With some good info from the board I got my OPM radius rod bushings installed in the front cross member today. I know I have to trim the sleeve on the radius rod but I'm not clear how much I should remove. One board member has suggested that he basically cuts them in half and I'm wondering if this is the common approach. Naturally there will be some fine tuning with a caster gauge to get them even when the car is back on the ground, but for now I need to know a ballpark idea of how much of the sleeve you cut off. Thanks for any info.

 

I also cut them in half with the OPM radius rod bushings. Don't go too far with the caster or you will put the LCA bushing at a funny angle. Cutting them in half is a good starting point.

 

There is no guarantee (spelling?) that simply by cutting them in half that your caster will be correct. I would only cut like 1/4 to start out with and then start measuring your caster. You'll find out that in order to get your caster settings right, you'll have to do some trimming on either side.

What I did was cut mine not in half but more like 1/4 off. Then I put the 3/4 peace in rear side, the 1/4 in the front and start measuring. As it turns out, to get my caster right, one of them is cut in half (passenger) and the other (drivers) is not quite as much.

 

Travis, shoot Walt (metalworker on H-T) an IM or give him a call as he makes these for OPM and would be able to tell you how best to install.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Travis, shoot Walt (metalworker on H-T) an IM or give him a call as he makes these for OPM and would be able to tell you how best to install.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I did. He helped me out a lot with the correct install and he was the first to tell me he cut his in half.

ITACRX,

That's good info. I don't have any reason to believe my caster is off from right to left but I haven't measured it. Just from looking at the front of the bushing it looks like I'll need at least 1/4 of the sleeve in the front to keep the nut clear of the hardware, so I guess I'll do the same as you and trim down from 1/4 just in case 1/2 is too much. Thanks for the help guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITACRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As it turns out, to get my caster right, one of them is cut in half (passenger) and the other (drivers) is not quite as much.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I forgot to ask...

What exactly do you mean by "right?" Do you mind sharing what caster you got after the cutting-less-than-half adjustments?

 

Travis,

Just out of curiosity, what is the correct installation for these parts. I have the same set to install and they have no directions. Does the center section go in front of the crossmember with one thin plate to the rear and one to the front? Or does the center section go to the back side of the crossmenber?

TIA,

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RexRacer19 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Travis,

Just out of curiosity, what is the correct installation for these parts. I have the same set to install and they have no directions. Does the center section go in front of the crossmember with one thin plate to the rear and one to the front? Or does the center section go to the back side of the crossmenber?

TIA,</TD></TR></TABLE>

I had the same questions since the parts basically fit in a number of orientations. The "correct" install (at least, according to people I trust) places the bearing unit in front of the cross member (tapered edge facing the crossmember) with one of the small plates on top of it to keep the bearing in place. The other plate goes on the engine side of the crossmember like a sandwitch. I completely removed my crossmember for this install and I can't imagine doing it otherwise unless maybe I had a lift.

 

That was the way my logic was leading me also. Thanks again.

 

Travis-
Seems as though you have enough info on your question to be satisfied.
So I thought I would say hello since we haven't chatted in a while and tell you my experience with the rrb's.
The rods I used on my crx came from Progress, they are no longer selling them now.
I didn't have to trim mine at all, some guys machine the radius rod back to acheive max castor (king motorsports) about 1 inch to pull more caster and leave the spacers alone.
I did use a washer on the rod to shim for proper castor.
Good Luck.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Roadracejunkie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Travis-
Seems as though you have enough info on your question to be satisfied.
So I thought I would say hello since we haven't chatted in a while and tell you my experience with the rrb's.
The rods I used on my crx came from Progress, they are no longer selling them now.
I didn't have to trim mine at all, some guys machine the radius rod back to acheive max castor (king motorsports) about 1 inch to pull more caster and leave the spacers alone.
I did use a washer on the rod to shim for proper castor.
Good Luck.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm at work so I don't have a GCR handy, but I don't believe I can do any modifications to the radius rod. Otherwise I would just thread the whole thing (well, more of it) and make it infinately adjustable.

BTW, good to hear from you again RRJ. You still have the same e-mail?

 

When I sell racers my (improved version) it the Radius Rod Bushing, I recommend that you cut the original sleeve in 1/2, but that you will more than likely need to cut about another 1/8 off of tone half and use it to help shim the rod for proper caster. By the rules you aren't allowed to modify the radius rod itself, and frankly once you get it set there isn't much need to re-adjust it (unless you pound something really hard).

One trick I do when I am setting up the CRX's with the my RRB's is I will take a bunch of U shaped alignment shims (chevy truck type) and put a large flat washer on the rod first, then a 1/4 cut sleeve bushing on the back side of the radius rod, than into the RRB and onto the floor. Then by tapping in the flat alignment shims between the flat washer and the sleeve I can get an exact length for the caster I want.

Once that is done, cut the sleeves to the proper length and away you go. The sleeves are cheap from honda so you can get a set to hack up, but push comes to shove some copper water pipe will do (only as a setup tool though)