It's all your fault!, I need to quit reading upgrade threads.. Options

[SpecialK]

That's right! It's all your fault! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/finger.gif) Anyone posting pics of their 5-lug converted 914 sporting polished Fuchs/Phone dials/Cookie Cutters/Boxster wheels....you're all guilty! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ar15.gif)

Well now my 16" BBS's (you're fault again (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif) ) will fit! And as an added bonus, I get the pleasure of rebuilding yet another set of calipers (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif) .....but this time "M". (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wub.gif)

Okay.....I feel better. Now a question:

Assuming that the 911 (in this case a '70 911T, the entire front suspension is hiding in the box somewhere), and a 914 are "interchangable", are they interchangable enough for me to use bits of my freshly restored 914 suspension (stripped, POR'ed, all new bushings, bearings, torsion bars [21mm], ball-joints, strut inserts, etc...), or would it be wiser to just keep all of the 911 front-end components together (after a restoration (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/type.gif) [me ordering more ospho and POR]), and install the entire 911 suspension? It wouldn't be a total wash on all of the time, money and labor I've put into the '73's suspension, my '74 would love to have it, I'm just wanting to get it done in my lifetime (which will likely never happen if I keep checking out other people's "resto" threads (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif) ).

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif)

[eeyore]

Disclaimer: This I all what I 'figure' is the deal, I'm guessing mostly.

I think the self-aligning rear strut mounts (they are actually the rearmost front a-arm bushing collar, right?) are for solid non-stock / non-rubber bushings -- a la Mueller and Elephant PolyBronze.

The stock bushing collars have that 'U' section that fills the inside of the crossmember. Using the stock bushing collar with a solid non-rubber bushing could possibly cause the axis of the a-arm to be more parallel to the ground instead of parallel to the bottom of the trunk (red lines).

This was not a problem with stock rubber bushings because they deflect enough, and don't really bind anyway (or are permantently bound, depending how you look at it.)

I think Elephants earlier version of the bushings were solid (no 'Poly'?) and a number of users had issue with the stock collar and solid bushings had problems where the front end of the a-arm pointed down too much.

By shortening the 'U' section and tossing in rubber grommets, there is more vertical freeplay to get the front end of the a-arm bolted to the bottom of the car without binding up on the solid bushings (green lines).

I'm guessing that they aren't as necessary if you use the newer Polybronze bushings. The 'Poly' part should allow the enough deflection inside the collar while still allowing proper alignment between the bronze and steel races of the bushing itself.

I'm going to try installing my Poly-bronze bushings without the self-aligning collar.