Trailing Arm Fix??

patkeefe · 12-27-2005, 04:37 PM

While doing some sawzall bodywork today, I noticed that the trailing arm mount has a small rust problem. In order to maximize the structural rigidity of this area, can I fix it by MIG welding on some, say, 10 or 12 ga steel plates? Or do I have to get a new (I think it's called) "suspension console"?

Thanks, as usual
Pat

A few more bodywork shots. I may have gotten out of control on the left side strut tower

Eric 914 · 12-28-2005, 10:18 AM

A new inner ear mount for your trailing arm is probably in order, though you could weld and patch it up to stronger than new, but with more weight than the original. With the rust coming through from the inside like that, most of the strength of the ear has been compromised, so your repair will be virtually all of the structure in that area.

I'm not sure where you're heading with this project, but you've cut away alot of rigidity from your chassis so far. If you're planning on a full tube sub frame for the shock towers and tranny mounts, then you can leave most of the metal that you've removed out, without the tube frame, you'll have to replace most of those panels.

patkeefe · 12-28-2005, 03:12 PM

Thanks Eric:
The other side is even worse (pictures to follow), but in a new and unique kind of way.

Yes, it is getting a full cage, tied into the shock towers, across the shock towers, etc. This is for autox and track only. I found someone who sells these parts, Restoration Design, but have yet to try and contact them. I hear they are tough to get ahold of.

Pat

SirAndy · 12-29-2005, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by patkeefe
I found someone who sells these parts, Restoration Design, but have yet to try and contact them. I hear they are tough to get ahold of.

RD is the way to go. call them.
there's a good step by step article (with pictures) on how to replace the "ear" with the RD replacement on the 914club.com website ...

http://www.914club.com/

Andy

patkeefe · 12-29-2005, 05:14 PM

So, after a few days of hacking away, here's the bad news. The right side suspension console was obviously changed once, and the PO evidently didn't bother to weld in the front side. I suppose this affects the alignment. I guess I'll have to cut this one out too. I keep finding little welded patches, which must have been welded with like 6010 or 6013; they are hard to grind back off.

This now gets me to thinking of how does the rear suspension get aligned in a 914? Is there a way to build this such that I can have a bit of adjustability for camber and toe? Can i modify the suspension consoles with a repair which includes an eccentric, and ty to statically maximize the camber?

Andy, I have seen lots of very informative threads on 914club.com. I tried to post this a few days ago, but had a spot of trouble uploading any photos. I printed some of those threads, and use them as reference in the 914 resting area.

Updates of the suspension console, hell hole area and the test rotiserrie follow.

Thanks!
Pat

The front sheet metal is so flimsy, I had to weld the brackets on. I have to weld more braces in tomorrow to get the flex out of it.

byndbad914 · 01-03-2006, 01:53 PM

Pat,

Since you are having tube framework done and using it for track/xing only, why not just cut all of that stuff out period and create a nice spherical bearing sort of mouting interface?

Talk to your chassis guy and make sure he knows what he is doing in this area, and frankly, it would probably be cheaper and definitely better in the long run for a track car. I have to question your longitudinals at this point as well. May be better off going inside of the longs (interior compartment area) and welding 2x3 chomoly to the inside and around the rear firewall area and tie a cage, rear tubing/front tubing all into that to have a rigid car again.

If you replace all of the structural stuff on that body you will have an amazing amount of $$ in the refurb and still have a flexy-flier and have to cage it for rigidity/safety anyway.

If your chassis guy thinks it is cheaper to buy all the replacement parts and weld them in and thinks that is as good as a nice spherical bearing custom setup with relocated mounting (since a track car should be lower and require this), then I would question that logic and that chassis guy.

My .02 of course, take it for what it is worth to you. Is there a particular reason you want to use the stock 914 stuff? Maybe I am missing something

patkeefe · 01-03-2006, 02:20 PM

byndbad:
Thanks. Well, ultimately, I am the chassis guy. I do have someone local who is really good with 914's who has given me some pretty sound advice. Since this is my first 914, I am doing a lot of research on this. I did see some stuff on 914club.com which incorporated a 911 type pivot for the tailing arm, which does allow some adjustment. I really don't want to spend any money on a stock resto-type repair. The existing longs are OK. I willl put in a full cage, and the ensuing tie ins to the shock towers longitudinally,traverse the shock towers and rear of the cockpit as you suggested, back to the trans mount carrier crossmmber, and back to the rear end of the car. Rigidity is good. I'd like to get the rear cockpit piece along the firewall somewhere in the vicinity of the six cylinder mount piece.

Until I really started reading up, and getting such valuable info from this and the 914club boards, I didn't know what's available as far as suspension upgrades. I am trying to avoid re-inventing the wheel (again). I would like to see if something is commercially available, or at least has been done before, so that I can ditch the suspension consoles altogether.

Pat

byndbad914 · 06:00 PM

Good luck on that work Pat... I just had a quote put together for a full tube chassis setup for my 914 and will probably start it in a month or two... wish I were further along to be able to take pics and show you what I intend to do for the trailing arm mountings.

I am going to mimic the stock outer mouting with shims/etc and run stock 914 trailing arms (so if I go off track and bend one, I can just buy another trailing arm and do some simple mods to replace it). I could have custom trailing arms made, but bend one of those and replacement becomes an issue. I am going to use spherical bearings on both the inner and outer mount of the trailing arm. It will be a really loose interpretation of what this link shows:

http://www.pbase.com/9146gt/9146_rear_suspension_modifications__spherical_bear ings

the link doesn't work (maybe too long for this site) but will get you close, just remove the %20 before 9146 and the br%20/ in the word bearings and hit enter, should get you there

If you dig around Armando's site, you can see some different ways others have reinforced the dogear area to answer your original question in the thread. Actually his site is full of great resto work that is worth looking at from an "appreciation" standpoint.

Check out this link too which is some pics of Roger Sheridan's car I posted a while back:

checked out Sheridan's car this weekend

He has some crazy rear trailing arms, but you can see what I mean about rebuilding the trailing arm area with tube chassis.

Maybe to be safe and sure the suspension is located correctly you could have the local chassis guy do the suspension mount areas and so forth, then finish the caging yourself to save $$ (?) Just a thought. You could work with him, weld in the basis of the cage you are going to work with yourself, have him tie into it with new suspension mounting, then finish out the cage from there.