What front end to use?

sjelby · #1 (**permalink**) 06-19-2010, 04:17 PM

Has anyone used a Mitsubishi L300 front end for their cobra. Or any info about them?

Zedn · #2 (**permalink**) 06-20-2010, 04:05 AM

Why would you want to use one of them? Arent they a van? Not exactly designed for a sports car. I have never heard of one being used.

Common donors are Jaguar, Torana, Commodore.

OZCOBRA · #3 (**permalink**) 06-20-2010, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zedn

Why would you want to use one of them? Arent they a van? Not exactly designed for a sports car. I have never heard of one being used.

Common donors are Jaguar, Torana, Commodore.

Popular a few years back for rods....I had a '28 Roadster that came with an L300 front end in a parts bundle if I wanted to use it for the build!...I didn't use it!!!!!!!!!

boxhead · #4 (**permalink**) 06-20-2010, 05:37 PM

L300 front ends are popular in the rodding world, I think mainly due to there width (suits alot of earlier cars).

I can not see anything wrong with using it, they are a upper/lower wishbone setup.

OZCOBRA · #5 (**permalink**) 06-20-2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxhead

I can not see anything wrong with using it, they are a upper/lower wishbone setup.

Sjelby,

I agree with Boxhead there we regulary use cut down Jag fronts that really in the true sense of the term sports car the jags don't fit this category,but the geometry suits our application so use it if it works .....The only reason I didn't use my L300 in the rod is I went with a traditional setup....

OZ..

Zedn · #6 (**permalink**) 06-20-2010, 05:58 PM

Thats interesting.

Whats parts availability like for performance upgrades?

sjelby · #7 (**permalink**) 06-21-2010, 01:42 AM

Thats what i was thinking. If the Jag f/e has to be narrowed then narrowing an L300 couldnt be any harder. and i think i read that they are ford stud pattern also.They don t look as bulky as the Jag and parts are cheap for them. Can only keep looking for more info.
Thanks all. Stan.

paul68 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-21-2010, 02:36 AM

maybe you could use the front out of L300 4WD and have an AWD cobra.would be great to throw around the track

boxhead · #9 (**permalink**) 06-21-2010, 06:16 PM

Wasnt there a godzilla awd Cobra being built a few years ago?

sjelby · #10 (**permalink**) 06-22-2010, 04:56 AM

ok. Cobra front track is 55.5 inches
Jag xj series 111 front track. 56.0 inches
jag xj12 s111 front track 57.0 inches
L300 front track. 1440 or 55.1 inches.
I shouldnt have to shorten the L300 to fit in or am i missing something?

Outwest34au · #11 (**permalink**) 06-22-2010, 04:24 PM

Not sure about the later model L300, but our old 1983 2WD model has 4 stud wheels.
The bellcrank setup on the steering linkage could also be a PITA if you needed it to make it all join up too, but I suspect you could do away with that.

boxhead · #12 (**permalink**) 06-22-2010, 05:48 PM

I would not think you need to narrow a L300 front.
As I said the reason they are popular with rodders is that they are already a narrower front end.

Twig · #13 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 03:15 AM

What would the ultimate sports front end be??

Aussie Mike · #14 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 04:27 AM

Probably a fabricated tubular or billet front end with it's geometry designed specifically for the car rather than a van used to deliver bread.

OZCOBRA · #15 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

Probably a fabricated tubular or billet front end with it's geometry designed specifically for the car rather than a van used to deliver bread.

Well that's the IDEAL...

........

Just how far away from a reasonable compromise is the L300 ....we modify the queens barges and all manner of frontends for these cars .....has any body actually taken the time to check all the relevant Datem points to see its adaptability or suitabilty before dismissing it totally....
Anybody willing to take the time to do it as an exercise??........ Mike??

It could be another source....which yr's are 5 lug???what braking options could be available..or adaptable!!!

.....at least the guy has had the balls to ask!!!...not all are willing and have the budgets to do the Ideal at the start...hopefully someone with the right knowledge might see it as a challenging bit of homework!!

OZ

Aussie Mike · #16 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 04:50 PM

That was the question he asked "What would the ultimate sports front end be??"

Any donor front end is going to be a compromise and will probably need some modification to make it usable. My Car has Jag front end components but the mounting points for the arms are different to the Jag cross member and it uses a Commodore rack. Even as the kit is delivered it still needs some tweaking to dial out the bump steer etc. It's still far from perfect and I'm planning tweaks and mods in the future.

I think adjustablity is key. That's part of what I've tried to achieve on the home made rear end. You may not be able to get the setup perfect out of the box but if you can dial it in after you've welded everything up then your going to have a better chance of finishing up with a setup that works well.

Cheers

sjelby · #17 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 06:52 PM

Thankyou OZ. I might just go and buy one and see what it is like. Cant be that bad if the rodders are still using them. They are adapting HQ and P76 stubs to them with big brakes and using commodore racks with little trouble .
Its got to be **** loads lighter than the big bulky Jag front ends.
Stan.

OZCOBRA · #18 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

That was the question he asked "What would the ultimate sports front end be??"

Any donor front end is going to be a compromise and will probably need some modification to make it usable. My Car has Jag front end components but the mounting points for the arms are different to the Jag cross member and it uses a Commodore rack. Even as the kit is delivered it still needs some tweaking to dial out the bump steer etc. It's still far from perfect and I'm planning tweaks and mods in the future.

I think adjustablity is key. That's part of what I've tried to achieve on the home made rear end. You may not be able to get the setup perfect out of the box but if you can dial it in after you've welded everything up then your going to have a better chance of finishing up with a setup that works well.

Cheers

Mike ,
I understand what the Question was,...

I was purely saying that it's not an option previously used or discussed here and maybe as in your case the components can be used and applied in the same way as your jag has been...then maybe replaced down the track with a fabricated tubular A arm and being the nutty professor you are .......I thought you would have some form of Qualified input as have

...

Stan good on you for thinking outside of the box here it will be an interesting exercise to follow if you do use it!!
And as you've said the braking upgrade is a positive...good luck!!!

OZ

john chesnut · #19 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 09:20 PM

I understand that you don't have access to Corvette parts. But, for me the best "off the shelf" suspension, front and rear is the 1997 through current Corvette. That is what I put in my car with great results. I have the LS6 engine and a Tremec 6 speed too.
The Vette track is wider than a Cobra but I was able to have a custom steering rack made for a couple hundred bucks, and narrower rear (2inches per side) are readily available. I converted the Diff from having the transmission bolted to it, to accepting a driveshaft. Not too hard. Now I have all aluminum, state of the art, suspension, brakes, engine and transmission.

Aussie Mike · #20 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 09:58 PM

Hi John,

The Corvette stuff is nice. They have die cast aluminum front control arms which are strong, lightweight and look real nice too. I believe DRB use Corvette components in their GT40 chassis here in Australia.

Oz, The main problem with bespoke suspension for us is getting it through engineering. It's so much easier to just give the engineer a list of the components used and the cars they were sourced from and he doesn't have to worry about component failures etc.

It's a catch 22. The ideal is a suspension system designed for the vehicle but it's all too hard to get approved for the road.

I've taken the approach of replacing the components on an already engineered car. For my own piece of mind though I've over engineered everything. I've also got a friend in the mechanical engineering department of one of the local universities that I've had long discussions with. The rear arms are made from 0.120" wall 1.5" 4130 steel tube. While not as light weight as some race car stuff they are plenty strong (and significantly lighter than the cast steel Ford arms they replaced).

I'm working on front lower Jag replacement arms and these will be made from 1" 4130 Tube. The Upper arms I sourced from FFR and are billet adjustable jobbies. The FFR arms are great value for money BTW.

I've often thought if designing my own chassis that a strut front end would be a good option. So many cars these days are equipped with strut front ends and that's where the technology development is. There's a ton of different donors available and with the large amounts of grey import Japanese car parts coming in it's cheap. There's also a heaps of aftermarket shocks and springs, pillow blocks, bushes etc. Why clean up and restore a crappy old Jag or Torana front end when you could bolt in a couple of near new low mileage struts.

Food for thought.

Cheers