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the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 03 Sep 2006 14:48
by marks510
So ive seen slotted, the datsport, the one where you cut the old brackets off and make new ones, etc.

so the question is, whats the best DIY rear cross member for camber and toe adjustment?

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 03 Sep 2006 15:57
by duke
Personally, I like the Datsport style. I allows you to make camber and toe changes by simply turning an adjusting bolt, rather than trying to slide it up and down, and guesing where you end up. I'm planning on making a set up like this for my car.

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 17 Nov 2006 16:19
by defdes
DukE, did you end up making this? I have a metal shop and want to give it a go. The camber adjustment is visible in a number of shots, how is the toe done? Is it just a bolt screwing in against the crossmember to change the angle of the rear swing arm? Any advice would be great.

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 17 Nov 2006 17:33
by duke
I haven't made any real progress on this...I do have an extra crossmember, so hopefully so I will be doing something. For toe adjustment my plan was to have a bolt that threads into a hole in the crossmember with a nut on the other side, so you just screw the bolt in to adjust the toe. The other thing that I am planning on doing is to use spherical bearings instead of poly or some other kind of rubber. By doing this I think it will help free up alot of the bind that can happen in the rear suspension when adjusting toe and camber. I'm waiting for access to a milling machine so that I can make the brackets and such, so hopefully I can make some progress soon, but I defineatly want to have it done by next autocross season (march).

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 02:59
by Baz
Pics of the V3 toe adjusters are here.
top hat nuts welded in X member.
If you mock up your desired ride camber / toe settings, allow up to 13mm toe.
Choose range and set your sweet spot then distortion of the bushes is minimal.
We are now producing V4 and setting up for an additional full fabed unit to fit short nose diffs.

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 08:27
by defdes
Baz, no more distributors in the US?

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 15:09
by Baz
No we have not. Easier to buy direct.

oop forgot the likk in previous post.
http://datsport.com/Adjustable_rear_cross_member.html

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 16:28
by thisismatt
Hey Baz, it still seems like the versions pictured would cause binding (or irregular bracket tension) - am I missing something? For example, if you increase positive camber on the right wheel isn't the outer bushing then twisted in a clockwise direction to the crossmember/bracket/bolt?

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 21:34
by Byron510
I've simply used spherical bushes to solve any of the alignment issues, and you get an extreemly solid conection with no binding or rotational resistance what so ever.
Byron

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 21:45
by defdes
Do you have any pics Byron?

RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 19 Nov 2006 22:37
by thisismatt
Byron: how much did they set you back?

Re: RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 20 Nov 2006 15:10
by Baz
thisismatt wrote:Hey Baz, it still seems like the versions pictured would cause binding (or irregular bracket tension) - am I missing something? For example, if you increase positive camber on the right wheel isn't the outer bushing then twisted in a clockwise direction to the crossmember/bracket/bolt?

Yes it is, but if the brackets are positioned in the sweet spot distortion load
is at a minimum. The right bushes help as well.
Spherical is the way to go, but noisy for street cars & more expensive.
I guess we would have to replace all the bushes with joints including front end if we were to eliminate any bush distortion.

RE: Re: RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 20 Nov 2006 16:59
by thisismatt
Right. I guess the "sweet spot" is just a specific camber/toe alignment that you guys found to be most commonly used/desirable?

Re: RE: Re: RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 21 Nov 2006 15:30
by Baz
thisismatt wrote:Right. I guess the "sweet spot" is just a specific camber/toe alignment that you guys found to be most commonly used/desirable?
Thats it. As previously said. If you do your own mock it up first.
Our sweet spot is for high performance street.
Note that the height of the rear diff bracket will also alter alignment over the range.

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: the BEST DIY rear cross member?

Posted: 21 Nov 2006 16:15
by MikeY
Baz, What to you use to replace the large bushings on the ends of the crossmember. The stock ones are no longer available here in Canada. Can you get them. I belive poly ones are available in the states but I woukld prefer something less harsh.