XV Level II Suspension installation

[ragtopdodge]

minitubbed?  Rolled fender lips?

[MoparCar]

Looks great! Love the Forgeline Wheels-my favorite wheels.

Can you expand upon the shimming the rack for more clearance? Forward? Down?

Also, what's your opinion on the XV front-can it go lower? Most XV Level IIs ride a bit high and I wonder with your first hand knowledge whether it will go down a bit. The final ride height is one thing that keeps me from the XV system.

Love it. Looking at their front Level II myself for my Pro Touring Challenger.
Thanks, Wes

[HP2]

350 in front 225 back

Thanks for that. Looking at the pictures and guestimating dimensions, I'd say that is about equivilent to  a 1.12 torsion bar and around 125# leaf springs. A very comfortable yet highly capable combination.

[jvike]

Awesome!  I cheated and looked at the pictures of the rear suspension.... 
How long did it take once you had all the parts?

Well, we have 6 month winters and 6 months where the car is on the road, so I did the rear during the whole winter. The rear is much more meassuring where things go than the front. But the rear is not a very complex setup, just velding brackets to an axle when you've decided where they go. You could easily do it in a weekend if you want. The sway bar is the hardest part to posision. I'll post the pictures from the rear install later tonight. The front I used almost a year from I backed into the garage til I drove out. But that is mostly becouse I did not have the money do everything at once. But welding the stiffening kit and UCA mounts was about 20 hours. Then you need to do bodywork and paint the enginecompartment. Putting on parts is easy, but I needed to work a bit with the motormounts to make it fit, since they've only sold two smallblock units. The kit is not really designed for the smallblock, but some offestplates that followed the kit make it work, but needed some work to place the engine where it should be. But it is installed higher that it was because of the plates. My TTI header did not fit, blockhuggers crashed in those plates, so I ended ut buying some shorty headers for a Dodge Durango. Also there is no oilpan for the smallblock that fits, it crashed with the rack, so I had to move the sump further back.

minitubbed?  Rolled fender lips?

I have moved the lower controlarms 1" invards with the Dr.Diff kit like gkrig did to make room. The fenderlips where rolled abit when I changed quarters 5 years ago. It's not minitubbed. But you have to really nail the BS on the rim to fit those tires. I saw XV fitted the 335's on the Challenger, so I really wanted to trie that on a Cuda.  Not sure if it can lower it much dough.. We'll see..

Looks great! Love the Forgeline Wheels-my favorite wheels.

Can you expand upon the shimming the rack for more clearance? Forward? Down?

Also, what's your opinion on the XV front-can it go lower? Most XV Level IIs ride a bit high and I wonder with your first hand knowledge whether it will go down a bit. The final ride height is one thing that keeps me from the XV system.

Love it. Looking at their front Level II myself for my Pro Touring Challenger.
Thanks, Wes

Thank's Wes! Forgeline where a delight to work with. And I also have to say XV always step up when your're in need of guidance.
The shiming is for limiting how smuch you can turn the wheel. You remove the rubber dust shoes and unscrew the steeringarms and slide shims onto the rack to limit travel. Preventing the inside of the rims to hit the UCA or framerail. The rack itself is not adjustable in the K-member.

About the ridehight you can lower it, but it is probably a compromise. Mine is where the LCA's are straight out horisontaly. This is probably how they should be in ridehight, anything else is probably a compromise on geometry,bumpsteer, and so on. After all XV did much R&D on this. I'll probably try to lower it an inch an see how it responds. I'm not gonna totaly slam it. The solution seems to be dropspindles. LG Motorsports make some beautiful billet aluminium uprights for Corvette C6. But they cost alot. I'm gonna keep mine like it is and play around with it a bit to see what can be done.

Thanks for that. Looking at the pictures and guestimating dimensions, I'd say that is about equivilent to  a 1.12 torsion bar and around 125# leaf springs. A very comfortable yet highly capable combination.

You're absolutly right, It felt very comforable the little I did drive it. But i had the dampers to the softest setting. Will stiffen it up when I have put some miles on it.

[MoparCar]

jvike,
Thanks for the info and pictures!
Wes

[jvike]

Here are the pictures for the rear suspension. Did this back in 2008.


Billet aluminium LCAs, massiv stuff, low weight.


Removed all the brackets on the axle, I have the 1.5" narrower b-body axle.


The original dampermount had to come out.


Here's the new coil-over mount being tacked in place.


New brackets for the control arms.


I moved the control arms 1" invards, My brother admireing the stuff.


Here is the panhard bar mount, it's adjustable for ride height.


The coil-over mount, took it down again and reinforced the rails with some plates. There are also some plates on each side that weld on to the floorboard.


I wanted to use the original brakelines.


So I made a hole in the 3rd link for the it.


Welded it up to look smooth.


Coil overs, monotube gas dampers, delivered from Afco. Custom valved and dynotested. Springs are from Hypercoil.


Splined swaybar, this billet links and goes trought the framerail, wich was a bit tricky.

[jvike]

Checked the clarence to the exhaust, no problems with my 2.5" TTI exhaust!


3 link is up!


Bracket for the 3rd link. I made a mistake here, had to take it off agian and mount it a bit lower becouse the swaybar crashed into it.


The link with it's adjusable pinion angle.


Mounted the panhard bar and started with the dampers.


XV coil-over.


All the brackets minus the ones for the swaybar.

[jvike]

I drilled in new holes in the upper mount 1" narrower since the control arms was moved 1" inwards. But in the end I ended up using the original holes anyway I think.


Did some mockup to test the righthight before I drilled holes for the swaybar.


Wheels on!


Suspension tuning 101! My brother had to be gasoline and battery.


Mustang man! Has to ride in the trunk!


On the ground!


From the side..


LCA..


This pic should show tireclerance 275/60-15 on that pic.

[jvike]

Newly painted axle and panhard bar.


Cleaned the valve and tubes.


Here everything is in place, the swaybar was a tight fit!


Had to make a new longer J-bar. The one in the kit hit my exhaust.


As said, the swaybar was tight, some adjustments in the end.

[jvike]

On the ground, some 4 months later!


Had to rise the ridehight a bit with those huge tires. Spoiler was being repainted since someone had scrached it.


At this point only the alignment (shims at the leafsping/LCA shoes) and pinion angle needed to be done.

[jvike]

Here are pics of the Front suspension parts that I got in July 2009.


Early christmas!


Swaybar and endlink. Here are the mentioned shims for the rack and pinion!


Endlink, splined.


Damper, noticable stiffer than the ones I got in the rear.


The rack, from a 05 Mustang. Came in a Ford box out of Dearborn.


Spindle, Mopar bolt circle.


These are prewelded mount for UCA and coil-over.


Here's a real goodie, billet aluminium upper contol arm. These weigh nothing! 


Springs from Hypercoils.


UCA dogbone. You slide brushings on to theese.


Blocks that fit between the K-Member and Swaybar.


Mounts for the swaybar.


Uprights. Corvette C5/C6 stuff.


LCA, also from Corvette C5/C6.


K-Member, aluminium, not much weight here either!

[jvike]

XV Motorsports have just published an E-mag that showes some good pics. I see they have made changes to the rear suspension. They have put the swaybar in an axle tube, and made it connect to the 3rd link mount. Check it out:'
http://www.xvmotorsports.com/media/XceleratorMagVol1Iss1.pdf

[IMNCARN82]

It's been a long year for you. NICE JOB !!!!!  Been watching. Thanks for the pics!!! Hey,Where did you get that needle bearing for the column?    Glad to see her back on all fours! Looking KILLER with the fats on the back.       Very nice!  Can't wait for some performance feedback from you on the unit after it's dialed in. Love the wheels and brakes too!!!   With the green it's...   WoWsA !!!     
Sweeeeeeeeeet!!!     R/T

[gkring]

XV Motorsports have just published an E-mag that showes some good pics. I see they have made changes to the rear suspension. They have put the swaybar in an axle tube, and made it connect to the 3rd link mount. Check it out:'
http://www.xvmotorsports.com/media/XceleratorMagVol1Iss1.pdf

I saw that. I emailed them about buying it for my car. Maybe easier to locate that bar and I like that it will be covered and should really add to rear frame stiffness and support the third link mount.

Greg

[jvike]

It's been a long year for you. NICE JOB !!!!!  Been watching. Thanks for the pics!!! Hey,Where did you get that needle bearing for the column?    Glad to see her back on all fours! Looking KILLER with the fats on the back.       Very nice!  Can't wait for some performance feedback from you on the unit after it's dialed in. Love the wheels and brakes too!!!   With the green it's...   WoWsA !!!     
Sweeeeeeeeeet!!!     R/T

Thanks! I got the bearing at the local hardwarestore, 1" ID and 2" OD i think it was. They had to special order it from the USA, took them 2 months to get! heated it and pressed it on, then made cap for it and to keep it in place. I'll tell you how it performs, but it's 6 long month til next time. 

I saw that. I emailed them about buying it for my car. Maybe easier to locate that bar and I like that it will be covered and should really add to rear frame stiffness and support the third link mount.

Greg

Yeah, I think it will do much for your convertible!