spherical bearings in SCCA IT suspensions

[AlfaNeely@domain.elided]

Richard,
     Perhaps we should take this over to the Alfa Racing list, but it has been my understanding of the rules that Heim joints are virtually free in the rear suspension of an IT car.  I have read the rules many times, both as a Scrutineer and as a competitor.  Amazing the way your reading of the rules changes when you change from a tech hat to a helmet!
     Anyway, in my ITB spider, the upper T Bar or Trunion will be replaced with Heim jointed upper links.  I read the rules to allow traction bars and other axle locating devices to be free.  You cannot replace A Arms, but you can replace traction bars.  Therefore, I define the Trunnion as not an A Arm, but an axle locating link.  I do not have the exact wording with me, but that is the gist of it.
     I further understand that you cannot use Heim joints in the front suspension if that requires modification of the existing suspension components.  That is, you cannot drill and tap your solid lower A arms to use Heim Joints.  In fact, with the torsion bars locating in the lower arms, I am not sure how you would do that anyway.  I guess if a Heim joint would just thread into the upper caster mount at the front you could use one there.  And IT rules do allow existing rubber bushings to be replaced with solid material.

Ciao,
Russ Neely
Oklahoma City


In a message dated Wed, 31 Jul 2002 13:53:28 +0000, owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

> Richard Welty wrote:
> Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:45:09 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Richard Welty <rwelty@domain.elided>
> Subject: "SZ-style" DeDion bushing in an Alfetta
> 
> up until last year, it'd been my opinion that
> substituting Heim joints 
> or
> other spherical bearings in SCCA IT suspensions was a
> highly 
> questionable
> practice. i have spent a little time discussing it
> with Kurt Weiss of 
> the
> SCCA Competition board, and he's persuaded me that the
> Comp board 
> intended
> such bearing substitutions to be legal as long as the
> control 
> arms/other
> suspension members and the mounting points are not
> modified to 
> facilitate
> the swap.
> 
> therefore, the SZ-style DeDion bushing has suddenly
> gotten my 
> attention, as
> it's evidently a legal IT mod. has anyone gotten it to
> work in an 
> Alfetta?
> IAP's catalog claims it works, but Alfettas generally
> require a 
> different
> bushing there from the GTV-6/Milano.
> 
> i'm also pondering substituting spherical bearings of
> some kind in the
> front suspension inner mounting points.
> 
> thanks in advance,
>  richard
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