The Mule rides again (sort of) - pics.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I'm thinking about how to build new upper control arms with a wide range of caster adjustment to make up for my anti-dive spacers.

Parts list (Per side):
2x http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/C73-496-2/
2x http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/AB8/
2x http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/C73-476-2/
2x Something like this, but for 1/2-20 threads and probably 4" overall length: http://www.allstarperformance.com/product.htm?prod=861
2x body side mount box (can make from 1/8" wall 1" square tubing easily) to pick up stock UCA pivot bolt AND bolt to side of frame rail.
2x attaching hardware (likely 1/4-20 bolts and riv-nuts, although could use bigger bolts and weld a tube into the frame rail.
1x plate to accept 2x clevis and upper ball joint
2x 1/2-20 botls for rod-end pivot
2x 3/8-16 bolts/nuts/washers for clevises (clevii?)

I was basically going to end up with a design similar to this: http://www.spcperformance.com/race

[The Dark Side of Will]

Not only having perverse thoughts about how easy it will be to build these... having perverse thoughts about how easy it will be to build caster- and anti-dive-adjustable lowers.

Arraut/HMS/Held/Ryane doesn't want to sell me their upper shock mounts by themselves, so I'll have to build those also.

[Series8217]

I understand it's some work to make something like that for an 84-87 suspension since the stock pivots are different. Have you looked into using those on an 88? The stock control arms already use the same mounting method, so I wonder if there are some off-the-shelf upper control arms that would work. The stock ones kinda suck for caliper clearance. If there's a pivot shaft that fits the stock 88 front crossmember it should be trivial to just get the right length tubes to make it work.

[The Dark Side of Will]

If I built a set for the '88, I'd use a drilled & tapped block instead of a shaft. The bushings/pivots would be held on by a bolt in from each end instead of the shaft captured by the bushings.

The only custom part necessary would be said block and the plate at the outer end. Since the Fiero UBJ's bolt to a flat plate, I could just have such a plate lasered out. It would bolt up the ball joint and have locations where the clevises (clevii?) would attach. Once the initial alignment was accomplished, one clevis could be welded. IIRC, the '87 and '88 UBJ's have the same interface (are the same part?) and thus the same plate could be used for '84-'87 and '88.

In addition to a fully adjustable upper, I have a design in my head for a caster-adjustable lower. I don't think trying to make the lower length-adjustable is a good idea, considering the bending load on it from the spring/coilover.
I'd install a mounting box in the rear LCA pivot location on the body. The mounting axis of the rod end would be vertical and the box would be wide enough that a significant spacer would be used with the rod end. I could then adjust the anti-dive by putting that spacer above or below the rod end (or splitting it and moving the rod-end up incrementally).

[Series8217]

IIRC, the '87 and '88 UBJ's have the same interface (are the same part?) and thus the same plate could be used for '84-'87 and '88.

The '88 UBJ is held in by three bolts and the '84-'87 by two. You still might be able to fit both patterns on there though.

If I built a set for the '88, I'd use a drilled & tapped block instead of a shaft. The bushings/pivots would be held on by a bolt in from each end instead of the shaft captured by the bushings.

Not a bad idea. It would be easy to construct too. I've found some of the control arms on the market use that style of mounting:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Adjustabl ... ,2118.html
If you click "Open Kit Components" you can see the individual parts. Most of this stuff is for the circle track guys and they seem to use 5/8" ball joints for everything. All of the cross shafts I've seen have a 6" hole spacing. The spacing of the '88 upper is ~4.5".

[The Dark Side of Will]

I had been thinking for a while that the best option for a custom '84-'87 front end would be to build a cross-member to make use of shelf circle track parts, rather than anything that Ryane/Held/HT/Arraut have built, or grafting Corvette/Solstice/Lotus/Whatever front end in.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Got a wild hare and looked up ZR1 brake replacement costs: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-corv ... rakes.html

Dealer there said $1300 each for rotors and $400 a set for rear pads, or $6800 for rotors and pads to have ZR1 rears at all four corners. Obviously, one would also have to procure 4 ZR1 rear calipers and a set of wheels to clear same.

I don't think I'm crazy enough to put those on The Mule... but I haven't decided I'm NOT crazy enough to enter the car in the 2014 One Lap of America.

The carbon brakes would totally be worth it on The Stupid Ferrari, though.

[Shaun41178(2)]

If doing a brake swap, I think the Fieroguru will be more than enough. You use stock calipers though.

I also think WCF sells a kit, with Brembo 4 piston calipers, and there is an upgrade where you can get the lightweight rotors to reduce unsprung weight. So its basically a full brake upgrade. If I ever do anything, I am probably going the WCF route.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Isn't Fieroguru's setup for '88's?

I currently have LeBaron fronts and A-body JA2 fronts on the rear.
Next upgrade step will be LS1 F-body brakes front (12 x 1.25) with matching dual piston aluminum calipers. I have all the parts now... I'm just waiting until *AFTER* I install & test the anti-dive spacers to install the Street Dreams aluminum lowering knuckles that will give me the correct bolt pattern for the F-body rotors. At the same time, I'll swap from 16x6/5x100 LeBaron wheels in the front to 16x7/5x115 Bonneville wheels.

I'm deciding whether I want to use LS1 F-body fronts at all four or if I want to use U-body mini-van fronts on the rear. The U-body knuckles have larger hub bearings (still 5x115 pattern and same outer CV's I currently have) and pinch bolt ball joints with larger shanks than the Fiero and A-body units. However, the U-body calipers are all iron and brutally heavy. The rotors are 11 x 1.125, I think.

Stepping up to C5 rotors at 12.75 x 1.25 or C6 rotors at 13.5 x 1.25 will have to wait until I upgrade from 16" wheels to 17" or 18".

[Series8217]

I don't think I'm crazy enough to put those on The Mule... but I haven't decided I'm NOT crazy enough to enter the car in the 2014 One Lap of America.

I've been wanting to do the One Lap. If you are serious about entering next year, let me know. I should be able to make it, but not necessarily in a Fiero.

[The Dark Side of Will]

A friend of mine has gone with a friend of his in a Honda Fit. My friend was the point to point co-driver, while the third party did all the track work. My friend wants to go for 2014 in his '91 Miata with 2.0 and pretty heavy duty head work... might be pushing as high as 200 at the wheels all motor.

Anyway, per event format is 5 laps at a time, so carbon brakes are not required.

It would be great to meet you out there. It would be great to see another Fiero there also. Would you want to do the entire series?

[Shaun41178(2)]

I don't know why but I always thought you had an 88.

Well either way, I think wcf has a kit for non 88's

[Series8217]

It would be great to meet you out there. It would be great to see another Fiero there also. Would you want to do the entire series?

Yeah its not the One Lap without doing the whole thing . Doubt I will have a Fiero though. I'd rather take something nicer to drive since its on the other side of the country.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I don't know why but I always thought you had an 88.

Well either way, I think wcf has a kit for non 88's

I have an '88, but The Mule is an '87.

WCF does strange things to look flashy more than to work well.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Finished installing the new heater hose today. I reused the old one, but the new pipe let me trim about 18" off of it. Both heater hoses run from the heater pipe connections at the "ledge" at the bottom of the firewall just to the left of the alternator around the engine bay to the left and then circle back to the Northstar heater connections. The brake booster vacuum hose also follows the same path from its firewall connection to its connection on the rear side of the intake manifold.

I am making plans to use a 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 silicone radiator hose reducer to step down from the 1 1/2" thermostat neck to a 1 1/4" stainless tube which will replace the agglomeration of odd hoses I currently have connecting the thermostat housing to the cross-cradle pipe. As mentioned above, the cross-cradle pipe will be replaced by a heat exchanger.

http://acehose.com/mcart/index.cgi?code=3&cat=12

[The Dark Side of Will]

Just ordered 1 1/2 - 1 1/4 reducer coupling from the guys above, as well as one each 45 and 90 degree 1.25" 304 SS 16ga bends on 1.80" radius from http://www.mandrel-bends.com

Thinking about getting one of these: http://www.tubebeadingtool.com/

Edit: Ran across a mention of The Poi as a pioneer in DIY tube bead forming while researching this: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=76319

[Series8217]

The beading tool from Graham Tool is excellent. I have one at home and we recently purchased one at work by due to my recommendation. I have the smaller version, for 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8" tubing. The Poi's method for larger tubing is more cost effective than buying the large tool from Graham, but you won't regret making the purchase either way.

Graham Tool sends all kinds of weird and funny marketing materials with their products. It's pretty hilarious. Did you see the tube beading advert on their website? "What happened?" "I skipped the bead!" DON'T SKIP THE BEAD!

Also, check their ebay store; sometimes you can get a special deal. My tubing beader came with free polyurethane magnetic vice jaws for holding tubing.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Cool... thanks for the recommendation.

The Mule is back on the road as of last night. As I was burping the cooling system yesterday, I didn't really have a good way to judge heater performance. This morning is was about 20 degrees out, and I started to get heat about 1/3 of the way to the point where I previously started to feel heat... so the heater pipe reroute is a success.

I also redid the thermostat hose. The old configuration was a CarQuest 20982 hose with a 1.5" nipple 3" long connecting it to a generic 45 degree 1.5" hose elbow. That was reduced to 1.25 for the cross-cradle pipe with a hose reducer bushing. There was a 17" flex hose from the cross-cradle pipe to the right coolant pipe.

The new configuration is a 1.5 x 1.25 flex hose 20" long from the thermostat housing to the cross-cradle pipe and a 20" 1.25" flex hose from the cross-cradle pipe to the coolant pipe. So I eliminated two clamped connections and a reducer bushing.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Had a minor disaster with coolant connections this morning.

I've been sleeping at my G/F's place while the contractor works on my house. I go back to my house in the morning to change clothes and then to work.

After I pulled into my driveway this morning, I noticed a drip trail starting in the middle of the road and running right up the driveway to the car. <sigh>
I looked under and the cross-cradle pipe connection to the 17" flex tube is peeing coolant on the ground.
I jacked the car up and put the connection back together. Fortunately, I had enough mixed coolant on hand to fill it back up.

I guess I'll have to order that beading tool sooner rather than later.
I also need to spray wash the *underside* of the engine bay to figure out if my cam cover is still leaking oil or something else has gone wrong...

Minor disaster overcome before 9 am.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Just got off the phone with Brian at Graham Tool.

The hand-held tools have a different die set for each tubing size. They cater to the aviation maintenance professional (AMP) market. That use case is driven by mil-specs and ANSI standards which specify the surface finish for the inside of the tube where it has been beaded. That and the occasional need to bead tubes while still installed to the aircraft drives the tool to be similar to a hand-held tubing cutter.
So to use the large hand-held tool for what I need, I'd have to get the $150 tool with 1.25" die set installed, AND order the 1.5" die set for an additional $70-$80.

They are shortly (next week) coming out with a vice-mounted tool for the automotive market that is operated by a hand-crank. This tool uses one die set to bead from 1" to 6" diameter tube. It is operated by a crank. Because the inner die has to have "traction" to turn the tube, it is slightly knurled. This marks the inside of the tube and makes the resultant bead not acceptable for aviation use. It's fine for automotive use, however.
That tool will be $225 + free standard shipping... so for the same price as the hand-held tool, I get the capability to do a vastly greater number of sizes.

Their photo montage describing use of their tool also shows use of an ID deburring tool. I've used these tools before, but I don't think I've ever seen them for sale.
Here are a couple of sites which sell their own varieties.
http://www.royalprod.com/product.cfm?catID=7
http://www.noga.com/