ok, here's the plan for "my" front coilover setup...
05-13-2005, 05:36 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
ok, here's the plan for "my" front coilover setup...
First I'm going to start with rear strut tubes from a 90-91 20V sedan or CQ for fitting to the front of my B4Q. The reasons for this are several. First of all its significantly stronger however the biggest reason is its a larger diameter tube that will allow fitting a larger diameter strut body (think Ohlins). Secondly its a tit-for-tat swap with my fronts with no change in caster, camber or toe settings. And the bolt pattern that attaches it to the hub is identical. Absolutely a "no-mod" swap as it relates to bolting to B4Q front hubs. It has no swaybar links or steering arm attached so I'm not married to either being in their stock location and it precludes having to cut them off and re-locate them.
I will use new steering arms I've cut from a totalled UrS4. The benefit of this is two-fold; it uses a larger/stronger ball joint and taper pin plus it allows me to use stock, shortened UrS4 tie rods which are dramatically larger diameter rods with a similar increase in strength and structural rigidity. Of course they'll be made even moreso by virtue of shortening both at their inboard ends. I'll replace the stock rubber bushed ends at that point with extreme angle over-engineered and over-sized spherical bearing rod ends with teflon liners. I "believe" these heavier tie rods "may" have been done on the very early (possibly 1990) A6 wagon and "may" provide for an across-the-counter solution to larger tie rods if one has their steering arms bored out to accept a larger diameter taper pin. Dont hold me to this just yet but as of today I "believe" it to be so.
Once installed I can then machine a couple of aluminum shock body spacer rings to slip over the Bilsteins Sports upper/lower ends within the strut tubes with set screws which will then allow them a snug fit inside and keep them centered within the larger tubes. This allows me to keep using my Bilsteins while I start to assemble the front Ohlins cartridges for later use in the larger strut tubes.
At this point I'll start work on the threaded sleeves, as well as upper/lower perches to fit the strut tube as well as my solid strut mounts specifically with a needle roller spherical bearing between upper perch and solid strut mount. I'll also machine the upper perch with a self-centering provision that will slip into the strut mounts spherical bearing from below and will keep everything better-aligned/centered than it can be now with stock upper spring perches.
I'll have to machine and thread new strut tube screw-on caps to keep the Bilsteins in pace as the ones that came with shocks will no longer screw on to the the larger I.D. strut tubes. But I "may" be able to get Bilstein to sell/send me a pair of new caps from the 90/91 Sedan/CQ rear Bilstein strut inserts. Time will tell. If not then I make em. No biggie either way. New dust boots/shields will have to be fabricated for covering the exposed section of exposed strut rod but I'll cross that bridge when I get closer to that point. Tons of rubber tubing bellows available for thousands of applications so I'm not anticipating any problems in that regard.
Once these are made/installed I will then use my stock B4 strut tubes as the prototypes for making a similar coilover kit for the B4Q application front. Rears for the B4Q will follow shortly thereafter.
I have no plans at this point for doing B3 or earlier chassis cars as kits are already available from several, if not many, vendors. But it "may" work out that some or most of my kit be swappable between the 2 platforms. And "if" it is close and/or slight modification can make them swappable I'll attempt making the kit work between both cars. I just wont compromise quality in any effort to make a one-size-fits-all application. Sorry, I'm just not drawn that way.
There's the plan and I'll post more as this unfolds...
I will use new steering arms I've cut from a totalled UrS4. The benefit of this is two-fold; it uses a larger/stronger ball joint and taper pin plus it allows me to use stock, shortened UrS4 tie rods which are dramatically larger diameter rods with a similar increase in strength and structural rigidity. Of course they'll be made even moreso by virtue of shortening both at their inboard ends. I'll replace the stock rubber bushed ends at that point with extreme angle over-engineered and over-sized spherical bearing rod ends with teflon liners. I "believe" these heavier tie rods "may" have been done on the very early (possibly 1990) A6 wagon and "may" provide for an across-the-counter solution to larger tie rods if one has their steering arms bored out to accept a larger diameter taper pin. Dont hold me to this just yet but as of today I "believe" it to be so.
Once installed I can then machine a couple of aluminum shock body spacer rings to slip over the Bilsteins Sports upper/lower ends within the strut tubes with set screws which will then allow them a snug fit inside and keep them centered within the larger tubes. This allows me to keep using my Bilsteins while I start to assemble the front Ohlins cartridges for later use in the larger strut tubes.
At this point I'll start work on the threaded sleeves, as well as upper/lower perches to fit the strut tube as well as my solid strut mounts specifically with a needle roller spherical bearing between upper perch and solid strut mount. I'll also machine the upper perch with a self-centering provision that will slip into the strut mounts spherical bearing from below and will keep everything better-aligned/centered than it can be now with stock upper spring perches.
I'll have to machine and thread new strut tube screw-on caps to keep the Bilsteins in pace as the ones that came with shocks will no longer screw on to the the larger I.D. strut tubes. But I "may" be able to get Bilstein to sell/send me a pair of new caps from the 90/91 Sedan/CQ rear Bilstein strut inserts. Time will tell. If not then I make em. No biggie either way. New dust boots/shields will have to be fabricated for covering the exposed section of exposed strut rod but I'll cross that bridge when I get closer to that point. Tons of rubber tubing bellows available for thousands of applications so I'm not anticipating any problems in that regard.
Once these are made/installed I will then use my stock B4 strut tubes as the prototypes for making a similar coilover kit for the B4Q application front. Rears for the B4Q will follow shortly thereafter.
I have no plans at this point for doing B3 or earlier chassis cars as kits are already available from several, if not many, vendors. But it "may" work out that some or most of my kit be swappable between the 2 platforms. And "if" it is close and/or slight modification can make them swappable I'll attempt making the kit work between both cars. I just wont compromise quality in any effort to make a one-size-fits-all application. Sorry, I'm just not drawn that way.
There's the plan and I'll post more as this unfolds...
