Jimbob
3rd May 2010, 10:12 PM
Since I first saw the design of the rear suspension camber adjusters I've been unable to stop worrying about the strength of them. This is not intended to be a criticism of the design here I just want to hear what people think about this part.
The way I see it is this. There are big loads shear loads on this weld from braking and accelerating and even bigger loads pulling the weld apart from the weight of the car. Say you're accelerating the wheel bumps off the ground, the wheels spins up, then you come crashing back down. Now the shock has to decelerate the car's vertical movement, and the suspension has to absorb the load from a spinning tyre decelerating from hitting the ground. This is putting a massive diagonal load on this weld of an area the size of a 20p welded to a thin tube.
I was thinking of just leaving it, but considering what this failure could mean, it wasn't an option I liked. I envisage lower wishbone being ruined, CV joints popping out and wheels impacting arches and body work. EAK.
Admittedly I'm not building the lightest car with a Rover V8, but after building these parts to book speck, and having a good long look at them, I've finally given in. I've chosen to go down the Welded bolt head to put my mind to rest. This gives a much longer weld and you get the leverage effect from the seam being spread out. Lovely.
See attached image for both book design and bolt design.
Any thoughts?
The way I see it is this. There are big loads shear loads on this weld from braking and accelerating and even bigger loads pulling the weld apart from the weight of the car. Say you're accelerating the wheel bumps off the ground, the wheels spins up, then you come crashing back down. Now the shock has to decelerate the car's vertical movement, and the suspension has to absorb the load from a spinning tyre decelerating from hitting the ground. This is putting a massive diagonal load on this weld of an area the size of a 20p welded to a thin tube.
I was thinking of just leaving it, but considering what this failure could mean, it wasn't an option I liked. I envisage lower wishbone being ruined, CV joints popping out and wheels impacting arches and body work. EAK.
Admittedly I'm not building the lightest car with a Rover V8, but after building these parts to book speck, and having a good long look at them, I've finally given in. I've chosen to go down the Welded bolt head to put my mind to rest. This gives a much longer weld and you get the leverage effect from the seam being spread out. Lovely.
See attached image for both book design and bolt design.
Any thoughts?