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Spider Veloce from 1985 - 8 |
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| * Last we left this, I was working on the front end. I ended going with a set of Afco upper control arms. These allowed the the size I was looking for along with the threaded ring I needed tfor the balljoints. * The balljoints I'm using are Afco 20034 Threaded joints. * This combination of balljoint and upper control arm let me convert the strut-type Mustang GT spindle to an control arm version. The spindle plates I chose where from factory five racing. * However, the plates needed to be csutomized for the way I was going to use them (second set of holes). |
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| * Combined, this is what the unit looks like on the bench. * In order to make all this happen, I had to build the top mount for the upper control arm. To do this, I also wanted to add the adjustability for camber and caster changes. For the upper, I started with a peice of 4"x2"x0.125 A36. * Mocked up with the adjuster blocks. * I marked off the excess of the front cross member and cut that back. |
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| * Of course, this area of the frame is not flat, so I started out by spot welding the assembly into place. * Then I welded the adjuster sections in. * Then I started to cut filets and size and fit them into place. This would make for a very strong section. * This is after roughing everything in but before any grinding etc. |
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| * And here it is with the upper set in place. * This is prior to capping etc - For anyone curious about the welds look inside the 2x4". You can also see the lower balljoint in this pic - More to come. |
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Day 22 was very frustrating! |
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| * The new lower control arms started life as Granatelli tubular lowers. I found them while looking through a Jegs catalog and they turned out to be just the ticket since the length was what I needed. * They are very nice pieces but I had one problem - They were designed to work with the Mustang spindle, BUT, they had the wrond angle at the balljoint. * The are made correctly for a Mustang, but when you consider the angle of the suspension as it will be in the Alfa, the pivot anle of the balljoint is reversed of what I need it to be. "Not a big deal" I hear you say - Pull the ball joint and reverse it... Only one problem with that idea - The balljoints are pressed into a tapered hole - You can't just flip it over. * So..... By hand, and very carefully, I had to cut the ring out and re-weld everything after flipping them over. This is further complicated by the fact that If I get the initial cuts wrong, I will have ruined a set of lowers. |
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| * I couldn't use a band saw because it was a compound angle, so I resorted to the old standby. * And here is what a brand-new set of lowers looks like when you cut them apart. * ..... * After a *ton* of time fitting, grinding, swearing, grinding, swearing and fitting, I got them where I wanted them (almost ready to weld). |
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| * After welding (before painting) dummying them back up into the car. * Now consider this quandry... The control arms, come hell or high water, must be mounted in one, precise, exact spot. Not any further inboard, outboard or starboard or any other kind of board. I can't just throw them in - I can only put them one place. To do this, I've devised a way to mount them via a 2"x0.125 tube that intersects (all the way through) the frame. In this picture you can see the front hole. * Now picture the new peices going all the way through the holes with dog-ear mounts hanging down to meet up with the precise final mounting point for the lower control arms. I am currently working on finishing the exact holes - Once that is done, the lower 2" pieces go in, the tabs get welded on and the next thing you know, it will be rolling. Some of the delay (2 or 3 weeks worth anyway) has been from not knowing what the hell to do - Up until I came up with the 2" tube concept, I tried/prototyped probably 5 other ways to solve it, with none being a good solution. When I hit upon the 2" idea, it was like a lightbulb going on - "Hey dummy, that'd be strong, solid and straightforward to do"... Duh!. |
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Today I wanted to get the front end closer to rolling on its own. To do this, I have to make the lower suspension. Previously, I had made the cuts in the front crossmember to slide 2 2" tubes through to act as the lower attach point for the lower control arms. This is very tricky since the location of the tubes decides where the lower balljoint lands, and there is ZERO adjustment here, so I wanted to take my time. |
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| * Looking from the drivers floor pan you can see a pretty big gap - This is due to needing to grind it out to get the tube in the exact right spot (read: I flubbed the initial hole - Hmmm, that doesn't happen often ). * This is from the center of the frame looking forward. * The original crossmember also had a flange that needed to be removed. Here you can see where I've marked it for cutting. * Also, the remainder of the crossmember had only roughly been cut. I wanted to get this closer to what the end result would be - Here is before (notice the hard edges coming down). |
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| * To make the cuts on the cross member, I created a template from welding wire to cut out a piece of plate to act as the cutting template. * Then I used the plasma cutter to make the template. * ....and cut out the cross member. * After cutting and grinding the flange, this is the rough result. |
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| * Then it was on to making the dog-ear flanges for the lower control arms. To make these, I started with a piece of sheet steel and made a template. * Using this, I carefully cut out a 1/8" thick piece. I had to do this because I'd becutting out 8 of these and I needed a more durable template then the sheet steel. * Fromm here, I had to modify it to be the exact shape and size minus the offset of the plasma cutter. * And yes, the badnsaw was even used. |
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| * The finished template was then used to make 8 copies. * These were then clamped and finished on the grinder (4 at a time). * Then they were drilled (on the new drill press ). * I then fitted them up for welding. I could only do the back mounts on each side on the table since I'd have to slide the tube in before doing the front pices. |
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| * Here's a shot of TIG'ing them together - It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? * And here is on finished (don't mind the sloppy weld on the far side - Please ingore that and move on ). * And FINALLY, the lower control arm being bolted in. * This is all for rough fitting prior to final welding of the 2" tube (the only way I could locate it was to put the wheel on). |
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| * Here it is (for the FIRST time!!!) with the Spider holding it's own front suspension (nothin up my sleeve!). * And from the inside. * Here she is with the wheel on and a block under the wheel to hold it at ride height (drum roll please ). * Here it is from the inside. Note that there hasn't been any finish grinding etc - This is all about getting the mechanical pieces together first. |
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| * And from the front. If you refer back to my drawing of the front suspension, this has come out dead-on. Whew! That was a lot of work! What you didn't see was that I did both sides - All the flanges etc are done. The lower 2" tube is done. The ball joints, upper and lowers are done. Doesn't that make you wonder to yourself? Like "self, what is left to roll this thing into the driveway?" That would be a good question. |
