Hi All

NOTE, before anyone starts, any bashing of GTS and our posts will just be deleated, we are all well aware of what you may start moaning about.

Several months ago my son bought a 2nd hand unstarted GTS Challenger 11 kit and we are at last is in a position to make a start on it.

1st hurdle could any one sugest how we are supposed to fit the DeDion tube to the radius arms.





Hopefully you can now see the picture where the tube is roughly central and the radius arms are approx the width of the bushes outboard from where they should be.

I think the tube is the correct width as the Challenger has Escort width rear using shortened Sierra driveshafts.

Your thoughts please

Nick

[Edited on 2/12/08 by x_flow57]

Just a thought, but have you tried the De Dion tube flipped over the other way. Or is the other side already out by the same amount?

The N/S is out by the same amount. The panhard rod mount is on the correct side and shock mounts on top so it is not upside down.

I have an Escort width De Dion for a Locost book chassis. The distance from the outer edge of the trailing arm bracket to the face plate where the hub fits is 40mm. Yours looks a lot more than that. But then it looks like 40mm would be too close to the edge for you.

Thank you Thinking about it, 40 mm would make the mounts too wide apart, do you know the overall width of your deDion tube. I am thinking we may have to move the trailing arm mounting brackets on the tube outwards enough to fit if the overall width is correct.

1200mm face to face.
1060mm between centres for trailing arm brackets.

With a B&Q tape measure in a cold garage.
If you want it acurate I can do it again tomorrow.

Mmmmm I think I'm going to need to modify the tube.

The trailing arm bkts are only 960mm apart, the chassis bkts are 1060mm.
and I have 1255mm flange to flange (again in a very cold garage).

Thank you for going to the trouble to venture into the frozen garage at this time of night, appreciate it.

From the pics it looks like you just need to move the trailing arm brackets on the axle. They look too far in as already said. They look in about the same position in relation to the hub plates as mine on my sierra width axle...

As for the width of the axle it sounds about right at 1255mm. You need to shorten the halfshafts to suit anyway

Dude, before you go modding anything try the rear body section on as there isn't a lot of clearance from the body...I spent hours and hours and even more hours on the original car getting that sussed. Somewhere I have the original de dion tube I had on the first car before it got changed to my daft single shock set up. It was more like an original Lotus de dion with two trailing arms and two centre arms. Can't for the life of me remember why I changed to single shock but hey...

Fit the main body tub early on as it's a tart to do once you have fitted the front suspension, easy to do on your own...wonder I how I know that..on off on off so many times..

Mark

Thank you all for your input, inparticular those on u2u. I think we know where we are going now and if it doesn't wk we'll cut it all off and fit a live axle.

I'll put some pics up when it's all together.

Thanks again
Nick (& Tim)

quote:

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Originally posted by x_flow57
Thank you all for your input, inparticular those on u2u. I think we know where we are going now and if it doesn't wk we'll cut it all off and fit a live axle.

I'll put some pics up when it's all together.

Thanks again
Nick (& Tim)

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I didn't bother moving them as it turned out to be too wide overall as well.
We have a replacement arriving soon, well hopefully as Tim is convinced we can still get it to test before IVA comes in.