BUT there is solid information to be gained from people like yourself and some of the bits and pieces are useful to people like myself who don't wrench as much as they used to but still get a rush out of building something unique (even if someone else is doing the heavy work) Keep writing, I'll keep reading......
 
I thought I posted a reply here yesterday but I guess not?

I did contradict what I was saying. What I was saying was that, to resist the body roll swaybars and stiffer springs would work. On the other hand, I was saying that I thought the rear was too stiff causing the hopping around.

I didn't realize it wasn't a beam. I guess I should reserve judgement and posting any further here until I look at and understand the rear of the FX. I've just never had any need to understand any more than what's necessary for an oil change.

The FX hopped over that bump (it was coming off the front straight and not going onto it btw) the same as my SE-R used to. But now that I think about it, that was with a crappy suspension that was great at the time and had much lower spring rates. As you say, by cutting the coil in the front, you've raised the rates up there while leaving the rears lower which isn't good for handling. The rears should almost always be at least slightly higher than the fronts.

In terms of understeer, I didn't notice any more than normal for how hard I was pushing your FX

You definitely know what you're talking about in terms of cutting coils. I'd be real concerned about the hacks that just want to do it to lower the car not knowing what it's going to do to ride comfort and even safety!

It makes me wish I hadn't been so tired and actually took my FX out on the track to give you some feedback as to how your FX handled vs mine :(

I still hope to go through this thread and read everything and respond to some of this stuff. I guess I have some learning to do first about what our FX has in the rear.

Oh and the best way to get faster than the E30 M3 is to come to more track events and actually do them. Practice makes perfect... register for some track events so you can get some seat time. No more of that sissy hyperdrive sh*t ;)
 
guys, I'm sorry if I sometimes get too technical, but I'd rather do that so at least the people that do understand some of the technical aspects can review my thoughts behind the theories & understand why I may approach certain things certain ways, & maybe give some input too, maybe even debate some of my theories or conclusions, or add questions to clarify things, more info can lead to more input I guess. I'd rather include all the data than just pieces that would still leave questions unanswered...

also I think it's better to disclose everything rather than just saying "do this, trust me it'll work" :tongue:

don't worry though, I will wind up just giving a summary of just what to do to get what drop, & how low you can go depending on weather you want to cut a spring or not & depending on what tire diameter your using. I'll make a simple summary & a guide to follow for lowering the fx that has no technical stuff & easy for anyone to follow & then with that I'll then just say "trust me, it'll work" :biggrin:

this thread was a spin off from the drop thread & winded up becoming the development thread & all the technical stuff was necissary to me... I'l do a simple chart type thread that just says do this for this drop, & this thread will serve to just backup the data of that thread
 
Yo TC, this thread was/is a kick in the ass, racing and higher performance fabrication makes for better quality cars. What you are doing gives the broader audience an opportunity to decide what they can afford and where they want to go in terms of modifications. I also think getting your thoughts down on "paper" helps to clarify your path, that and additional input from readers who are also at the same level.....uhhh when it comes to suspension that's not me........
 
What I have to say on the topic of the GTspec and understeer. There is a turn onto my street, left turn if it matters, and I sometimes like to take it at a brisk pace if there aren't any cars or obstacles around. I have done it many times with/without the GTspec. However, I have only done it once with the full set, once the front had been completely finished. With this one turn, I did a decently hard turn in, and was surprised at how well the front followed the path, with the rear swinging out a tad as usual. It was noticeable how there was a lack of understeer and the FX handled better overall. I remember feeling pleasantly surprised at how much better the front gripped.
 
got the front strut in, but what a PITA the sway bar link bolt was. I think the guy who put on my springs used the impact to tighten it. I had to cut it off ... grrrr. luckily I had a dremel with a HD cutoff wheel, I also lucked out again to find a replacement nut in my toolbox of import screws, bolts, nuts etc (came off a rx2 teardown) :tup:

I will do some measuring and pics tomorrow....

---------- Post added at 12:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 AM ----------
turbocad6 said:
yeah, those struts look great :smile: nice grade 8 bolts too
Click to expand...

we know some things in Cali :wink:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top