VR6 BeelzeDub Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Hey all, ive done a lot of research on other examples of lowering cars on this site but most are classic American cars etc... im having a problem with how to "properly" lower using the existing subframe and NOT "STANCING IT OUT!" (excessive negative camber) MK1 - MK4 golfs had solid rear beams and single front A arms with no adjustable strut mounting position etc... in other words they would not have negative camber. I was thinking about heating and bending the subframe part where the control arms meet the subframe (along the point pictured below) The problem is this will completely throw off the camber b/c the pin to mount brakes and wheels will be angled upwards. SO MY QUESTION: What can I do to keep the wheel mounting position parallel at 0 camber?? IM NOT GOOD at heating, cutting, plastic welding, etc. I will be using 15" Porsche Fuchs from www.scaleproduction.de so theyre wide and staggered with a stretched sidewall (how we used to do it early 2000's until this stupid "stanced" craze took over) thanks guys, sorry for the long post. I AM OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 That's going to be impossible without doing what you say you're no good at. You could leave the suspension as it is, and glue the wheels/tires to the inside of the body and simply not show anyone the underside. That's not really a joke, Ive seen it done many times. Other than that, I think the easiest way would be to cut off the pins that the wheels mount to, and glue them on top of the subframe. You could add plastic stock between the pins and the subframe to dial in the ride height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VR6 BeelzeDub Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 I have goose bumps just thinking about doing that lol! I should have asked if i was on the right path by modifying the subframe/control arms that way first, before admitting im rubbish at tiny styrene work... thanks you did give me an idea though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) In general, lowering models works best if you do it the same way you'd lower a real car.NOTE: The most likely way you'd lower this thing in the real world is with shorter coil-overs. To accurately do that in scale takes a lot of fiddly surgery. The Mk III and IV cars have dropped spindles (struts) available in full-sale, so that's ONE way we'll be looking at to simulate this. Another way with a model is to raise the subframes in the vehicle, and trim off the tops of the strutsIMPORTANT: The ONLY way to get the car to look like you want it to look is to MEASURE CAREFULLY, AND CUT AND FIT CAREFULLY.There's no "trick" to it. All it takes is thinking, patience and paying attention.Assemble the car BOX STOCK with no glue, and set it on its wheels to see what the ground clearance is STOCK. MEASURE IT. ACCURATELY.Then take the suspension out, carefully mock up the way you want it to sit on the Fuchs wheels, and measure the ground clearance...ACCURATELY.Find the difference. Now you KNOW EXACTLY how much you need to lower the car, and you can do it by relocating the stub-axles or shaving the subframe mounts.You can simulate dropped spindles in front by simply cutting the stub-axles the wheels mount to off, and re-gluing them UP exactly the amount you want to go DOWN.Do the same thing in the rear...OR...See if you can shave material off of the tops of the subframes and the bottom of the chassis where the subframes mount to. The object is to shave exactly the amount you want to drop the car off of the mounts and / or the mounting points. This raises the subframes in the car, obviously, and will require that you take an equal amount off the tops of the struts.It's a straightforward process, and just takes a little effort, CAREFUL SETUP AND MEASURING, and thought to get right. Edited April 29, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Sikora II Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 You can simulate dropped spindles in front by simply cutting the stub-axles the wheels mount to off, and re-gluing them UP exactly the amount you want to go DOWN.Do the same thing in the rear.This suggestion from Ace-Garageguy is the way to go. Remove the axle pins from the suspension assembly by cutting behind the large diameter that the wheel back fits up against. Use a thinnest saw blade you can find to make the cuts. I'd suggest a photoetch blade.If you want to drop the car quite a bit, you may need to add some small pieces of plastic to the top surface of the suspension assembly to give you something to glue the axle pins to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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