Aluminum front cross memeber in an early 911

[Jbizzle78]

I am upgrading my 71T suspension to 911SC suspension with 22mm F-TB and 28R-TB. Does an aluminum front cross member from an SC make a a big difference? What are the advantages? I figure if I am going to upgrade the suspension I might as well do that also.

Thanks,

[rvanderpyl]

It's only advantage is that it is lighter. Disadvantages include being prone to breaking the short bridge piece by the torsion bar adjusting screws, and a tendency to be warped. I put one into my car and it fit fine. Make sure you get the attachment straps as they are seperate pieces.

[JP911]

The suspension pan is different as well. The biggest plus (reason I switched) is that it won't rust.

[911pcars]

If you haven't shopped for pieces yet, I'd suggest looking for an '84 up front end, then install that; sell your existing front end to a 914 owner. You'll also end up with improved front brakes (24mm wide rotors). JP refers to the matching sheet metal cover that fits under the chassis/axle assembly.

Sherwood

[RWebb]

a 2nd advantage is that it is stiffer

an adv to the factor was that it was cheaper

[Jbizzle78]

Thanks for the info..

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

If you haven't shopped for pieces yet, I'd suggest looking for an '84 up front end, then install that; sell your existing front end to a 914 owner. You'll also end up with improved front brakes (24mm wide rotors). JP refers to the matching sheet metal cover that fits under the chassis/axle assembly.

Sherwood

Will an '84-up front end fit a 914? I'm about to upgrade my 914-6...

[rusnak]

I installed an '86 complete front end in my '70 914-6. The only thing that maybe is a little different is the steering rack pan. I forgot what I did, probably installed the '86 pan.

[Danny_Ocean]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[rusnak]

A 911SC front end will work as well, but you will get thinner brake rotors. Otherwise identical to 3.2 front end. I remember now what I was doing. I had to upgrade the MC, so I went right to a 23mm. The 914 has a 19mm MC. I had to use some copper washers and stuff. It ended up being really clean.

[RWebb]

re pan - you can just redrill the old ones to fit

I like to get these powder coated as that holds up MUCH better to all the rock hits they get

[rusnak]

don't I know it. I think the hardest part of the install is the pan. You need it too, if you are using the under body sway bar. The Al is really thick, like 1mm or so, so when it gets bent, it is a chore to re-fit onto the car. I finally heated mine and hammered it all square, then could not bolt it back onto the car without the use of a floor jack and some C-clamps to press it together first.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by RWebb

re pan - you can just redrill the old ones to fit

I like to get these powder coated as that holds up MUCH better to all the rock hits they get

Randy,
Are you sure? If I was able to remotely hammer to shape, file to fit and paint to match, I would have attempted it. Perhaps I subconsciously saw the extent of my limitations. Instead, I got a used compatible undertray cover.

Mine were stamped steel. Were they also available in aluminum? If so, I would expect Rennline to have made an aftermarket version.

Sherwood

[rusnak]

Sherwood,

I THINK (not positive though) that my original steering rack cover for the 914-6 is stamped Al. I still have it in my parts stash somewhere. However, as I mentioned you need the SC/Carrera one because it is intended to support the underbody swaybar.

Another advantage of the later suspension is heavier torsion bars and in some cases improved ball joints. I noticed that the hubs were significantly beefed up on the SC and Carrera too. The 914-6 hubs are a still beefy but lighter weight affair. Don't know if they're still available, probably not.

[911pcars]

Not sure about the torsion bars for a 914, but the stock front torsion bars on a 911 have been 18.8mm forever.

Sherwood

[rusnak]

Alls I knows is, I bought a complete '86 911 suspension, and the torsion bars were way thicker than the original 914 bars.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Randy,
Are you sure? If I was able to remotely hammer to shape, file to fit and paint to match, I would have attempted it. Perhaps I subconsciously saw the extent of my limitations. Instead, I got a used compatible undertray cover.

Mine were stamped steel. Were they also available in aluminum? If so, I would expect Rennline to have made an aftermarket version.

Sherwood

Sherwood, I'm talking about the sheet metal pan under the steering rack area. On my '73 I just had to drill 2 extra holes. I eventually found a Carrera pan and used that.

Of course, a PO had modified my car... maybe that explains something.

Dunno what year your car was but I certainly believe that if anybody could have modified the pan, it would be you...

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Sherwood, I'm talking about the sheet metal pan under the steering rack area. On my '73 I just had to drill 2 extra holes. I eventually found a Carrera pan and used that.

Of course, a PO had modified my car... maybe that explains something.

Dunno what year your car was but I certainly believe that if anybody could have modified the pan, it would be you...

Randy,
Mine is a '69, not unlike yours. Perhaps I should shop for some larger hammers.

Sherwood

[Zeke]

I bent an AL cross member on an off at Willow. Tyson Schmidt was there that day and recommended that I install the stock steel one I took off. The reason? He feels that weight savings that low are not essential vs. the strength you get from the steel. He feels pretty much the same about AL trailing arms, too, but he will admit that you get 2 lbs. less unsuspended weight, even if steel ones are stronger.

I'm not sure what bent the thing, but it was mostly likely the edge of the track as I bounced over the berm. Either that or a large rock of which there are many at Willow just off the track surface. There was a pretty visible mark just off center. It was only a 50MPH deal and I think the steel would have survived it.

BTW, I would never had reused the AL one, but I wanted to see what would happen if I straitened it in a press. Bang!! The thing snapped big time. Scared hell out of me. Those things are very brittle.

Just some thoughts.

[rusnak]

Al becomes very brittle after it is bent. Same thing with ladders. When one becomes bent, you have to throw it away.