Hi guys im new here at the forum, i have a 88 firebird , the car was as been in the family for almost 19 years now and a couple weeks back my parents passed it on to me .

I have been doing some research for my own project , and something came to my mind , i would like you guys input on this part:

my idea is a Billet front 1 inch dropped spindle using c6 ZO6 hubs and origininaal mounting points for oem z06 6 piston calipers and rotors .

let me know what you guys think of it

Thanks in advance Ricardo , from Zeeland in the netherlands

 

You're talking about spindles like the AFX spindles for 69 Camaros for $850 - $1200. Or from here too. I have not seen any like this for third gen FBody strut suspension.

Or you can contact FlyNBye for brackets and hubs to work on modified-stock 82-92 FBody spindles. Just add calipers and rotors... And BIG wheels! And get a 1/2" or 3/4" extended ball-joint for most of the 1" drop you are looking for.

 

MoJoe thanks for your reply. Yes my idea is in deed something like thoseAFX spindles but as a bolt on for the 3rd gens.... i know there ate lots of places wete you kan get brackets to convert to big brakes , i personaly aint a big fan of modding stuff by cutting oem parts up and ad some kind of brackets to make it work. How ever billet spindels maybe be over the top for many people because of the price , i think making a well designed spindle with the right brake mounts will save lots of works and mistakes and would be much safer too.
As for a price im almost sure it could be lower then those afx spindles ( 850-1200 $ ) .... i will try to post a first draft im designing this weekend just to give you guys a idea of wat i have in mind.
i would apreciate any sugestion regarding improvements that could be made to the spindle...

 

That would be awesome! while you are designing pay attention to the ackerman and scrub radius as well. Sure would be nice to run a 275 front with the correct scrub radius and ackerman fixed. One more note make sure you retain the steering stop. Contact this guy SlickTrackGod he can give you some pointers for sure.

 

seems like a waste of time and effort, unless you are gonna go thru all the effort and testing to make sure it's safe and durable like the AFX spindles are... the guy that designed those spindles was a member on a forum i am on, and he was posting up his progress as he went while designing them. he put a lot of time into making sure they can take a beating: lots of destructive tests and things like that. he went with a forged design because it's stronger. yeah, they cost a lot: but he put a lot of thought and effort into them and quality doesn't come cheap.

 

I want to go all the way with the engeneering of this spindles... im just wondering if there is really a market for this part... i know there arent many spindles on the market for our cars . I am a designer for a company that builds high performance fuel systems for race cars , so i know there is alot to test before you can sell a product , the most important is to be safe .... and i wouldnt dare to make something that could be dangerous...
something i would really like is the help fron fellow members with their thaughts based maybe on their own mods that could help create the perfect allround race spindel for the 3rd gen's... i have big plans for my own car one of them is to have the perfect handling and stance.

 

Not a market and it's pricey. $800 is a starting point. Racecraft had a problem with one of the regular ones - this is my 2" drop roadrace version, AND they no longer offer them!


It will not allow a 17x275 as you can see.


18" might clear with some clever tr attachment on lower end, but I need some sidewall at high speed, and they're heavier. I am happy/fortunate that I have drop spindles, and I do feel they are better than ext bj's w/275 - but that is debatable to some. For just a 1" drop, you are better/cheaper to go that route.
Search here for 'The Grip' and 'The Grip Part II' and read through.

With LT's and street driving, you might not want to go lower than this.

 

Thanks for the reply TEDSgrad its a good point to keep in mind thanks
BTW could you send me a link to that post?

 

The Grip

Part II

 

Thanks for the links to the posts ... allot of good info .

 

The 3rd gen market is starting to rise so there could be a market for a piece like this. However you would need to adrdess clearance, rideheight adjustments, Ackerman, and other factory spindle issues to make it a worthwhile venture.
I have toyed with the idea before and am still thinking about designing a new spindle myself. I have origional delco/morane blueprints for the spindle as well. Strength is always the problem. Forged will be stronger than billet and a failure will end in a lawsuit, so the liability in creating a part like this for street use is extremely high.
And im a fan of the older servicable hub design. These modern unit hubs and garbage and not worth using in a custom application like this.

 

It is a good sign that DSE is in the market, now.
Their PRi strut has the strut bracket threaded on the strut body for adjustment, AND it has inserts into the top hole on the strut bracket for adjustment, and the strut mounts are truly a cool and somewhat affordable piece - camber & caster adjustment independent of each other!


Other than what's been discussed here, altering the a-arm attachment points on the k-member would also be advantageous - not a fan of tubular k-members for street.

 

that's why almost every aftermarket part that you can buy has the "not for street use" disclaimer somewhere on the package.. i think the AFX spindles even have it..

 

Hey guys thanks for your honest opininons and i think you right... making it a part for daily drive with testing and certification it will become a very very very expensive part . I gonna put this spindle idea to the side for now and go ahead with other billetparts for the 3gens .... thank you for the input once again

 

Thats true, but in this day and age you can still be sued regardless of what disclaimer you use. Always a sleezebag who can find some bs loophole in the legal system

 

sorry to get off track here I was just curious about the bigger ball joints to lower the car can I get more info on that?to avoid hijacking a thread maybe a link to another?

 

There ya go