John Stranahan

iTrader: (27)

I prepped the track for Sundays race. It was a cool day in the fifties. I did not get the new car out until about dusk so there was some moisture on the track.

I had too much steering at first. I had noticed the night before that my roll center in the front was lower than on the other well setup car, so the first adjustment that I made was to raise the roll center a bit. I shimmed the lower A-arms up .025 inch. Took about 2 minutes. I loosened the screw to the lower aluminum bar. Slipped the nylon spacer under the screw with the needle nose pliers and then tightened them back up. The pic shows the space below the lower bar and the two washers can also be seen. I was pleased with the ease of adjustment. This fixed the car right up but may need another small change on a dry track. It was a very positive and predictable adjustment.

I tapped the flapper boards a couple of times due to the moisture. No damage to report.

The steering was very nice. Positive and Precise. No shudder apparent on my hairpins which the other car sometimes makes with new tires. I was using new front tires on the new prototype. Tomorrow in the race I will use some half worn tires. I plan to run the new prototype as it ran that good. Batism by fire. Should be well tuned by heat #3. I ran an old Peugeot 905B body. Note that I don't shroud the rear tires anymore as the high cornering g's cause rubbing.

This second prototype may see production. I am working out details with a manufacturer. Stay tuned. Don't delay a purchase based on this statement you can always sell a car and trade up if it becomes available.

Prototype comparisons
The two prototypes steered equally well when the parts were new. The first prototype then gradually lost steering over a couple weeks of use. The problem was wear on the lower outer pivot ball. I cured this with a $15.00 set of hardcoated pivot balls. Steering was back to very good. I suspect this front end won't degrade so quickly due to lack of pivot balls. First pic is the second prototype. Last pic is the first prototype front suspension.