Spherical bearing retainer for DIY camber plates?

I need to make some plates for the legacy to get rid of my positive camber in the rear.

I'm not sure exactly what it is called but it retains the bearing with a cir-clip, I've been calling it a spherical bearing retainer in my searches but getting nowhere. Here is a photo of what I would like to find. It doesn't need to be fancy like the one below that has the two bolts since I'll just weld it to the plates I have cut out to test the geometry changes.




I lengthened the lateral links by a bit to fix the strut-to-body clearance issue and that got me closer to zero camber but it's still positive.

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Brap Brap.

I usually get mine from UB Machine.

http://ubmachine.com/monoballhousings.html

Ahhh thanks for the jumping off point. It's much easier finding stuff when you know what it's called... I wish manufacturers would decide on common terminology too.

Ok suspension guys do you think these parts will work for what I want to do? The FK spherical bearing has a higher load rating than what I could find for CUSCO camber plate bearings so I'm hoping these will last a season/not explode on the first rough stage.

Spherical bearings from FK Rod ends.
http://www.racereadyproducts.com/mediafiles/fkfks--fks-tpdf.pdf - I want to use the FKS10(t) t=teflon

Then the matching housing/cup (to be welded to a plate that's cut and drilled to match a subaru strut mount):
http://www.racereadyproducts.com/fk-rod-ends-and-spherical-bearings/fk-spherical-bearing-cups/

Then a Step bushing 5/8" to 1/2" with .200" flange on top of the bearing from the UB Machine site.
http://ubmachine.com/stepspacers.html

And then at the bottom of the system a 5/8 inch Rod End Retaining Washer from pegasus.
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection1.asp?Product=3068


The threaded portion is 1/2 inch-ish and the slightly wider portion below that is 5/8 inch-ish, which is the reason for the 5/8 to 1/2 step bushing.

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Brap Brap.

Does the 5/8" portion stick out above the bearing?

I've got a similar setup, except 3/4" OD on the unthreaded portion. JVL sent me the spacers, and I "machined" them down to get the play I needed in the bearing.

Make sure you get enough clearance to your bearing plate through the full range of motion, top and bottom.

Pic shows it assembled with a spare bearing.



Also, I had bad experience with teflon lined bearings, the teflon came out at the first event, and then I just had a lot of play in the bearing.

I understand what you are trying to do, but i also don't know why you are doing it.

You are looking at alot of fabrication time, sourcing parts etc, when a $30 pair of Camber bolts will solve all your issues (camber) and allow you the adjustability for when you eventually tweek something, and it's not perfect any more.

I had friends who ran Camber bolts on the JVAB suspension on a legacy for a while...I serviced on the car, and the bolts only slipped on us once, and it's when they actually hit something.

As long as you use the OEM bolt in the bottom hole, and torque it to OEM subaru spec (~130 ft lbs), then they won't move.

The OEM Subaru rear top hats are proven, and work well, they are also cheap and there are alot of them floating around in the service park if you ever bust one.

Yeah! What he sayed-ed!
More later, gotta get Anna to Kindergarten.

I would be taking that route believe me i want nothing more than to have this off jackstands and be driving around(with far less $$ spent) but there is NO room for camber bolt adjustment. I have 1cm or less between tire and strut...

Time spent, well I already sourced the parts, and welding a bearing cup to a flat piece of steel shouldn't take to long.

Fliz did you have better luck with the non-lined bearings then?

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Brap Brap.

As long as you have maybe 2-3mm of tire/strut clearance you are fine. Generally as long as i can see air between the strut and tire, it's good to go.

Even then...you can run a 5mm wheel spacer, and gain yourself some clearance.

If you could get -0.5 deg i'd run it, it takes less than you think.


You don't even have to get camber bolts if you just want to try and see. Just toss a 12mm diameter bolt in the top hole, and it will give you enough slop to measure and see where you are at.

Ok I need some tea. (clop clop clop clop---clopclopclop clop)
Chris, you have the car set at desired ride hgt and the knuckled slid over at much as the slot allows?
And you still have how much Positive camber?

Before you go too crazy, first; you need no articulation so you dunnot need a spherical bearing.
Second, if you need a spherical bearing then get one you can be assured its big enough.
Ford used 22mm on their front mounts and thats .866", so i use 7/8" which is .875" and costs a shit ton less.

But you don't need rotation.

There's a buncha easier and better ways to get some adjustment..

You could kill 2 birds with one stone by swapping out the lousy lower links for tube links so you have adjustment and strength. 28" ones retail for 14 bucks and the links are around 14 per end+ spacers.

You could just burn out a off set mounting plate to zap onto the OEM top mount.

But above all don't make more problems by using undersized bearings.

I could chop up something to accept larger bearings and some spacers to fit the pin and bearing, not that hard but more than is needed on the back.

I need to know more details so I can see if there's some change I can do on the ears themselves to make it spot on, like zero camber.

Oh. Good point. Gotta grab more tea. Almost time to go to the Indian market for another box of PG Tips too.

Is 7/8ths the size of the pin and bearing on the Merkur front struts too?

Quote
NoCoast
Oh. Good point. Gotta grab more tea. Almost time to go to the Indian market for another box of PG Tips too.

Is 7/8ths the size of the pin and bearing on the Merkur front struts too?

The pin itself on the top is 20mm, the spacers with the shoulders are 20mm ID and 7/8" OD.

Weren't you going to drop off the insert with the tweaked up tip?

John, yup I have the car at an ok ride height, I'd like to be slightly higher to get more usable bump travel.

Here is a pic, not the greatest though. As it sits like that the +camber is between 1 and 2.



I have lengthened the lateral links by 10mm already. I could safely add another 5mm before I'm pulling axles from the diff at full droop. (which is a lot!) that gave me only a bit of camber, but it gave me all the clearance I need to push the strut top as far in as needed to get to negative 1 camber.

So should I just skip the spherical bearing and bolt the strut to a plate with an offset hole up there? I made one already to test if these changes would work. There is some articulation, the strut is getting closer to the body at full droop vs. ride height.
I love these things, they let me go faster than I should have on wreck creek, I just want to drive around without crazy outside tire wear.

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Brap Brap.

Here's another option.
Get some rally wheels with a 42 mm offset instead of the 50 mm offset and do what Chris said. I saw you at Olympus. You were fun to watch and pushing harder than many many other people. Find some Compos, Speedlines, or Team Dynamics.
Or just run a 5 mm spacer.

John - Yeah, but was going to send them out in Dave's truck but since he didn't run...
I didn't really have room for them with all the camping gear we also had to bring. I'll worry about it later.

Thanks Grant, I was trying Got any pics/vids of car 208 by chance?

I'd like to get wheels. I missed a good deal on Dave Hintz old set, and I can't afford to get new "rally" wheels just yet. I'll have to measure and see how much spacer I can add before the wheel isn't riding on the hub center anymore. Spacers seem scary to me for some reason, but I've never used them before.

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Brap Brap.

There is no worry of running spacers.

I have personally run an 8mm spacer on OEM lugs/ OEM Alloys with no trouble, and these were $3 generic non-hub centric spacers...no problem.

The poor mans alternative to "real" rally wheels is 5x100 VW wheels. Depending on which you find, they are anywhere from +35 to +43 offset. Most of them are also 15x6.5" and strong. The can be had cheap and in the wreckers. Only reason i stopped running them was because i got a stupid deal on Braids.