Torn Rear Suspension Ear, drivers side inner console damage pictures Options

[Racer Chris]

The owner of this car was recently at Watkins Glen. Then he noticed something wrong with the handling and with the toe of the left rear tire at his last autocross. By the time the car was unloaded at my shop this is what he was driving with.

Attached File(s)

 Torn_Ear.jpg ( 299.24K ) Number of downloads: 16

 

[root]

what kind of bushings are behind there?
new nylon lock washer and big ass washer, delrin? stock?

[Racer Chris]

There is rust inside the console but rust isn't the cause of the failure. Only the front half of the crack is rusty on the edge, the rear is freshly torn near full thickness metal. I have seen the exact same thing several times now. A section of spot welds wasn't done with the correct power settings on the machinery in the Karmann plant. When the car is pushed to the limit of adhesion repeatedly on modern tires the overworked inner face of the console begins to crack and eventually cannot withstand the amount of force applied and fails completely. If the factory spotwelds were done properly this never would have happened. OTOH, if the car was never autocrossed and DE'ed on sticky tires this never would have happened either.

Attached File(s)

 Torn_Ear_Closeup.jpg ( 293.06K ) Number of downloads: 16

 

[Racer Chris]

what kind of bushings are behind there?
new nylon lock washer and big ass washer, delrin? stock?

I think they are Elephant Racing bushings.

[grasshopper]

OMG! That is NASTY! I cant believe the spotwelds seperated right along the seam there.. (IMG:http://www.914club.com/bbs2/style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif) P.S. Did you get my PM??

[boxstr]

New Factory console NOS is $950.00 Some left in Germany.
CCLINTORNBETWEENTWOEARS

[grasshopper]

New Factory console NOS is $950.00 Some left in Germany.
CCLINTORNBETWEENTWOEARS

:o Holy Moly! P.S. did you get my PM craig?

[jkeyzer]

Obviously this is due to the stainless steel brake lines.

(IMG:http://www.914club.com/bbs2/style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)

[brer]

look familiar?
patch on my ear, extends up to the engine shelf and only to the seams. Very thick guage sheet metal.
no rust on the console as far as I've been able to tell after a good cleaning

Attached File(s)

 91456.JPG ( 263.16K ) Number of downloads: 16

 

[dakotaewing]

So what can be done on our cars to prevent this from happening?
I am currently putting a v8 car together and don't want to deal with this a few years after I start driving the car, especially since I can deal with it now....

[Krieger914]

For strengthing ideas check patrick motorsports in their gallery. One of their cars, I think its silver or gray has a pice of sheet metal welded on the inner part of the dog ear with a hole for the nut.

[JOHNMAN]

So what can be done on our cars to prevent this from happening?

Reinforce the area (with thicker steel)

Brace the inner ear with a tube extending to the firewall GT style (again with a reinforcement plate)

Seam weld

I'm sure there are more methods, but these are a few options.


just my free advice

[brant]

I tore 2 of these (both right hand sides) in approximately 12 months time

I now am a firm believer in bracing.

Not trying to hijack Chris' thread.
he knows this and has his own expert system.

Here are pictures of my bracing on car #2:

[brant]

and from below:

[Trekkor]

This is on top of my list this winter. (IMG:http://www.914club.com/bbs2/style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)


KT

[Randal]

The owner of this car was recently at Watkins Glen. Then he noticed something wrong with the handling and with the toe of the left rear tire at his last autocross. By the time the car was unloaded at my shop this is what he was driving with.

This is definately a job for SUPERCHRIS!

[drew365]

My car just had a removable brace installed similar to Brant's. I don't have a pic as it's still in the shop. I also have a bar going from the rear of the suspension ear to the tranny mount structural member, plus two more at the top of the shock tower rear to the tranny mount brace and forward to the roll cage. All the work was done by TRE. Here are a few pics that show some of the bracing but not the removable one like Brants

Attached File(s)

 Reinforcement_6.jpg ( 22.57K ) Number of downloads: 18
 Reinforcement_2.jpg ( 22.84K ) Number of downloads: 22
 shock_tower_4.jpg ( 80.24K ) Number of downloads: 18

 

[kdfoust]

Hey Brandt:

I see you've got the bracing on the inner ear and a link on the outside ear as well. Do you consider the link from the outter mount point to the long as part of the suspension console strengthening or is that strictly to maintain a toe setting?

Regards,
Kevin

[brant]

its really just to lock in the toe setting.

but amazingly enough it flexes some also.
I had the bolt come loose on me once last season
car actually felt a little off.
we came in and started to go over it to see why.
found all 3 of the swingarm adjusment bolts still tight.
but then found the toe adjustment mounting point bolt (front one) loose.

was surprised it made a difference.
I think there is a tiny bit of extra flex that is taken out.

if you want to read about flex...
check out Chris' swing arm flex thread..
wow... amazing stuff

(thanks again for doing all of that unpaid research Chris!)

brant

[maf914]

Brant,

I always enjoy seeing photos of you car. You and your Dad did a great job. That is the kind of work that I wished I could do. But, I have a question about your suspension console bracing. In the photo above looving down into the engine bay the attachment point at the suspension console appears to be a flat strap with ears attached for the brace to the firewall. I have wondered why this strap was used and not boxed in to the console. As seen in the photo it looks as if it could flex, especially when the brace is in compression. Just wondering. (IMG:http://www.914club.com/bbs2/style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)