okay, so I've been thinking about this for a while, and tossing the idea around with my buddies

has anyone ever looked closely at a set of AE86 front struts next to a set of FB front struts?

they're remarkably similar

now, the question is: will they fit an FB?

the selection of coilovers offered for FB's is a joke, but with the hachi, it's a different story

you can get anything for the front suspension on those things!

if it's possible to fit those struts, just imagine the suspension you could put together

full coilovers, roll center adjusters, and a good big brake kit


just throwin it out there

I may be completely retarded, but they look similar enough that it might work

 

there would definitely be a lot of measuring involved to check interchangeability. It sounds highly unlikely. If you look at an 88 CRX coilover next to a 00 Integra coilover, they look very similar. They won't interchange, though.

 

well, I think that the strut top are almost identical, and if they're not it could easily be fixed with a drill

the bottom mounts are pretty much the same story

the only other thing I'm wondering about is the angle between the hub and the shock, and the length

 

Yes/No. How deep are your pockets?

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...61eb258ebd64b6

Front coilovers are in prototype stage IIRC

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...61eb258ebd64b6
Billy at Respeed is a great guy with tons of products either already out or in prototype stage. He listens to feedback and listens to what people want on their cars. If there is enough demand, he becomes the supply.

Honestly, a good set of shocks, springs, and brake pads is more than enough for 95% of drivers out there. I just got hold of some Tokico Blues, Suspension Technique Springs, Hawk HPS pads, and brake coolers (overkill, but at a damn good price). This setup is good enough to headbutt the windshield, if you know what I mean.

Just check out billys site, and search around a bit.

And yes, anything can fit anything, with enough time, money, and skill to fabricate.

 

Yeah, this tends to fall under If you have to ask, you are not qualified to do it. For the effort involved, get one of the ones mentioned or look around for some other setups out there, and spend the tome and money on something else.

 

I have heard someone on this forum use it for the rear but had to modify alot.

 

Check this out for better shocks and suspension.

http://gforceengineering.net/products.htm

 

yep, I've been looking for a long time for a good front end setup

I've seen the gforce stuff, and it looks pretty damn good


I was just wondering if it would be possible to fit the AE86 front struts, or if anyone had tried it

 

Front CO located here:

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...46dce6650b260e


Thanks for the kind words.

-billy

 

Seems like it'd be much easier to get the respeed kit than to modify ae86 parts to me....
And yes G-Force is another good one, Jim is a good guy to talk to. I have his panhard bar and tri-link setup.

 

"I may be completely retarded, but -----------"

This seems to be the only conclusion you have made that is correct. The REALLY OBVIOUS differences are the fact that the strut inclination angle is much greater for the FC, so the tops of the shock towers would have to be moved inboard, and of course the FC is front steer. Even if you could swap left to right to get the rear steer, the Ackerman angle would be screwed up. There have been swaps of the entire subframe and presumably major structural work to the shock towers to make it work, but as others have said, some good springs and shocks, bushings, and possibly sway bars will be good enough for street driving. If you need better, get an FD.

I was considering coil-overs, not for the usual reason that "they are cool", but because I was concerned about tire clearance when I did the big brake conversion. But it turned out that we needed spacers anyway for the wheels I was using, so the stock spring perches had enough clearance. My friend who helped me with the project has been building street rods, drag racers and road racers for years and he showed me numerous coil over setups that could be easily adapted to the 1st gen struts, fully adjustable with an almost infinite choice of springs. If you have any fabrication skills, that is a simple task.

With the help of my machinist, who is also an automotive engineer, I did the big brake conversion several years ago, and posted photos and details on this forum. A year or two later kits were being offered to do the same thing. Everyone says the Respeed front kit is good, and the price is cheap enough. My machinist wouldn't do it for twice what they are charging.

The rear brake conversion has so many possible combination of drum, disc, early/late cars - it is a real pain for kit builders. Best to start with a GSL-SE.

 

He was asking about a 84-87 corolla's front suspension, not a FC rx-7, but still it doesn't make any sense to attempt the swap when parts are readily available from several companies. And as several people have said already, good shocks, springs bushings and sway bars are all thats really needed to start with....

 

anyways....

I'll most likely end up going with a re-speed front crossmember and rack & pinion,
and then run g-force coilovers

I was just throwing it out there that someone should try it

go look at some 86 front struts, and then go look at fb front struts

they're eerily close

 

I agree, the pics I've seen of ae86's front suspensions do look very "FBish" but I'm not sure the amount of work to make them work on our cars would be worth it in the end, we can get all the same types of parts that the corolla owners can, maybe not as many choices, but they are all there....