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So for now the front control arms are still stock to let the car roll around, but we have plans for something good. We sent the OEM lower control arms/chassis mounts to SPL parts down in Austin and they are working on a new set of adjustable spherical control arms for the E46 M3 chassis, based on the test parts we sent them.
Examples of SPL Parts front control arm (at left) and rear control arms (at right) made for another chassis
Of course other people "already make spherical/adjustable arms" for this chassis, we know. But we know the SPL guys from NASA racing and they build everything here in Texas, top quality stuff, super strong and of course - spherical and adjustable. We trust that they can add something to their version that will make them worth building. They supplied the rear lateral arms and this FLCA setup is a logical next product for them for the E46 chassis.
TIRE MOCK-UP FOR WHEEL MEASUREMENTS
You may have seen the 18x13" wheels we have on the car now (below) in teaser pics on social media, but getting to the proper offsets and sizes was some work. We are trying to tuck the wheels as far inboard as possible to minimize the amount of flare needed - which is still going to be huge. To do this we started out with the correct sized front tire, mounted it to a wheel mock-up tool, and tested it on the front suspension...
To even get to this point for tire fitment testing we needed the car's suspension in place, camber set within about a degree or so, and with the brakes and hubs installed. That took a lot of parts spec'ing, ordering, and installation. This tire test was done early in the project because we knew the custom wheels would take a while to be built. We didn't think it would be 4.5 months, but it was...
We tested the 335/30/18 on the front and a 345/35/18 on the rear, at ride height, full droop and full bump travel. Then the front was swung lock to lock. This visual testing with the correct sized tire gave us an idea of how much body modification would be needed as well as the offsets we should order for the 18x13" front and 18x14" rear wheels.
This Forgestar M14 wheel is a 2-piece version of their popular F14 wheel, which comes in 18" diameters from 8" to 15" wide. We worked with the customer on color schemes early on, and made a lot of photoshopped pictures of this wheel with various colors and finishes. He settled on a satin black center and anodized red outer lips, shown below. So we ordered the wheels. And waited. And waited... We were stuck. We needed wheels and tires + the car at ride height to be able to tackle many other tasks.
Over a third of a year later when the wheels arrived they looked beautiful, except for one thing we noticed right away. They are all 18x13" wheels. To make these 2-piece wheels inner and outer rim halves are mixed and matched - plus the backs of the centers are machined - to get the width and offset we needed. This was done to clear the brakes, fit the biggest tires we had planned (335F/345R), and give us the most inboard offset to minimize the flare needs. After the issue was noticed I had a "spirited" phone call with the manufacturer, and we could have sent them back for a full refund. But the thought of waiting another 4.5 months (or even a few weeks) for correct rear wheels would wreck our timeline. The project was at a standstill until we could put it on the ground with the right tire sizes mounted. So we talked to the customer, mounted up the 335/345 Hoosiers, and bolted them up.
I saw them on the car and wanted to be mad, but they looked good and fit really well. We realized this car might need as many as 3 different sets of wheels - for differing classes/uses - so we decided to keep this 18x13" set. The 345mm tire fits on an 18x13" wheel well enough, but the 14" width would have been better - yet I ran these tires for 2 seasons on an 18x12" wheel. They were a tick squeezed on the 12s but we won every event we entered on the big tires, so it wasn't that bad.
Ryan started the clearing work to the unibody and structure up front to clear the 335s at full lock and then flare mock-ups, but I'll show more of this next time.
ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST STEERING: COLUMN + RACK MODS
If you have driven a modern car built in the past 10 years you may have known that the OEMs have almost completely dropped hydraulic power steering in favor of electric assist. They have done this for many reasons, but for Motorsports use it is good because it deletes a residual power drag (power steering pump) as well as removes the largest cause of underhood fires: leaking hydraulic fluid. With the added costs of the (racing modified) power steering pump, cooler, and lines it is almost a wash on costs. It wasn't hard to convince the customer that this was the right way to go.
We have been investigating aftermarket or "OEM adaptations" of an EPAS system for the past 4-5 years, and I loved the EPAS unit in my 2011 Mustang (once we swapped it for a Ford Racing version). Our Scion FRS has electric assist also.
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