Suspension fabrication shop in the triangle?

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2016 1:35 pm

Hi,

Just wondering if someone can recommend a local shop for some one-off suspension work. I'd like to build a splined rear sway bar for my Focus, much like this S2000 sway bar:

https://robrobinette.com/S2000SwayBar.htm

With bearings instead of bushings, etc. I've got a pretty good idea what I want and how it would need to be done, but lack the tools to do it on my own. E.g., I know the car needs to be spaced further from the subframe than the stock one is, but I don't have the tools/ability to machine, or weld up, chassis mounts which do that.

A buddy down in Atlanta does just this kind of thing, so I'll probably end up giving him the car for a couple weeks. Just figured I'd ask locally first.

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:28 pm

ADDCO is up near Linville NC and might be able to make a custom setup for you....

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:38 pm

I'd forgotten about Addco, but haven't ever associated them with one-off stuff like this.

Current setup:

Hokey endlink by krshultz, on Flickr

I'm looking for something along the lines of this:

I'll probably end up taking the car down to Atlanta and leaving it there for a couple weeks, but local talent would be great for the domestic tranquility points.

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:12 pm

Karl,
You asked about my front subframe bushings in another thread. I have access to a machine shop at work and made them with the help of the shop guys.

Here are the stock rubber bushings - they are two piece design pressed in from top and bottom

I drove them out and bought a 3" blank of aluminum to make solid bushings

Here is the final product

I did the same thing for the rear subframe

I made my endlinks from various parts out of the Grainger catalog

My swaybars I made adjustable with slots rather than holes - I've found slots are WAY easier to adjust at the track. My 27mm bar had enough material to change the hole to a slot:

My 19mm bar, I cut the ends off and added slotted tabs:

There is a place online that sells splined swaybar shafts and arms - I think they would do custom arms. I remember looking at them - I'll need to find it again.

Cash

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:33 pm

Thanks Cash. That's cool stuff that I wish I knew how to do.

This all started as me wanting to fix the hokey endlinks, and naturally I started thinking, "well why not just build a proper bar while I'm in there." :lol:

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Sun Jan 24, 2016 9:33 pm

The more the rear bar binds, the better the car rotates. Don't fix it if it's not broken!

Rob Keehner · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2016 12:32 am

HRP sells a "Genesis" brand where you can source many near fit components.

Do you have a number in mind for Budget?

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:39 pm

Rob Keehner wrote:

HRP sells a "Genesis" brand where you can source many near fit components.

Do you have a number in mind for Budget?

I'm hoping to keep it around $500-700. Say $250-350 for parts, to include a splined bar, arms, bearings, and bearing mounts. Plus a $200-300 in labor to figure it out, build whatever mounting brackets it needs, and make it so. I'm guessing that by then, I'll already have endlinks, or I can just get some. R&R of a rear bar on this car is like a 10 minute thing.

That's my guess based on my friend in ATL. He might be giving me the buddy discount, I haven't gone into that level of detail with him, because Atlanta feels kind of unmanageable, what with the Focus being our most reliable family transportation.

I might need a hand figuring out the rates that I want, too. I know I'd like "full soft" to be right at the factory rate, which this thread states is 98lb/in. I can probably figure that out on my own, but having someone to check my work would probably be wise.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:42 pm

While looking into this, I've noticed something surprising. Nobody makes delrin replacement sway bar bushings. Maybe it shouldn't, but that surprised me a little. A two piece delrin replacement for the usual polyurethane D-bushings that ship with most aftermarket swaybars seems like it would sell reasonably well.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:08 am

Karl,

What are you trying to accomplish with this bar that the Stranoparts bar doesn't do, especially since Sam indicates stiffer is not the way to go on a street class Focus ST?

Also did you get my email on that other topic?

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 28, 2016 12:41 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Karl,

What are you trying to accomplish with this bar that the Stranoparts bar doesn't do, especially since Sam indicates stiffer is not the way to go on a street class Focus ST?

Also did you get my email on that other topic?

I did, thanks for that.

I agree with Sam and everyone else that in a steady state situation, even the stock bar is enough. After all, if the car is lifting a wheel, that's as much weight transfer as you're gonna get out of a bar. What I'm trying to do is improve the balance of the car by increasing front grip. NOT by taking away rear grip, because less grip is bad. Instead of purposely screwing up the end of the car that's working, I'd rather fix the one tha'ts broken.

This is all theory, based on my limited knowledge and complete lack of formal training as a mechanical engineer:

Corner entry: I'd like the bar to act more quickly. Get the weight transfer done right now, and keep as much weight on that inside front wheel as I can. And if I can make the "default" balance of the car looser on entry, I can hopefully go back to a more reasonable tire pressure. 55psi in the rears is goofy, and I'm trying to avoid goofy.

Corner exit: I'm hoping that a stronger bar will transfer weight to the inside front wheel more quickly. That means I can get on the power sooner, without having to deal with wheelspin, or argue with the electronic diff.

Generally: I want to improve the endlinks regardless. With a sandwich of urethane anchoring them to the control arm instead of a bearing, when I want to make a bar change, I have two choices. I can fight the bushings to get everything lined up. Or I can loosen them, which means changing their lengths, and having to worry about not getting the bar preloaded in some wonky way.

The existing endlink design just looks...goofy. The same forces I have to fight to adjust the bar stiffness are probably in play when the suspension is going through its range of motion. Only it's worse, because the bushings are under deflection and producing more force. I'm kind of fixated on this, because the car doesn't behave consistently, run to run, at the same event. Even at MCAS where I tend to drive really well.

So...that's where I'm at. Or, rather, that's how I've convinced myself that this is a good idea. :lol:

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:12 pm

Karl, get a few of these:

and bolt them to the mount where the urethane bushings are (you could even reuse the urethane bushings you want a little noise isolation).

Change the end link to heim joints on each end, then be finished with the project.

Here's an overpriced kit for a Mazdaspeed 3:

http://www.streetunit.com/AWR_Rear_Endl ... 05r-m3.htm

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:52 pm

Seems like you need a Mustang . . . too bad it won't work for the important things in your life.

Another end link option you probably know about.

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetails. ... ModelID=39

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 28, 2016 2:09 pm

Scott Johnson wrote:

Karl, get a few of these:

and bolt them to the mount where the urethane bushings are (you could even reuse the urethane bushings you want a little noise isolation).

Change the end link to heim joints on each end, then be finished with the project.

Here's an overpriced kit for a Mazdaspeed 3:

http://www.streetunit.com/AWR_Rear_Endl ... 05r-m3.htm

Already bought just such a thing:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SJ ... ge_o00_s00

They're bigger than I thought they'd be (TWSS). The through bolt where the endlink would go is 1/2" in diameter, where I'm used to buying 3/8" ID rod ends. The Amazon listing didn't have those sizes listed, so I figured if they don't work out, I'll send them back. Very stout though.

I've got those same AWR endlinks bookmarked at home

Actually, I asked over on FocusST.org if anyone else had tried MS3 endlinks on a Focus. No response either way.

In any case, I'm going to do the endlink conversion you've suggested either way, because I'll need to for a custom bar as well. I've wrapped the Strano bar with this stuff to try and free it up in its urethane bushings some too.

DickRasmussen wrote:

Seems like you need a Mustang . . . too bad it won't work for the important things in your life.

Another end link option you probably know about.

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetails. ... ModelID=39

Well heck yes I need a Mustang. I'd LOVE to have a Mustang. But it wouldn't be the autocross car. I think I'm destined to be a front wheel drive guy my entire life when it comes to autocrossing - I "get it." A lot of the time if I had a great run in my S2000, I had no idea why it was so good. :lol:

Those Steeda endlinks are the ones I've already got. It's that bushing sandwich on the end that I think is less than ideal. Probably worse than the stock ones, since the urethane is so much stiffer (and less likely to allow freedom of movement) than the stock rubber bushings. The fit also seems goofy - if you look at the top picture I posted, you can see that there's an inch long spacer between endlink and bar to make these work. The stock Ford ones have a shank shaped in such a way that I don't need a goofy spacer.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Sat Jan 30, 2016 2:26 am

Scott, that fork shaped mount you posted the picture of...what's the name of that thing? Maybe I'm not searching for the right words.

The thing I ordered from Amazon was a stem to eyelet shock mount converter for a Jeep. It ended up way too large and won't sit down flat. I could probably get it to work, but doing so would require a lot of compromises. A big problem was going to be the rod ends. Traditionally, I see people use 3/8" rod ends, but this would require 1/2". That size change makes for a surprisingly large price increase.

THSCC Forums

Suspension fabrication shop in the triangle?

Who is online