19doug90

so been reading through the ultimate suspension guide part 1 a bit. Really dont understand what purpose these serve.

http://www.allstarperformance.com/product.htm?prod=173
"Allstar spring cup swivelers installed above conventional 5" springs into upper spring pockets"

basiccamaro

I think that when you are using a jack bolt, this has a bearing in it that allows the jack bolt to turn freely on the spring plate without grinding and binding as it pushes down on the top of the spring.

Guest

Its a weight jack with the top cup inserted into the spring than swivels instead of being rigid. This allows for less spring bind and lets the top of the spring seat completely against the cup in all angles of travel. It would be best to have the bottom of the spring swivel first and formost, but doing a weight jack on the control arm would add unprung weight which is bad for ride ratio (sprung weight /unprung weight ratio). The higher this ratio, the better the ride quality and the better the handling. Less weight that comes up ansd returns down when a tire and suspension assembly hits a bump and compresses. The heavier the assembly, the more force needed to stop it and thus the more it unsettles the chassis or sprung weight.

Swivels just help keep fredom of smooth suspension movement operation. The smoother it works without bind, the more free it can move up and down and function properly and quickly.

Take for example a sliding sceen door and its partner the sliding glass door. It is much easier and quicker to open the light weight sliding screen door 2 feet, then shut it- than to do the same with the heavier glass door. Think of that as your wheel moving up and down in the wheel well.....Now think of when the sceen door rollers are bad and it will sometimes stick or bind (I am sure we all have experienced a bad screen door in our life. That bind causes a delay in opening and/or closure. Just like bind of a spring not seating properly or having forced distortion laterally due to freedom restriction when it is in longitudinal movement. Remember, a spring moves in arch in a conventional can (unlike a coilover). This upper swivel cup helps keep the top surface seated and angled towards the best freedom of movement through articulation- it helps reduce bind.

19doug90

okay so i get the concept, but am lost again (appreciate the patience lol) i'm pretty new to working on cars (dont worry all of my work gets supervised by friends).

I cant see in my head how this installs, it just sits in the upper pocket. And when you refer to it as a weight jack, do weight jacks function in the same way (i didnt think they rotated during movement)? or would this be installed in addition to a weight jack?

19doug90

so looking at this again, my ground control weight jacks that arent yet installed, do look like they swivel a little at the top? altho its kind of a weird setup, once i tighten the bolt on the top of the jack i dont think it's going to rotate around the two washers on the top.

is this just a non off the shelf home made weight jack used with the bolt they list a PN for?

1988-305-tbi

you aren't suppossed to tighten that bolt, it should turn freely. or you will be screwed when you try to adjust them

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iTrader: (15)

doug, there are instructions that come with the GC weight jacks, they have pictures. Take a look at them and you should be able to figure them out. They are really quite simple.

19doug90

the weight jacks are pretty basic, that bolt needs to be snug at the top at least, then you adjust from the bottom of the rod yes?

i'm mainly just trying to understand if that part he listed in the ultimate third gen suspension is a diy version of the GC weight jack....or if its something you could use in conjunction with.

1988-305-tbi

the bolt should be finger tight, not snug, if its snug when you go to adjust them from the rod on the bottom, the whole setup will want to turn, and this will keep the bolt from allowing the weight jacker to be raised and lowered once on the car,

Guest

You have fixed cup jack bolts, and swivel cup jack bolts. these are swivel between the bolt and the cup. They are just like a balljoint, but inside the weight jack.
http://www.allstarperformance.com/product.htm?prod=173