wonkey eyed barmaid Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Hi all, I have a 1999 classic vx. it has the front end setup that comprises lower wishbone, bilstein damper/spring, top link, and anti roll bar. the anti roll bar inserts into the top link creating a makeshift wishbone. (all clear so far ) what I want to do is convert this front setup to a full wishbone, and seperate (interchangeable) anti roll bar. I believe what i need is: secondary front top link - to fit from housing in standard rear toplink to hinged mounting behind rad. from looking at other cars, i think the hinge for the new additional top link bolts to the back of the chassis on the same bolts used by the arb mounting blocks? so presumably i need new arb blocks and longer bolts? I 'hope' I also need a new arb, and wish to be able to uprate it at the same time. Am I on the right tracks? Has anyone done this conversion (academy car owners?) Is it worthwhile? Are the improvements noticeable? is it easy to fit - any probs cutting the side panel? cheers. grant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 If you only use a secondary upper link then you will use the existing (non-interchangeable) ARB to hold them together. However, you can get (from Caterham) a complete upper wishbone, which will require a hole to be cut in your sideskin for a suitable fornt mounting point, and then use any ARB from the de-dion setup. there are two methods of then attaching the upright to the upper wishbone as the current upright accepts the wrong chamfered ball joint a. replace the upper ball joint with a Fiat item (cannot remember model but was on the list < a month ago) b. replace lower wishbone (gets rid of trunnion) and also change uprights for the complete de-dion style setup. Depends on whose paying the bills and how much of a purist you are. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonycaterham Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Graham is spot on, I did the top wishbone conversion myself some months ago. I bought top wishbones 2nd hand off blatchchat There are several people converting to wide tracK who no longer require std top wishbones so should not be too hard to locate a pair. I bought the Fiat ball joint from local motor factors. I have part number at home. Email me if you want the part number. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonkey eyed barmaid Posted July 10, 2003 Author Share Posted July 10, 2003 this is very confusing then. a friend of mine just bought a 1999 classic vx (same age etc as mine) that was used in the academy a couple of years back. it has the same standard rear top link as on my car (with the big circular hollow to accept the ARB bushes). but his car has had a conversion to include a secondary top link, mounted using the bolts from the front ARB carrier blocks, and fitting into the holes in the rear top link previously occupied by the ARB bushes. this new secondary top link completes the full wishbone setup, and has sockets attached for the remounting of an ARB. these sockets look just like the ones ive seen on de-dion cars, with the rubber sheath over them, and Im sure the ARB he has is thicker than mine. did my eyes decieve me, or is there a secondary top link out there that WILL allow fitment of different roll bars?? I should also mention it looks like a very tidy, ie official/genuine conversion, not a bespoke one off. do Redline/Ratrace/Hyperion or one of the specialists do thier own conversions that are different tot he caterham ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 That must be a third conversion that I have not seen yet. Have you tried calling the factory - maybe ask Simon Lambert. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonkey eyed barmaid Posted July 10, 2003 Author Share Posted July 10, 2003 i hope so, as the point of me changing the top links to wishbone would be for ARB choice... Simon Lambert was my next port of call - i thought id ask you guys first. last question - is it a worthwhile upgrade? are there handling improvements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Faulds Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 What you've described is the standard front end on an Academy/Graduate car. You should be able to buy the forward top link and bracket (which bolts on to the ARB mounts), carefully cut a hole in the side skin and bolt it all together. Caterham can still supply all the parts necessary. You'll want the following: Upper Front Wishbone 75129 (x2) Pivot Bracket 75703 (LH) 75704 (RH) A steady hand to cut a hole and a front anti-roll bar - should be plenty of these kicking about second hand. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonkey eyed barmaid Posted July 10, 2003 Author Share Posted July 10, 2003 stuart, thanks for the reply... the question is - does the new top link that you've specified have the attachment to accept varying sizes of ARB? cheers. >grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Faulds Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 Yes, it will take any of the standard track front bars. Edited by - sfaulds on 10 Jul 2003 18:00:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonkey eyed barmaid Posted July 15, 2003 Author Share Posted July 15, 2003 thanks to those who took the time to reply to my thread. conversion of single top link to 'wishbone' with proper ARB is possible, by addition os secondary top link, hinged mountings, new arb carriers and brackets. any narrow track arb from the selection can then be fitted. total cost of all the above, inc all fixings, 5/8th arb and bushes etc. £167+vat from caterham. call it £200. ouch! sfaulds, you were spot on with your part numbers - but there are about 10 more things to add to that list unfortunately... cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Faulds Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 That seems pretty reasonable to me since it should be a worthwhile upgrade. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bare Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 Given your Quoted Cost of the "upgrade".. AND given your stated reason for doing this change was to get a "better" ARB.. Could you not simply have a New ARB fabricated to fit your existing setup??..It's pretty well one of the simplest Arb's ever designed... Could save at least :-) 100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Faulds Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 Why go to all the hassle of having something fabricated to save a relatively small amount of money, when you could have a tried and tested solution which not only locates the top of the upright better, but allows you to change the rollbar at a later date with a minimum of hassle? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bare Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Cuz im My part of the world (Pacific Northwest) a "new" ARB can be ordered/fabbed for $30..it's basically a Piece of Spring steel with 2 bends.. takes about 20 mins to build... add a couple of Poly end mounts to replace the tired rubber bits and yer done. Old setup is arguably not as 'precise' as the "new and improved" design.. but it seemingly worked well enough for 40+ years of production and virtually ALL of the Seven's Racing sucesses :-) One could order several thicknesses of the same bar design for about $100 (that's $ Not UK pounds) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Faulds Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Yes Bare, you could get a set of your own bars made up, but it's an inferior solution. The fact that they all used to have them like that does not mean it's a good solution. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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