This last couple of months....

[Malcolm]

I have been fitting new front uprights and other stuff to my car. These are John Wisher uprights, spindles, steering arms (but my specification), spinners, and brake calliper mounts topped off with Mick Sollis brake bells. Roy Smart replacement GTD arms top and bottom.

For those interested, I am running -0.65 camber and at present 7.5 degrees of castor. This may change. Initially set at 4 degrees we have loaded it up to get more feel but with another planned steering rack change 7.5 may be too much. We shall see. Ackerman is great. On the turn plates when the outer wheel is at 13 degrees the inner wheel is at 15.5. At 20 degrees on the outer wheel the inner is at 25 degrees. KPI is 5 degrees. I get full lock to lock on the steering with no interference on any part of the wheel or suspension parts.

Ron has been chasing me to post a picture so here we are.....

 

[Mike Pass]

Looks really nice Malcolm.
Any chance of a view from the front? Can you let us know which parts you used for the steering arm and caliper brackets? Are you using AP discs and calipers? The Ackermann is much improved - how did you calculate/achieve this? And now the "million dollar question"........cost?
Cheers
Mike

 

[Malcolm]

Prices here are approximate as I am doing this from memory and so would strongly recommend you call the guys in question to firm up costs before you go relying on this info. However as accurate as I can be

The package from John Wisher was £2,300. This included all little spacers, design of steering arm and complete assembly of unit to make it a simple bolt on exercise. John told me today it is 5.4 degree KPI not 5 degrees. How picky is that? John made the brake calliper mounts custom to my set up. Cost included above. John can provide individual costings if you contact him direct.
The brake bells from Mick Sollis were roughly £50 each
The suspension arms from Roy (least sure on this one as I bought them about a year ago!) was about £160. Mick can do these if you want sexier looking items that use spherical bearings but they cost more maybe about £260 plus bearings?
Ball joints to uprights for said Roy Smart arms are about £10 each. Exchange reconditioned rack was £27 and non exchange about £52.
Reconditioning my dampers (all four of them by Koni) £425, one needed a new casing as it had a bullet sized hole in the side! New these dampers are about £450 each.
Rose joints were £45 each
Nylon bush joints I had already but I made those years ago for about £1 each, still working just fine.
New Eibach rising rate spring system I put on about a year ago was roughly £600 in total.

Some more pictures below. Hope this is of help.

 

[Malcolm]

Looking at this picture, I think I need Brian McCarthy over to do some polishing on the old ali panels here..... But I guess they will do as they are over 10 years old!

 

[Malcolm]

Callipers are Alcon, you can get these fromTrident Racing at Silverstone although I suspect they have a newer model now as these are 12 years old. Discs are AP items, about £200 each?

Ackerman calculation, hmmm, trade secret here. I used the old, "that will be method" and stuck my finger in the air and sucked in hard and guessed! Some experience of playing with this before helped but I have good positive ackerman as proven by turntable readings. Too much for a race car but enough for a road car.

Also I can now dial out bump steer with the ball joint steering connection as I can spacer the link up or down to suit my set up. Have lathe, can turn spacers!

 

[Mike Pass]

Malcolm, Thanks for the info and pics. Looks like a really effective setup. I am going to do something very similar. Not cheap but as the man said -- the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Malcolm]

Hi Mike

If you wish, you could pop down and have a look see before you commit to anything. I have 2 other types of upright in the garage on the shelf so apart from the standard set up I can show you pretty much every alternative for a GTD. And give you my experiences of running them!

If of interst PM me.

 

[Howard Jones]

Malcom, How about a side by side comparison of the different uprights along with pictures of each. Us Old timer GTD types can always use a good idea.

By the way I have all the material to make some new front upper A arms and my layout is nearly the same as yours. I am going to make new ball joint plates so I can make a all new arm and preserve the old GTD one instead of cutting it up like you did.

Good job however.
Howard

 

[Malcolm]

If I get the time out to go back in the garage in the near future I will see what I can do. I have a heap of other projects to do now we are past the track day. I have been caught by the curse of the "Honey Do..." list, starting with a tortoise enclosure! Its enough to make you want to go to work....

A quick comment is that I do not expect to have any more upright issues with these. I will cry if I do!

On making suspension arms, I have had quite a lot made by others over time. It seems that for some reason it is tricky to get a jig that makes them symetrical so be very picky over setting up the welding. It is possible but perhaps is not so simple as seems on the surface. Heim joints with unequal spacers allow for the greatest amount of castor adjustment.