I need to drop the front suspension on my mk2 escort at least 2". We dont have lowering springs or the adjustable kits like you poms have
So I have 3 options :
Heat spring and let is sag 2"'s
Cut spring shorter -
My other idea is to drop lower spring cup 2"'s and reweld it
Does the front struts (not inserts) have oil in them ? If so how much ?
By lowering , you'll be cutting down on piston travel, what you really should do is ship some short adjustable ride and damping front struts, The units from Gaz are rebuildable and you should be able to get the seals over there. This way they will last a lifetime.
The shorter front legs stop the damper body slamming into the top mount, so you can run low without using very hard spring, this means better ride quality, better handling on less than dead flat tarmac, and less pounding to the shell.
Gaz dampers can be found on here www.burtonpower.com
Thanks Retro!
dont heat the springs to drop it, it makes em softer which is NOT what you want, if you have to do it with standard springs, your better off cutting them, at leats they get stiffer then, but unless you can reshape the cut end, they wont seat properly.
Having said that, i have run LOADS of cars with cut springs and never had any problems, but the MOT man (you have a yearly inspection?) dont like em.
drill a few holes on top and bottom cup were spring sits on your front leg then get some strong wire stronger the better , and tye the springs in , and mot man cant say squat as springs wont leave the cups, worked for me ,, but best to go buy some already lowerd springs fella
Why not just drop the lower cup 2"'s down the strut leg ? Is'nt this better ?
Any1 know more or less how much to cut off for 2" drop ?
Craig, what are the roads like over there, and I mean the roads that your going to be driving on while pushing it a bit...
HAve a look at how much damper travel you have the moment, 3-4" take away 2" and that will leave you with a loud banging sound on anything but smoothy tarmac
Our roads are on average very good. I only use the car for weekend blasts anyway.
Something has got me confused.
When using the weld on adjustable spring platform what strut inserts are being used? Surely if they are standard strut inserts i will end up with the same problem as you mentioned Dave of the strut bottoming out. Or am in confused ?
The short version are not a diy option, the way they are made is an old front strut is striped downm and the body is machined out of the stub axle. a new shorter tube is inserted with the adjustable thread cut into it, then a short damper insert is fitted.
Have a look here www.gazshocks.com allthough at the moment the site is down
Sorry Retro , we are not talking about the same thing (sorry about the terminology I used.
Bellow is a pic of the strut conversion I was talking about. Adjusting the spring down (dropping the car) would be the same as what I intend doing - moving the lower spring seat down.
So I agree with u that the shock travel is decreased by dropping the spring seat. But what shock inserts are the guys using that are dropping thier escorts with the system in the pics ?
really stiff springs normally, so you dont bottom the shock out, its crap for road use though!!!
drill a few holes on top and bottom cup were spring sits on your front leg then get some strong wire stronger the better , and tye the springs in , and mot man cant say squat as springs wont leave the cups, worked for me ,, but best to go buy some already lowerd springs fellaHave had to do this with my lowered/uprated's anyway....
I dont have the option of lowered springs - we cant get that sort of thing here in RSA, only option would be to have a set made.
Can't you get a set of front legs sent over to you, Shortened, top damping adjustable and adjustable ride height with a range of springs, say around 200, 225, and 250 those would be an extra cost but would give you the best options, price for 3 sets of springs would be around £120, the legs themselves around £300, so for under £500 you would have the best all round performance. And as the legs are re-buildable you'll be able to hand the down the generations of little Darth's that follow.
Heres the proper link.. www.gaz-shocks.com
Don't know why but I missed your post with the pic of the strut body with the adjustable 2 1/4" spring kit welded to it.
with that kit you would need a standard insert. But if you get the short inserts (rally design sell those) you would be able to get an engineering company to machine the required amount off the body and also cut the new thread inside the body to take the top cap.
I would still get a complete set from someone like Gaz for peace of mind. If you want i will have a word with Dave at Gaz and find out a total cost to your door for a complete set, I will supply him with the exchange strut bodies. So you havn't got to pay postage to get a set them.
Pm me your address if you want me to find out.
Gary,
How long have GAZ been doing shorter inserts for Escorts? I didn't realise they did em, I thought the just did the RS?Capri inserts, or coilover conversion struts.
Thats useful info, how much shorter are they m8? are they the same as a tarmac Bilstein?
BTW Darth.
- 2" from standard escort ride height springs will leave enough damper travel if the springs are fairly stiff (not spine crushingly so) but any lower will run out of travel, and will also bugger up the geometry at the front so you will need to start adjusting.
Cutting and moving the spring cup would be a better way than cutting the spring, but as your standard springs are liable to be fairly soft you may run out of damper travel.
Shorter dampers are a better option for obvious reasons, as you are obviously capable of buggering around and cutting/welding etc, you could go to a spares store and find some shorter inserts, then cut down and re-thread you strut tubes to suit, I heard of someone once using Mazda RX7 damper inserts (I think)
Sorry if any of this was already covered, was ruching to go out the door as I typed.
Craig,I need to drop the front suspension on my mk2 escort at least 2". We dont have lowering springs or the adjustable kits like you poms have
So I have 3 options :
Heat spring and let is sag 2"'s
Cut spring shorter -
My other idea is to drop lower spring cup 2"'s and reweld it
Does the front struts (not inserts) have oil in them ? If so how much ?
What about spring length?
Suspension droop?
Positioning of travel in relation to above??
http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showf...&PHPSESSID=
The Koni, RX 7 work a treat!
Thanks for all the reply upto now. Okay now we are getting somewhere :-)
Retro - thanks for the offer. I know I should be doing it the way u mentioned, but I need the cash for my project car. So I might take u up on your offer when I have finished the MK2 rebuild. I need the cash to build up the cossie unit. So if you have access to YB parts send me a PM, I am in dire need of a reliable source for 2nd hand parts in the UK.
2q4u and Roger, what model RX7 ? As we only had the 12A powered rx7's think it was 79-85 model.
Craig,
U asked about my old struts before.
Is your car a racer??
U need to have between 33 and 50 % droop in shock stem.
They have a 2" ID threaded water pipe section fitted to them.
They are 1600cc struts @46mm od, so a spacer is fitted between them. They have comp wet inserts.They were originally done by Pedders suspension here in Adelaide.
I shortened the outer casing 45mm.
All was good. except I wanted more neg etc. So have gone to Capri legs.
At the time Koni inserts were not available for these, they are now, and are same as a Porsche insert.
Anyhow i had heard of their RX7 inserts.
See how they are mounted at bottom of leg, which i like.
The shock innards were said to be a superior design to older
inserts.
Complete assembly
CApri leg
RX7 insert
BMW E30 rotor
Volvo series 2 Caliper
2.5" Springs
4 degrees of neg
7 degrees of castor
Wow thanks Roger , just what I was looking for, to answer your question - No the car is not a racer, why u ask ?
After phoning almost every tunning company is our country yesterday, I found a company that will be importing the weld on adjuster and springs like the picture I posted earlier in the thread. Hopefully they will fit the strut OD , otherwise I will do something like you have done Roger.
This is when I get pissed off. Got a call from the company that will be selling the weld on adjustable 2 1/4" spring kit. Roughly converted into pounds it will cost me 100 Pounds per set of springs, and 50 Pounds per set of adjusters.
Now u know why I try and make as much parts as I possibly can. I find myself spending more time making odds and sods than actually riding my car. I have a room filled with RC cars that I bought 2nd hand, spent loads of cash on and modified but almost never ride them.
Ooops back to the topic.
Retro what prices are the springs and adjustable 2 1/4" spring kit's selling for ? Is there a place that sells them online ? - maybe u could help me out.
But for my road car I think I will just use Rogers idea. Project car will have all the dogs balls attached.
Chow
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