Suspension Gurus, Junkyard help needed...

Okay,

So we're making efforts to put silly Justy back on stage.

This is probably close to the rattiest rally car ever construed, but it's fun and cheap.

With the current 70 odd hp, It doesn't go too fast (we're sorta working on that)

With a 90 inch wheel base, it goes sideways all the time (big grin factor).

It has monster big suspension travel (HA ha ha ha ha )

I would love to invest in JVAB Souperistbitchin boinger bouncy suspendin' things, but realistically we would be spending twice on the suspension what the car has in it. And it's a "dead end car" for fun.

However, I'm about to do a major suspension and pick-up point strengthening project. Including boxing control arms, more seam-welding, more sheet metal (adding to the popcans that currently hold the suspension in place)

The car weighs just under 1900 lbs ready to rock (off it's jack stands), I think I'll pull another 100lbs out, but likely add 25 or so in steel this weekend.

Front springs are 185's, rears 250 (way inboard of wheel, separate from strut ) currently running tired out stock struts. OEM struts are now unobtainum (er well 300 bucks per at the dealer, not too many aftermarket

Front pinch type at the hub, sorry no ears.

Rear, ears at the hub, easy to make something fit there.

I would like to find better dampers, what sort of valving should I be looking for in the junk yard, ie how heavy a car should I be looking at to find a strut that would give me:

better damping but not over do it.
longer travel
stronger

Or should I make up some tubes and get some Sensitrac inserts from something cheap.

There is a bit of room to move the front strut towers up before they hit the hood, is this a likely decent way to help fit a longer strut?

Rears are easy to build towers, but as said the spring perch is on the swing arm about a 10 inches from the hub. The strut/damper supports the hub and goes up into the wheel well.

Sorry John, I don't have pics or measurements at this time, the car is 6 hours away, I'm headed to it for the weekend. I can post pics as soon as Thursday.

Cheers,

Matt

I have the Monroe guide in PDF (I tried to attach it to this post but it's too big. I'll email it to any one who wants it)

I used it to find inserts for the volvo. You can find which other car uses the same mounts as the justy and compare travel, lenghts and valving. It's not the best way to find shocks but it's better than going to the junkyard and feeling them by pushing on the fenders and estimating the required force!

---

Francois

I DO have some trade in stuff, Matt. We oghtter be able to do SOMETHING both Soooper Bitchin and .

Post some piccies of front and rear of the beast with wheels off, and then some shots with wheels on (crawl on yer belly and aim upwards).

I am sure you'll be surprised what weze can pull off.

Once you have some Soooper Bitchin Suspenders, then youse gots no Hexcuses for not winning overall.

Just let loose with all the Powerz in the beast...

Oh when we gonna shove a big T15 Garrett on it?



Oh wait maybe sumpin like this:


Powerdrink for the Monster Sub-a-art!

Don't be a puss...if you want to do suspension do the whole suspension,,,everything remotely connected to it...http://www.streetfire.net/video/who-would-believe-it-a-justy-wrx-with-a-ej25-base_35203.htm

Gene,

I've seen that clip before, and that car resides somewhere in the province I'm now living in!

The 2.5L turbo rally Justy has been routinely discussed... generally after too many wobbly pops and "Hell Yeah!"s. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we started with the smaller and lighter Gen I which has 3 less inches of engine bay space (For a total of 6 inches HA!). The flat four swaps into the Gen II's generally require a pretty big shoe horn, so we'd need an even bigger one!

John,

There currently is no suspension on the car...

but we have a Gen II car as a parts car with all it's bits. Nothing really different other then a bit bigger spindles and brakes. I'll take pics of it.

Measure all the pert-nit die-menshuns and post them hopefully Thursday.

Next question for the dim-wit

How is damper valving measured? Is it weight and displacement over time?

Cheers!

Matt

Ahhh re-size re-size



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2010 05:00PM by Mad Matt F.

OK, now that's very cool!! Now I have to abandon the Celica for a new project, Justy... :-) Looks like the newest RallyCross car...

-Jon

Quote
Mad Matt F
Gene,

I've seen that clip before, and that car resides somewhere in the province I'm now living in!

The 2.5L turbo rally Justy has been routinely discussed... generally after too many wobbly pops and "Hell Yeah!"s. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we started with the smaller and lighter Gen I which has 3 less inches of engine bay space (For a total of 6 inches HA!). The flat four swaps into the Gen II's generally require a pretty big shoe horn, so we'd need an even bigger one!

John,

There currently is no suspension on the car...

but we have a Gen II car as a parts car with all it's bits. Nothing really different other then a bit bigger spindles and brakes. I'll take pics of it.

Measure all the pert-nit die-menshuns and post them hopefully Thursday.

Next question for the dim-wit

How is damper valving measured? Is it weight and displacement over time?

Cheers!

Matt

Ahhh re-size re-size

Matt there's a million ways to measure damping, and every OEM has their own idears.
GM Europe specifies 0,39 m/s, and Saab says sumpin else, Toiletta says something different, of course.
That's why I use and recommend Bilstein cause they have expressed their valving in a consistent standard: stroke the thing at 0,52 m/s and what the valving generates is noted as a 1/10 notation of the newtons of force. So a car about 1000kg might have a front strut with "300/100" stamped in and that's 3000n rebound, and 1000n compression.

Because of this even a simple minded old grouch bullshitter like ME! can look at a buncha figures and extrapolate a "pretty damn good" number diddling for things like weight or leverage.
So it helps knowing things like weight of vehicle, weight balance, damper position and ALWAYS its good to know about packaging or wheel/tire relationship to the tube.
remember if we're changing to a copilover spring, to get enough spring travel, it's inevitable that it'll be longer and we need space (that's why plug in type knuckles like Xratty and MkIV Golf and Loyale and it seems you bugger are exercises in hair pulling---it's hard to skootch the strut tube over to clear the wheel/tire.

But get me some dimensions, post them here on this thread and lets see what we'ze can come up wiff.

John,

I fer-got to take the mes-surments!

Here's the picces.

more

never mind the rust, this is the "parts car", ours is even lighter due to the agging process!

rear-ended...

Okay,

So another few days in on the car, 1000 miles to do it... really 1024 miles round trip...

The shell is looking good for a cheep azzed rally car.

Black Bear is outa sight unless I find an extra week in May and two extra thursdays to get sheet done.

John, as promised months ago, suspension has been measured, pardon the imperialistic measurements from a guy whose happy with 10th's of 10's but could only find an ancienne device to measure with...

Front tube 13.5"
Front total extended 23" ish
Front compressed 17" ish
Front diameter 1.75 (ish I can grab caliper...)

Rear tube 14 ish
Rear extended 22 ish
Rear compressed 17ish
Rear diameter 1.75 ish (again I can grab caliper)

sooper bling suspension (not souper bitchin)

snowmobile A-arm spherical joint makes for replacing rusty trailing link...

I should re-title this thread "why I should have built the Volvo instead..."

piccies of the rusty justy...