Mono Tubes

Post by **classicswede** » 13 Nov 2006 10:05 pm

Pics still not done yet. Will be soon

Post by **classicswede** » 20 Nov 2006 08:16 pm

These are the pics of the car with the original strut and rubber top mounting.

Rubber strut top - note the bush sticks up about the strut tower

the strut in position

And the strut off - note how little travel there is and the clamps on the spring.

Take note of the stem size

This is the spring top retainer with the bearing welded on due to the ultra short springs

Post by **classicswede** » 20 Nov 2006 08:28 pm

Mono tube damper in the strut

shperical bearing top mount in position - note the holes are sloted to allow adjustment

I cut the spreder plates down from a 240 to go over the slotted holes

So how did the damper get into the 340 strut?

Well I had to bore out the top nut that holds the normal damper in. I used the outer casing from 240 GLT front mono tube

The oringinal spring top has had the bearing removed and a peice of tube welded in its place.

Post by **classicswede** » 20 Nov 2006 08:57 pm

The down side to the solid strut top monts is they do transmit more noise and vibration through the car.

I could overcome this by getting some mak=de in poly but for the numbers likely to be involved its not worth it.

The strut tops I have now have lifted the cars front by about 1 inch as the bearing is held below the tower plate. I' probably going to get some specials made to over come this.

Another nice thing is the springs no longer need clamping as the dampers are just the right length

They have been on long enogh now to bed in and the handling is amazing. I havent even set up the angles yet so there is still more to be had

I dont know how fesable it is to get these made up as the kit would realy need to be fitted as the strut tower needs drilling and slotting. Also the strut top needs the tube welding in.

I am quite happy to do them as one offs.

Post by **SteveP** » 20 Nov 2006 09:32 pm

Hehe.. Dai I might well be very tempted by this

Big difference to before? It handled rather nicely then! What's the ride quality like?

Post by **340GLT** » 20 Nov 2006 10:14 pm

I'm interested. Vaguely we will see!! lol
Adam

Post by **foggyjames** » 21 Nov 2006 01:36 am

Sorry....it probably says, but I'm tired and can't read. Are those adapted 240 top mounts? If so, Kaphlenke Racing in the US make some very, very pimp parts for 240s, including fully adjustable top strut mounts. Could be useful in this application?

cheers

James

Post by **classicswede** » 21 Nov 2006 06:00 pm

No the top mounts are not 240 - they are just universal fit. I would imagine 240 ones again could be adapted but the stum size of a 240 mono tube is non std.

There is a very noticable difference to before. The is mainly due to the dampening of the billy's. THe great thing with the mono tubes is they should last a very long time - much longer than a twin tube would.

The only down side is the slight transmition of road noise through the car caused by the strut tops. The solid mount is teh ultamate but I can get hold of some high grade rubber ones that could be used to over - come the problem.

Post by **classicswede** » 29 Nov 2006 09:17 pm

I've been asked exactly what bearing strut top mounts are so I will post the answer here as many ppl probably do not know.

A bearing strut top mount is a bearing instead of a simple metal tube That the damper is atached to the body by. But what it does is much more complicated than that. On the std 300 strut design (as most other cars) the stem of the shock absorber is fixed into the a rubber (with metal sleeve) mount. When you turn the steering the damper stem has to turn within is case and this results (gradualy) in wear on the oil seal of the damper.

What the bearing mount does is allow the turning to be made in the strut top and not the damper stem. This will give longer damper life and reduce the steering effort as it has less friction.

Also the bearing mounts are solid steel so the damper is held perfecly in position and only moves how it should with suspension travel.

Post by **girlracer** » 29 Nov 2006 10:38 pm

SteveP wrote:Hehe.. Dai I might well be very tempted by this Big difference to before? It handled rather nicely then! What's the ride quality like?

Steve the ride is a lot harder than before! sorry couldn't help myself!!
lol

Post by **volvorsport** » 29 Nov 2006 11:36 pm

wouldnt one of the manufacturers of those universal strut tops be able to put the right diameter bearing in ?

Post by **classicswede** » 30 Nov 2006 09:12 pm

The bearings are the correct size for the dampers I used. I have made some adaptors to allow fitment of std dampers

Post by **Tourinki** » 26 Jan 2007 08:10 pm

Dai. Could you tell what parts and what modifications has to be done to be able to fit those monotubes? And what stage of developement are those solid strut tops?
Thanks

Post by **classicswede** » 27 Jan 2007 12:49 pm

You will need cases from a 240 glt front strut, the mono tube dampers I have used and the bearing top mount.

Post by **Tourinki** » 28 Jan 2007 10:02 am

Is 360s hub just bolt-on to that 240 strut or do i have to modify something to be able to fit it. And does it have to be exactly 240 GLT strut? Or will any 240 struts fit?

Mono Tubes

before pics

after pics

so what are they like to live with?