What's out there for adjustable Subaru top hats

I went searching around for some adjustable subaru top hats and the ones I had book marked a year or so is no longer. They were noltec. It sounds like maybe they weren't the best out there but they were damn simple. So I'm wondering if there is stuff out there of similar design that isn't an arm and leg.

Or thoughts on just making your own? Get a spherical bearing, get some plates cut and put it all together.

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"Rally racing makes a heroin addiction look like a vague craving for something salty"

Look at what Jason did on Brianne's car.

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Grant Hughes

Um, where would I see that at?

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"Rally racing makes a heroin addiction look like a vague craving for something salty"

http://www.specialstage.com/forums/showthread.php?45649-Subaru-front-strut-top-repair-plates&p=413015#post413015

That's one that comes to top of mind. But pretty sure he posted more stuff about them on here somewhere.

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Grant Hughes

I'm more talking the caster and camber plates.

Like this


These used to be like under $200 but it seems they no longer make them for Subaru.

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"Rally racing makes a heroin addiction look like a vague craving for something salty"

Vorshlag!

not cheap, but they are built like a brick shithouse.

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Chris

Yeah the ones on Brianne's appear to just be camber plates but you could always go static caster and just put the tower where it needs to be?

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Grant Hughes

the Vorshlag are still just camber plates, not both.

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"Rally racing makes a heroin addiction look like a vague craving for something salty"

Quote
NoCoast
Yeah the ones on Brianne's appear to just be camber plates but you could always go static caster and just put the tower where it needs to be?

yeah except everything is already in there and to get to the point of moving strut tower would be more then i want to do right now.

i'm going to keep my eyes open for a set of the noltec ones, they pop up every once in a while and you can rebuild them also.

so if any one sees a set of those for a subaru let me know.

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"Rally racing makes a heroin addiction look like a vague craving for something salty"

Yep, the Vorshlag plates are built like brick shithouses. When Brianne wrecked the car in Mexico, the corner that took the hard hit had a very slight "S" bend in the main plate and the tower reinforcement plate. The bearing holder, fasteners, top perch and radial bearing had no damage. The spherical bearing bruised the teflon lining, but it still worked as designed.

Now, the other side didn't fare too well. The lower balljoint and the tierod failed when the car did a tabletop and the tire/wheel was drug under the front bumper and used the strut like a can opener on the camber plate. Despite a pulling force that deformed the top of the strut over a quarter inch, nothing failed. Well, nothing until we drug the car up on the trailer and the extreme angle of the strut finally cracked the bearing holder. Even under incredible tension the fasteners, bearings, plates and machined parts didn't fail.

The caster isn't adjustable, but the newer versions have added static caster.

They're expensive.
They're worth it.

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Jason McDaniel



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2012 06:57PM by modernbeat.

Here's a pic when they were first installed. You can see the massive reinforcement on the tower and also see the added caster in the plate. We make these for GC front and rear, GD front and rear and GR. We also have spring perches that allow them to work with OEM sized front springs for GD and GR.

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Jason McDaniel

Quote
modernbeat
Here's a pic when they were first installed. You can see the massive reinforcement on the tower and also see the added caster in the plate. We make these for GC front and rear, GD front and rear and GR. We also have spring perches that allow them to work with OEM sized front springs for GD and GR.

Now i see what you were saying about can I make the threaded length of the insert a tad longer.. whaddya think---+4mm

I CAN (and know its waaaaaaaaaaaaay stronger) do the pin sized so it pokes into the spherical bearing... In fact within the dimesnions of 22 x 110mm we can make the pins any way you like, what's that formula for strength of bar....difference of (r²)⁴

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

John, the pins aren't the weak point. I'll send you some parts with three failures each, some that shouldn't have happened and some that you'd be amazed weren't worse.

Make the pins about 1/2" longer and thread them with 12x1.25 or 12x1.5.

Or, if you really want to make them stronger, do a 14mm pin about 1/2" longer than the current pin and thread it to 14x1.5.

But the 14mm pins force people to either modify OEM parts (we've done it) or use aftermarket top mounts.

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Jason McDaniel

Quote
modernbeat
John, the pins aren't the weak point. I'll send you some parts with three failures each, some that shouldn't have happened and some that you'd be amazed weren't worse.

Make the pins about 1/2" longer and thread them with 12x1.25 or 12x1.5.

Or, if you really want to make them stronger, do a 14mm pin about 1/2" longer than the current pin and thread it to 14x1.5.

But the 14mm pins force people to either modify OEM parts (we've done it) or use aftermarket top mounts.

The fat one is what I like: 20mm inserted into a 7/8" (.875" here, Ford used 22mm or .866)bearing with stainless spacers for the difference and a shoulder for the nut to hit on:


Subies old GpA tops were 19mm pin, the current GpN Subie uses a 22mm ID bearing, sounds like thats the size to use.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Ksport also makes camber (or caster) plates for the front. they look a lot like what's in the photos above. I thought I should have something with rubber in them so i sold them for Group-Ns ...

you can set them up to have caster adjustment then slot your struts for the camber you want (you could even weld the struts back so they wouldn't allow the camber to slip.