panichat
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:00 AM |
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Ground clearance!!!!!!
Situation -
I've fitted suspension and engine. Looks great but I can't get it out of the garage because the ground clearance is too low (75mm).
Information - self built book chassis with 1.3 x-flow engine (sump bulge at the back), non-adjustable coil-overs, 13in wheels.
Options as I see them:
1. Grind off and re position upper shock mount lower down .
2. Raise engine by putting a spacer under the engine mounts and re-making the gearbox mount - but will this interfere with making the bodywork fit?
3. Get bigger wheels.
4. Modify garage, petition local council to have all traffic calming removed.
Your opinions would be welcomed.
Thanks
Dave
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Duncan_P
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:05 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by panichat
4. Modify garage, petition local council to have all traffic calming removed.
Surely this has to be the way forward 
Personally I would go down the bigger wheels route i think, but then im an impatient bugger and want to get mine on the road ASAP
Does sound pretty low though....could you possibly get a shallower sump? Presuming that this is the lowest point
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:05 AM |
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What point is at 75mm the sump? if so chop and weld to make more clearance??
Your lower wisbones should be level at the "correct" ride hight... I would check this first, and figure what the ground clearance should
be with you setup, you might then use option 1, then sort the sump etc...
Dan
[Edited on 26/10/07 by Bluemoon]
[Edited on 26/10/07 by Bluemoon]
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saigonij
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:15 AM |
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im in the same situation.
the gearbox is the lowest point on my car, and its only 4 fingers above the ground :-(
and there is no way out of my road other than going over those stupid square speed humps...
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panichat
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:19 AM |
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well...
The sump is low at it's rear end, but the bottom edge of the bellhousing is near enough the same so I probably wouldnt gain much with a
shallower sump, unless I cut the bottom of the bellhosing off.
Dave
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UncleFista
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:21 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by panichat
unless I cut the bottom of the bellhousing off.
Dave
Bingo, I've seen Westfield owners do this.
It was by far the lowest point on our crossflow...
Tony Bond / UncleFista
Love is like a snowmobile, speeding across the frozen tundra.
Which suddenly flips, pinning you underneath.
At night the ice-weasels come...
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BenB
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:23 AM |
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Live on the wild side and learn to compensate for the 75mm ground clearance 
I'm always amazed how even quite tall speed bumps can be driven over if you go slowly...
Then again after a couple of months of running on 70mm ground clearance I wound it up to an overly generous 90mm
One of these days I'm going to go and measure all the local speed bumps to make sure there aren't any illegal ones.... (I know a couple
that I'm sure are!!)...
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saigonij
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 10:52 AM |
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is there a maximum legal height then?
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Humbug
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:02 AM |
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If it's only your own garage you are worried about, how about this for a locost solution: assuming your drive slopes down from the garage, make
up a couple of "humps" using old planks: bottom profiles to fit the ground/garage floor, top a curve or rounded off flats. Then you could
position them for the wheels to go over and hopefully not scrape your sump?
 
Rescued attachment humps.JPG
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andrew.carwithen
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:04 AM |
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How heavily does it bottom out?
My blade engine has only approx 70 - 75mm clearance and ground slightly when trying to get over the rise between drive and road. I found winding up
the pre-load on the front springs a little (and hence slightly increasing the ride-height) gave me the necessary clearance.
Not SVA'd yet, mind, so have only been around the block a few times and not encountered speed bumps yet!
Andy.
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Schrodinger
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:26 AM |
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I used to have problems getting my Cat in and out of my garage because of the slope on the drive and just made a pair of wodden ramps to take the
front of the car out a bit before dropping, with speed bumps try going over them at an angle rather than straight on.
Keith
Aviemore
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BenB
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:33 AM |
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I've got a 30mm ridge between the road and my garage... Not good when I have to push the car into the garage (neighbours complain about the
noise when I leave the car running to open the doors and I can't be arsed to start it up again)...
A 15mm thick bit of wood does the job of smoothing things out
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Marcus
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:36 AM |
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Hi,
I had a similar problem, but have all but cured it by using a front bowl sump. This places the bowl almost level with the front wheels, so wheels go
up - sump goes up. Still running 70mm ground clearance with few problems.
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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panichat
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 11:58 AM |
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Front bowl sump
Interesting ...
is it a straight swap? I have an old sump from a cortina 1600e engine in the shed - would it fit?
Thanks to everyone for all your all your input - the consensus seems to be try and run it as it is and make an ingenious way to get it into the
garage. Make alterations to the car if it proves to be a problem later.
By the way, UncleFista mentioned cutting the bottom off the bellhousing (Could it be done? What are the implications?) There seems to be a lot of
metal there not really doing very much.
Thanks again
Dave
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joneh
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| posted on 26/10/07 at 06:14 PM |
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A quick google found the obvious solution:
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RK
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| posted on 27/10/07 at 12:01 AM |
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Just call up Richard Branson to make it for you.
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02GF74
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| posted on 27/10/07 at 08:33 PM |
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what's that bearded media whore u p to now? 
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Alex B
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| posted on 28/10/07 at 10:24 AM |
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That`s not Branston........It`s whispering Bob Harris
Alex
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