Interest check.........Custom caster/camber plates

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I am currently working on a replacement design upper strut mount with separate adjustable caster/camber. This will require modifications to the strut tower that will not be easily reversible.

They will NOT be cheap, I have not worked out price figures yet but I expect them to be in the $300 to $400 range.

They will be made from billet aluminum and anodized, the slots for adjusting camber will have markings for easy equal adjustments. The strut mount itself will be a pillow ball (spherical bearing) type.

They will be similar in design to these from Ground Control.

This is still in interest mode there have been no prototypes made. I will be doing extensive research before prototyping would begin. If there is enough interest I expect that the whole process will take approx. 6 months from prototype to production.

Was looking at doing something along these lines on the racecar.....i'm interested. However i'm going to research it myself as well and may go my own route, just an FYI.

All that would be required is pie-cutting the strut tower, making the top flat, welding the seams and adding a re-infocement plate.

~Josh

I'm working on my own as well, but since I'm working so much overtime I have more money than time at the moment. I'd still like to do my own, but if it looks like I won't be able to manage it, I'd be in for them. Our rubber hats and eccentric camber kits are LOUSY. If you could make them cheaper (steel, no markings, weld-in fitment) you'd probably get a lot more business. I was thinking about more agressively eccentric plates with welded in pillow ball mounts - they'd be much cheaper and do nearly the same job.

i might be interested if the price was right.

-a

Originally posted by Jager-bud120:
All that would be required is pie-cutting the strut tower, making the top flat, welding the seams and adding a re-infocement plate.

gee thats it?

ya, I am definitely interested

Intrested for sure. Will be doing something of my own if this falls through. D2s said they couldn't do a pillow ball mount in this application, some lame excuse. Keep us/me posted. Thanks!

Oh yeah: I'm thinking that this would give more bump travel if implemented properly, since the pillow-ball mount requires so much less room than the rubber mount. If you make it for coilovers only, you can get a lot more adjustment because of the smaller spring size, too.

I am looking at making them specific for coil over or stock type springs. You will only be able to interchange them buy getting the proper spring plate.

I am going to try and make it so serious strut tower modification is not required but removal of the cone from the bottom of the tower will be mandatory and thats what make returning to stock somewhat impossible.

Overall, there is not much that would keep cost low. I am also considering a making a strut bar that would be incorporated into the strut plate design.

Originally posted by bensenvill:

Originally posted by Jager-bud120:
All that would be required is pie-cutting the strut tower, making the top flat, welding the seams and adding a re-infocement plate.

gee thats it?

I guess that's only a mild mod to me.....

You know those of you that haven't already should check out Mumm Brothers Racing they're the source for a lot of my inspiration and ahve done some wild things on a cougar.

I was just reading up on SCCA class rules yesterday...

Enlarging that upper hole kicks you all the way out of Solo Street Prepared, IIRC (even though camber plates are allowed.)

I don't know about road racing, and of course it all depends on the sanctioning org. (SCCA, vs NASA, vs whoever)

Might be worth considering. Don't want to make a racing product that's illegal for all the likely Contour racing series.

I wasn't really concerned about class designation. Those of us that participate in SCCA/NASA/USAC sanctioned events should follow the guide lines for their specific class.

If I were going to compete in Solo etc...I would challenge not being able to use them on a Contour/Cougar because so many other vehicles use the same design as a bolt in with no serious modifications required, and aside from a more rigid mounting method the actual performance benefit would be little more than what the SPC offset upper strut mount offers.

They won't make a special allowance for Contours to level the field out. The rules are very simple, and they'd get huge if they did things like that. I'll continue messing around and see if I can come up with a better mount that's legal for ST.

Originally posted by SVTGT350:
I wasn't really concerned about class designation. Those of us that participate in SCCA/NASA/USAC sanctioned events should follow the guide lines for their specific class.

If I were going to compete in Solo etc...I would challenge not being able to use them on a Contour/Cougar because so many other vehicles use the same design as a bolt in with no serious modifications required, and aside from a more rigid mounting method the actual performance benefit would be little more than what the SPC offset upper strut mount offers.

An installation that "requires" widening of the hole in the strut tower (or major cutting) will typically bump you to a higher class than an installation that maintains the stock hole opening. Drilling for bolt holes, etc. is currently allowed "provided it serves no other purpose."

This is the rule set that we're under in SCCA Solo. Like I said, I don't know what the NASA book says--it's probably more lenient.

Just a suggestion, anyway, and I've already decided that I'm not going to this extreme with my Contour. (At least, if you ask me today...)

You probably won't sell very many, but I think those that buy them will be happy. I use the same kind of design (cusco) on my escort and they're easy to adjust. The only thing on the escort, is they raise the front a little, so you may need to watch that. Not a big deal to me, but some people are very into looks.

Good luck.............you're gonna need it.

Originally posted by Stazi:
Good luck.............you're gonna need it.

Please explain?

1) Cost
2) Fabrication required to the towere to use this setup
3) Interest
4) Cost

IMO there is no market for this type of mod in our group - who here REALLY needs such a fine tuned camber adjustment tool?

Obviously you were interested enough to look at the thread.

Really its not all that hard, cost is less than say a carbon fibre hood or trunk. The amount of modification to the tower I don't believe will be as significant as I originally thought.

Even if nobody absolutely needs such a fine adjustment so what, I am making something that will replace the insufficient upper mount that the car came with and one that will allow caster and camber to be adjusted individually instead of compromising between the two with the offset mount currently available.

If you aren't interested don't post if you are interested don't sh*t on the idea.

Originally posted by SVTGT350:
Obviously you were interested enough to look at the thread.

Really its not all that hard, cost is less than say a carbon fibre hood or trunk. The amount of modification to the tower I don't believe will be as significant as I originally thought.

Even if nobody absolutely needs such a fine adjustment so what, I am making something that will replace the insufficient upper mount that the car came with and one that will allow caster and camber to be adjusted individually instead of compromising between the two with the offset mount currently available.

If you aren't interested don't post if you are interested don't sh*t on the idea.

OK - it's not like I haven't made anything for the CDW-27 platform, and had a group-buy or 3 for........ what would I know.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

BTW, I'm pretty sure I can drill the existing plates to allow for more adjustment with coilovers, for a very low cost. We're really going for maximum caster, so it's not a comprimise in the plates, it's the round strut towers that kill you in the end. It would be nice to get pillow-ball mounts, but they won't sell very well...