MG Metalworks Build

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by mgmetalworks

There are a few differences between my design and Quadvan's.

-I've pushed the axle forward 1.25". There's now a big difference in clearance between the tire and the lower rear of the fender. My tires used to lock up because they'd get stuffed into the fender around certain corners. I hated that about Quadvan's set up. I shouldn't have to cut my fender or trim the body to fit a tire on the van especially since my old tires were tiny.

As an added bonus, because of where the axle is now, I can get about .75" more bump travel than the Quadvan set up.

-The rear radius arm mount is lower, making the arm more horizontal, which in turn increases the caster (steering axis inclination). My van had 1.5 deg of caster before I started this. It wandered in the lane, return to center was sluggish and the steering felt...blah... My intent with this design is to increase caster to ~5 deg.

-The radius arm is also modified to get even more caster than is available with stock arms.

-I'm using an off-the-shelf Fox shock and Moog progressive springs. Right away I could tell a huge difference in ride quality. All of the little jarring pot holes on my street are now smooth little bumps.

-It's also obviously lifted more now too. I'm up 3"+ from where I used to be, including the change in tire diameter.

Cool, all makes sense to me.. Now you have to work on posting some better before/after photos!

[86Scotty]

[mgmetalworks]

I'll just leave these right here....

[Jsweezy]

Those pictures do it justice. Stunning.

[spurious]

That looks killer! So the for the big question, do you have an idea when your kit will be ready for public consumption? Thanks

[mgmetalworks]

Originally Posted by spurious

That looks killer! So the for the big question, do you have an idea when your kit will be ready for public consumption? Thanks

Still have some things to sort out for the kit but I'll start taking orders very soon. I'm thinking maybe July-ish for first availability.

[spurious]

Perfect I'll be watching as I'm sure many others will be! thanks

[youngblood]

Ditto that!

Originally Posted by spurious

Perfect I'll be watching as I'm sure many others will be! thanks

[WhitH]

Looks awesome. Any concern that the added weight of the Cummins and Allison transmission will require some re-tuning of the suspension once you get the swap ready? Or is it done already and I totally missed that?

[mgmetalworks]

Originally Posted by WhitH

Looks awesome. Any concern that the added weight of the Cummins and Allison transmission will require some re-tuning of the suspension once you get the swap ready? Or is it done already and I totally missed that?

I'll possibly have to do a spring change or add in a spacer to bring the ride height back up when the Cummins is in. The Cummins/Allison aren't much different weight-wise than a 7.3 or 6.0 drivetrain.