Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Sierra or Cortina uprights?
hillbillyracer

posted on 17/12/07 at 10:15 PM Reply With Quote
Sierra or Cortina uprights?

Sorry, this will have been coverd before but a couple of searches havnt really told me much.
I started collecting bits for my car before the new book was available so I've got a set of Cortina uprights as well as a complete Sierra.
Many say the Sierra ones have nothing like as good a geometry as the Cortina ones & they're heavy too, but the Chris' book is all worked out using the Sierra uprights.
I'm thinking I should use the Sierra ones to save having to redesign the wishbone geometry, or if I do go to the hassle of sorting the geometry I should go ther whole hog & make my own uprights with as close to ideal geometry as possible.
Flawed as the Sierra upright may be people with far more knowledge than I have designed the chassis with it in mind so mabye I should stick with it.
Anybody have any other ideas before I flog the Cortina ones?

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
joneh

posted on 17/12/07 at 10:58 PM Reply With Quote
I'd put the Cortina uprights on Ebay and then retire. People go nuts for em.






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

posted on 17/12/07 at 11:00 PM Reply With Quote
mnr/raceleda uprights for sierra which i think have slightly better geometry.also check the rally design ones which are very similiar and a fair bit cheaper but only in cortina type
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1375_1594_1595&products_id=11815
also these but you would neeed to check fitment
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1375_1594_1595&products_id=13605

[Edited on 17/12/07 by higgsti]

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

posted on 17/12/07 at 11:05 PM Reply With Quote
Why not make your own...a man of your talents is bound to have loads of scrap steel lying about and a certain bloke you know well has a pair of fabricated ones on his class 3. I'm sure he'd let you measure/jig up from them. The rumour I heard about the Sierra ones is that they affect self-centreing, not sure if thats gospel though!!!
NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
grassracer

posted on 17/12/07 at 11:10 PM Reply With Quote
No disrespect Higgsti but knowing Mr Hillbillyracer....he'll be expecting to build a whole car for the price of one of those lovely ally Sierra uprights.
NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
higgsti

posted on 17/12/07 at 11:29 PM Reply With Quote
now that would be locost
View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
andyp

posted on 18/12/07 at 12:53 AM Reply With Quote
think cortina look better
unless your going for something like raceleda

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
robertst

posted on 18/12/07 at 02:32 AM Reply With Quote
practical issues with the cortina vs. sierra are that the discs are way easier to change in sierra uprights, plus the discs themselves are ventilated and may be cheaper to get replacements for.. ok, they are fugly and heavy, but the brake caliper and pads are also more plentiful in supply and are better than the cortina ones.... i decided to keep the sierra ones just because of this....

just think 5 years or more down the line, getting cortina brake discs and pads will be as expensive as the uprights are now....





Tom

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

posted on 18/12/07 at 11:42 AM Reply With Quote
Cortina geometry is totally wrong for a lightweight car anyway.

If anything the Sierra upright has better geometry.

Sierra brake calipers are also lighter and less trouble some than Cortina ones.

And of course Sierra parts are cheaper.

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

posted on 18/12/07 at 12:31 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by robertst
practical issues with the cortina vs. sierra are that the discs are way easier to change in sierra uprights, plus the discs themselves are ventilated and may be cheaper to get replacements for.. ok, they are fugly and heavy, but the brake caliper and pads are also more plentiful in supply and are better than the cortina ones.... i decided to keep the sierra ones just because of this....

just think 5 years or more down the line, getting cortina brake discs and pads will be as expensive as the uprights are now....

Sierra front wheel bearings never wear out either
I'll do you a favour and give you a pound for those rusty old cortina things

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
CaptainJosh

posted on 18/12/07 at 03:25 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Cortina geometry is totally wrong for a lightweight car anyway.

If anything the Sierra upright has better geometry.



May I ask why you think this?

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

posted on 18/12/07 at 03:58 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by CaptainJosh
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Cortina geometry is totally wrong for a lightweight car anyway.

If anything the Sierra upright has better geometry.



May I ask why you think this?



The Cortina has almost no king pin inclination

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
D Beddows

posted on 18/12/07 at 04:44 PM Reply With Quote
In reality though this doesn't really matter... IF your chassis is actually straight IF you have your wishbone geometry correct IF you've attached the wishbones the the brackets correctly and IF you've got the steering rack in the right place it might matter a bit....... VERY few cars are actually well built enough at the end of the day to have all the above so at the end of the day the best deciding criteria is what you have or what you can get hold of easiest/cheapest. You can make a car with either Cortina or Sierra uprights handle extremely well so it's not worth stressing or arguing over which is better

If you're building a Haynes Roadster you're better off using Sierra uprights as they're what the suspension's based around and you're just making your life unduly complicated for no good reason if you don't

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

posted on 18/12/07 at 08:00 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by grassracer
No disrespect Higgsti but knowing Mr Hillbillyracer....he'll be expecting to build a whole car for the price of one of those lovely ally Sierra uprights.

Cheeky bugger! Very true though
Grassracer is right this will be a budget build so it's bits from the scrappy or stuff I make myself everywhere it's practical to do so. The only thing I'm thinking I'll almost certainly buy in is the bodywork.
Making my own uprights is something I'd do but there are ones I have here that'll do the job fine, mabye I'll have a go doing some for the next grasser.
Looking like I'll use the Sierra ones as I'm going to use the new Haynes book, I've got someone who could make use of the Cortina ones hence the need to decide, I'm nowt like cutting metal for any thing yet. Cheers folk.

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
adithorp

posted on 18/12/07 at 10:43 PM Reply With Quote
Cortina (and Escort) wheel bearing changes were a daily job at work. In the life span of the Sierra I changed...1.

adrian

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

posted on 19/12/07 at 08:19 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
Cortina (and Escort) wheel bearing changes were a daily job at work. In the life span of the Sierra I changed...1.

adrian


Strange I can remember only changing a couple of Escort ones over the years.

View User's Profile 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.