I finally got the suspension finished last week, just in time for H2O! I met so many people, everyone was super friendly… too many names to list, but it was nice to meet you all! I got some positive feedback at the show, thanks all for the kind words
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I wanted to show some of the build pictures with a little explanation of how I did things.
I’ve been working on this for the better part of 2 years, with the metalwork starting back in ~May 2008. I decided to keep it quiet, mainly because there isn’t much worse than a well publicized failure! The whole concept was pretty wild, and the project as a whole was so large I wasn’t sure it would ever be finished. I want to thank the few that knew about it, both for the advice and motivation and for helping keep it low key. I also want to apologize to the people I blew off when they asked about it, I wanted to keep the hype and BS to a minimum and just wait until it was finished to show everything.
Before:
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So back in ~November 2007, a month after H2O sporting a fresh respray, I decided it needed to be lower. I had the lowest coils on the market wound to the last thread, so I needed to do something drastic. I took a bunch of measurements, and decided that using Universal Air Aerosports over my Ultra Lows simply wouldn’t be low enough. I looked into Easy Street fabrication kits, called and spoke with them, and decided they would probably lay the car on the frame with a 205-40-16. Then I decided I wanted to lay subframe on 17s.
Keep in mind this was before Bagyard had sold anything stateside; before Mason-Tech had their air kits available; before the Air suspension forum. After narrowing my options and making dozens of phone calls, it came down to two choices; both would be custom designed by myself. One was an airbag setup using a Universal Air Airhouse bag with custom upper and lower plates, and either a shortened Koni strut or a shortened Bilstein Sport. The other was a hydraulic lift coilover I had been thinking about for years, similar to those used in RUF cars, the Bugatti Veyron, some Lamborghinis, and similar to the weight jackers used in circle track racing. Both would be a bit pricey, both would take some time to design and make, but the hydraulic coilover had some distinct advantages. First, it would use a coil spring and shock, which offers predictable and familiar ride and handling characteristics. It would also be placed beside the tire, just like a coilover, allowing me to go super low. The air setup would have to go above the tire, yet below the hood, and even after some careful measurements I wasn’t sure I could lay subframe on a 205/40/17 and still have a bag above the tire. So I decided to go hydraulic. I began design in November 2007.
I fell in love with the Artec PA wheels the first time I saw them in Dubmeister’s PVW ad, so I had a set ordered in January 2008. They came in 5 days after order, and I couldn’t have been happier with the process! The dollar/pound exchange was favorable at the time, so the price wasn’t too bad for a set of 17x8 in 4x100 bolt pattern.
EDIT:
Pages 1-9: build
Page 9: pictures of the finished car
Page 11: 3D models of suspension parts with explaination, more pics
Page 12: more pictures
Alright enough talk, on to the pics! I didn’t have my own camera until Christmas ’08, so I apologize for sparse documentation at the beginning.
Sometime around Feb 2008, I did a test-fit of the new 17s and tires. I pulled the upper shock mounts and bolted everything up to see how much I could tuck before having to cut into the unibody. The answer? Not enough!!! Plasma cutter on order…
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Sometime around April or May 2008, I got some of the strut pieces back from the machine shop. More on this later!
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May 2008:
I got my Millermatic DVI2 MIG welder and Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 39 Plasma Cutter.
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Moved into my new garage! After 5 months of searching, I found a place to rent about 20 minutes from my house. 400 square feet, no water, the lighting of a dungeon, but the price was right and it was available! Where shall I sign?
Papa Fazz wiring in the 220v welder plug:
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Locked the door behind it… no turning back now!
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The car in my new laboratory
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Modified by Afazz at 7:43 AM 10-23-2009
I’ve been working on this for the better part of 2 years, with the metalwork starting back in ~May 2008. I decided to keep it quiet, mainly because there isn’t much worse than a well publicized failure! The whole concept was pretty wild, and the project as a whole was so large I wasn’t sure it would ever be finished. I want to thank the few that knew about it, both for the advice and motivation and for helping keep it low key. I also want to apologize to the people I blew off when they asked about it, I wanted to keep the hype and BS to a minimum and just wait until it was finished to show everything.
Before:
So back in ~November 2007, a month after H2O sporting a fresh respray, I decided it needed to be lower. I had the lowest coils on the market wound to the last thread, so I needed to do something drastic. I took a bunch of measurements, and decided that using Universal Air Aerosports over my Ultra Lows simply wouldn’t be low enough. I looked into Easy Street fabrication kits, called and spoke with them, and decided they would probably lay the car on the frame with a 205-40-16. Then I decided I wanted to lay subframe on 17s.
Keep in mind this was before Bagyard had sold anything stateside; before Mason-Tech had their air kits available; before the Air suspension forum. After narrowing my options and making dozens of phone calls, it came down to two choices; both would be custom designed by myself. One was an airbag setup using a Universal Air Airhouse bag with custom upper and lower plates, and either a shortened Koni strut or a shortened Bilstein Sport. The other was a hydraulic lift coilover I had been thinking about for years, similar to those used in RUF cars, the Bugatti Veyron, some Lamborghinis, and similar to the weight jackers used in circle track racing. Both would be a bit pricey, both would take some time to design and make, but the hydraulic coilover had some distinct advantages. First, it would use a coil spring and shock, which offers predictable and familiar ride and handling characteristics. It would also be placed beside the tire, just like a coilover, allowing me to go super low. The air setup would have to go above the tire, yet below the hood, and even after some careful measurements I wasn’t sure I could lay subframe on a 205/40/17 and still have a bag above the tire. So I decided to go hydraulic. I began design in November 2007.
I fell in love with the Artec PA wheels the first time I saw them in Dubmeister’s PVW ad, so I had a set ordered in January 2008. They came in 5 days after order, and I couldn’t have been happier with the process! The dollar/pound exchange was favorable at the time, so the price wasn’t too bad for a set of 17x8 in 4x100 bolt pattern.
EDIT:
Pages 1-9: build
Page 9: pictures of the finished car
Page 11: 3D models of suspension parts with explaination, more pics
Page 12: more pictures
Alright enough talk, on to the pics! I didn’t have my own camera until Christmas ’08, so I apologize for sparse documentation at the beginning.
Sometime around Feb 2008, I did a test-fit of the new 17s and tires. I pulled the upper shock mounts and bolted everything up to see how much I could tuck before having to cut into the unibody. The answer? Not enough!!! Plasma cutter on order…
Sometime around April or May 2008, I got some of the strut pieces back from the machine shop. More on this later!
May 2008:
I got my Millermatic DVI2 MIG welder and Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 39 Plasma Cutter.
Moved into my new garage! After 5 months of searching, I found a place to rent about 20 minutes from my house. 400 square feet, no water, the lighting of a dungeon, but the price was right and it was available! Where shall I sign?
Papa Fazz wiring in the 220v welder plug:
Locked the door behind it… no turning back now!
The car in my new laboratory
Modified by Afazz at 7:43 AM 10-23-2009
