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Thread: Fabricating new front uprights for the modified Manta front suspension

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    Champion Member Blueovalz's Avatar
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    Fabricating new front uprights for the modified Manta suspension - Part I

    Currently I'm using the early Corvette C4 front uprights (there are two versions, the latter of which is about 1" taller (too tall for 16" wheels) than the earlier version). They function very well, but I cannot leave well enough alone. One of the things I'd like to improve upon is the scrub radius and "feel" being I'm using a high ratio, manual, steering rack. So I'm trying to build an upright that reduces the kingpin angle and simultaneously reduces the scrub radius. I've got constraints such as caliper to wheel, as well as monoball to rotor clearances that makes this more difficult. I'm taking two approaches to this. First was a sheet-metal fabrication using monoballs on top and bottom. The second approach, which I started on this week, was to machine these out of solid aluminum. Surprisingly, this steel piece only weighs about 1/2 lb more than the C4 aluminum ones I'm currently using.



    Using a 1" monoball on the bottom (right in this photo below), and a 7/8" on top. The bottom one has an extraordinarily large ball diameter to ensure reliability and prevent pull-through being this is supporting the corner-weight. I could probably get away with 3/4" and 1/2" if this was strictly racing only, but I've got to keep safety in mind being this is a street car. I'm using high-misalignment bushing made just for these monoballs (FK uniball to be more accurate), which allows me to use grade 8 bolts to secure the monoballs onto the ends of the upright.





    Will continue to use the C4 early upright wheel hub due to the rotor, caliper, wheel, upright interference issues if I change any of these pieces.





    Made the upright as tall as possible for camber-gain benefits. Thus it's taller than the C4 upright, but still fits within the wheel shell. The cylinder that cups the lower monoball resides about 3/8" of the side of the rotor. I've determined that the upper monoball must be canted 8º to ensure full angular capability for the upper monoball during full suspension travel.

    Last edited by Blueovalz; 03-30-2016 at 12:38 PM.

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