Don, another question: front end alignment

[TWOOD]

DV,
How important will it be to MIG weld the brackets to the shock tower (frame)?
Would the bolts be adequate?
The frame and brackets are both powder coated.

I'm still not grasping why the "ears" on the brackets are different lengths.
I can only assume that it is because it provides 4 different bolt hole locations to use and greater adjustability.

Thanks, Tom

[Double Venom]

Tom,
My guess is that Dons welder copied them exactly from Tommy Beroth. He used those arms for multiple uses, i.e., Cobras and dirt track guys. No you do not have to weld them but I just never liked the idea of them being able to move and blow an alignment, especially on a road course or SCCA type event. Me? I'd blow the small amount of powder coating needed to weld and paint it black gloss, but that's me!
DV

[Double Venom]

Tom, For what I know you have two of the same brackets, you also have them bolted on wrong, turn them, around so the ears face toward to motor. That WAS the way they wre supposed to fit.
I also sent you an e-mail.
DV

[TWOOD]

DV, I sent photos of the only two ways to position the brackets. Which one was wrong?

OK, they are identical brackets, but is the same part supposed to be used on both the left and right side?

If the ears side of this angle bracket is facing the engine (inboard), and point upward then the taller, of the two, ears will be to the front of the car (on the right side) and the taller ears will be to the rear of the car (on the left side).

This changes the angle the the control arm relative to horizontal. Tilted up on one side of the car and down on the other. And definitely not parallel to each other.

This does not seem correct. If the two brackets were mirror images of each other(two different parts), then things make more sense.

I be-laboring this issue, I'm sure. Sorry, everyone.
Does anyone have a photo of these brackets installed?
Are these two brackets suposed to be identical or should ther be a left and a right?
DV, I replied to you via email, in greater detail.
What a easy thing for CRII to have done, if they simply had supplied a basic drawing, on a single piece of paper, to accompany the parts.

[Double Venom]

Tom,
I've read your letter numerous times. I have come to one of two conclusions, either the ones you have are different than what we used, (which I Doubt) or Dons are a whole new breed of arms, (which I truly doubt).

Or Don has come up with wome new type of support arm. Which I highly doubt but may be wrong.

The only way I could be sure is to actually see both of yours, lay them on Ed's car and see what happens. Like I said in the first place, there has to be a left and a right. Second, you have the flanges laying flat and pointing outward toward the wheel, where before, the flanges pointed toward the motor.
Sorry, but under the circumstances that is the best I can do for you.
DV

[Double Venom]

Tom,
As I mentioned the brackets are made for two different (types) of cars, one being the Cobra THE OTHER FOR SPRINT CARS. You will use the holes that line up when finally installed. Welding is not necessary, just guarantee that the arms can not get out of alignment.
DV

[gman]

I could be wrong but I think you have two passenger side brackets.
When you have them on correctly the front holes should be higher than the back holes.
Gman

[TWOOD]

I'm just amazed at the fine group of people who took the time to offer constructive opinions to help each other solve commonly shared problems.
What a great group of fellows. I'm more and more impressed the longer I participate in this forum.
Thanks, again to all who have contributed. Hope to meet some of you someday and shake some hands.
Some where down the road, some other fellow just might have these same questions and will find this thread and the solution to his problem.
Tom

[TWOOD]

ASSUMING that the assembly photo is CORRECT, what Gman said does fits with the photo of the complete assembly.
But,.....for these brackets to be passenger side brackets the ears have to be away from the shock tower and the control arm has to attach to the side of the ears which is away from the engine.

I just now received an email from Don Scott which read:
"Thomas, the bracket mounts with the rectangular side down, the high side of the bracket goes to the front. The arm mounts to the inside of the bracket towards the center of the car. Everything is the same as the picture, tube_arms.jpg."

The key is "the arm mounts to the inside of the bracket towards the center of the car."
That fits with the photo.

What it does not say is:
The clarification is (as the photo shows, not so clearly):
that the bracket ears have to be up against the shock tower and the control arm is attached to the ears on the engine side of the ears.
This means that the photos two brackets I have are both for the driver's side.

The taller ears toward the front of the car and the shorter ears toward the rear of the car, I believe has been established as a firm given. Seem that everyone agrees with that part.

[gman]

Makes sense to me. Which side of the bracket is surely a question for the manufacturer since we can't see a cross section of the geometry. Good luck, I think you got it now.
Gman