andrew Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 i have heard a lot of talk latley about when it comes to modifying struts, people have been using corona/celica struts, shortening them and then using camry "short stroke" inserts, now, what is probably obvios, i want to be sure of, are camry inserts shorter that normal?, and if so how much shorter? as i have made custom struts before, but i have never used gas inserts in them as i was quoted too much to make gas one's, and didn't know camry ones are shorter. and after shortening the struts, what springs can be used? as the corona ones are way too wide in diameter to use?, i was thinking rt 118 springs as they are only about 3 1/2- 4 inchs in dia, and making my own spring cups and adjustable strut tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 Umm... right. I don't know how long Camry inserts are, I guess if you looked up the Monroe or KYB or [insert shock absorber manufacturer name] catalog you should be able to find that out. At a guess, if people are using them in shortened Corona/Celica struts then they will be shorter than the normal Corona/Celica inserts. What you are shortening is the actual strut casing. Therefore, your spring seats etc should be the same unless you modify them, and therefore you should be able to use the standard springs (and can go with shorter springs since your stroke is shorter and so they'll stay captive even when the springs are shorter). You can either shorten your strut casing by as much as the Camry insert is shorter, or shorten it less and use spacers to take up the slack. A common insert to use in Corona XT130/RT132 struts is the AE92 insert. This is what I'm using in the white Corolla. What you need to look out for is that the outer diameter of the insert is the same as the stock ones, and they are either the same length (like AE86 inserts) or shorter (like AE92 inserts) than the standard ones. Beware however about where you cut the strut to shorten it, you will need to think about a few things: 1) where your spring seat is going to sit once the strut is shortened - will it be too high/too low? Having it too high/too low will give you suspension travel problems 2) the thread on the top gland nut is very fine and not many places can recut it so usually you cut it somewhere in the middle and reuse the top bit again If you're planning on going with adjustable coilovers usually it is cut where the original spring seat is, and then the coilover sleeve is put over the cut so that you don't see it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 2) cut it somewhere in the middle and reuse the top bit again If you're planning on going with adjustable coilovers usually it is cut where the original spring seat is, and then the coilover sleeve is put over the cut so that you don't see it anymore. yes. last time i cut it and put the threaded top back on. where do i get coilover sleeves? how much are they? do they come in a kit? how do they bolt on? thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 Coilover sleeves Fulcrum sell, and I think the place we went to the other day (Extreme Motorsports) sells them too. The Fulcrum ones are alloy, so they need to sit on a steel sleeve welded to the strut. They don't come as a "kit" as such, all the parts are separate. I got all my bits for $176, that's with a "motorsport discount". If you want I can get the bits for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 They don't come as a "kit" as such, all the parts are separate. I got all my bits for $176, that's with a "motorsport discount". If you want I can get the bits for you. i take it thats all the bits (besides coils) to fit coilovers to my struts yeah? well i start my new job tomorrow so i will probably get you to sort it out in a couple of weeks, as i need to finish paying off my bushes and the custom front bar i ordered, but i will let you know thanks fook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 what do i do when i get springs? do i just ring king and tell them i want xpound spring to fit coilovers? or are there specific mearsurements that they need?, ie diameter and length etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 $176 was for (if I'm not mistaken) the threaded sleeves, rings and ring spanners and top hats. In my photo album I have photos of the bits. Springs were about $175 for the pair, which I thought was a bit much. I might have a contact who might be able to get them cheaper now. I *think* the Corona struts will take a 65mm ID spring (will confirm when I go and buy them again), so basically go to the King Spring website and look up their ProSport range, work out what length and stiffness you want and get the part number. So yes, you need the ID, free length and stiffness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 I really don't know what springs you'd get, as a guide mine are 250mm, 250lb. Redwarf runs 225lb I think. But then again I know of a certain AE86 that's running about 650lb springs on the front and 480lb springs on the back (apparently) which I think is just plain ridiculous but he recons the car handles really well *shrug* so really it's up to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 I really don't know what springs you'd get, as a guide mine are 250mm, 250lb. Redwarf runs 225lb I think. But then again I know of a certain AE86 that's running about 650lb springs on the front and 480lb springs on the back (apparently) which I think is just plain ridiculous but he recons the car handles really well *shrug* so really it's up to you... holy shit! do they make springs that stiff?! i think about 300lb would suit my car. i had a look at your photo page of hal and i saw how they hold on. do they just sit there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 i just had a look on the king springs website and don't know what to choose. some of the travels on some of those springs are only 60mm! :D wtf! what is the free length of your springs? and what is the lenght of thread? that may give me some idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 16, 2004 Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 Andrew: Yes, the tension on the spring keeps the spring seat there. My springs are the KPS-163, 250mm, 250lb, 65mm ID (I think - if I remember correctly). 135mm of travel (115mm height compressed) but I don't have all of that 135mm obviously. I'd be guessing you'd want something like KPS-165 or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapTastic Posted June 16, 2004 Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 holy shit! do they make springs that stiff?! Yep, how heavy the car is usually has a lot to do with it. For example, Cusco coilovers for an AE86 are 6kg/mm fronts (~340lbs) For an S13 Silvia/180 they are 7kg front (~400lb) For a JZX100 Chaser they're a monstrous 16kg/mm (~900lb) Off the topic a bit, I was playing around with some lovely Kei Office coilovers the other day. You can actually screw the shock body up and down inside the strut. I'd say its mainly used so if it's lowered a fair bit you could wind it so it doesn't bottom out the shock. Cool stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 sweet! fook: yeah thats probably about what i would want in height and dia but just stiffer. thanks. a i will save money over next week or two and let you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Andrew: The free height of the spring really depends on your setup. With mine, with my sleeves wound all the way down the distance between the sleeve and the top spring hat is 250mm, hence I bought 250mm springs. That way I don't need spring compressors when I dismantle my struts, and even at its lowest the springs are still captive (marginally). If you weld your sleeves further down your strut then you'd have to get longer ones, say 300mm or something. I'll try to find out if I can get springs for cheaper... Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted June 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 well tomorrow and saturday i am moving to another house, so sunday or monday i will put my struts apart and measure a suitable size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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