Affordable angle kits for the E30/36/46

[jalopi]

FIRST AND FOREMOST - I emailed the admins about becoming a supporting member and making this thread months ago, but I have yet to hear back from them, so I guess this thread is going up until further notice...

anyway, i have nine drift kits and four RR/AUTOX kits available that i can ship out tomorrow. however, i only have enough hardware for ten kits. i should have hardware for the other four kits by the end of next week

i'm giving my BFC bros first dibs on the kits, the availability announcement won't come out on the facebook page until monday. speaking of facebook, go to the spin prevention kits page info for my email. just make sure to include your BFC username and which version you want

OH BY THE WAY - i do actually have to pack/ship/ect these kits so the cutoff for todays' shipment is 3PM EST, after that they'll have to ship on monday


tomorrow i'll make an install tutorial and find out what tie rod combos will work with the stock-ish ackerman blocks

For years, as a BMW drifter, I really didn't have many options as far as commercially available angle kits went. To really rub salt in the wound, the few choices I did have were ludicrously expensive when compared to the kits available for 240sx's and other Japanese cars. So naturally, I decided to try making my own angle kit. After making the parts and testing them out on my car, I thought to myself, "hey, maybe other people would like a reasonably priced angle kit too?". On that day, I started my quest to make my idea of a company that offers affordable skid parts for BMWs a reality

Introducing (formally) the first product to come from Spin Prevention Kits - angle blocks!





Naturally, as they're meant for cars made in the 80's and 90's, they glow in the dark





Here's a cool shot under a blacklight





And here's what the full kit looks like with its included hardware








Here's the features that this kit has to offer:


* Drift spec - steering speed is doubled!

* Road race/AutoX spec - steering speed is 75% faster!

* Up to 1.5" of roll center and bump steer correction - perfect for all but the most slammed of cars!

* Utilizes your factory tie rods and ball joints!

* 50+ degrees of steering angle!

* Drift spec - reduced ackerman for optimum wheel alignment at full lock!

* Road race/AutoX spec - retains near-factory ackerman to help maintain original amounts of toe-out-on-turns

* Made out of strong and durable 6061 aluminum!

* Bolts right on to E30/36/46 cars, both M and non-M!

* Painstakingly made by hand, just for you!


I currently have 10 sets made, but I have every intention on making more as soon as the ones I've currently made get sold off






I am also planning on making five sets of blocks which have near-OE ackerman and 75% quicker steering for the road race/autoX guys here


All blocks will be for sale within the first week or two of August. I estimate that lengthened/compensated control arms will be for sale towards the end of August or in the early weeks of September. There will also be a spherical tie rod kit available for those who want more than 50* of angle


As far as pricing goes, PM me, but here's what I'm offering for all early adopters of the Spin Prevention Kit:


* My current V1.1 blocks and pictured hardware at a special introductory price!

* Eligibility to receive my V2.0 blocks at no additional charge once I've got them made. Proceeds from the early adopter sale will be used towards getting a CNC rig up and running so that my 2.0 blocks can become a reality

* Eligibility to receive a discount on my optional "double angle" kit - the way the e30/36 tie rod is shaped prevents anything more than 50* of angle. I really didn't want to go spherical for this kit but it's an unfortunate necessity for mad angle

* Eligibility to receive a discount on my modded control arms - I'll be doing stock length and "drift length" arms. The modded arms might be necessary on some cars, depending on wheel width/diameter/offset as the design of the blocks moves the wheels back about half an inch, even with offset control arm bushings


Here's about what the V2.0 blocks will look like








Feel free to hit me up if you want more info or if you've got any questions


-Dave

[tptrsn]

These look GREAT! I have to do some figuring today and see if I can decide which version I'd be likely to get more enjoyment out of... What are your thoughts on which version of them -- drift or RR/AutoX -- would cause more difficulty for the other type of driving?

[protomor]

Lower ackerman will require more steering input. But with more angle, you really NEED to lower ackerman some. Just never go to 0 IMO. I'm personally a fan of closer to stock ackerman since it retains your regular feel. It's really personal choice. I forget the ackerman settings vs stock on this kit.

[jalopi]

the "drift" ackerman is just a little bit past the midway point between stock and actual zero

as far as which set would disadvantage somebody more, i'd say that the "drift" ackerman wouldn't be the ideal choice for an autoX/RR car. unless you're on dirt/gravel or drifting you really want a toe difference between the two front wheels while navigating a turn. if you don't have that difference you wind up dragging tire due to wheel alignment mid turn and no autocrosser/roadracer wants that

that being said, the reduced ackerman really only has a profound change on wheel alignment the closer you get to full lock. which you'd only do autoX/RR'ing if you dun goofed bad. it wouldn't be the most efficient setup, but low ackerman could probably work
for an autocrosser/RR better than a stock ackerman setup would work for a drifter

but since fine tune stuff like that is usually adjusted/chosen by feel, it really depends on the driver. some people like low ackerman, some don't. the only real way to find out is to drive cars with both and make a judgment

[beat328i]

I'm interested in getting some of these bad boys. My current set up is stock, so any amount of angle picked up from this kit would be fantastic

[Gmfwd]

Any pics installed? Would be interested for a road car to make the steering faster.

[jalopi]

a picture install tutorial should be done by next week, so yup i'll have some install pics then

[JesterMX6]

pm'd. i love that they glow in the dark

[jalopi]

alright everyone, here's some more info about the kit:

if using stock control arms, both inner and outer tie rods need to be modified on the e36

e30s might be able to get away with using their stock tie rods, but odds are high that they will need modified e36 tie rods as well

e46s, on the other hand, seem to have it easy. looks like a stock inner tie rod and a stock e36 outer tie rod will fit perfectly

however, i don't have access to actual e30/46 cars to test this out on, only knuckles and control arms. SO, with that in mind, i'm willing to offer an additional discount on top of the intro price for one e30 and e46 person to confirm this for me



anyway, here's pics of what's needed to get the tie rods to the correct length






******FOR ROADRACE/AUTOX KITS, SHORTEN INNER TIE RODS TO A LENGTH OF 7 5/8"******






if people are interested in having me do this as well, i'll probably start stocking tie rods. for any of my first-batch guys, i'll modify tie rods for free, just cover shipping. just to clarify, the outer tie rods will be machined like the inner i did, not ground like the outer in the pictures


speaking of shipping, looks like i'll be ready to start shipping kits out this friday!

[3184life]

Any pics of it installed?

[tptrsn]

I'm excited! If you're serious about modding the tie rods for us, I will look into shipping you a new set for you to chop.

By the way, I think it's probably my lack of technique more than my lack of Jalopi Blocks, but I was out goofing around some last night, and I was having a heck of a time not tight looping/snap spinning/whatever the correct terminology is, after a transition from one direction to the other. I was just letting the wheel go and self correct though, and I think I maybe just needed to fling the wheel back instead. Maybe self-correcting was just too slow even with the additional caster from my offest poly control arm bushings. It was the first time I ever tried a transition so I'm guessing most likely it was all me causing the problem. Haha

At any rate, these blocks will be fun!

[doktor b]

word.

[JesterMX6]

I'm excited! If you're serious about modding the tie rods for us, I will look into shipping you a new set for you to chop.

By the way, I think it's probably my lack of technique more than my lack of Jalopi Blocks, but I was out goofing around some last night, and I was having a heck of a time not tight looping/snap spinning/whatever the correct terminology is, after a transition from one direction to the other. I was just letting the wheel go and self correct though, and I think I maybe just needed to fling the wheel back instead. Maybe self-correcting was just too slow even with the additional caster from my offest poly control arm bushings. It was the first time I ever tried a transition so I'm guessing most likely it was all me causing the problem. Haha

At any rate, these blocks will be fun!

remove your rear sway if you haven't already. it significantly helped my snap oversteer during transitions.

[tptrsn]

remove your rear sway if you haven't already. it significantly helped my snap oversteer during transitions.

Damn, I put that sucker back on after I reinstalled the rear subframe. I thought maybe I shouldn't. Off it comes. Thank you!

However, it must be possible to consistently drive through transitions properly with a rear sway bar if you dial in your technique really well? Or is it just too big of a pain, and everyone takes them off?

[protomor]

I mean technically this is off topic lol. I had lots of snap issues in the E30 and I still kind of do. But removing the rear sway bar helped a lot. But also a stiffer suspension in general that didn't have slop (old bushings and riding bump stops). Especially if you load the car HARD one direction, it's going to sling shot in the other. If you let off the gas at the wrong time, the tires will hook and THAT will also cause snap oversteer. Maybe try rolling off the throttle slowly or just staying in it on transitions. Also, IMO make a thread about this. I'd love to hear people's comments.

[tptrsn]

Ok, sounds good!

[jalopi]

oh i'm not too concerned about it, i derail threads all the time so i'm in no position to complain. all real updates go on the first post anyway

i've got poly everything in the back of my car, plus 700ish pound springs and the rear swaybar. i did find the car to be a bit snappy, but the oversteer was still very predictable. i routinely use lift induced oversteer to transition when drifting downhill, sometimes even on straight sections as my worn ass m50 didn't do the best job of powering through transitions. as with all things, timing is critical, so just get the timing down and the car is very easy to drive

as far as minor updates go, i'm about halfway done machining the "road race" blocks. the machining should be done by tomorrow, but if i don't get the paint in on time then i might have to delay shipping of the road race blocks until monday or tuesday






these blocks will make your steering 75% quicker and are very close to stock ackerman, the offset is very minor though and won't affect toe through turns anywhere near as much as the low ackerman blocks will

[tptrsn]

Will those RR JalopiBloks work with the same tie rod shortening, or will they need something different?

[jalopi]

odds are they'll still need to be modified, though the inner tie rods won't need to be shortened so much compared to the drifty blocks. i'll let ya'll know as soon as i find out - so far i'm still on schedule, so that notice should be popping up by friday

[Novablue454]

I wish you could tag people on here, a set of these would go great on the Drift Colorado raffle car that Jeepster is building!

[jalopi]

I wish you could tag people on here, a set of these would go great on the Drift Colorado raffle car that Jeepster is building!

you guys [as in coloradoians] are doing a raffle car, eh? when's it being raffled off? i'd love to have my control arms done in time

also, i finished machining the stockish ackerman blocks and prepped them for powdercoating today. the powdercoat should be done tomorrow, then on friday i'll find out what sort of shortening the inner tie rods need to work with em. after that i'm getting started on the control arms, i'm guessing i'll be ready to start cranking them out in a week or two

[doktor b]

as far as minor updates go, i'm about halfway done machining the "road race" blocks. the machining should be done by tomorrow, but if i don't get the paint in on time then i might have to delay shipping of the road race blocks until monday or tuesday






these blocks will make your steering 75% quicker and are very close to stock ackerman, the offset is very minor though and won't affect toe through turns anywhere near as much as the low ackerman blocks will

yisssssssssssss.....

[tptrsn]

Yeah, looks NICE!!

[jalopi]

finished the stock-ish ackerman blocks up today




don't have any glow-y pictures though as the sun had set before i was finished coating em

anyway, i have eight drift kits and four RR/AUTOX kits available that i can ship out on monday. however, i only have enough hardware for nine kits. i should have hardware for the other three kits by the end of next week

tomorrow i'll make an install tutorial and find out what tie rod combos will work with the stock-ish ackerman blocks

[jalopi]

got some time today to make a brief picture tutorial for installing the blocks


*DISCLAIMER* - these blocks are designed to work with shortened tie rods and my modded control arms. While stock control arms can work with careful wheel selection, offset control arm bushings are a necessity, as with centered bushings your rearward wheel arch clearance will be compromised. E30s need to use E36 tie rods. E36 inner tie rods need to be shortened to an overall length of 7" from the rack stops and E46s should be able to get away with simply swapping to E36 outer tie rods


Step 1: Get yourself some blue Loctite. Not only is it necessary for preventing bolts & nuts from loosening, but proper torque values will not be reached without it either. Nyloc nuts can be used if you're hellbent on using them, but they spin ball/tie rod joints easily, even with an impact gun. You'll want blue Loctite, just trust me on this



You only need a few drops of Loctite for each bolt, what I've pictured is about right




Step 2: Unbolt and disconnect your control arms and tie rods from the spindle




Step 3: Now we need to verify that the block stud is set to the correct height. The height I set on the instructional block was 1.4365", though 1.5" is a good baseline to start from






If the stud winds up being difficult to rotate, use the "double nut" method to make rotation easier



Get the stud adjusted until there is a small gap between the block and the spindle



Proceed to remove the block, turn the stud by a quarter turn, reinstall and repeat until the gap has disappeared



Tighten the studs' nut as tight as you can with an open wrench. If the block becomes unmovable, the block stud has been set to the correct height

This is also a good opportunity to figure out about how much spacer you need at the front of the block



It's simple really, just hold washers up to the gap until you've got a reasonably tight fit




Step 4: Unbolt the block from your spindle. Proceed to fasten your control arm and tie rod to the block. It is suggested that blue Loctite and my included hardware be used instead of the OE nylok nuts. Tighten to OE torque specs multiplied by .8




Step 5: Slide the spindle onto the block stud. Make sure to install the stud washer and nut before the stud is fully seated or you may not be able to fit the nut under the strut, ensure that blue Loctite is used as well




Step 6: Install the tie rod bolt, nut, washers and block spacers. Once again, make sure to use blue Loctite on the threads. Tighten the tie rod bolt to a torque value of 78ft/lbs and the stud nut to 96ft/lbs






Step 7: Enjoy your new quicksteer/angle kit!