Vini – the Powerflex V8 Mini
Discussion
Love it!96eight said:
Please see above for detailed explanation
Sorry, unless I am being simple, I can't see an explanation for the Subaru suspension being used. There is a detail explanation of why you are fitting it now, to establish hard points and wheel positioning. I am curious why the Mini parts were consigned to the bin.Megaflow said:
Sorry, unless I am being simple, I can't see an explanation for the Subaru suspension being used. There is a detail explanation of why you are fitting it now, to establish hard points and wheel positioning. I am curious why the Mini parts were consigned to the bin.
The Mini being front wheel drive has a completely different set of hard mounting points and the steering rack is mounted on the bulkhead so there was no way to use that. The front suspension struts were in the wrong place and the turrets needed to be moved so there was nothing from the Mini that was usable.It had to be completely changed and the Subaru front subframe turned out to be perfect, but there was still a load of metalwork to be changed to get the geometry correct with the struts we were developing.
96eight said:
The Mini being front wheel drive has a completely different set of hard mounting points and the steering rack is mounted on the bulkhead so there was no way to use that. The front suspension struts were in the wrong place and the turrets needed to be moved so there was nothing from the Mini that was usable.
It had to be completely changed and the Subaru front subframe turned out to be perfect, but there was still a load of metalwork to be changed to get the geometry correct with the struts we were developing.
Thanks. Highly unusual to see a bulkhead mounted rack these days. That was never going to work! It had to be completely changed and the Subaru front subframe turned out to be perfect, but there was still a load of metalwork to be changed to get the geometry correct with the struts we were developing.
So now to the rear.
Because EDM know as much about Impreza’s as they do Minis they felt that the rear subframe assembly from the 2005 Spec C Impreza would give us locations of some important geometry controlling suspension arms.
The rear carrier assembly has the diff and most of the suspension mounted on it.
So if they could attach that to the car in the correct place and locate the rear hub tie bars to the body then the diff would be good enough (and is available in lots of ratios as well as super strong motorsport versions) and a lot of the geometry would already be in place.
Of course the rear of the Mini shell is design to carry very little in the way of weight and being front wheel drive has no space for diffs and drive shafts but more importantly no room for rear suspensions struts.
An awful lot of the rear was going to need to be changed and mountings made in what was fresh air.
Rear tie bar mounting. This would late be tied into the rollcage
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I can't begin to explain how difficult this location and positioning work is
Because EDM know as much about Impreza’s as they do Minis they felt that the rear subframe assembly from the 2005 Spec C Impreza would give us locations of some important geometry controlling suspension arms.
The rear carrier assembly has the diff and most of the suspension mounted on it.
So if they could attach that to the car in the correct place and locate the rear hub tie bars to the body then the diff would be good enough (and is available in lots of ratios as well as super strong motorsport versions) and a lot of the geometry would already be in place.
Of course the rear of the Mini shell is design to carry very little in the way of weight and being front wheel drive has no space for diffs and drive shafts but more importantly no room for rear suspensions struts.
An awful lot of the rear was going to need to be changed and mountings made in what was fresh air.
Rear tie bar mounting. This would late be tied into the rollcage
|[url]|I can't begin to explain how difficult this location and positioning work is
This is where some serious CAD work was going to be required.
Cardboard Aided Design is skill possessed by the few and envied by the many.
The rear wheel arches needed room for struts and towers and had to be fabricated in the right position to get the rear geometry correct as well as allowing the shock length required for the amount of wheel travel we had designed in.
You can see the floor strengthening going in for the rear subframe below
These pictures are from a much later stage in the build, but give a clue as to the amount and quality of the work involved.
Bilstein built special double adjustable front and rear dampers for the project, of which more later.
Cardboard Aided Design is skill possessed by the few and envied by the many.
The rear wheel arches needed room for struts and towers and had to be fabricated in the right position to get the rear geometry correct as well as allowing the shock length required for the amount of wheel travel we had designed in.
You can see the floor strengthening going in for the rear subframe below
These pictures are from a much later stage in the build, but give a clue as to the amount and quality of the work involved.
Bilstein built special double adjustable front and rear dampers for the project, of which more later.
Many thanks.
It is a big deal for www.powerflex.co.uk to have commissioned this, but as I say it has got out of control, but in a good way.
I started a trade association for the Performance Aftermarket a few years ago and am on the board of it.
www.paaa.eu.com
It has some prestigious members from the top end of manufacturers and distributors of performance parts in the UK.
We also have a membership section for workshops and tuners that derive their business from the performance aftermarket.
What this has meant is that I have been able to work with companies such as Eibach, Bilstein, Alcon, Cobra, Lifeline, Goodridge, Forge Motorsport, Milltek, ARP, ITG and many others.
They have all wanted to get involved in this project.
Absolutely not in a sponsorship way. I have insisted on paying for all parts supplied but what I have asked is that where we needed something special they pull out all the stops and make something really trick for us, knowing that it would be a showcase for them as well as Powerflex.
So there are a lot of very high quality really special parts on the car that would not normally be available for sale and would probably not be produced if this was not an industry collaboration.
All will be revealed!
It is a big deal for www.powerflex.co.uk to have commissioned this, but as I say it has got out of control, but in a good way.
I started a trade association for the Performance Aftermarket a few years ago and am on the board of it.
www.paaa.eu.com
It has some prestigious members from the top end of manufacturers and distributors of performance parts in the UK.
We also have a membership section for workshops and tuners that derive their business from the performance aftermarket.
What this has meant is that I have been able to work with companies such as Eibach, Bilstein, Alcon, Cobra, Lifeline, Goodridge, Forge Motorsport, Milltek, ARP, ITG and many others.
They have all wanted to get involved in this project.
Absolutely not in a sponsorship way. I have insisted on paying for all parts supplied but what I have asked is that where we needed something special they pull out all the stops and make something really trick for us, knowing that it would be a showcase for them as well as Powerflex.
So there are a lot of very high quality really special parts on the car that would not normally be available for sale and would probably not be produced if this was not an industry collaboration.
All will be revealed!
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