Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Shortened Trailing Arms for SWB

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Munich
    Posts
    8

    Shortened Trailing Arms for SWB

    Hey!

    I am looking for some advice regarding trailing arms for a SWB vehicle from '67. I have modified (=shortened) steel trailing arms from the 70s in my car. Unfortunately, the shortening wasn't done very professional. Now the damper-mounts are not perfectly aligned. I am looking for a more professional approach and thinking about constructing custom trailing arm ends using a 3D-scanner and CATIA and then welding them to the old ones. Advantage would be, that the arms are just more stiff than the ones from the 60s and the huge brakes fit as well as a 915 transmission. Anyone else encounteres the same issue?

    Looking forward!

    Best,
    Max

    --
    Dr.-Ing. Maximilian Marquart
    Munich, Germany

  2. #2
    Senior Member raspritz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    562
    Putting shortened LWB trailing arms into a SWB chassis is a fairly standard approach to enable installation of adjustable spring plates, stronger rear bearings, and different brake configurations. Why not just redo the job correctly?
    Rich Spritz

    1959 BMC Huffaker Mk1 Formula Junior racecar
    1967 Porsche 911 racecar
    1969 Porsche 911T
    1970 Winkelmann WDF2 Formula Ford racecar
    1973 Merlyn Mk24 Formula Ford racecar
    2007 Porsche 997C4 cab (totaled by an idiot running a stop sign)
    2014 Porsche 991 TurboS cab
    2019 Cayman GTS (wife's)

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by raspritz View Post
    Putting shortened LWB trailing arms into a SWB chassis is a fairly standard approach to enable installation of adjustable spring plates, stronger rear bearings, and different brake configurations. Why not just redo the job correctly?
    Plus you’ve got the option of shortening aluminum ones to save a lot of weight while you’re at it.

  4. #4
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Munich
    Posts
    8
    Hey Rich&Mike,

    Thanks for the quick answer! That's exactly what I hoped for. Mine is kinda shortened too much somehow. Then the guy welded another "Eye" to mount the damper at the end of the trailing arm to achieve a little bit more length (see images). Do you have any plans/sketches/3D Models on how you did it? Which swords (are they called like this? ) are you using to get the line right?

    Best,
    Max

    Name:  Trailing Artm.jpg
Views: 555
Size:  20.6 KB
    Name:  IMG_6977.jpg
Views: 554
Size:  66.2 KB
    Name:  2690fbc9-4884-4b08-b345-6400da5eaf3e.jpg
Views: 562
Size:  70.6 KB
    Name:  IMG_6977.jpg
Views: 554
Size:  66.2 KB

    --
    Dr.-Ing. Maximilian Marquart
    Munich, Germany

  5. #5
    Senior Member raspritz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    562
    My mechanic did it. I have no clue about specifics. Sorry.
    Rich Spritz

    1959 BMC Huffaker Mk1 Formula Junior racecar
    1967 Porsche 911 racecar
    1969 Porsche 911T
    1970 Winkelmann WDF2 Formula Ford racecar
    1973 Merlyn Mk24 Formula Ford racecar
    2007 Porsche 997C4 cab (totaled by an idiot running a stop sign)
    2014 Porsche 991 TurboS cab
    2019 Cayman GTS (wife's)

  6. #6
    I went the other way on my 67S hotrod, I kept the stronger SWB hubs and grafted steel banana arms to that. I also re-located my inner pickup points while I was in there but that is another topic. What I did was align the rear hubs for camber, toe and ride height and held them with threaded rods that replaced the shocks, the spring plates and a tube that captured the stub axle flanges. Then I floated the LWB banana arms to fit the pivot points and the hubs. I tacked all together with TIG and removed to perform final welding. Good news is that it was very successful!

    The steel hubs of the LWB cars need stiffeners to keep them from bending when subjected to high loading from racing situations.
    Paul Abbott
    Early S Member #18
    Weber service specialist
    www.PerformanceOriented.com
    info@PerformanceOriented.com
    530.520.5816

  7. #7
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Munich
    Posts
    8
    Sounds fantastic! Do you got any pictures showing your final geometry?

    Best,
    Max

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Posts
    2
    Max,
    did you find a solution to your problem?
    I also have a SWB that I want to (safely) convert to a LWB rear axle and look for a solution. Based in Germany.
    Anybody any hints?


    Quote Originally Posted by SirMaeXchen View Post
    Sounds fantastic! Do you got any pictures showing your final geometry?

    Best,
    Max

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Message Board Disclaimer and Terms of Use
This is a public forum. Messages posted here can be viewed by the public. The Early 911S Registry is not responsible for messages posted in its online forums, and any message will express the views of the author and not the Early 911S Registry. Use of online forums shall constitute the agreement of the user not to post anything of religious or political content, false and defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise to violate the law and the further agreement of the user to be solely responsible for and hold the Early 911S Registry harmless in the event of any claim based on their message. Any viewer who finds a message objectionable should contact us immediately by email. The Early 911S Registry has the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary.