DIY Coilover Sleeve kits

[Lurkin]

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on DIYing coilovers. In Aussie its really common to see people building their own coilovers using standard struts, cutting off the lower spring seat, and fitting a sleeve kit/ adjustable top hat.

It seems to be a cheaper option, yet I havent seen it done in NZ. Is this:

- due to it being illegal/ to hard to get a cert. with?
- unrealiable/ dangerous / a bit silly
- just easier to buy coilovers pre made and be done with it
- pre made coilovers are likely to be better suited in some fashion other than safety
- all of the above

I would ask on one of the Aussie forums, but I think there is a more relaxed attitude toward safety here - hence interested to hear your thoughts....

[Bling]

Have seen in done on oldschool. Looks to work fine, just need the right parts and the right skills. All has to be up to scratch to get through cert of course.

[evil_si]

Ive done it a few times, ke70's ke30's, worked fine and passed cert,

Last car i did was a kp61 starlet but decided to go the full adjustable coilover strut
Picked up a set of d2's fom a late model celica (i think) for about $400
Was a bit more machining required to have the height adjustment in the spindle / hub but worth it.

[RunningRich]

Nothing wrong with it at all. You can't buy off the shelf coilovers for all models after all.

I did this to a set of struts in about 1998 or so when there were no options.

Just bear in mind that they do require certification and the certifier may want evidence that they were welded by a certified welder. Obviously you only really want to weld on empty housings.

[wde_bdy]

Talk to you certifier first but likely to need tig welding and x-raying depending on what you do to the strut body.

Callum

[DVSMOTORSPORT]

Ive done it heaps. Even done one on a 240Z were I used a spacer between the bottom of the hub and the coil over sleeve, only welded enough so that they wouldnt turn when we adjusted the height.

Not exactly the best, but saves the need of the welds being crack tested etc.

[Adoom]

My KP60 coilovers are DIY(by an engineer).
Got a cert easy. Didn't even question them...
No xrays or testing, cause no welding.
They are made from threaded tube with a closed end. A hole is drilled in the closed end that is big enough for the shock push-rod to go through. And the inside of the tube is machined so it is a nice fit over the strut. Then it just slides together.
The bottom spring seat is a nut on the tube. The top spring seat is machined out of aluminium.

[crispy'86]

Have seen lots of people go down the DIY route for coilovers. I even had soem in my fx race car but they it was on the track being raced. Though if it's done properly then it should pass cert if the engineer is any good

[Dell'Orto]

Ditto here, though I imported a kit from T3 and welded a ring on the strut to hold the threaded sleeve. Commonly done on older cars that have no off the shelf options, and Stocks used to do them all the time before all the aftermarket stuff came along.

[Mr Revhead]

Yeah lots and lots done. Sold many kits and/or bits when I was at autolign.
Just one thing, don't be welding sealed gas struts!
Use insert type struts.
Later when budget allows you can also replace the stock insert with a Koni or Bilstein

[Lurkin]

Yep, have been to a meet today for TCCAV and discussed.

Consensus was:

- T3 uses alloy threaded sleeve, and the sleeve is just sitting in the cup welded to the shock, rather than welded to the strut + is made from aluminium as opposed to steel

- hence APJS & HSD were seen as better options

Unsure of this really being an issue as I doubt the threads with really come against enough pressure to be an issue/ the wheel to drop far enough for the sleeve to go over the top of the strut....

meh, not up to that yet...

Just one thing, don't be welding sealed gas struts!
Use insert type struts.
Later when budget allows you can also replace the stock insert with a Koni or Bilstein

My thoughts exactly.


Adoom - any ideas whether there is photos of this in your build thread? (its a bit long to go fishing/ looks like the coilovers are already in + assembled in the first page?) a picture would be really great.

DVSMOTORSPORT - do you have a photo of this spacer system? (neat idea) how, other than the weld to prevent 'turnage' does it remain captive in the event of big bump?

[Bling]

You can buy steel threaded tube to do it.

[Mr Revhead]

Yeah all the kits I saw were steel.
And you can even buy threaded tube from steel and tube etc that will suit. Stocks/Autolign etc etc will sell the seats and lock rings separate. Just make sure you can get the right threads before you buy things

[Adoom]

Adoom - any ideas whether there is photos of this in your build thread? (its a bit long to go fishing/ looks like the coilovers are already in + assembled in the first page?) a picture would be really great.

its a bit long

I do tend to waffle on a bit.

I will have a look though the archives....

[Adoom]

Nope, I have no photos of my coil overs off the car..... Their construction predated the camera.

[DVSMOTORSPORT]

DVSMOTORSPORT - do you have a photo of this spacer system? (neat idea) how, other than the weld to prevent 'turnage' does it remain captive in the event of big bump?

Nah never got any photo's, I did it while employed as a race car fabricator so wasnt able to take photo's of much (although I did take a few on the sly). Everything stayed captive (althoug it was never designed for jumps ), we used keeper springs etc on most cars we built if they didnt use body adjustable coilovers.

[fangsport]

if the spring is properly captive, the sleeve dosn't need to be welded, cos once the tension is preloaded onto the spring, it ain't moving.

i use a coarse hacksaw and cut just above the factory lower perch weld. this acts as a vertical stopper for the sleeve.

[wde_bdy]

Lots of hearsay here and some of it out of date, most Toyota struts to do properly you also need to shorten the strut housing (either cut and joined or cut and re-threaded) or you end up with bugger all travel. Talk to a certifier BEFORE you do anything, I know for sure of struts in the last 18 months requiring x-ray and that is what my certifier has indicated to me for mine. Only one way to be certain what will be passed and an expensive mistake to make if it gets failed. Remember Toyota struts are mated to a cast stub, so technically you are modding a cast steering component.

Callum

[fangsport]

no weld, no x-ray.

but mine are for changing height and changing spring rates in a club/rally car.

WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DESIGNED TO DO !!

not an un-captive slamming tool for clowns that want to screw their steering geometry for the worse

[wde_bdy]

Yeah, if you aren't dropping it then not a big issue assuming enough of the spring seat remains to hold the sleeve. If you drop it though (and 99% of projects here are getting dropped significantly) then shortened strut tubes is a must. Nothing tops the word direct from your certifier of what he wants if you want it legal.

Callum