Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Loosing weight from sierra rearend?
cloudy

posted on 3/12/07 at 12:53 PM Reply With Quote
Loosing weight from sierra rearend?

There are plenty of options available to lighten up the front end - alloy uprights, alloy hubs etc.

Are there any common ways of dropping some weight off the sierra rear setup? The obvious candidates would be turning some material off the hubs and having the bearing+caliper mount made from ally?

James

Jamse

[Edited on 3/12/07 by cloudy]

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
RickRick

posted on 3/12/07 at 01:03 PM Reply With Quote
swap the brake calipers for something lighter?
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Richard Quinn

posted on 3/12/07 at 01:43 PM Reply With Quote
Geoff Berrisford does alloy Sierra bearing carriers. Freelander diff with these, some one piece driveshafts and some lighter brakes might make some difference.
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
muzchap

posted on 3/12/07 at 02:03 PM Reply With Quote
Why would you want to lighten the rear end?

It's hard enough to get decent usuable power down as it is, without making it any lighter? Especially in 'damp' conditions. The issue has always been keeping the back end grippy with front engine, rear drive scenarios - Capri's anyone? I sometimes wish I had more weight in the back...

I'd concentrate on lightening the front and leave the rears - or cheaper still - go on a diet (not aimed at you personally, just a cheaper 'locost' alternative'





------------------------------------
If you believe you're not crazy, whilst everybody is telling you, you are - then they are definitely wrong!
------------------------------------

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Fatgadget

posted on 3/12/07 at 02:35 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by muzchap
Why would you want to lighten the rear end?

It's hard enough to get decent usuable power down as it is, without making it any lighter? Especially in 'damp' conditions. The issue has always been keeping the back end grippy with front engine, rear drive scenarios - Capri's anyone? I sometimes wish I had more weight in the back...

I'd concentrate on lightening the front and leave the rears - or cheaper still - go on a diet (not aimed at you personally, just a cheaper 'locost' alternative'


A couple of salient points you have made. Hells bells..Ford Capris,notably the first 3 litres!
As for shedding personal weight!..The late great Gerry Marshall throws that one out of the window.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
2b_pablo

posted on 3/12/07 at 02:36 PM Reply With Quote
I dont thik the sierra rear end is *that* bad.

there is only the beam and 2 arms and they arent too heavy. the trailing arms are a bit OTT if you arent using springs in the spring pads you could prob fabricate some nice alloy arms or something.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Minicooper@work

posted on 3/12/07 at 02:43 PM Reply With Quote
I believe this car is mid engined so won't have quite the traction problems of a capri

Cheers
David

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
cloudy

posted on 3/12/07 at 05:52 PM Reply With Quote
indeed, all my weight is over the back end anyway - so anything I can loose here will only help bring the weight distribution towards 50:50

does Geoff Berrisford have a website at all?

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
t.j.

posted on 3/12/07 at 07:17 PM Reply With Quote
make your own IRS





Please feel free to correct my bad English, i'm still learning. Your Dutch is awfull! :-)

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
blueshift

posted on 3/12/07 at 08:54 PM Reply With Quote
Reducing unsprung weight is a good thing for traction, not bad.
View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
muzchap

posted on 3/12/07 at 09:46 PM Reply With Quote
Agreed in a Mid/Rear configuration - didn't realise it was Mid/Rear

Well everything needs to be alloy mate

Just like my Elise - everything is so bloody light, the 4 calipers = 1 Sierra.

I know a guy who's just developed a lightweight rear end kit for kitcars. both sides = the same weight as one of the tradtional hub carriers.

Give me a U2U if interested and I'll hook you up with his details. I wanted to do it - but decided against it as I need the weight or more pies - pies are cheaper

M





------------------------------------
If you believe you're not crazy, whilst everybody is telling you, you are - then they are definitely wrong!
------------------------------------

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
NS Dev

posted on 5/12/07 at 07:52 PM Reply With Quote
GB Engineering linky

next up, reducing weight, first try golf calipers, alloy bodied and fit the std ford sierra rear mounts as well as being cheap.

Next, lighter CV joints, the lobro ones can have a good chunk turned out of them from the od in the middle.

Then the driveshafts can be swapped for lighter ones (from gb engineering) for £80 each

The hubs are not that heavy and certainly the alloy ones are not that much lighter as there's not that much metal there to start with.

The bearings are seriously over the top for a locost etc but your stuck with them really!





Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion retro car restoration and tuning

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.