And the pics just keep "Rollin" in. (punn intended) This are pics were taken from the Goodguys Online Magazine Get access here. http://www.icloudmobilemedia.com/t/24816 I gunna need a bigger bar. This is a fast smooth turn. This is a slower tight turn.
I could almost swear that I see the front twist in your chassis a bit more than the rear. Of course this bar should really help you out.. but what about other chassis mod's being used here too? BTW, I've been stalking info and pic's of your car for some time now. Pretty close to what "look" I'm after too. I'll eventually have some mod's and even parts that you may be interested in as well.
yeah.. but I was referring to chassis flex from the rear forward. Damned unibody's! Gotta love em' cause they're light.. but hate em' cause they're cheap and flimsy. LOL I bet a backseat firewall brace would help a great deal there too. Not to mention that car is a prime candidate for a nice cage if not already equipped.
Thanks Monte Carlo bar, strut tower supports, and subframe connector system. Not the best for building torsional stiffness But something like this just isnt in the budget.
Nice setup for sure but you're right. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. maybe do something like this to avoid major mod's and keep the stock look. http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1101_ford_mustang_convertible_conversion/photo_10.html I have many other links to custom mod's in that area too but would need to dig a bit to find them. But from the looks of that rear setup.. you have more issue up by the fron a-pillars than rearwards so I'd concentrae the effort there. That rear firewall mod is surely easy and cheap in the scheme of things and sure wouldn't hurt though.
Thats the second time I've seen those vert mods this week. Definately some good ideas there. However... If I keep pushing the pace the way I am, Im going to be needing a roll bar anyway. Might as well save the weight and just go with the 8-point roll bar. I need to do some torque box work to help the front end still but thats in the plans already. Got any links for additional front end stiffening without adding extra weight? I dont want to go to a full halo roll cage. So I need some tricks tie the front end to the rest of the car. Otherwise the week spot will still be in the fire wall toque box area.
Keep in mind that the vert mod's were designed to be cheap and light in the first place. After all.. this is Ford we're talking about here. lol I myself would not leave that fairly large stone unturned since it really does add b-pillar strength with less than 10 lbs of sheetmetal. You can even drill holes in it to reduce weight without losing all the strength. As for the possibility of doing these mod's without added metal and the associated weight?.. I don't really think it can be done. We as "econo-builders"(no offense to the thousands you've got into your car).. generally just need to work from the most effective solutions which add the most rigidity with good bang for buck and weight gain minimization(such as the cage would give you all in one fell swoop).. the next harder and usually more expensive ones that add more weight to the platform. Personally speaking.. I like gusseting the hell out of everything in high-load area's and plan on using about 30 lbs of steel at various points to accomplish just that without having to get real fancy. About the worst of my mod's(aside from cutting my front towers further back than most who run coil-over's) will be cutting through the rear floorboards to tie the front to rear framerails together with a recesssed section of full box(albeit with a slight interior intrusion for rear passengers). Also never underestimate the increased rigidity to be gained from using chromemoly sheetmetal over the regular stuff. Pretty easy to choose the next thickness or two down from what you would normally use to save some weight without sacrificing any strength in the process. Cost's about 40% more.. but you get that expense returned in overall weight savings in the end. I have studied some of the more exotic slotions such as double firewalls, structural foam used in various semi-closed box's/rails, carbon fiber, and even combinations of all those before.. but it get's crazy complicated and expensive when we start trying to use aircraft/aerospace industry mod's like those. Think "no cost too great kit car's, airplanes, and boats" when you start getting that serious. I'll dig later on this eve when I have more time to get more linky's for you to read. There are also many good chassis building books online as well and some aspects carry over to unibody construction. And I have a few that are somewhere in the garage or shop that I can dig for too.
things must have changed with Addco some over the years, they made me a set of 1 1/8 front and 7/8 rear bars about 15 years ago, and never demanded a min. run. and for what ever my opinion is worth (nothing), for the set up I ran, those bars were perfect. we have video of the car on a road course coming off a long sweeper into a series of switch backs with virtually no body roll, and smoke seeping off off all 4 tires when we played it back in slow motion. unfortunately the video is on a vhs format and I've never had it transfered yet...maybe someday. sorry to interrupt, please carry on.
Thanks for bringing this thread back up. That video would be pretty cool to see. Yours was the Maroon Mav wasnt it? They are not demanding a minimum run. Im just being cheap. The single bar price is a little on the high side for me. After seeing sooo many threads about sway bar options over the years, I thought I would open it up for the rest of the group. We are stalled at 9 with a couple of them being maybe's. So really only have 6 definates. GrabberGT Schroensr 71Mavrk (maybe) Bryant GRoberts101 Fastback86 Mashori Bryant-friend (maybe) Streetrod77
Chris, I'm still in that maybe column. I would still like to hear if they will do an upgraded rear bar, if it is necessary, and if they will do a package deal for those of us who need both bars. I dont want to get in the middle of what ever dealings you have going unless you want me to call. Just let me know who to talk to. The price they were quoting you for the front, did that include all the mounting hardware? Thanks again for your work.
Im waiting on a call back. I'll let you know. I did ask about mounting hardware, specifically the 1-1/8th frame mounts. He said yes. Im not sure about the end links though.
Just a quick update... Engineer called back and said this would come with all hardware including new heim joint style end links for adjustabillity. He's going to do some computing to see exacly how much rear bar would be needed to keep a nuetral steer for a standard maverick using this larger bar. He can make us a package price if we like. More info to come.
