"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
02/03/2014 at 15:25 • Filed to: Cressida, Toyota, Wagon, Build
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"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
02/03/2014 at 15:25 • Filed to: Cressida, Toyota, Wagon, Build | 2
| 9 |
1/15/14
I borrowed a friend's spare AE86 sway bar to see if it would work on this. The answer is "sort of". It bolts to the axle ok, but the ends don't extend forward enough by about an inch. This is good and bad. I can probably get a huge aftermarket AE86 rear bar, but I will have to make custom end links and/or brackets on the chassis. Not impossible or particularly difficult, just another thing to have to do. Good to know though. A Godspeed AE86 bar can be had for like $100 on ebay, I can hit up McMaster for hardware to make my own adjustable links, and chassis bracketry can be modified/reinforced or replaced with a custom piece pretty easily.
I was also thinking - right now the rear axle is hanging down SUPER low because the shocks are disconnected, so that could be part of the problem too. If it was in the normal range of motion, it may not be as bad. But I'd still want adjustable length links (nothing off the shelf even for 86's) and if I made a new bracket for the links to attach to the chassis with, it would solve the issue as well.
2/3/14
Got a call back from Coilsprings.com over the weekend. They are starting to design my springs. Apparently they tested the stock one I sent in and the rate was like 140lbs/in or something stupid like that. They asked if I was REALLY sure I wanted 400lb/in and I explained how the car currently handles like overcooked pasta and that I was used to driving an autocross-prepped MR2 on a daily basis, he laughed and said "OK that makes sense". There are only two issues at this point. One is that it will probably be around 4 weeks before I see the springs. The other is that the new springs will only be 8" long, which means they will come unseated if the axle is at full droop. So, I've been looking into limit straps and I think I'm gonna go with these:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Basically you weld those mounts to the chassis and the axle, then pick what length you want, and it will keep the axle from drooping too far. Normally this job is accomplished with getting shorter shocks, but even the Camaro AGX's I have are too long to keep an 8" spring in place at full droop.
Also the starting problems haven't been sorted yet, but the weather has been so bad I haven't had time to look into it much.
Rock Bottom
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
02/03/2014 at 15:51 |
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Have you considered making your own rear bar? I am completely ignorant of the packaging on that car, so it might be completely unreasonable, but I've spent a good chunk of my life around circle track cars and old tube-chassis road racers. They all have simple bars like this:
I understand that your car has IRS which makes it a little more complicated, so I found this pic of a stone simple solution to adding more bar to a C4 Corvette:
If you want a bigger pic of that last one, look here: http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/tech/suspensio…
DrJohannVegas
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
02/03/2014 at 15:55 |
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Is it possible to get a helper/tender spring in there? Not sure what your ride height situation will be with just the static spring, and maybe the droop travel is not important, but the straps seem like a second-best solution.
Dunnik
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
02/03/2014 at 16:03 |
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That's some friend, "Hey man, can I borrow your sway bar?"
"Sure," your friend says, jacks up the car, rips it out, "here ya go."
Squid
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
02/03/2014 at 19:31 |
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Its better to be safe than sorry. I like the idea of using the limiting straps to keep your springs in the spot they are supposed to be in. I actually really like your build and can't wait to see the finished product. It is most definitely a unique build but it looks to be a very interesting one. Keep up the good work man.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Squid
02/03/2014 at 22:31 |
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Thanks for the kind words!
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Dunnik
02/03/2014 at 22:32 |
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He has a spare rear end sitting on a shelf in his garage. I took it from that. However, seeing as how his 86 needs a new shell front of the firewall, I don't think he'd mind if I looked at the one on the car either.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Rock Bottom
02/03/2014 at 22:33 |
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The packaging on the rear wouldn't work with a straight bar like that. It's a solid axle so the sway bar has to curve around the diff. Cressida sedans are IRS, wagons are SRA.
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Rock Bottom
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
02/04/2014 at 11:49 |
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Is it possible to have the bar mounted on the chassis (maybe behind the axle to get away from the driveshaft) and have the links extend forward to the axle?
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Rock Bottom
02/04/2014 at 12:43 |
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I mean anything is possible, but this is way easier haha.