Aluminums caravan front knuckles?

[bakes]

Does anyone remember what year the aluminum front knuckles started in?????

[turbovanman²]

I would guess late 90's, early 2000 ish.

[rbryant]

I think 2000 was iron and 2001 was aluminum but I could be off by a year. I had a pair of then and looked into adapting them to our cars but they were too different to do it easily. They are 3 pounds or so lighter but have a heavier thicker bearing. They are taller and use a tapered threaded balljoint and wider spindle mount.

[bakes]

I think 2000 was iron and 2001 was aluminum but I could be off by a year. I had a pair of then and looked into adapting them to our cars but they were too different to do it easily. They are 3 pounds or so lighter but have a heavier thicker bearing. They are taller and use a tapered threaded ball joint and wider spindle mount.

I remember i would have to change ball joint to work , do you have any pics of them in your notes????? my only other thing is to get a friend to make some billet press in bearing one made$$$$$ just looking at options .

[glhs0426]

2001 model year is the first one.

A billet knuckle with a press in bearing. Sounds very interesting; will that work? The Caliber uses a snap ring on the back side of the press in wheel bearing with a step on the outside of the knuckle to retain the bearing even though it is a cast iron knuckle.

While your at it intergrate a non-stock caliper mount spacing into the knuckle and use something like the Brembo SRT8 rear calipers. I swapped a set of these onto an R/T today. They are a fixed aluminum four piston caliper with the mount bracket made onto the caliper. Sweet brakes.

[glhs0426]

I found a picture of some to show what I mean by an integrated mount.

[black86glhs]

2001 model year is the first one.

A billet knuckle with a press in bearing. Sounds very interesting; will that work? The Caliber uses a snap ring on the back side of the press in wheel bearing with a step on the outside of the knuckle to retain the bearing even though it is a cast iron knuckle.

While your at it intergrate a non-stock caliper mount spacing into the knuckle and use something like the Brembo SRT8 rear calipers. I swapped a set of these onto an R/T today. They are a fixed aluminum four piston caliper with the mount bracket made onto the caliper. Sweet brakes.

This is mostly for the salt belt people. Wait until you have to remove that snap ring after a few years of rust have seized it to the bearing.....EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!
Is the ball joint that much different on these than the cast iron? Can the aluminum ball joint be swapped in the earlier arms? Can the LCA from the aluminum spindle van be used in the old setup?

[zin]

Well you learn something new everyday! I never knew AL spindles were made... I wonder why they would do it when they, by the material itself, wouldn't be as strong... I do like the idea of less un-sprung mass though!

Now I'll have something else to look at next time I'm at the JY...

Mike

[Spr-T-23]

yea the snap ring bearing like in a ford contour, i would never intentionaly put those one anything living up here. they are a royal pain to get apart

[glhs0426]

This is mostly for the salt belt people. Wait until you have to remove that snap ring after a few years of rust have seized it to the bearing.....EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!
Is the ball joint that much different on these than the cast iron? Can the aluminum ball joint be swapped in the earlier arms? Can the LCA from the aluminum spindle van be used in the old setup?

I think 2000 was iron and 2001 was aluminum but I could be off by a year. I had a pair of then and looked into adapting them to our cars but they were too different to do it easily. They are 3 pounds or so lighter but have a heavier thicker bearing. They are taller and use a tapered threaded balljoint and wider spindle mount.

I think rbryant has already been there.

[rbryant]

I think rbryant has already been there.

Yep. The spindle bolts were also wider... just about everything was a little different and when it added up it wasn't worth it for only 2.5lbs. The brakes were also heavier but did have a 62mm option on the rear disc vans.

The hubs are 5x114 there might be a 5x100 version from 2000 but not sure. Our bearings bolt in but are thinner so the axle length is affected.

I decided that getting aluminum willwood brakes on ET spindle would be a better next step.

[black86glhs]

I think rbryant has already been there.

That is why I asked.
The early to mid 2000 hyundai sonata's were the same way. Even after only 2 years, the ends of the snap rings would break off while removing.

Yep. The spindle bolts were also wider... just about everything was a little different and when it added up it wasn't worth it for only 2.5lbs. The brakes were also heavier but did have a 62mm option on the rear disc vans.

The hubs are 5x114 there might be a 5x100 version from 2000 but not sure. Our bearings bolt in but are thinner so the axle length is affected.

That is what I wanted to know, thanks.

[turbovanman²]

I found a picture of some to show what I mean by an integrated mount.

Like my Wilwoods for sale, Shameless plug,

This is mostly for the salt belt people. Wait until you have to remove that snap ring after a few years of rust have seized it to the bearing.....EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!
Is the ball joint that much different on these than the cast iron? Can the aluminum ball joint be swapped in the earlier arms? Can the LCA from the aluminum spindle van be used in the old setup?

It doesn't seem to be a problem here, but I don't think we use salt anymore. I do know that the I think its a Sebring? uses aluminium hats on the rear springs, and they rot out, its a bloody mess,

Well you learn something new everyday! I never knew AL spindles were made... I wonder why they would do it when they, by the material itself, wouldn't be as strong... I do like the idea of less un-sprung mass though!

Now I'll have something else to look at next time I'm at the JY...

Mike

They also use an aluminium K member, and yes, its just as strong, look at Corvettes and such, they are mostly built with it.

[bakes]

Salt/ de icer is not going to be a problem as this is for a Fridaynight special car!!!!!

[Reeves]

I do know that the I think its a Sebring? uses aluminium hats on the rear springs, and they rot out, its a bloody mess,

2nd that! Even in the Cincinnati region the aluminum hats rot out on Sebring Sedans! I know this first hand and it makes a MESS of aluminum powder all over your garage and garage floor when you replace them.
That was dumb, really dumb....for real.

[rbryant]

2nd that! Even in the Cincinnati region the aluminum hats rot out on Sebring Sedans! I know this first hand and it makes a MESS of aluminum powder all over your garage and garage floor when you replace them.
That was dumb, really dumb....for real.

Yuck that is why I don't live in Syracuse anymore...

I bet if you powdercoated the aluminum stuff that it would solve the oxidation problems.

The spindles just don't fit that well. They are also taller so that the car would lose strut travel. Overall it just isn't worth it unless it is a custom racecar suspension or something. I sold mine to a friend that is building a more aggressive project than I am where he is already changing everything about the suspension...

-Rich

---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

Is the ball joint that much different on these than the cast iron? Can the aluminum ball joint be swapped in the earlier arms? Can the LCA from the aluminum spindle van be used in the old setup?

I think you probably could swap out the ball joints and have them work. Worst case you could use a stamped control arm and weld in a custom ball joint ring. The ball joints are tapered and threaded like the older school ones so you could probably even buy generic threaded ball joint mounts and use a threaded ball joint instead of a pressed one.

I didn't play with the control arms but either those or the kframe are different on newer vans because the newer vans have a wider track.

-Rich

[bakes]

I was not worried about the hieght as i was trying to find a strut with a adjustible (threaded) lowered strut mount .

[black86glhs]

Yuck that is why I don't live in Syracuse anymore...

I bet if you powdercoated the aluminum stuff that it would solve the oxidation problems.

The spindles just don't fit that well. They are also taller so that the car would lose strut travel. Overall it just isn't worth it unless it is a custom racecar suspension or something. I sold mine to a friend that is building a more aggressive project than I am where he is already changing everything about the suspension...

-Rich

---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------



I think you probably could swap out the ball joints and have them work. Worst case you could use a stamped control arm and weld in a custom ball joint ring. The ball joints are tapered and threaded like the older school ones so you could probably even buy generic threaded ball joint mounts and use a threaded ball joint instead of a pressed one.

I didn't play with the control arms but either those or the kframe are different on newer vans because the newer vans have a wider track.

-Rich

I wasn't sure of the track, as I never checked, but that makes sense. I knew the K-frame was different, but again not sure how much.
For the weight savings, not worth going thru all of that, IMO. At least not for a street car.

[bakes]

To lose 5 pounds in the front is a lot when the is not other options . It is the SUM of the total that make a light car NOT just one part only!!!!

[black86glhs]

I agree, but I feel I could loose the weight in other ways that are easier to implement.