 Strut mods - raised spindles, coilovers, etc |
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| Aaron Cox |
 Oct 10 2006, 03:03 PM
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#1
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Professional Lawn Dart  Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California  |
PREFACE: I seem to have lots of free time to find things, and some neat ideas in my head... whether feasible or not....
i have a chance to buy a pair of 3.5" spacing struts dirt cheap..... one has a little kink in it and wont let the insert sit fully inside of it.... very small kink...(could it be straightened?) my thinking, i can pop the spindle off (spot welded?), and put it on my 3" struts... and raise the spindle at the same time.... questions... How much can you rasie the spindle with 15" wheels? enuff to matter? or dont even worry about it? i know CFR does the mod to 914 (tapered tube) and 911 (straight) struts.... can this be something any competent machinist and welder do? also... wouldnt take much to throw on a pair of threaded coleman collars on em, and a spring hat and run coilovers.... will a 2.5" OD spring fit without using a wheel spacer to clear the spring? Also.... what kind of reinforcement is required to run coilovers up front? camber boxes are cool, and are probably part of the plan... again, thinking aloud.... more time and money than sense.... i guess |
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| john rogers |
Oct 10 2006, 03:13 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1,525 Joined: 4-March 03 From: Chula Vista CA Member No.: 391 |
Well here are my thoughts: For the kink, I would not trust a straightened tube since the car depends on the front struts pretty heavily and I would not want to have one fail on me. For tube replacement, I think the shops that do it have a jig that locates the spindle 90 degrees pretty close and not just by the eye-ball method. I would imagine a very good fab shop could do it though? Finally for coil overs up front, try to find the picts of a 914 or 911 with the upper mounts replaced with the heavy steel box and that is to handle the load of the spring into the body. I guess it could be done without them but even for street use there would be some pretty heavy loads in the front sheetmetal.
It would make a pretty good winter project though! |
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| Eric_Shea |
Oct 10 2006, 03:23 PM
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#3
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PMB Performance Group: Admin Posts: 19,275 Joined: 3-September 03 From: Salt Lake City, UT Member No.: 1,110 Region Association: Rocky Mountains  |
Somebody found the S Registry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
$75 clams ain't bad... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) |
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| eeyore |
Oct 10 2006, 03:55 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 889 Joined: 8-January 04 From: meridian, id Member No.: 1,533 Region Association: None |
IIRC, you can move the spindle up 10mm - 15mm before things run into 15" rims.
The easiest plan to get 3.5 spindles onto 914-4 housings is to cut the 3.5 tube above and below the spindle collar, then weld that section into the top (threaded cap) and bottom (ball joint) with the appropriate amount of lift/drop that you want. But once you've gone so far as to do all this cutting and welding, Brad would suggest switching to RX-7 strut inserts, which allow even more lowering in the front than stock 914-4 shocks. Popping the spot weld is a little tricky on the boge struts. They have the circle weld on one side and spot weld elsewhere. I simply cut out and destroyed the tubes from some early 911 struts to get the 'M' spindles, then destroyed a set of 914-4 spindles/collars to get the 914-4 tubes. Eventually the two will be combined into a set of additional -2 degree camber struts, + 10mm drop. |
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| Aaron Cox |
Oct 10 2006, 03:58 PM
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#5
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Professional Lawn Dart Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California |
i already have 911 M struts....on the car (5 lug see avatar (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )
these are SC/carerra housings taht i may buy benefit of swapping spindles to the M strut tubes, is you get to keep 914 valved inserts, instead of revalving the carerra ones (valved for a big heavy 911) |
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| Eric_Shea |
Oct 10 2006, 04:08 PM
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#6
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PMB Performance Group: Admin Posts: 19,275 Joined: 3-September 03 From: Salt Lake City, UT Member No.: 1,110 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Those look like Koni struts that you may buy and they look like they're sold (unless you're MW711). I'm supposedly 3rd in line BTW. They look like the old pinch style as well.
I have koni struts on all my vehicles. Both sets with the spindles raised 18mm and 15" wheels. The arm is so close that it knocked off the wheel weights the first time we tried the fit. Had to move the weights. The weld is easy to remove if you have the proper drill but it takes a big one. On Koni's that's the maximum you can raise them. Koni struts have a bump that prevents them fron being raised any further using traditional methods. Again, for $75 clams with the inserts... it's a bargain. Attached image(s) 
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| eeyore |
Oct 10 2006, 04:10 PM
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#7
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 889 Joined: 8-January 04 From: meridian, id Member No.: 1,533 Region Association: None |
My point being that switching from 914-4 to M (3") spindles is the same procedure as switching from M (3") spindles to A (3.5") spindles -- if the OD of the tube, or the ID of the spindle collar is the same.
Are they Bilstein (straight) or Boge struts or the rare Koni struts? See Jeroen's Spindle Raising Thread If they have the same ID as 914-4/ M spindles, then buy them, cut the tube out of them and I'll send you a set of wedge-pin ball joint tubes to use. |
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| Allan |
Oct 10 2006, 04:13 PM
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#8
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Teenerless Weenie Group: Members Posts: 8,373 Joined: 5-July 04 From: Western Mesopotamia Member No.: 2,304 Region Association: Southern California |
What's wrong with the set-up you have? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
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| Aaron Cox |
Oct 10 2006, 04:17 PM
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#9
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Professional Lawn Dart Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California |
guy had em on pelican.. told me 50...
looks like that ship has sailed.... nothing wrong with current setup, just looking for something to do over winter (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) |
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| Eric_Shea |
Oct 10 2006, 04:20 PM
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#10
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PMB Performance Group: Admin Posts: 19,275 Joined: 3-September 03 From: Salt Lake City, UT Member No.: 1,110 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
QUOTE just looking for something to do over winter Plastic Surgery? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) |
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| Allan |
Oct 10 2006, 04:31 PM
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#11
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Teenerless Weenie Group: Members Posts: 8,373 Joined: 5-July 04 From: Western Mesopotamia Member No.: 2,304 Region Association: Southern California |
QUOTE(Eric_Shea @ Oct 10 2006, 03:20 PM)  QUOTE just looking for something to do over winter Plastic Surgery? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) Two words... Penile augmentation (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif) |
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| Aaron Cox |
Oct 10 2006, 04:35 PM
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#12
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Professional Lawn Dart Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California |
yay. the peanut gallery is in....
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| markb |
Oct 10 2006, 04:52 PM
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#13
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914less :( Group: Members Posts: 5,449 Joined: 22-January 03 From: Nipomo, CA Member No.: 180 Region Association: Central California 
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QUOTE(Aaron Cox @ Oct 10 2006, 03:17 PM) . nothing wrong with current setup, just looking for something to do over winter (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) How about something as simple as......DRIVE THE FUCHIN" THING! ? |
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| Brett W |
Oct 10 2006, 05:17 PM
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#14
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,856 Joined: 17-September 03 From: huntsville, al Member No.: 1,169 Region Association: None
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You can use the VW rabbit Koni insert, I believe it is the shortest strut insert that is made. Then you can have reasonable shock travel.
You can't use RX7 struts they have a completely different method of attaching the ball joint. Why not just weld an adapter on the stock flanges to run a 3.5 in caliper? |
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| Brad Roberts |
Oct 10 2006, 05:30 PM
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#15
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914 Freak! Group: Members Posts: 19,148 Joined: 23-December 02 Member No.: 8 Region Association: None |
What I actually said: Koni insert for a RX strut.. "close".. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Stay away from the pinch style if you plan to track the car for any length of time. They are frowned upon in competition use. I wouldnt care on a street car. B |
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| Aaron Cox |
Oct 10 2006, 09:20 PM
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#16
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Professional Lawn Dart Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California |
anythng post 72 has the wedge pin style attachment....
mark - i drive it all the time..... i remember BRANT has shortened housings.... cant remember what he ran for an insert tho... again, just thinking out loud. Coilvers are pretty sick too... camber plates are relatively cheap, and the fabwork to install em looks *fun* to say the least.... so... can you run a 2.25 or a 2.5 ID spring over a boge strut, and not require a spacer to clear the spring? AA |
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| Lou W |
Oct 10 2006, 09:27 PM
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#17
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"Here Kitty Kitty" my ass...... Group: Members Posts: 4,109 Joined: 9-May 04 From: Roseburg, OR. Member No.: 2,039 Region Association: Spain |
QUOTE(Aaron Cox @ Oct 10 2006, 03:17 PM) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) There are no winters in Kalifornia, I guess that Moab trip got you all messed up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) |
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| J P Stein |
Oct 10 2006, 10:00 PM
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#18
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Irrelevant old fart Group: Members Posts: 8,797 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Vancouver, WA Member No.: 45 Region Association: None |
I have a set of 3.5 inch Bilstein struts with inserts that "need some work" for cheep.
They are fairly easy to do raised spindles. You can move the spindles up 3/4 inch with 15 inch wheels. Not hardly worth it for street meat.....specially with your back end being a mile high. I liked the raked look back in the 60s (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) |
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| Aaron Cox |
Oct 10 2006, 10:02 PM
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#19
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Professional Lawn Dart Group: Retired Admin Posts: 24,541 Joined: 1-February 03 From: OC Member No.: 219 Region Association: Southern California |
yeah yeah...
shoulda gone with a 55 series tire for the front.... i need to raise the front or lower the rear still... bilstein struts mean bilstein inserts.... i got koni's now tell me about em anyway LOL you raise your own spindles? |
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| Jeroen |
Oct 11 2006, 04:09 AM
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#20
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 7,887 Joined: 24-December 02 From: The Netherlands Member No.: 3 Region Association: Europe |
is it possible to modify the top of the bilstein struts so they'll take Koni inserts?
or do they need more mods? |
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