Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Ok so well I didnt want to do the Heater hose mod for a few reasons so i looked for other options.
I spoke to an oem supplier that I know and because of what I do I had them design a rear upper spring isolator for me that was very thin but would provide a little cushion like the stocker.

A little on my car.. I have ground control coil overs and the rear spring adjusters are at the very bottom and the car still sits a little high. This was with the stock isolator up top. I ended up cutting the rear isolators by 1/2 to 1/3rd of an inch and it did help.. but the cutting wasnt 100% flat and it bothers me when I half *** things. Not to mention the sticky rubber goo everywhere.

Reasons why i didnt wan to do the heater hose mod was that it just didnt feel good to me that the spring isnt flat on top and I didn't liek the idea of the whole cars weight on half a coil on the sheetmetal. An isolator will distribute that load evenly. At least it just felt better to me.

SO back to the isolators... here are the pics...

My stock Isolator. This has already been cut by 1/4 to 1/3rd of an inch using an angle grinder and hacksaw. what a mess...



Spring side of my new Isolator which Ill call a VT isolator. It is a fiberglass/composite like material bonded with Rubber on the spring side and has a stop for the end of the top coil.


My cut OEM isolator Beside the VT isolator. This is the Chassis side. This same material is used directly against steel in its actual application on OEM vehicles.


A shot of the isolator where it will sit on the chassis. Perfect fit.


A shot showing the eibach rear coil close to its sitting position ( to show the stop and fit )


Spring sitting in VT isolator



I have tons of damping material in various thicknesses etc so I just applied some to the chassis for fun. maybe it will stop a tad bit of noise? just made me feel better lol.


I taped the top coil just to hold it in place on the stop in the VT isolator. Made me feel better !


I put a piece of tape on the 2nd coil and just measure with the oem isolator on top. remember that THIS ISOLATOR HAS ALREADY BEEN CUT approx 1/4 to 1/3rd of an inch!


Measure from the exact same spot from the 2nd coil (i put a piece of tape there so I measured from the same spot). Shows exactly 10mm (1CM) drop in height over the OEM. In total I'd say this is an easy 1/2 to 3/4 inch drop over a STOCK UNCUT isolator.


Really a pic of nothing couldnt see much but I thought I'd add it..


The car now sits at a perfect height with an empty tank. definitely sits a tad lower than the previous isolators. I'll add some pics when I get back my camera battery died while I was uploading them..


Tell me your thoughts.


** added Sep 08 /2010

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Saving post #2 for me when I get back

Bramlok

iTrader: (7)

What were the reasons you didn't want to do the heater hose mod? Just curious.

That new insulator looks real nice. What was the cost to get them made?

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

There was no cost as part of my job there's a lot of prototype parts being made. If I had to make more however I would need to cover some cost of materials as the isolators are not the same size as any used on any of the vehicles we make.

I explained it but it's up there.. I just didnt like not having an isolator at all up there. the top coil isn't flat and when you sit it straight up the spring falls over. WIthout an isolator alot of the load gets put on half the coil right on the chassis and it bothered me. I did ask an engineer who designed them and he told me thats exactly why isolators are made to even the load in a round circle and to keep the spring 'flat'. If you look at a valve spring you will notice exactly that... they are designed and built flat on the top and bottom.

Element

iTrader: (5)

Hmmmmmmm...been pondering doing the heater hose mod to the car since the *** end sits high, but this definitely looks like a better way of doing it. I'd be up for a set pending preliminary pricing.

99SSJarhead

iTrader: (2)

Looks good but it is all about the pricing. Even a general range would be good.

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Im back to work tomorrow after long weekend I'll have a word with the supplier to see if I can get an accurate idea on cost. I just wanted to throw it out there to see what kind of response I got.

battousai

iTrader: (3)

I think I would have to get those, just some added insurance.

AdmAnt13

I might be down for a set since I like the idea of the springs sitting flat. Plus, I had some noise with the rubber hose shifting and the like. I like the drop I have though. Is this the same drop or a tad higher. It must be higher no?

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I understand what you're trying to do, and it makes sense. But it seems to me that once the suspension is loaded, it's not as if only a half coil is in contact with the body. The spring compresses quite fully - maybe not a full 360* - against the body around the mounting nub.

It looks like your piece would add another 1/4" or so compared to heater hose.

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Rev I agree with you for the most part. I think the stock spring, which was super tall and soft on top will compress and get most of the coil flat on top. My springs are 200 lbs rate in the back which is really stiff. The coil barely moved on top when lowered with no isolator so only 1/3rd of it was on the chassis.
Because it's (new isolator) much wider than a coil I'd imagine it spreads the load over a greater area and adds a little damping too since it has rubber inside.

Im speaking with the supplier right now and depending on the quantity price will vary. If I only needed 1 or 2 I can squeeze them in for nothing as prototype costs are all eaten up. but if I needed a batch of 10-20 or even 100 it would be a different story.

Shockwave179

iTrader: (7)

I would be interested in something like that.

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

By the looks of it the pair would cost around $30 . A bit more than I thought but to have the tooling down for a small job costs them money too. Good thing is the costs for making the few samples are eaten up already so all they have to do is program, insert the materials and start making them.

I know that a few local guys on a local forum want some so I'm going to play it safe and get 20 pairs made.

I am in Canada so shipping to the states will probably range from $10-$15 with a tracking. thats my best guess. If I can get a super small box for them and because they are light I am guessing it will be right around $10.

If anyone is interested you can pm me etc. I need to make sure I'm not really violating any forum rules here as well. if anyone knows any mods please direct them my way so this wont close.

Shenlon

iTrader: (4)

So, would these work with F-bodies also or only vettes? Sorry, I'm not intimately familiar with these parts, but I like the concept and would like to drop my ride a little bit without sacrificing anything.

Is there any concern for this isolator not holding up to the abuse that the stock unit will?

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Vettes use a transverse leaf spring and bolts that can be adjusted to alter the ride height. Usually the stock bolts only allow for so much lowering as you would run out of threads and the aftermarket sells longer bolts. So basically no because they don't have coils this is for 4th gen camaro firebird/trans ams only. Not sure if it would work with 3rd Gens.

Should be no concern as the same product is used on Oem vehicles and I can tell you one of them weighs over 4400 lbs it is used in the exact same fashion, spring below and the top sits against sheet metal of the vehicle. If for any reason it doesnt I would gladly send an instant refund and take it up with the supplier but I have no doubt it will work fine. For $30 i wouldnt even be making 5 bucks really off each pair it would help cover my time and gas to box em and ship em out and a tea on the way back from Tim Hortons I just thought it would be really cool to see people use something I helped create

I do know the cost in bulk is much cheaper as the orders they usually deal with are around a million mark and more units :o

Element

iTrader: (5)

$30 + shipping? I'm up for a set. I'll PM info this evening when I get off work.

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

I am not sure I think it would depend on what hose you got, what its application was for which determines its thickness and how squishy it is. I am off to the hardware store for some other things Im going to grab a caliper to measure thickness. If you look closely at the 2nd picture you can see the grooves are deep. The coil almost goes all the way to the bottom and I bet the thickness is less than a 1/4 inch or very close. When I just hold it in my fingers on both sides it feels like they are almost touching.

Nastyc4

iTrader: (13)

Recent update:

I am hoping to have a few pairs in my hands tomorrow ready to ship out. He was fast on making my pair so I have no reason to doubt he can have them ready right away.

My wife freaked out a bit at me and I debated on having a few people pay knowing I was going to wait till I had a few orders before getting them made so I'm not paying for a huge deposit out of my pocket. I decided to just cut the initial order in half so that way I can just cover it. I don't think Ill have an issue getting rid of 10 pairs. 5 are spoken for already. the cost will go up a few bucks but Im going to ask the same regardless for now.

$45 shipped your way to the lower 48. my paypal is psychowette@hotmail.com

libertyforall1776

iTrader: (2)

So any negatives to using these with stock springs and Koni SAs? I assume the whole point of these is just to lower the rear to match the Koni front lowering perch. So with these given the above, will the front be lower than the rear?

I might be interested in some, depending on the answers... The price sounds a little high for what they are, however.

White01Formula

iTrader: (191)

Sent you a pm......