On our SKU# C10-221, C10-221-DEL, C10-222 and C10-222-DEL rear lower control arms for the 2010+ Camaro and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 were designed with greatly increasing the strength of the rear sway bar end link mount in mind. If you look at our CAD model below you can see that we have incorporated three specific measures into our rear lower control arms:

1. Our rear sway bar end link mount is CNC laser cut and formed from much thicker 3/16″ thick steel and they have extra “meat” in place surrounding the mounting hole area.
2. Inside of the rear lower control arm we have a fully welded 3/16″ steel full width and height gusset directly under the rear sway bar end link mounting tab. This ties the tab to the full surface area of the rear lower control arm to prevent any stretch of the tab away from the control arm.
3. The rear sway bar end link mounting tab is completely MIG welded around all sides.

From Steve Meade…..

If you have ever lowered or bagged a Chevy Tahoe or Cadillac Escalade, you know they come down on an angle that makes the entire rear end shift to the left. This causes the wheel on the rear passenger side to stick out past the fender and very slightly touch it, while the driver side tucks inside the fender and has room to spare. This is caused by the factory panhard bar. The solution was to install an adjustable one. The video is self explanatory from there! Lets just say, it works and FINALLY my SUV drops straight down and has even “tuckage” on both sides now. I got it at http://www.spohn.net. Visit my website to see this Tahoe built from the ground up as well as TONS of other vehicles at http://www.SteveMeadeDesigns.com/board.

Larry Basegio from Aptos California sent us the pictures shown below that detail his installation of one of our 8 point roll bars in to his Thirdgen Camaro convertible. Larry called a few times for some tips and advice (which we gladly provided!) as his installation progressed. As you can see, the only “mods” required for a convertible roll cage installation are some shaping of some of the floor plates to fit around the convertible’s factory reinforcing, and shortening the two rear down bars to mount to the convertible’s rear deck face.

I also want to note that Larry is not a professional fabricator (he’s actually a scientist!) and did all of this by himself in a two car garage. Great work Larry, and thanks for sharing the pictures of your installation!

Note: The same applies for installing a roll bar or roll cage in to a 1993-2002 GM F-Body Camaro and Firebird convertible car as well.

Check out the full selection of roll bars and roll cages for the 1982-1992 F-Body Camaro and Firebird and for the 1993-2002 F-Body Camaro and Firebird on our website. We also carry roll bars and roll cages for a variety of other vehicles, check out our online catalog to see what we offer for your vehicle.

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]]> http://www.spohn.net/blog/2010/12/08/installing-a-roll-cage-in-a-convertible-f-body-camaro-firebird/feed/ http://www.spohn.net/blog/2010/10/26/1969-camaro-combination-3-4-link-rear-suspension-is-powered-by-spohn-del-sphere-pivot-joints/ http://www.spohn.net/blog/2010/10/26/1969-camaro-combination-3-4-link-rear-suspension-is-powered-by-spohn-del-sphere-pivot-joints/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:12:31 +0000 Spohn Performance http://blog.spohn.net/?p=1350 Authors: John Parsons & Spohn Performance

Project Unfair’s Combination 3 & 4 Link Rear Suspension is Powered by Spohn Performance Del-Sphere Pivot Joints

Project Unfair 1969 Camaro 3 & 4 Link Suspension Combination

When Art Morrison first approached us with the idea of the transforming combination 3 and 4 link rear suspension for our 1969 Camaro project, we loved the idea. And after I thought about it a bit longer, I called Matt Jones (their suspension engineer) at Morrison and told him to be sure and design the brackets of the new suspension to use Spohn Performance Del-Sphere pivot joints. Matt took some measurements and they were able to accommodate us.

As a result, Spohn Performance’s Del-Sphere pivot joints are all over the rear suspension on Project Unfair, and for good reason. I first used Del-Spheres on my previous Chevy II Nova project (II Much) when the original rod ends started to wear (after a few hundred miles) and started to transmit NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) into the car. I swapped the rod ends to Del-Spheres and it greatly reduced the NVH, with no loss of accuracy or articulation.

Strictly speaking, the Del-Spheres don’t have quite as much misalignment capability as a rod end, but for rear suspension linkage arms like Unfair’s combination 3 / 4 link, it offers plenty with no loss of strength. The main body of the Del-Sphere is forged chrome moly steel, with a forged ball. The body and ball are separated by Delrin rings, and the body incorporates a rebuildable and grease-able design that allows for the quiet of rubber and the accuracy of steel.

Project Unfair 1969 Camaro 3 & 4 Link Suspension Combination

We’re confident the car will have excellent handling and ride characteristics, as well as handle the 1200 hp the engine will produce when we put the hammer down!

Here’s the whole rear suspension in what I call “5-link” mode. Note how the Del-Spheres are used on all the control arms except the Watts link.

This is the road racing setup with a 3 link. For drag racing, the upper control arm in the middle is removed and replaced with two control arms on the side. The Del-Spheres provide the misalignment we need for turning the car on the 3 link setup, and the strength for 1200 hp launches on the 4 link setup.

Here’s a closeup of the Del-Sphere, screwed into one of Unfair’s 4 link upper control arms.

Taking off the pre-load adjuster shows the Delrin inserts and how they isolate the ball from housing.

Here’s a complete disassembly. The forging line in the housing is visible.

For more information on the Spohn Performance Del-Sphere pivot joints read our technical information page. To order Del-Sphere pivot joints for your application visit our online catalog.

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Be sure to pick up the August 2010 edition of Fastest Street Car Magazine and check out the tech article on Page 104. FSC installs a complete Spohn Performance rear suspension package on their 1966 Ford Galaxie project car.

They do a nice job covering the installation of the Ford Galaxie rear lower control arms, rear upper control arm and panhard bar track arm. To view a .pdf of the article click here.

Check out our full line up of suspension parts for the 1965-1974 Ford Galaxie at http://www.spohn.net/shop/1965-1974-Ford-Galaxie.

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What is Polyurethane?

Polyurethane is a term used to describe a wide ranging family of elastomers (any compound exhibiting the characteristics of natural rubber; stretchy and elastic.). Poly meaning “many” and “urethane” the classification of the chemical structure. Polyurethane or urethane for short, is used as a solid cast material (bushings). Polyurethane can be as soft as a rubber band or as hard as plastic.

Is there a benefit over rubber?

Many advantages can be found over rubber. Depending on the formulation, urethane has a higher load-bearing capacity, greater tear strength, better compression set, greater abrasion resistance, tolerant to greases, oils and ozone and allows for more unique designs.

What’s the difference between rubber and urethane?

Rubber is the sap of trees found mostly in tropical climates. The sap is altered by mixtures of carbon (why it’s black) and mineral oils and various fillers. Polyurethane is completely chemical or man-made. Because rubber is a biodegradable product it is affected by ozone and will over time dry rot and degrade, while urethane will keep going and going.

How are urethanes rated?

There are approximately 20 categories in which urethanes are rated based on physical properties. The most common is hardness. Others include: abrasion resistance; compression set; tensile strength; tear strength; etc.

How are bushings manufactured?

Most all urethane bushings and mounts are manufactured from a two part liquid cast system. It basically constitutes a polyol or prepolymer and a curative. Much like epoxy, when the two are mixed together, they begin to harden and form a solid material. This mixture is poured into molds where it forms the bushing, mount or pad when it turns a hard solid.Other ways include injection of melted urethane pellets. This is accomplished much like plastic injection moldingwhere the pellets are melted and forced through a small opening into a closed mold cavity. Another way is to cast a solid round bar and then machine it to the desired shape.

Is there a difference between colors?

No. In most cases the color of the part has no relation to the hardness or other physical characteristic. The pigment used to color our urethane components is a paste-like product that is mixed into the urethane in quantities of about 2-4%. You have your choice between red or black colors.

Does urethane squeak?

In a word, no. Squeaking is caused by high frequency vibrations that can be heard rather than felt. It is usually caused by lack of lubrication, poor installation, incorrect part, urethane that may be too hard for the application. In sway bar mount applications, most squeaking comes from not cleaning the sway bar prior to installing the bushings and not using our “squeak proof” grease! Additionally, all our dynamic application bushings feature grooves or splines to hold in our waterproof, highly adhesive, high temperature and pressure grease.

Does urethane ride really hard (harsh)?

The original rubber bushing or mount was fairly soft which helped to attenuate noise and vibration that is generated by the tires and road surface. Increasing the hardness of the bushing either with harder rubber, urethane or even bronze, will allow more transmission of noise and vibration. Some manufacturers formulate the hardness and design to reduce this effect. A softer urethane bushing allows the vehicle to perform better without the harshness, even over the same hardness rubber piece.

Are all urethane bushings the same? Same material, same hardness?

No, no and no. Each manufacturer has their own idea as to the best way a bushing should be designed. We select materials based on physical performance and choose the right hardness for each application.

Can urethane be used for all types of vehicles?

Urethane can be formulated for anything from an MG to a Cadillac to a rough and ready 4X4 or lowered Honda street car.

Do I need special tools to install?

No. Installing urethane components requires no special tools. However, if unique tools and equipment are required due to the type of vehicle, you will need them in order to do a correct job.

Will I need to reuse my metal shells?

We have a complete shell program for most popular applications. Many of our control arm bushing kits come complete with a new shell. On some applications you will need to reuse the metal shell, so be very careful when removing it from the vehicle. The shells themselves are not a replacement item. If you do damage a shell during the removal procedure, you have a few choices: Obtain a used piece from a repair shop or salvage yard or purchase a new shell with rubber bushings from your local parts store.

Spohn Performance offers a complete selection of direct fit polyurethane bushings for a variety of car and truck applications as well as performance suspension components. Visit us on the web at www.spohn.net.

Tech Article: Suspension Alignment Settings Explained

Camber:

Camber is the tilting of the wheels from the vertical when viewed from the front of the vehicle. When the wheels tilt outward at the top, the caster is positive (+). When the wheels tilt inward at the top, the camber is negative (-). The amount of tilt is measured in degrees from the vertical. Camber settings influence the directional control and the tire wear.

Too much positive camber will result in premature wear on the outside of the tire and cause excessive wear on the suspension parts. Too much negative camber will result in premature wear on the inside of the tire and cause excessive wear on the suspension parts.

Unequal side-to-side camber of 1 degree or more will cause the vehicle to pull or lead to the side with the most positive camber.

Caster:

Caster is the tilting of the uppermost point of the steering axis either forward or backward, when viewed from the side of the vehicle. A backward tilt is positive (+) and a forward tilt is negative (-). Caster influences directional control of the steering but does not affect the tire wear. Caster is affected by the vehicle height, therefore it is important to keep the body at its designed height, or correct the caster setting when altering the vehicle’s height. Overloading a vehicle or a weak or sagging rear spring will affect caster. When the rear of the vehicle is lower than it’s factory ride height, the front suspension moves to a more positive caster. If the rear of the vehicle is higher than it’s factory ride height, the front suspension moves to a less positive caster.

With too little positive caster, steering may be touchy at high speed and wheel returnability may be diminished when coming out of a turn. If one wheel has more positive caster than the other, that wheel will pull toward the center of the vehicle. This condition will cause the vehicle to pull or lead to the side with the least amount of positive caster.

Lead / Pull:

At a constant highway speed on a typical straight road, lead/pull is the amount of effort required at the steering wheel to maintain the vehicle’s straight path. Vehicles will tend to lead/pull in the direction of the road slope as part of normal operation. Lead/pull is usually caused by the following factors:

• Road slope
• Variability in tire construction
• Wheel alignment (front cross caster and camber)
• Unbalanced steering gear
• Electronic Power Steering (EPS) steering position and torque sensors not calibrated correctly, if equipped.

Memory Steer:

Memory steer is when the vehicle wants to lead or pull in the direction the driver previously turned the vehicle. Additionally, after turning in the opposite direction, the vehicle will want to lead or pull in that direction.

Scrub Radius:

Ideally, the scrub radius is as small as possible. Noramlly the SAI angle and the centerline of the tire and the wheel intersect below the road surface, causing a positive (+) scrub radius. With struts, the SAI angle is much larger than the long arm/short arm type of front suspension. This allows the SAI angle to intersect the camber angle above the road surface, forming a negative (-) scrub radius. The smaller the scrub radius, the better the directional stability. Installing aftermarket wheels that have additional offset will dramatically increase the scrub radius. The newly installed wheels may cause the centerline of the tires to move further away from the spindle. This will increase the scrub radius.

A large amount of scrub radius can cause severe shimmy after hitting a bump. Four wheel drive vehicles with large tires use a steering damper to compensate for an increased scrub radius. Scrub radius is not directly measurable by the conventional methods. Scrub radius is projected geometrically by engineers during the design phase of the vehicle’s suspension system.

Setback:

Setback applies to both the front and rear wheels. Setback is the amount that one wheel may be aligned behind the other wheel. Setback may be the result of a road hazard or a collision. The first clue is a caster difference from side-to-side of more than 1 degree.

Thrust Angles:

The front wheels aim or steer the vehicle. The rear wheels control tracking. This tracking action relates to the thrust angle. The thrust angle is the path that the rear wheels take. Ideally, the thrust angle is geometrically aligned with the body centerline.

In the above illustration, toe-in is shown on the left rear wheel, moving the thrust line off center. The resulting deviation from the centerline is the thrust angle.

If the thrust angle is not set properly the vehicle may “dog track”, the steering wheel may not be centered or it could be perceived as a bent axle. Thrust angle can be checked during a wheel alignment.

Positive thrust angle means the thrust line is pointing to the right hand side of the vehicle. Negative thrust angle means the thrust line is pointing to the left hand side of the vehicle.

If the thrust angle is out of specification, moving the axle to body relationship will change the thrust angle reading. If the vehicle is out in the positive (+) direction, moving the right hand side forward and/or the left hand side rearward will move the thrust angle towards 0 degrees. If the vehicle is out in the negative (-) direction, moving the right hand side rearward and/or the left hand side forward will move the thrust angle towards zero degrees.

Toe:

Toe is a measurement of how much the front and/or rear wheels are turned in or out from a straight-ahead position. When the wheels are turned in, toe is positive (+). When the wheels are turned out, toe is negative (-). The actual amount of toe is normally only a fraction of a degree. The purpose of toe is to ensure that the wheels roll parallel.

Sample Front End Alignment Specifications:

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Camber: -0.8* (+/- 0.75*)
Cross Camber: (L-R): 0.00* (+/- 0.75*)
Caster: 6.6* (+/- 0.75*)
Cross Caster: 0.00* (+/- 0.75*)
Total Toe: +0.20* (+/- 0.20*)
Steering Wheel Angle: 0.00* (+/- 3.50*)