Some running gear trivia

[Wynand]

Most of us know the weight of our cars when completed. Ever wondered what individual component may weight?

I got the young lad to weight the complete running gear on my car on an electronic scale and was quite surprised by the weight of the parts. The front suspension is my own design and all WB's are made of 25 x 2mm steel tube.

The following were weight:
1. Sierra diff, two side-shafts, two rear hubs complete with brake shoes, drum etc.
2. Rear uprights (Rorty design = heavy), Upper & lower WB,s with bushes and inserts.
3. Front upper and lower WB's with all balljoints, camber adjusters, bushes etc.
4. Cortina Mk 5 uprights, complete hubs, discs with calipers.
5. Escort Mk2 steering rack.

Sum of the parts? 95kg (209lbs)

Now if I add 115 for the Zetec, about 35kg gearbox (unknown as I await a box) and for prop shaft, it does not leave a large margin to build the rest of the car if one, as in my case, one aims for 580kg (1170lbs) for completed car