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Front suspension swaps?
- Thread starter EriktheAwful
- Start date
EriktheAwful
Donation Time
I said it would be a while before I'd have any more updates, but I was working on the Suburban tonight, got fed up, and built a mounting bracket for the lower arm on the Alpine and mocked it up.
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=ekpFRXpZSnNwa3M4VVNBSC1HTnVfeWhSTTFJRzJB
The lower shock mount doesn't quite line up, and I think the lower arm needs to be a half or whole inch further in anyways. That said, I think it's looking really good.
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=ekpFRXpZSnNwa3M4VVNBSC1HTnVfeWhSTTFJRzJB
The lower shock mount doesn't quite line up, and I think the lower arm needs to be a half or whole inch further in anyways. That said, I think it's looking really good.
Use anything from a Mountaineer or an Explorer, most all have 3.73 LSD an disc brakes we've used them in the Tiger and the V8 Alpine we built if your clever and select the correct rear track your going to use, you can have the stock axles cut and resplined(making the LH a RH and the RH a LH this axle is used as a retrofit for a Jeep Cherokee making the track wider, and by the way we fabricated our own front crossmembers.
EriktheAwful
Donation Time
Copy that. The trick I've heard is to grab a second right side axle and cut the left axle housing shorter to match. That's what I'm planning on doing. Not sure if it'll be short enough, but I can always get more backspacing, right?
Axle
However if you do the math right you wont need to get another axle a
51" rear track will require you to shorten the axle (keeping the pinion on center) like 1.5" on one side and 6.0" plus on the other,we however on the last car we used a 53" rear Track and had to get one axle from Moser.
I selected wheels first. and then fabbed a dummy axle. and from that determined the track width I wanted.
However if you do the math right you wont need to get another axle a
51" rear track will require you to shorten the axle (keeping the pinion on center) like 1.5" on one side and 6.0" plus on the other,we however on the last car we used a 53" rear Track and had to get one axle from Moser.
I selected wheels first. and then fabbed a dummy axle. and from that determined the track width I wanted.
Barry
Diamond Level Sponsor
The Alpine rear flange-to-flange (including brake drums) is about 51-1/2".
Depending on the year, the Escape rear flange-to-flange is about 57".
Maybe the IRS from a CRV, RAV4 or similar would be narrower.
Power capability might be a problem; most of the AWD cars / CUV's only put about 40% of the total power to the rear which is probably no more than 100 HP.
Just my opinion, YMMV.
EriktheAwful
Donation Time
I made serious progress on the Suburban today, so I took a break and worked on the Sunbeam. I'm not using the MII crossmember, I'm reworking the Sunbeam crossmember. I have one side mocked up with MII parts, and I reassembled the other side with factory parts. The MII parts put the track width about 1" wider, and that's without relocating the lower arm half an inch closer in and higher up, which I need to do. I think that to get to the factory track, I can make the arms more parallel to the frame, which should help correct some of the geometry problems. Hopefully some time this week I can bolt the crossmember back in and get some measurements of how right or wrong it is.
EriktheAwful
Donation Time
I bolted the crossmember in yesterday with the MII on the driver's side and the stock bits I do have on the passenger side.
I bolted appropriate wheels to each side and the fender clearance and backspacing both look excellent, but positioning in the wheel well is off.
The wheel is 2.5" too far forward and under compression or turning will be in the fender, not to mention I'll still have near-stock geometry.
I don't see any other option than to fab up a crossmember, which is a long step further than I wanted to go, but not further than I'm willing to go. Sure, there are $3500 kits out there, but I'm not made of cash, and I deliberately bought a basket case car so I could do whatever I want. I have the tools and experience to do it, so tomorrow I think I'm going shopping for some 2" square tubing and 3/16" plate. The next step will be to take measurements and build a jig.
I bolted appropriate wheels to each side and the fender clearance and backspacing both look excellent, but positioning in the wheel well is off.
The wheel is 2.5" too far forward and under compression or turning will be in the fender, not to mention I'll still have near-stock geometry.
I don't see any other option than to fab up a crossmember, which is a long step further than I wanted to go, but not further than I'm willing to go. Sure, there are $3500 kits out there, but I'm not made of cash, and I deliberately bought a basket case car so I could do whatever I want. I have the tools and experience to do it, so tomorrow I think I'm going shopping for some 2" square tubing and 3/16" plate. The next step will be to take measurements and build a jig.