proper tq value,120 ft/llbs if I remember correctly

 

167 +/- 21 ft lbs is the spec. Under torquing is a sure fire way to fail a wheel bearing early.

 

that was just a guess,im sure I torqued it to the right amount as I done the rears at the same time and no problem there

 

I've been thinking about uprights lately. Sure my car is sitting where it has been for over a year now..... But my other projects are trending toward me getting rid of the CNC machine I built and buying the real deal Japanese machining center. Which would allow me to remove some serious material, like uprights need.

Mike brought up the valid points though, once you are in there you should make some other upgrades. To make it viable for others you likely include upgraded bearings, and all the double shear connections, but leave the stock Brembo mounting scheme.

I'm nowhere near starting on this, but it's on my mental horizon along with like 10 other serious projects!

 

There are hub/bearing assemblies out there that are likely more capable then the OEM. These preassembled systems (as used by the OEM) are the best solution as the bearing preload and fit is set at the factory and does rely on your machining tolerances. The issue then becomes axles and wheel speed trigger plates...

You guys killing bearings, what kind of wheel offset/spacers are you running?

I'm considering building a JIG and just modifying the OEM uprights. Cut, machine some spacers to move the ball joint and tie rod down, weld it all back together. Wouldn't fix the bearing issue but it would correct geometry.

I'm not sure which way I feel better about. While the adjustable ball joint setup would be fairly easy to design, you'll have other issues to address (OEM tolerances) and I've seen those types of setups fail due to fatigue. I'm not a big fan of welded suspension parts either though...

 

Momentum Motosport in the UK do billet rear uprights but not fronts.

I heard the OEM Evo X front uprights have a lower mount for the lower control arm compared to Evo 9 uprights but I haven't confirmed this.

MSI do seem to have the best off the shelf solution for billet uprights but around $5k per end, they aren't cheap.

 

Anybody else have any information on this??

Are you indeed suggesting that their effective height is taller?

Which, if true, should potentially give a more desirable camber curve.

 

It's not going to have a significant impact on camber. It will improve the roll center though and that is ultimately what you are after with such as piece.

Definitely an interesting idea though on the X pieces. I can't imagine it would be a huge difference, but it might be worth looking into of the price was right.

 

What if it were all waterjet and boxed to make a 3d design

Could cut the cost of a billet

 

billet parts are cool. But, coming from the desert racing world I can tell you that a properly built and heat treated suspension part fabricated with chromoly will be lighter and stronger then it's aluminum counterpart.


The suspension on my ranger for example. The upper arm is 1.75x.095 tube and the uniball capture it 12 gauge chromoly plate. If the arm isn't bolted to the uniball, you can fold it up by hand. And it weights a little over 2 pounds. The tie rod is also 1.75x.095 chromoly. And the knuckle is all 12 gauge chromoly (except for the 3/4" face plate) it has internal structure, but it still only weighs 9lbs (bare, no spindle and no uniball in it). All that scary light stuff holds a 90lb 35" tire on the truck while it's going 70+ mph through 2ft deep holes...

 

That's what I'm thinking ..