Some work on my '53

[Pat Dilling]

Work on my Conestoga is taking a break for a while while I do some upgrades on my '53 coupe. A while back we discovered that the front spindles that were installed on my Nova subframe by a previous owner were causing bump steer and toe out due to the tie rods and lower A-Arms not being parallel. This caused some severe tire wear. Over the last couple days I have installed new spindles and brakes that I acquired on EBay. You can see some of the process in entry 83 and 84 on my project journal. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/jour...ournalid=33611

I still need to bleed the brakes. Next step is a front end alignment.

[4961Studebaker]

Upgrades fixing old problems are not only safe but wise.
Never hurts to put a little polished eye candy behind there too, even though your wheels won't show that off.

See that new Jack is getting a work out.
And one last thing, maybe it's just the picture angle on the blog, are the new spindles the same height? Looks like you may have moved Stu Cools ride height up an inch? Probably just looks that way since I couldn't imagine you changing the stance.

[Pat Dilling]

Yes that jack gets it share of work, it is a great acquisition. Both the new and old spindles have a 2 inch drop. After I bleed the brakes tomorrow and set it back on the ground we will see if there is a difference.

I am also looking forward to seeing an improvement in my turning radius. On the old set up when you tried to go to full lock, the caliper would hit the anti-sway bar. Now that the calipers are behind the spindle, where they should be, I should be able to turn the wheels further. Hopefully that will not encounter any new interference. We'll see.

[GinettaG12P]

I guess you are one of the few persons who knows why front calipers should be on the rear of the spindles on rear-wheel-drive cars.

[Pat Dilling]

Ginetta, I honestly do not know the technical reason to have them behind the spindle, I only know that in the original configuration from Chevrolet (it's a Nova front clip) that's where they put them. I would love to know the engineering reason.

thanks

PAt

[paintim613]

Glad to see that STU COOL is even a better car than before, which is hard to believe. Since first seeing your car, Pat, I have always put it in my Studebaker Custom Hall of Fame.

[GinettaG12P]

Front calipers are placed on the rear of the disc so that braking force apply upwardly on the suspension components (so as to raise the front of the car), which partially counteracts the downward force caused by weight transfer under braking.

[Pat Dilling]

Front calipers are placed on the rear of the disc so that braking force apply upwardly on the suspension components (so as to raise the front of the car), which partially counteracts the downward force caused by weight transfer under braking.

Thanks! Makes perfect sense.

[ed ellis]

Front calipers are placed on the rear of the disc so that braking force apply upwardly on the suspension components (so as to raise the front of the car), which partially counteracts the downward force caused by weight transfer under braking.

I would have got a lot older before I figured that out. Thx! Ed

[jclary]

Pat, this revelation makes that epic trip you made to the big meet in South Bend even more remarkable. Without going back and searching the old thread about your adventure...I seem to recall you had tire trouble on the trip back home. Was this a contributing factor?

[studegary]

Think how much better your fuel mileage will be when you are no longer dragging your tires down the road.