Quote:
Originally Posted by poor boy
just finished reading the majority of this post and found several items interesting.
1) what are teh advantages to the double wishbone that you expect to get that a SB front end would not be able to provide.
2) i like the idea of the mid mount engine. how is that going (slow but sure by the looks of the thread) and when will you be able to road test it. based on what i see here, there are quite a few of us waiting to see what you come up with.
waiting for more pics as time affords.
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1) A Mac strut as featured on a SB must be pre-set to include a constant amount of camber that does not change as the wheel travels through bump, while a double wishbone has a preset camber curve designed into the geometry that increases the negative camber as the wheel travels in bump. The advantage is that there is negative camber added as you need it, not a constant camber that increases inner tire wear. If you putz around town, you'll never really need the benefit of extra negative camber, but if you do more aggresive driving, negative camber in corners is very important to maintain a good tire contact with the road surface.
2) No progress has been made on it for the past many months, I've moved, and the garage that the project now resides in was crammed full from the move. Now it's getting more organized, and I've got power to it, so I expect to start moving on it again in the next couple of weeks. That being said, there is never a ETA on this sort of project, as one thing always leads to another, but I do hope to have the engine running in the next 3 months, with slow trials after that. I have to make sure that the motor cools properly first, then that things aren't falling apart, then that the whole thing is safe(relative here, this is an old VW!), then the speeds come up, then the packaging starts(windows back in, NACA ducts), make sure cooling is still good, then handling(spring rate, shock adjustment, swaybar adjustment and aerodynamics at high speed), then look at durability(CV joints, tranny), then make it look pretty, then, then, then.
This is a lifetime project for me, I've owned this car since I was 15, I'm 34 now, and I expect to be working on it in some form or another pretty much for the rest of my life, so I don't really get too rushed!
Next pics will be of brake system, cooling system, and fuel system complete, I'll post 'em as I get 'em!
Jason