The MKII Escort Ranger kit car is currently fitted with some 'heavy duty' front springs (ready for the Pinto) but I'm gonna stick with the XFlow for a while so need some 'suitable' springs in there again.
The stock Ford saloon springs were 'ok' all be they offering a slightly low ride height due to the extra weight of the kit over the std Escort.
I think I can still get some 'stock' Escort springs but someone has suggested a 'coilover' conversion might offer both a greater range of springs plus an adjustable ride height?
So, is there any sort of 'kit' that one can get to do this or are we talking a bespoke conversion etc? What sort of money are we talking about?
FWIW I fitted new damper inserts when I replaced the springs recently (and welded the lower spring cups) (I replaced the springs because one was broken).
There is a coilover kit you can get. Basically it involves cutting off the spring seat and welding a threaded tube in its place. Retro Ford covered it in depth a few months ago.
Burton Power do a kit. It's £31 a side and then you'll need springs which are about the same price so roughly around £60 a corner.
So (after a quick Google) and as you say, I remove the bottom spring cups (I repaired them when I changed the springs last so I know where I am there) and weld the threaded tubes to the old leg (after taking the inserts out etc).
Then I assume I screw on a couple of rings (so I can lock one against the other), some form of lower spring carrier, the spring and the top spring carrier. The top of the damper shaft threads through the existing rubber top mount and locking washer and nut goes on the top?
The whole lot then get's bolted back up into the turret (1/8" plate steel on this kit ) and onto the TCA?
Jobs a goodun?
What about the self centering (previously done by the twisting tension (torsion) on the coil springs) do I loose that would you know Conor and is that an issue (MOT etc)?
Are there any other things doing this will affect do you know (in case I've missed anything)?
Pretty much. If I get time this weekend, I'll scan the article in and e-mail it to you. It's probably the most relevent one you'll find seeing as it was done on an Essie. E-mail me at snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com with a valid address and also to remind me to do it.
That's what the steering angles do and losing it isn't an MOT failure. Steering doesn't self center until you're moving and unless you're running a car with a permanent LSD, it'll not get a road test during the MOT.
Ok, on this Escort anyway the bottom coil of the spring sits in a seat with a coil shape and 'notch' for the end of the coil wire. The same with the top cup, which is anchored rigidly to the damper rod and top mount (so none of those rotate). So when you steer you rotate the leg on the damper rod and turn the bottom of the spring with respect to the top, hence twisting or untwisting the coil.
So when you tighten the top nut it is essential you position the top cup with respect to the car, and do both sides equally (so they balance in the centre).
If you fit a roller top bearing you loose this effect completely (as reported by the Rickman drivers that have done so).
I'm not saying that this mechanism does *all* the self centering but it certainly plays a very big part and especially at slow speeds. Set either top cup in the wrong position and the car will not centre (been there, did that right the second time). ;-)
Looking closer at these coilover kits the spring could rotate on both top and bottom cup so I'm not sure how it would work (if you might get strange centering effects) if you *didn't* have a roller top mount?
(Bottom cup locked to strut / thread, top cup locked to damper shaft via D shaped hole and hence non rotating std rubber top mount. If the spring was twisted / untwisted whilst steering, if It didn't want to it might be allowed to slip at either end and could wear the cup (unless the spring pressure is sufficient to stop it from doing so). If it didn't slip then it must wind-up and I'm not sure how much that type of closed / tight spring would like that, in comparison with the fairly light 'open' std 4.75" OD Ford spring anyway)?
Brilliant, thanks Conor (my addy works but I'll email you anyway).
Ok ..
Ok, but as per my previous reply to Duncan, if you lift the front wheels off the ground on this Ranger they *try* to self centre [1](due to the spring torsion)?
All the best ..
T i m
[1] But can't quite because of the steering rack / other frictions . Take the steering ball joint off and the leg springs straight ;-)
The windup in the spring isn't particularly helpfull though, when you hit a bump it also tries to turn the steering, that's why people fit roller bearing top bushes.
Ok .. (other than positive slow speed self centering you mean)?
Ah ..
You are probably right where motorsport or 'performance cars' are concerned but I can't imagine that ever bothering the millions (?) of ordinary car drivers out there with the same setup?
If I fitted roller bearing top bushes it would be to overcome other issues not deal with bump-steer (in fact that would be the last of my worries!) ;-)
Maybe it's a combination of both then (spring and bush twist) Conor?
I've just been out and had a play with the Ranger and although the top nut / safety bracket things do turn a bit with the road wheels they don't seem to move linearly with them (and no where near as far) ... and those bushes are 27 years old and the springs are very new and very stiff (HD springs)?
On the previous springs, if the road wheel was in the air and the track rod end disconnected you turn the wheel to extremes and the top nut would hardly move at all?
Bottom line, if I have to go to roller top mounts because of how the coilovers affect the top cup / bush setup then that's 'ok' as long as it doesn't add too much to the overall cost of this project or have any detrimental effect on the steering etc?
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