Last Chance To Stop Me: Going Coilovers?

[madkaw]

To answer your PM- I do run a prop valve by the console with much bias towards the front brakes. I have 2 pot rears . I replaced a lot of my hard lines but I placed them in the same place .

[oranngetang]

Front drivers suspension is installed AND... rim doesn't clear knuckle!!! Surprise, surprise... I must have ****ed up!

[madkaw]

That sucks-

so much a grinder wouldn't fix?

[oranngetang]

Well, it's hitting without the studs even clearing the bolting surface of the wheel, so pretty much not even close. It is more specifically the tie rod end ball joint that is hitting. I went with AZC shorter knuckles, so maybe it's that spacer that is causing the geometry issue. I don't think a 16" 0 offset would even fit at this point.

Furthermore, the calipers are pretty much touching too... Can't honestly tell if they'd clear. Will need to remove the tie rod end, and see if the rim will clear the wheels and springs. If so, maybe I'll run factory knuckles. If not, I don't see any other option than spacers. If I need to run flares I'm going to loose my mind. $3000 of suspension to solve that problem and still at square one. I'll post pics in a bit. At work...

[oranngetang]

Why I didn't try and take a photo of the knuckle to rim clearance... whatever I was tired! I doubt I'll be home for a few days. Will hack and slash the other side and get everything installed and start measuring out spacers I suppose...

Is there something I obviously assembled incorrectly here? These knuckles are shorter than stock, it must just be the offset and raised wheel hub position that is causing this.

And for those that will feel the need to say my camber plates are on the wrong side of the towers.... I'm well aware.

Edited June 23, 2014 by oranngetang

[oranngetang]

Looking at these pics, and given my level of frustration I may have even missed that the hub doesn't clear the wheel. Looks that way at least... Maybe I have the wrong wheels!

[oranngetang]

A bad wheel size choice for sure. Waiting on 1" adapters to show up so I can roll this thing outside and clean out the garage. I'm hoping 1/4' spacer will clear the calipers front and rear. More than likely going to sell the wheels off or modify the knuckles to allow the tie-rod to sit inside the rim.

Rear suspension is in and so is the diff... I love how easy it is to set the ride height on these. Camber adjustment isn't much, but hopefully enough for the alignment guys.

[oranngetang]

Well, after eagerly awaiting 1" spacers, they worked. Decent tie-rod end and caliper clearance. Here is the stance of a GC kit on 1970' strut housings. Too-low in my oppinion. There is a threaded perch support with roughly 4 inches of vertical adjustment and this is photo is taken with them two threads BEYOND the HIGHEST possible setting. GC didn't of course supply any drilling, mounting or otherwise instructions, so I kind of went at this with imagination. I do now have their installation cutout sketch, and it's exactly what I did. No mention of whether the plates go above or below in the instructions, or dampener adjustment, or spring adjustment, or anything at all really. They supplied reinforced mounting hardware, so I'd assume the pretty plates go above and would now be fine, but after 3 consecutive emails asking this question the response was NO!... Brutal design. Seriously, include a bottom plate to take the load. These plates look like **** under the towers.

With that said, I did mount the camber plates above the tower for now, so theoretically, you'd gain ~3/8" having them underneath, OR, the two threads I've exceeded... So, IMO they totally ****ed up with their plate support design and length of which they built the struts to.

Luckily, I have adjustable control arms, so I was able to max out the tie-rod adjustment and move the axle line aft by about 3/4", which allows the tires to clear the fenders without rolling, while dramatically messing with my caster angle. I don't imagine once two people are sitting in this car, with a full fuel tank and driving forces applied that they'll not rub, or worse...

A pretty unsatisfied customer at this point. Butchering Series I towers for a ride-height adjustable suspension system that isn't adjustable in height unless you're looking to remove the fenders and drag the crossmember down the road.

...

[oranngetang]

How much height adjustability did your GC kit leave you?

[Zed Head]

Tried to stop you....

 

The GC site says 0 to 2.5 inch range of change.  Something seems off unless the Eibach springs alone start at a lower point.  Since you have the adjustable part, maybe a different set of springs, taller, will get you where you want to be.

 

I don't see the big aluminum UFO looking things at the tops of the springs in your pictures of the kit, above, Post #41 .  Are they replaced with the camber pieces?  That looks like ~ 1.5" right there.

 

http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=62/CA=27

 

 

The ad copy seems to imply that the camber plates are for stock springs.  Maybe just a big oversight on GC's part, two independently designed products.  They don't even show the coilover kit as a related item on the web page, or vice versa.  Just a T-shirt.

 

http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=151/CA=191

[oranngetang]

True enough. I feel like I should have just sent you a PM, with a list of what I wanted out of the car and just did that

 

AFIAK the UFOs are for a factory insulator mount. The pillow balls and camber plates work together when you opt out of the factory mounts. I purchased the full package, sectioned strut housings, with inserts, springs, camber plates, etc. powder coated and installed.

 

I think a taller spring may work, but I can't get any answers out of them. I'll need to call one of these days when I have the time to sit down with a list of questions and a pen and paper. I think we've exchanged about a 8 e-mails so far and I've gotten ZERO POINT ZERO information other than it appears they shipped what was on the invoice. Sure, whatever, but is whats on the invoice what I ordered?

 

I hope to resolve this with them but up to this point, some of the worst customer service I've experienced anywhere.

 

Basically I need a taller spring, or a taller perch ring. I feel the bodies were cut too short and that's their mistake, but maybe thats how they're all done and the height is made up elsewhere. It stil makes no sense to have the adjustable shafts where they are. The car is too low on the heighest setting. Why would I lower it another 4"? To plow roads?

[John Coffey]

Looks like your strut tubes were shortened too much for your application and a taller spring won't help if the shocks are fully extended.  Its all documented here:

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/38589-strut-sectioning-faq/