EVO wishbones installed (with pics)
Oct 27, 2007, 11:21 PM
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EVO wishbones installed (with pics)
I ordered evo poly wishbone bushes and roll center kit hoping they would fit lancer control arms. Turns out they don't (big surprise), so I order evo control arms. I pressed the bushings in at work, without too much excitement. Although the big donut vertical bushing was a MAJOR PITA, it took our "B" tech and subaru's "A" tech helping to get it in, none of them had seen anything like it. When I got home I took the control arms off, and tried to fit evo ones on. The vertical bushing had "bubbled" out and was too big to fit in the subframe, I also was putting in swaybar bushings so with the help of one of my roommate we dropped the subframe. It wasn't bad a couple bolts for the motor mount and a couple for the steering rack. We had to use ratcheting straps to get the control arms into the subframe. I'm sure this would've been alot easier with the stock bushing in, which actually is a spherical bushing wrapped in a 1/2" of rubber. Oh ya and i don think that outlander endlinks will work, you'll see in the pic they're at a crazy angle, definitely not safe to race on. We're going out to home depot tomorrow and going to get some thick *** sheet metal to fab a endlink out of. Oh and every thing's going back together tomorrow too! Feel free to ask any questions about anything
Last edited by Henrys Ralliart; Oct 27, 2007 at 11:30 PM.
Oct 29, 2007, 12:03 AM
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whew, ok, day two went really well! We started off getting angle grinder, borrowed MIG welder, and some sheet metal. We fabricated some endlink brackets. Getting the subframe in was pretty tough, definitely two man job. Bolted everything up without too much drama, although it took us 4 hours with a hour break to let drill battery charge
. Oh and like 4 hours to make brackets and get tools and supplies. The wishbones are for sure bolted in now, although to answer punkskalars question the wishbones are just slightly further out. Enough to visibly throw the toe off, its defiantly going to need an alignment, but everything bolts up fine! Total time including tool runs and stuff like that is 20 hours and counting, a good solid friday evening to sunday evening project. The only reason I had to drop the subframe was to fit the vertical bushings in the subframe. The bushings were about 1/8" bigger than the frame was, and I was putting in poly sway bar bushings too (and my roommate talked me into it). I would recommend keeping the stock bushing, its a spherical bearing in 1/4" of rubber, so its very solid. Plus you won't have to hassle with it to get it in the subframe. The poly one just bubbled out slightly on me. I plan on having it all back together tomorrow, but here's my progress to date.
stock evo bracket compared to the one we fabricated
Where I'm at now, I still don't have the downpipe bolted back on, and the center crossmember, but those are 10 bolts all together, no sweat.
. Oh and like 4 hours to make brackets and get tools and supplies. The wishbones are for sure bolted in now, although to answer punkskalars question the wishbones are just slightly further out. Enough to visibly throw the toe off, its defiantly going to need an alignment, but everything bolts up fine! Total time including tool runs and stuff like that is 20 hours and counting, a good solid friday evening to sunday evening project. The only reason I had to drop the subframe was to fit the vertical bushings in the subframe. The bushings were about 1/8" bigger than the frame was, and I was putting in poly sway bar bushings too (and my roommate talked me into it). I would recommend keeping the stock bushing, its a spherical bearing in 1/4" of rubber, so its very solid. Plus you won't have to hassle with it to get it in the subframe. The poly one just bubbled out slightly on me. I plan on having it all back together tomorrow, but here's my progress to date.
stock evo bracket compared to the one we fabricated
Where I'm at now, I still don't have the downpipe bolted back on, and the center crossmember, but those are 10 bolts all together, no sweat.
Oct 29, 2007, 11:22 PM
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ok, they dont quite fit so well. everything bolted up fine until we went to put the wheel on and realized the wheel had moved forward about 6 inches. It had about 1/8" between it and the fenderwell. If I drove like this first bump I hit would rip off the inner wall lining. Then the cv axle was moved so far forward it had about 1/4" vertically between it and the belt tensioner. Again, any bump I hit would send the cv axle into the belt tensioner, one or the other would give. Oh how could I forget the toe issue. The toe was 4 inches off measured at the wheels. I ran the tie rods ends out so far they probably would've ripped threads out when they were raced on. Here are some pics.
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Oct 31, 2007, 12:21 AM
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Aside from the toe issues and slightly pushed out wheels. I never got a chance to drive the car so I don't know if fender rub will be an issue. his might actually work on a base lancer. Seeing as how they have a different engine they probably have a different belt assembly, and that engine is closer to an evo than the 4G69. Where to now for ralliarts? I'm going to find a junkyard set of lancer control arms press out the bushings and talk to the folks at energy suspension. They'll either have a set of bushings that will fit or who knows maybe they'll tell me to send them out so they can make a set. They were really nice when I was asking them the odds of evo bushings fitting on a lancer. There will still be a problem with a normal ride height car too. If you compress the suspension on a hard corner or bump its all over for the tensioner assembly. The amount the toe gets throw off is bad too. You might be able to convert to evo rack I'm not about to recommend it or try it myself
. Their rack has thicker tie rod ends, and it feels like a quicker ratio driving it (maybe the wheel gives that illusion), but I don't know how it will bolt up. The main thing I was looking forward to was that dam roll center kit, which the ball joints definitely won't fit ours. I heard really good things about it and I'm more pissed I wont get to experience that than anything right now.
. Their rack has thicker tie rod ends, and it feels like a quicker ratio driving it (maybe the wheel gives that illusion), but I don't know how it will bolt up. The main thing I was looking forward to was that dam roll center kit, which the ball joints definitely won't fit ours. I heard really good things about it and I'm more pissed I wont get to experience that than anything right now.
Oct 31, 2007, 04:11 AM
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I wonder if other control arms off the older evos like the 4,5,6 and mirage are the same as ours. Send me your evo arms and if they fit, I'll send you my base es ones. lol. I believe your right on the belt assembly. I'll have to look and see if its anything like yours and I'll post a pic.
I am guessing so the lancer will handle like an evo?
Oct 31, 2007, 04:32 AM
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...Because they bolt up and you never know whether they will work on the car until youve tried it. Evo wishbones, evidentally not! However most Evo parts, do work, because they are on my car!
I was going to be the guineau pig for this wishbone thing, but obviosuly someone tried it before me and saved me the hassle!
So for God's sake dont anyone think they can do an AWD conversion before me based on preliminary research that indicates everything bolts up!
I'll sell the evo wishbones I picked up I think. Some evo parts work, some dont - its a shame with the wishbones because they bolt up so perfectly.
I was going to be the guineau pig for this wishbone thing, but obviosuly someone tried it before me and saved me the hassle!
So for God's sake dont anyone think they can do an AWD conversion before me based on preliminary research that indicates everything bolts up!
I'll sell the evo wishbones I picked up I think. Some evo parts work, some dont - its a shame with the wishbones because they bolt up so perfectly.