583 replies to this topic

[JDWhiteWRX]

I made a start on my rear lower arms today but ended up running out of argon gas for my welder so didn't completely finish them.

 

They are similar to what I did with the trailing arms except this time I added a ladder bar adjuster which basically gives you extra adjustment length and allows adjustment without having to remove the rod end from the mount.

 

This photo shows the arms after I cut them and the small welding jig I made.

 

 

I ended up cutting some more length off the arms after my initial cuts just to make the welding easier.

 

 

I used a bit of CAD to make the sheet metal pieces that hold the tube into the factory arms.

 

 

I mocked it up in my jig and then tacked this inside piece in place, then removed it from the jig to weld it properly to the back of the tube.

 

 

This is as far as I got before the gas ran out. There is probably another 30 minutes of welding to go and then they are done.

 

 

I'll pick up some more gas this week and finish them off before priming and doing the weights.

[crjohnson]

Running out of gas is the worst! Who do you get yours through? I used BOC for a while (d-plan), got sick of their shit so went with coregass/bunnings. So handy being able to pick up bottles on weekends! Price is good too

[JDWhiteWRX]

Running out of gas is the worst! Who do you get yours through? I used BOC for a while (d-plan), got sick of their shit so went with coregass/bunnings. So handy being able to pick up bottles on weekends! Price is good too

 

I originally purchased my own bottle through Gasweld but they went out of business so now I have been using Sydney Tools since they are right next door to where Gasweld used to be and were willing to exchange my bottle.

[JDWhiteWRX]

Picked up some more gas this week for the TIG welder and managed to get the rear lower control arms finished.

 

I finished the remaining welds first and then leveled the tops off with a flap disc for a cleaner look.

 

 

Then I hit them with the wire wheel, some wax and grease remover and a couple of coats of cold-gal.

 

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They came out about 250g heavier than the factory arms, I guess this is the weight penalty I'll have to take for the solid mounts and adjustability I require.

 

 

Moving on I made a start on the rear toe arms. Again I am using the ladder bar adjusters, the original ball joints and some old control arms off my WRX that I have cut down and cleaned up with the wire wheel.

 

 

All I need to do now to finish these is get my friend to turn a female left hand thread into the cut down control arm pieces to suit the thread on the ladder bar and then I will weld the ball joints into them. I really wish I could afford my own lathe.

 

 

The final thing I was playing with today was the A-pillar gusset design for my roll cage. I don't really like the usual circular dimple die style so spent the time to come up with something a little more unique and streamlined.

 

[Niko]

Awesome work Joel they look great.

 

They came out about 250g heavier than the factory arms, I guess this is the weight penalty I'll have to take for the solid mounts and adjustability I require.

 

FWIW, most aftermarket arms are heavier, HardRace, Cusco etc. I think Whiteline is light, but they are shit. 

[El_Freddo]

As usual, more good work Joel!

On the B pillar gussets, will you have the corners of the cutouts rounded to avoid cracking?

Otherwise they look good!

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

As usual, more good work Joel!

On the B pillar gussets, will you have the corners of the cutouts rounded to avoid cracking?

Otherwise they look good!

Cheers

Bennie

 

Thanks Bennie,

 

Yes I'll just use a drill for each corner and then the Dremel for the straight lines.

[JDWhiteWRX]

Sorry no update this week guys, I used my day off to go racing in my WRX.

 

[El_Freddo]

Neat looking rex!

And that’s an interesting trailer you’ve got there. Looks nice and light too!

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

Yeah its only 350kg, its an engineering masterpiece!

 

https://www.raceking.com.au/

[crjohnson]

Awesome looking trailer! What are they like to tow? Do they bounce around much without any suspension? 

[JDWhiteWRX]

Awesome looking trailer! What are they like to tow? Do they bounce around much without any suspension?

I can't fault it in any way, it tows beautifully, it feels like there is nothing there until you get to a big hill. The design uses the cars own suspension since you strap it down over each tyre it is free to move.

[JDWhiteWRX]

Half a day to work on the car today so I kept going on the A-pillar gussets. I'm kind of stuck at the moment doing odd jobs because the person who usually does lathe work for me has gone on extended holiday in Europe. Without the lathe work I can't continue with the control arm fabrication.

 

Traced out my cardboard design onto some sheet metal.

 

 

Cut both sides out with the angle grinder then taped them together to drill holes in each corner.

 

 

Used my dremel to make the smaller cuts between the drilled holes.

 

 

Cleaned them up with a hand file.

 

 

They are now ready to be stitch welded but I ran out of time.

 

 

These were time consuming but I see them as a very noticeable feature when you look at the car from the outside so I wanted to take the time to get everything perfect.

[JDWhiteWRX]

I went snowboarding last weekend so missed my day on the car, got some work done today though, finished welding the A-pillar gussets into the car.

 

Stitch welded with the TIG.

 

 

and a coat of primer so it doesn't go rusty.

 

 

I'm very happy with how these turned out, it looks a lot more sleek than the typical dimple die gussets IMO.

 

[El_Freddo]

Looks awesome Joel!

I love the pic without the roof skin showing off all your handy work!

And those gussets worked out well

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

Sorry guys it has been a while since I posted an update. I won't bore you with excuses as to why I have not been working on the car but don't worry the project will continue eventually.

 

Some small progress has been the toe arms which are now essentially done but I do have to run a weld around them at some point. 

 

I am just going to leave them un-welded for now as I am not sure if I should just center the adjustment or possibly skew it for lengthening to get the camber I want. It will be easy enough to figure out once everything is assembled and the welding is only a 20 minute job.

 

These were made from the factory arms and some old lateral links I had from my wrx. I had to get some lathe work done to make it all come together and since it was just a favor from a friend it ended up taking a very long time, plus the work ended up being fairly involved.

 

 

So my problem now is that I have used up all my favors on the lathe and I still need a whole bunch of uniball tapered adapters made up to complete the front control arms and upper rear arms.

[El_Freddo]

YES AN UPDATE!!!

Time to invest in a lathe?

Too much snow boarding getting in the way of race car?

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

YES AN UPDATE!!!

Time to invest in a lathe?

Too much snow boarding getting in the way of race car?

Cheers

Bennie

 

Lathes are not cheap and then obviously you have to learn how to use them.

 

Yes lots of snowboarding this time of year, I get a season pass each year and try to make the most of it. If I had what I needed to continue with the car I would still be getting a bit done but up until now I have not really had to rely on others for anything so it was a straight forward process.

 

To move forward now I am going to have to pay someone to turn up those pieces, the problem is I just booked and paid for my next big snowboarding Japan trip and I don't have and spare money right now. I don't even want to get some quotes until I have a bit of cash to spend.

 

Joel.

[Asymmetry]

 

Sorry no update this week guys, I used my day off to go racing in my WRX.

 

 

Still have that nugget, nice!

[JDWhiteWRX]

Still have that nugget, nice!

Yeah but probably going to sell it at the end of this year once the race season is over. I could use some money to buy some of the more expensive items I need for the BRZ.