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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Even lower front end

I would like to lower my front end even further.
I have a chrome bumper crossmember fitted with slightly shorter springs.
Im using the Ron Hopkinson/Bilstein suspension and If I shorten the springs any more the top trunnion will hit the shock on full compression.
From centre of wheel to bottom of chrome strip measures 340mm.
I would like to go about 20 to 25mm more.
How about drop swivels? I believe a section is removed from the top and some added at the bottom to efectively raise the axle up. This will also upset the geometry because the steering arms will be higher. Perhaps I could raise the rack by the same ammount?
Anyone kwow a solution?

Thanks

Mark
Mark

Mark, I don't know about anyone in the UK who does this type modification, but here is a link to a US supplier. http://www.mgbracing.com/pages/2/
Looks like your idea is the way the upright was modified, I'm sure they can answer the other questions. You might be able to reverse the steering arms side for side which would place the outer tie rod ends upside down and align the steering better.
Bill Young

Thanks Bill
Very interesting
Mark

Mark,
Have you looked at changing tire size? I have a CB car with 1" lower Huffaker springs and went to a 265/50-14 tire which I believe has a 24" diameter IIRC and the car sits so low that extra attention had to be paid to the exhaust. (It now runs fenderwell headers and side pipes all of which is above the level of the floor pan.) On a hard jounce such as after jumping the crest of a sharp hill it is possible to touch the crossmember to the pavement. I don't think you can go much lower than that.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Swapping the steering arms is an old SCCA racer trick. The real trick is that you are dealing with tapered holes that must be welded solid then redrilled &tapered the other direction. To understand, you almost have to look at an arm.
Jim Stuart

I'm trying what I THINK is a novel approach. It should give me an additional inch of drop with no other geometry changes.

Basically, I split the crossmember horizontally , cutting to top of it off in a U shpe that went from the inside of the inboard shock mount, dropping down into the body of the crossmember crossing over to the opposite side, back up to the other inboard shock mount. This U shape )which included the mounts to the fron frame legs) was removed, and a 1 inch section remoned from the rossmember, Then re-welded the U-shape back in.

Retained stock steering rack mounts, shock, and lower A-arm pivot relationship- just tucked crossmember higher up in the car.

Will need to shim the rack to rotate the rack so steering shafts will align.

May have been done before, but I've never seen it.
greg fast

I hadn't heard of that being done but it sounds like a good approach. In fact if you had been able to mock it up and tack it, it might have been possible to align the rack properly at that point without using shims. However, if you can do that much, one wonders how much more difficult it would be to ditch the kingpins in favor of a modern spindle? Suddenly Ted's design comes to mind...

You know, I just wonder if the reason he went to a custom steering rack might not have been due to difficulty in finding a spindle with the same tie rod end placement as OEM?

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Move the arms.
Spacer under the shocker. If you want to move the lower arm up you should be able to do so by bolting it inside the crossmember, instead of underneath.
Peter

Agreed- If it was not for this being a vintage race car, I might very well have done that.

Vinatge SCCA rules compell no movment of the suspension pickup points, but do not address moving the crossmember. They also permit 'tooling' that permits a change to the spindle and upright. If I was doing this on a street car, I'd have drilled through the crossmember, stuck a bit of thickwalled tubing throug and welded it in place. Would have made life ALOT easier. But when you need to build to a set of rules....
greg fast

This thread was discussed between 02/07/2006 and 18/07/2006

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