common cheap adjustable struts?

[slowlearner]

After yet another day of understeer hell at a khanacross, I'm very seriously considering a swap to macpherson struts for my (king and linkpin) buggy. I'm looking for the most plentiful/cheapest strut you can find. There are a couple of criteria.

1. something off a smallish car (WRX would be max size) as the front of the buggy carries very little weight.
2. something with a hub/brake assembly that makes it possible to fit a multitude of cheap alloy wheels (15" size)
3. something you can find a strut for at any wreckers.
4. something that heaps of companies make springs/camber-castor plates/insert brake upgrade kits for so it's adjustable.

before anyone says double A-arms, I've looked into it and the cost is prohibitive. The only cheap production models I have to choose from are hondas (look weak) and mitsubishi L300 (overkill). However feel free to correct me on this if you know of another.

remember the operative word here is CHEAP!

[Kaptainballistik]

The AWABA boys seem to have the VW front end worling well, maybe you should talk to those boys

Or use a) Railway line front bumper b) Lead pipe front bumper c) Concrete filled tube front bumper........

Seems to work.

[Spac]

S4/5 RX-7.
Short, light-weight, easily altered FWD-style seperate strut and stub-axle/upright, decent travel, 5x114.3 stud pattern (same as Falcon, and a zillion others), great brakes.
Only drawback is that the steering arm is built into the upright.

Only other semi-realisitic option would be some old Datto struts, The struts would be cheaper to start with, and have seperate steering arms, they'd require a lot more work to match the later Mazda bits.

[slowlearner]

mmm captain ballistick, thanx but no thanx. they also have turning brakes. another thing I want to avoid if possible.

I have dreams of a chassis that actually works!

thanx spac. are they easy to find?

[Spac]

Yes, thanks to the flood of import front cuts.
The calipers are worth a bit ($250/par, max), but the rest of them is close to give-away.

[Kaptainballistik]

Ahhhh, But are you understeering because of poor geometry or because of poor weight balance? You would have a substantial grip advantage on the rear, And I dont think changing the front will help that much to be honest.

Either that or see what the off roaders do.....

Negating the Twiddle brakes, Ron Dean's special used front ballast

Ron is ( No offence intended) a fairly large man and he required extra weight. A fair few street Buggys have the same issue. And the same solution.

[Buerckner]

KC-KE laser.

two bolts hold the balljoint to LCA.
good stud pattern 4x114.5.
Cheap, and parts are available.
Can machine down a cv outer to hold it all together.
Plenty of brake options.

2 problems are the wheel bearings need to be changed with brake rotors as they are bolted behind the hub.
Are a complete strut not an insert type.

[slowlearner]

so how do you renew the strut if it dies?

[Spac]

You buy a new one. Sounds scary from a dollar point of view, but it's not - they're designed to be a consumable, so aftermarket bits are readily available at reasonable prices.

Alternatively, you can convert then to an insert-type.

[Kaptainballistik]

Yiu can gut it and fit a Koni or a Bilstein , I say Bilstein because I have more than a sneaking suspision the FC RX7 uses the same strutt and stub axle casting. ( It certainly has the same Balljoint and Bolt pattern on the end of the strut).

[slowlearner]

yes, weight distribution is an issue, but I'm trying to deal with that the conventional way..read 'holesaw'.

the main drama is that the camber is almost totally unadjustable. the most I can get is about 1deg of negative camber. I could go to offset bushes to get static neg camber, but when the trailing arms really load up, they flex and it goes back to possitive camber. hence my want to change the front radically.

Of course the other drama is that the lack of weight up front will make putting the right springs in somewhat interesting.

[Kaptainballistik]

What do formula V's run and halve that!

How about a Type 3 front end? ( I think they are stronger )

[Spac]

Originally Posted by Kaptainballistik

... I have more than a sneaking suspision the FC RX7 uses the same strutt and stub axle casting.

Same as what!?

Laser is FWD, so has a very different upright and no stub axle as such.

The KH/KF has a different bolt spacing on the bottom of the strut, compared to a FC. The KF/KH strut bearing tops are different to FC, and so too is the top of the strut insert.

[Hasbeen]

Ring Bob Mowbray at Hunter Rivmaster in NSW he has all types of wonderfull VW bits that will turn your car into a weapon for Kana's i race an offroad car myself at the moment till i can afford to go back rallying and it is set up with Hitler's Revenge suspesion abet it is not much like standard.
My 15 yearold son drives it as well.

[slowlearner]

have you got a contact number for him hasbeen?