View Full Version : Pics of my adjustable rear control arm brackets


Super73
02-15-2008, 01:57 PM
Thought I'd share some truck porn.. I made these from 3" 3/16 wall square tube. Radius drilled the holes so the rear would not move forward when using the upper holes. I then cut off one end. Ground the stock rivitheads off two at a time and knocked them out. I then redrilled the holes with a 7/16 bit as the rivits were just shy of that. Once out, I took the stock brackets and set them inside the new ones. They fit inside perfectly. Lines them up and drilled the holes out in my mill (drill press would be fine). Installed them and this is what you see..


http://73-ls1.com/63truck/IMG_2252.jpg


http://73-ls1.com/63truck/IMG_2253.jpg


http://73-ls1.com/63truck/IMG_2254.jpg


http://73-ls1.com/63truck/IMG_2255.jpg


http://73-ls1.com/63truck/IMG_2256.jpg





Now I need to set pinion angle. As I figured every hole up is 1* of pinion change. I'll now how they work with in the next week or two..

57sailplane
02-15-2008, 09:22 PM
you do realize that you are transfering more weight to the front.. it a good idea though. if i may ask did you use tubing and what size? i my make me a pair...

Outlaw72
02-15-2008, 10:11 PM
Nice....looks easy enough. I think the only thing I would have done differently, is weld them in.

Super73
02-15-2008, 10:17 PM
57, second sentence "I made these from 3" 3/16 wall square tube." :)

I agree raising the anti-squat line will tend not let the front lift as much. How ever, the new front spring I have in the front, even with the shock on the 70/30 setting, I am still toping out my 6" of suspension travel and unloading the tires. I'm hoping this does 2 things:

1) Slows down the front rise some, Once topped out the front end has no where to go but down.

2) As it seperates the rear and lifts the body, I'm hoping it puts more force in to the rear tires and hook it a little better.



Outlaw,

I thought about welding them but I also thought, what if they don't work like expect and need to go the other way (down) do to me hitting the tires too hard right now. Welding them and unwelding them in not that much fun...

Outlaw72
02-15-2008, 10:45 PM
Oh....I was thinking you already had them right where you wanted them. In any case I like it...it's adjustable and having adjustable suspension components will always let you fine tune.

I will still let you make me a set and send em to me :)

Super73
02-15-2008, 11:26 PM
I thought about offering that service to some of you racers.. Charge you the price of a:

18" of square tube
3/4" drill bit
7/16 drill bit
12 pack of "this weeks" favorit beer

Outlaw72
02-15-2008, 11:45 PM
Dang you're expensive ;) j/k

BTW Super....I found the trick to the axle studs. There is a moroso 3 in stud you buy from summit and then open the axle holes with a 9/16 drill bit.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MOR%2D46185&N=700+4294923107+4294922919+4294863804+4294863803+4294900366+4294779982+115&autoview=sku

Super73
02-16-2008, 12:31 AM
I was thinking the bit's could be reused several times.. So maybe I could reduce the drill bit price to $5 towards bits, the tube and 12 pack :)


Thanks for the heads up on the studs. Have you drilled the axles yet? Curious to know how they came out and how long you were'a'drillin..

Outlaw72
02-16-2008, 12:37 AM
No...I'm gunna do it on Saturday. I'm gunna buy 2 bits and use a drill press. I will let you know how it turns out.

Super73
02-16-2008, 12:47 AM
Please let me know how it works.. I don't know that I can get the axles in my mill and don't have a drill press. Hmmm, to bad axles are heavier than the brackets, we could have worked a trade...

Outlaw72
02-16-2008, 12:50 AM
Surely somebody you know has a drill press? I'm sure it could be done with an air drill. I just want my hols to be as straight as possible. That didn't sound right :/

Super73
02-16-2008, 08:44 AM
Well, first try at one of my favorite ghost roads, small 2 second burn out, 1/2 throttle to load the suspension and quickly rolling in to it cut a 1.903 which is my best 60' even better than what the G-tech reported at the track (1.912). I also have 11* of timing pulled out of the motor right now.

Couch
02-16-2008, 09:21 PM
if this all goes well i might wanna reserve a set. not like im that far from you anyways.

57sailplane
02-18-2008, 11:35 PM
i definatly will be making me a set. nice work.. you no you have almost remade a 3 point. of course your not the first to do this there is someone else on here that made a set a while back but this set looks much easier to make.. again nice work.

Super73
02-18-2008, 11:50 PM
I did see that someone here made a set. His though focused on lower holes vs upper holes. But Before I saw his, I had the thought and had alreadry started my radius drilling ect.


What do you mean by 3-point?

57sailplane
02-19-2008, 07:52 AM
3 link sorry...

Super73
02-19-2008, 08:27 AM
Did you say 3-link?? This is my 73 Camaro.



http://73-ls1.com/SUPER73/1-10-06/3link01.jpg

http://73-ls1.com/SUPER73/1-10-06/3link05.jpg

http://73-ls1.com/SUPER73/1-10-06/3link06.jpg

http://73-ls1.com/SUPER73/1-10-06/3link08.jpg

http://73-ls1.com/SUPER73/1-10-06/rear.jpg



The truck arms would have to be modified to be a true 3-link even with the upper link. You would not be able to adjust pinion agle with the rear bolted to the control arms. Also the 3rd link right now would actually bind the suspension due to the rear being bolted to the control arms and the rear not beaing able to rotate with the 3rd link attached.

RW or LW bump would be fine but both tires in a bump together I think would be real stiff.

57sailplane
02-19-2008, 11:51 AM
you are correct... i no its a far cry from a 3 link but with the adjustability that you are adding with the pinion shims and all its a far cry from stock. i was thinking ladder bar not 3 link. again my bad..

Super73
02-19-2008, 09:28 PM
Ladder bar for sure.. That's how I look at the truck arm set up. It's a 52" ladder bar :)

57sailplane
02-21-2008, 08:01 AM
have you had a chance to hot lap this set up yet?....

Super73
02-21-2008, 08:21 AM
I have only got to test it a few times. The best G-tech at the track was a 1.912 really being a 1.87. Previous to the spring, Converter, tire and RC adjuster I was cutting 2.2-2.2 60's on my test road. I have pulled a 1.903, 1.909 and a 1.914... There were a couple of high 1.9's and a few 2.x's in there trying to see how I need to throttle it.

There is more in it but I think I need to find the sweet spot with the shocks and what hole they need to be in.

Couch
02-21-2008, 11:16 AM
you must be burnin tire pretty bad. i cut a 2.0 60' on 295/50 street tires.but then again that was with way less power than you make. so traction wasnt an issue for me. i couldve hooked in the rain with that engine

57sailplane
02-22-2008, 08:12 AM
thats what i was wondering are you burning the tires off still. is it better or worse..

Super73
02-22-2008, 08:47 AM
It's better but yes, I am still spinning the tires. It's .15-.2 better with the 4 changes mentioned. I loosened up the front shocks again to the 90/10and took it for a quick spin. It feels better but my G-tech lost power on that run. I'll be trying it again soon after I swap the manual steering box back in.


These ET streets were at a buddies house and he bought them used. I'm not sure how old they really are. I'm wondering if they have lost some of their softness.

djracer
06-30-2008, 08:03 AM
did you ever get to play with this setup at the track?

Super73
07-07-2008, 11:06 AM
This is what I used last time out. Top hole.. Cut a high 1.6'x low 1.7's.. Issue I had was the front shock was still way too soft in the 70/30 setting. It would top out 7.5" of suspension travel, lift the front left every pass on the motor. As it came back down, it would unsettle the rear and unload the tires.

I am doing a few things to fix this issue..

Changed front shock in the front (9-way adjustable rancho)
Adding a 1 3/4" antiroll bar to the rear (hoping to help the roatation)

Had I lowered it, it would have made it worse regarding lifting the tire.

Ford Assassin
08-16-2008, 06:46 PM
I thought about offering that service to some of you racers.. Charge you the price of a:

18" of square tube
3/4" drill bit
7/16 drill bit
12 pack of "this weeks" favorit beer

Sounds like a deal to me!!