Fabbed Aluminum diff crossmember

4

438vette

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
7
I guess this will be my first post on the board since i found this place. So far this is my first winter project that I completed. I'm pretty happy with the results.

So it started out that I was just going to make those aluminum disks to shore up the diff crossmember bushings. But it turned into a complete fabbed aluminum crossmemeber. And since i had to cut those ugly spring bolts I fabbed up some adjustable hiem joint spring links. I took it for a test drive and the rear end feels a lot better. Now I just need to get some sway bars on the car.

20130211_150040.jpg

DSCN3025.jpg

DSCN3030.jpg
 
438vette said:
I guess this will be my first post on the board since i found this place. So far this is my first winter project that I completed. I'm pretty happy with the results.

So it started out that I was just going to make those aluminum disks to shore up the diff crossmember bushings. But it turned into a complete fabbed aluminum crossmemeber. And since i had to cut those ugly spring bolts I fabbed up some adjustable hiem joint spring links. I took it for a test drive and the rear end feels a lot better. Now I just need to get some sway bars on the car.

20130211_150040.jpg

DSCN3025.jpg

DSCN3030.jpg
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting

Welcome to Vettemod
 
Thanks guys.

The cross member ended up 12 lbs lighter than the stock piece, weighing in at 10lbs total. I used 1/4 wall aluminum rectangle tube. I would have gone with thinner tubing but my analysis software wasn't cooperating and didn't have time to figure out why.
 
438vette said:
Thanks guys.

The cross member ended up 12 lbs lighter than the stock piece, weighing in at 10lbs total. I used 1/4 wall aluminum rectangle tube. I would have gone with thinner tubing but my analysis software wasn't cooperating and didn't have time to figure out why.
Click to expand...

Did it make the diff lower?
 
I left the diff at the stock height. If the round end's were machined longer yes the cross member could lower the diff.
 
I calculated 5 degrees, but the drivers side is not perfectly round or at least my frames nub wasn't. So i had to get it close, remove it from the lathe test fit, indicate it back in take a .010 pass and repeat till it fit snug up on the frame.
 
438vette said:
I calculated 5 degrees, but the drivers side is not perfectly round or at least my frames nub wasn't. So i had to get it close, remove it from the lathe test fit, indicate it back in take a .010 pass and repeat till it fit snug up on the frame.
Click to expand...

I wonder what kind of tolerance those have car to car... I dont recall the exact number I got but I think it was around 3 degrees?
I already cut the wrong taper once in a set of alu. bushings I made and I really dont want to do that again.
 
It seems like the drivers side nub was oblong as the grease was only leaving two spots where the passenger side was more round. By making the drivers side nub oblong it acts as a side to side centering pin, the passenger side is the fixed point and allows the front mount to float. I'll admit that 5 degrees may have been too much as it really only touched on the smallest part of the nub closest to the bolt. But all you really need it to do is center on the nub.
 
69427 said:
Twin_Turbo said:
Looks like the stuff on the black/red C2 race car doesn't it??
Click to expand...

Someone help the clueless here (moi).
Click to expand...

Maybe Howard still has the pics, I lost all of my race car pics in a drive crash./ IT's a black with red stripe C2 from a former nissan engineer I think, Howard knows the details. that car has a lot of nice parts, including spring hangers like above.
 
438vette said:
I guess this will be my first post on the board since i found this place. So far this is my first winter project that I completed. I'm pretty happy with the results.
20130211_150040.jpg
Click to expand...

Great work. And welcome. We all get our hands greasy here.
George
 
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