What i am looking for is any one that can help me iam looking at building a class 1 or now pro class car in a a-arm setup and need any info that you may have to help me out as i have really only pics to off at the moment. So if there is anyone out there interested in give me some tips, plans would be great
l had the same trouble trying to find out info but no one wants to steer you in the wrong direction. Look at the RDC classifieds you see 2nd hand arms and spindles ect all the time. Or if you want new look at Frantzco Motorsports from the states the will supply arms, spindles, midboards ect at a great price. We are shipping a container from there with our new car so transport could be cheap for you. If you want local Greg from raptor will do arm sets ect as will most of the other chassis builders. There is a brand new class 1 chassis with arms and spindles on rdc for $6750.00 its worth a look.
For example I wouldnt recommend copying ours, or giving any advice based on ours for the simple reason that they're untested. Ours may break and I wouldnt want to steer anyone the wrong way...
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Green Sally up. Green Sally down. Lift and squat, gonna tear the ground.
i just need the basics ie: wheel base, wheel track, overall lenghts that sort of thing i can work from there as i had a beam car so just going to use some things off that and thats half the fun build it brake it fix to me thats part of why i want to do it.
ours is 105" long, 88" wide. Ive measured jimco's that range from 114" to 121" long and around 90 to 84 for width. Our rear arms are 750mm pivot to wheel centre - which is a jimco measurement. Front arms are as long as we could make them to get min angle for max travel.
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Green Sally up. Green Sally down. Lift and squat, gonna tear the ground.
If you enjoy fixing it after you break it, then you will last long in off-road....wish I had that enthusiasm (I hate fixing it!). With the advent of digital cameras, take as many pics as you can at races etc (and measurements), as no-one will mind, and develope your own ideas, after all, thats what off road is about!
yea i love the sport so i dont mind but yer i would love to take pics but i cant make it to races just to look as they are about 7-9 hours drive one way but i have been donig the internet thing and trying to find out as much as i can but is ther any things you guys would tell me not to do in the way of shocks ie: 2 per corner or just 1 for the front and two for the rear what is a good figure in wheel travel. Steel or 4130. whats the go with cams in regards to building it your self
I would strongly advise anyone out there thinking of building an A arm car to do lots of research first. I did about 3 yrs of it, thought I knew it all, built the car and discovered quite quickly that I really knew nothing at all. And as the years go by changing pick-up points, arm and upright designs, steering and everything else, I wish I had stuck to the Beem car. A arm cars work very well if done correctly, but if you get it wrong they can be aweful. Remember also that there is much more to the design than wheel travel alone. There are heaps of "experts" out there that will tell you how to it, but the best advice I can give is get friendly with someone who owns a Jimco/Chenowth, fill him up with Beer/Vodka and ask if you can measure up his car, and just copy it. After 3 yrs of beaking/fixing/re-designing my enthusiasm is turning to frustration.
yea thanks asteck i know i have been looking at it for about 4-5 years but have not raced in 1. and i do know there is a lot to them thats why i was all so thinking maybe build a good beam car? Jones i live down near Albury/Wodonga on the vic/nsw border. I also was thinking not many of the guys that have jimcos or chenowths would like you copying there cars.
Cheers
p.s do you think its better i stick to a beam car Asteck?
A-arm is harder to get right if you're building it yourself. Hopefully ours works! hence the reason I didnt offer dimensions.
I learnt alot from Herb Adams Chassis Engineering book, and another book as well but I cant remember what it was... will let you know tomorrow.
Even before putting it on track we've changed ours from its original design when we went from 30 to 33" tyres, and again because I stuffed up the ackermann angles. Lately Im worried that the scrub radius is too big (and the ackermann!) and we'll be losing hp getting it to turn etc etc...
as for A-arm vs beam.... not often you see a beam car win a national anymore.... worth it if it works I guess, but may take a while to get right.... I guess...
We didnt do anything to fancy with our design. Not sure if thats a good thing or not! will find out when its on track.
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Green Sally up. Green Sally down. Lift and squat, gonna tear the ground.
Albury-thats not too far from Griffith, ring Jones, and for a bottle of Vodka he will just about do anything!
What racing do intend to do-State or National? Beam cars are still competitive at most levels and all the parts are readily avalible new or second hand, simple in design and have proven reliable for many years. If was going to do it all again, I would stick to the beam car, for state racing and the odd national i think its the way to go.
LOL yea not sure if i would get much info out of him with a bottle of vodka but really just doing state and the odd national and i not out too take on the big boys as i just dont have that sort of budget. I had a good beam car which was Danny Auricht's car and found that it would keep in the top 10 at national no worries just i did not want to build a beam then get told you should have built a a-arm. And yea Griffith is about 4 and half hours from me.
Scott, you should take the opportunity to get over to Mildura for the National Round on September 8th and 9th. A few of the guys on this forum will be there and will happily have a chat to you to help you out. You will also be able to see first hand a lot of the top running A-Arm cars.
i wish i could but work comes first at the moment BUGGER but really its all about fun so to me to i just want to race and catch up with every one not win the AUS1 plate and spend 200k doing it
Jump, I live at Ardlethan, under 2 hours from you. Mick Tori lives at Wagga. Other racers live at the Rock and Tumut. You could go to vics Grinters pit race (maybe 2 hrs), Bendigo has a couple of races, even crookwell (goulbourn) would only be about 3-4hrs. You are welcome to copy my Chenowth whenever you want. I would personally take Azteks advice and copy one. I heard Greg Campbell may be starting to build frames similar to Jimcos. I would definetly go a-arm over beam, but I would not try to develope my own arms.
thanks for that Jones i will take you up on the offer as i dont want to get to the end and think i should have done that. So will contact you and arrange a day and time too come up and have a look if thats ok by you.
Cheers
P.s thanks to every one for input it helps a lot Also jones what beer you drink or is it Vodka
All going well, it should be pulled down before xmas, will be easy to measure up then. Paintballs no good to me, I'm a lousy shot...thanks anyway. Are you the fella who raced Finke with Auritchs buggy and broke an axle close to the finish line a couple of years ago? What happened to that car?
No i race down south here that would have been danny and a guy from SA has it now that i know of. And no worries will keep in contact towards the end of the year
