skivittlerjimb
Well-known member
After trying in vain to source Tein camber plates for some time now (I guess not trying very hard), I saw that Hot Bits listed a separate part # for their camber plates. I can't remember where I saw the P/N, but it was in some PDF application guide on an .au site. In any case, Larry Parker gave me the tip contact Peter at HotBits.ca which I did. $231 later /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif and I had these pretty things to admire.
Well, I finally got around to tackling the install tonight, and after spending :30 looking for my lug nut key /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif, at least I got one side done. Install was pretty clean, with thankfully no seized bolts nor rusty bits snapping here and there. I even took the time to paint my upper spring perches with POR-15 Chassis Coat Black and spray some Boeing T9 on the coilover sleeves to prep. for the coming winter corrosion.
Here are some comparison shots of the old upper strut mount and Hot Bits plates:
Thickness is about the same, but looks can be deceiving...
Astute GVR4 owners may already notice that the mount on the right is not the original GVR4 mount, but some generation of Evo mount, or so I was told my the previous owner, a mechanic at VT Sportscar; one less mounting bolt, but supposedly higher durometer rating of rubber.
The metal bushing you see in the first picture goes inbetween the upper spring seat and the bottom of the strut bearing itself, allowing the strut bearing to articulate side to side and such. It also raises ride height, though. My rough measurement is 1/2" (the exact width of the bushing), which in my book is quite a bit.
I set up the camber adjustment bolts for full negative, and there is no interferences of the upper spring perch or the springs themselves with the shock tower or anything else. Given that the plates have five pairs of holes the adjustment bolts can thread into, I suppose I could go even a bit further negative, but this'll do until I get an alignment done.
The good part is they fit, and the quality of the components, metals used, etc. seems to be high. There are no index marks but it won't bee too hard to create them. I'm wishing a thinner bushing/sleeve had been supplied so the ride height change wasn't so dramatic, but since I've got coilovers, I should be able to correct for that.
I'm using these with Galant-specific Ground Control coilovers and KYB AGXs. These plates would work fine for stock front struts, too, with the caveat that your front ride height will likely be higher, and that you'd likely be limited by the wider overall diameter of the stock front springs in how far negative you can push the camber.
Once I get the other side on and get it aligned, I'll post on the difference they make in driving feel, and hopefully in lap times! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Well, I finally got around to tackling the install tonight, and after spending :30 looking for my lug nut key /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif, at least I got one side done. Install was pretty clean, with thankfully no seized bolts nor rusty bits snapping here and there. I even took the time to paint my upper spring perches with POR-15 Chassis Coat Black and spray some Boeing T9 on the coilover sleeves to prep. for the coming winter corrosion.
Here are some comparison shots of the old upper strut mount and Hot Bits plates:
Thickness is about the same, but looks can be deceiving...
Astute GVR4 owners may already notice that the mount on the right is not the original GVR4 mount, but some generation of Evo mount, or so I was told my the previous owner, a mechanic at VT Sportscar; one less mounting bolt, but supposedly higher durometer rating of rubber.
The metal bushing you see in the first picture goes inbetween the upper spring seat and the bottom of the strut bearing itself, allowing the strut bearing to articulate side to side and such. It also raises ride height, though. My rough measurement is 1/2" (the exact width of the bushing), which in my book is quite a bit.
I set up the camber adjustment bolts for full negative, and there is no interferences of the upper spring perch or the springs themselves with the shock tower or anything else. Given that the plates have five pairs of holes the adjustment bolts can thread into, I suppose I could go even a bit further negative, but this'll do until I get an alignment done.
The good part is they fit, and the quality of the components, metals used, etc. seems to be high. There are no index marks but it won't bee too hard to create them. I'm wishing a thinner bushing/sleeve had been supplied so the ride height change wasn't so dramatic, but since I've got coilovers, I should be able to correct for that.
I'm using these with Galant-specific Ground Control coilovers and KYB AGXs. These plates would work fine for stock front struts, too, with the caveat that your front ride height will likely be higher, and that you'd likely be limited by the wider overall diameter of the stock front springs in how far negative you can push the camber.
Once I get the other side on and get it aligned, I'll post on the difference they make in driving feel, and hopefully in lap times! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
