Red 9 Coil Over Kit

Installed the Red 9 Designs front coil over kit this weekend and I'm very pleased. The car handles the roads here much better and there's about 1 1/2 inches of height adjustment and 32 positions on the shocks for adjustment.

The car just feels much better....no shudders when I hit bumps anymore and the front end is a lot quieter. Could be the new beam that I put in that helped some of this but with the new set up I have two new things to play with on this car.

Brian

Did you remove the torsion bar, or install the coil overs as a suppliment to the existing suspension?
Ron

Brian,

What suspension components were utilized on your car prior to the installation of the Red 9 Coil Over Kit to base your compairson?

Thank you,

Jack Blake

The torsion bars are removed and the long bars in the picture are installed. In the middle of each bar is an indent so you tighten down the middle grub screws on the torsion tubes to lock the bars in place. (I believe you can't use a beam with adjusters) At each end of the bars is a stainless bearing with V grove that you tighten down the grub screws in the trailing arms to.

The shocks are PAX shocks from the UK with 32 point adjustment and I've got 125 lb springs that are currently at the highest point...front of the car is about 6 inches off the ground and it can be lowered about 1 1/2 now.

Previous set up was a normal ball joint beam that I had welded in adjusters and KYB gas shocks.

Brian

I've been thinking for several years about a way to widen the front beam (for a flared body) and get rid of the front wheel spacers. Methinks that would lighten up the current low speed heavy steering considerably. Some dune buggy designs have beams six inches wider, but I need more like 4 1/2 inches wider. This thread starts the creative juices flowing again. A beam adapter seems possible for a longer (wider) center tube like you have shown. Hmmm . . .

I'm sure you could fab up something. I thought about it as the Red 9 kit is not rocket science but in the end I decided to go with them.

The bars are just steel rods. They have been drilled in the center with about a 1/2 bit to create the dimple for the grub bolt to fit into. On the end they have two stainless discs that are bevelled to create the groove for the grub screw in the trailing arm. They're held on with an allen head bolt that is threadlocked in the end of the bar. Pretty simple really.

I measured the length of my front shock when the car was sitting on the its wheels and that's the length I got for a shock. The spring rate of 125lbs was Red 9's suggestion although Ricola Racing used 110 lbs with a similar project.

On Ebay I noticed some coil over shocks but all were with the bushings at both ends as opposed to the bushing at one end and the threaded rod at the other that is needed for a ball joint beam. Then I found someone who was selling adapters to adapt the bushed end to a threaded end. Again, not rocket science and could easily be fabbed up. Basically a U shaped bracket with the threaded end welded to the bottom of the U to bolt up to the usual upper shock mount and a hole drilled through the side of the U to allow the bushed end of the shock to bolt up. Thought I kept a picture but can't find it now...

Brian

Is ther a link you can pass along to find more info on this kit.

Thanks Boston Bob

Here's the link...probably have to copy and paste. Not cheap but then if you check out any quality coil over kit for, say a 911, its a bargain.

www.red9design.co.uk/ezrider.htm

Also try this one and click on My Car, Speedster, Suspension then front coil over. Different kit but you get the idea. The kit that Rich used has bolts that go through the trailing arms. He suggested to me that the Red 9 kit may be more suitable because with the kit he used, the bolts through the trailing arms protruded enough that it cut down on his turning circle as the tires/wheels rubbed on them.

www.ricola.co.uk/

Brian