Modifying Caster Rod Bracket

[nisskid]

well, im over f**king around trying to get caster, have tried adjustable bushes, adjustable rods and still cant get over +5 across the 2. chassis is aligned to specs, rad support is all straight etc, ive decided i want to do soemthing more drastic.

Now im thinking the most simple way is drilling an identical hole to the one what holds the caster rod in place in the bracket that holds it.

Now my main worry is strength, drilling a hole side by side will leave only a bit metal holding it, so might have to reinforce it by welding up the old hole. also i know the bracket changes shape as i goes down, so the rod might not want to go in as far. also roughly how far down can i go? obviously i want to go as far back as possible to get the holes as far apart as i can, but just wondering roughly how many degrees of caster u gain by how much distance u shorten the rod or move it back?

[Sydneykid]

Use a 10 mm longer bolt and weld 1 x 3mm washer around each of the new holes. Keep in mind that you increase the anti dive by drilling the holes lower down in the brackets (than the standard holes). From memory 10 mm forward is around 1.5 degrees, which is about all you will fit in. An alternative is to redrill the holes in the back of the radius rod, where it bolts to the lower control arm. Just press out the studs and replace them with bolts. Around 15 mm (2.0 degrees) is possible there.

Cheers

Gary

[salad]

What rods have you tried? I thought I remember you had ISC tension rods, is that right?

If that is right, could it be that the rods aren't giving much adjustment? Or have you compared it to other people with ISC rods?

Or have you tried other ones too?

[nisskid]

Use a 10 mm longer bolt and weld 1 x 3mm washer around each of the new holes. Keep in mind that you increase the anti dive by drilling the holes lower down in the brackets (than the standard holes). From memory 10 mm forward is around 1.5 degrees, which is about all you will fit in. An alternative is to redrill the holes in the back of the radius rod, where it bolts to the lower control arm. Just press out the studs and replace them with bolts. Around 15 mm (2.0 degrees) is possible there.

Cheers

Gary

cheers mate, so when u talk about the anti-drive and drilling the holes lower, roughly how much lower?

saying that i like the idea of drilling the holes in the rod, might give that a crack instead, +7 degrees was what i was aiming for, so that should be perfect.

[nisskid]

What rods have you tried? I thought I remember you had ISC tension rods, is that right?

If that is right, could it be that the rods aren't giving much adjustment? Or have you compared it to other people with ISC rods?

Or have you tried other ones too?

i originally tried the whiteline adjustable caster bushes, they gave less adjustment, the ISC ones gave a little more, but still very low

[Sydneykid]

cheers mate, so when u talk about the anti-drive and drilling the holes lower, roughly how much lower?

It's purely dependant on how much anti dive you want to add. On the race cars we use spacers between the front subframe and the radius rod brackets to adjust the anti dive. We use 3 mm spacers stacked depending on how rough the braking area is on the track we are racing at. When it is very rough much over 6 mm gives a bit too much anti dive and hence the front end is not subtle enough to ride the bumps.

saying that i like the idea of drilling the holes in the rod, might give that a crack instead, +7 degrees was what i was aiming for, so that should be perfect.

It's a pretty easy mod, you may have to trim the rear of the radius rod to clear the steering when lock is applied.

Cheers

Gary

[nisskid]

cheers mate, gonna chuck the car up this weekend and give it all a suss.