Ascona A front end,

By Bob Legere.

 

 

 

 

 

I've made mention of a certain Ascona 'wanna-be' rallycar, affectionately known as the Turd, in these forums before.
It currently has a nearly stock front suspension, deviating only by means of a fast ratio rack and pinion,
380 lb. springs, Bilstein shocks, a softened-up front swaybar, and polyurethane bushings.
This suspension has worked well for road use, playing on dirt roads, and for rallycross use.
But the car's eventual intended use for high speed rallying will require a better, stronger suspension system.

 

 

 

 

The front crossmember has been significantly strengthened by the addition of about 80 steel gussets.
And since they were all cut out by hand and I chose to TIG weld them all in place to reduce warpage,
There are probably around 30 hours into the crossmember alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the trickiest part, making the new upper shock mounts to fit the Fox off-road racing shocks.
There are still a few more gussets to be added here for more rigidity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are details of the lower a-arms, with internal and bottom gussets,
Aftermarket thread-in ball joints, and revised lower shock mounts to accomodate the Fox shocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The L-shaped arms that tie the front crossmember to the framerails received their share of attention.
These parts are very prone to cracking, even on street cars.
Suitable gussets were welded in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished the 'L-shaped' crossmember supports today as well.
The last step was to weld up some solid mounts where they attach to the frame.
I used 1/4" steel plate at the frame side, and a thick washer on the inboard side.
To ensure the new mount doesn't crush when torqued,
A thin sleeve of 3/4" OD, 9/16" ID steel tubing was welded in place.
The OEM 14 mm bolt slips right into this tubing, ensuring a rattle-free solid mount.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An overview of the shock/crossmember/lower a-arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I managed to finish off a few more steps in the buildup of the Turd's rally suspension.
Here you can see where I attached a new platform for a bump stop.
When I cut off the top of the crossmember to allow fitment of the racing shocks,
The bump stop was deleted.
Even though the new shock has its' own integral bump stop,
I wanted to be sure the shock wasn't damaged during a landing after a jump.
So I welded the new platform for the bumpstop to the crossmember,
And welded a reinforcement (12 ga steel) to the top of the lower a-arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A slightly modified upper a-arm.
Gusseted at the bushing areas, boxed throughout the lengths of the arms,
And a 5/16" thick plate at the upper ball joint mounting area for reinforcement;
And to alter the upper a-arm angle slightly for improved camber gain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had a POR-15 party yesterday, and got a couple of coats on a few of the suspension parts.
Looks too shiny to put under a rally car though.
I ran a tapered reamer through the tie rod taper on the steering arms and the upper and lower ball joint tapers on the spindles.
This cleans the paint and rust and potential burrs so the part seat better.
Opel uses a 1.5"-per-foot taper.