j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

ive seen offset ones, or even ones that let you put a strut from another car in.

actually its pretty common to make an offset one that has both the rx2/3 and rx7 patterns so you can run the "good" rx7 brakes and struts in an rx2/3

20B3rdgen

iTrader: (8)

What did you do for struts and ride height with your FC subframe-suspension, I'm installing a FC sub frame right now on my 83 GSL.

nofords

iTrader: (9)

Use FC struts and strut tops. I made a set of coil overs for the front. Doing this allows you to place the camber plate on top of the strut mount. This way, you lengthen the stroke of the shock a little.

20B3rdgen

iTrader: (8)

Where did you get the coil over threaded sleeve and spring from?

20B3rdgen

iTrader: (8)

I cut the top off of my FB strut and welded it onto my cut FC strut and reused my old Ground Control sleeve and strut insert, but I'm finding that it it too tall and I am loosing some travel.



The FB strut insert is about a inch longer the the FC strut length reducing travel even more after lowering the car


I went back and finished welding this after trial fitting it.

peejay

I used strut tops for a '97-up Escort. 4-door Escort and ZX2 mounts should be interchangeable, but one was twice the cost of the other, so I went with the cheaper stuff. Anyway, the upshot to this is that the chassis mounting is the same bolt pattern as FB, and it uses a D-hole arrangement for the strut, just like FC.

Downsides: FB studs are 8mm, Escort are 10mm, so I had to drill out my strut towers, strut tower brace, and make new brace spacers. The D-hole is smaller than FC so I had to file it out. The fact that it is still a D-hole means that I can still remove/install my struts with a ratchet instead of zipping them on/off with an impact, something I don't want to do with adjustable struts.

10" springs fit perfectly to the FC lower perch height after you cut the bottom 3/4 coil off. (FB springs sit two inches lower!) I made my own upper spring perches out of plate and some washers - one washer on the bottom to locate the spring by ID, two washers on top to locate and properly space the strut bearing.




Not pictured: A lot of grinding on the bottom side of the strut mount to clear this.

Now, here's the problem I need to address for 2011: This setup allows me to run 60cm rally tires and not encounter inner fender contact at full compression. However, for various reasons, I want to run 65cm tires in the front this year. This means I need to change my minimum ride height by at least one inch. FC struts already have basically no travel compared to FB, so larger bumpstops would be a bad idea. So, I am going to take FC strut mounts, which sit an inch higher than the FB and Escort mounts, and mod them to fit the FB bolt pattern. Of course, when I do this, I'm going to shade the new mounting points to the positive caster/negative camber direction. I have four Progress camber bolts in the front suspension, adjusted for as much camber as i can get, and it's still not really enough.