AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications

king-rb · Sat, Jul-28-2012, 08:00:00 PM

I purchased my AST4100's back in November of 2010, after selling my ground control suspension, and have been happy with them for the most part. The one thing that I was not a big fan of in the design was the adjustable sway bracket mount on the front struts, since I was never really able to keep them tight enough with the two tightening nuts on either side.

I recently noticed that the new AST's are coming with a beefier billet sway bracket, so I called up Vorshlag and decided to purchase a set to solve my issues. When they arrived I must say they are beautiful, so I was excited to install them!

When I ordered the billet brackets from Vorshlag, they did tell me that the reason mine might be coming loose was from the excess weld on the sway bracket, which prevented the tightening nut from keeping a flat seal on the bracket. I think I received one of the first few shipments of them before they realized this, and from then on they started to grind them down prior to selling.

After disassembling my front struts, I did in fact confirm that the current brackets had a lot of excess welds on them, so I decided to try grind them down and try to use my existing brackets instead.

Here you can see the excess welds on the brackets, and the marks from the nuts trying to tighten down on them.

After taking them to the machine shop and grind them down, here they are

And lastly, a comparison of the two

So I sprayed the brackets with a little black paint and decided to reinstall them.

Another issue that I noticed with the Vorschalg camber plates, which is the same issue I had with my Ground Control camber plates, is that when switching back and forth with the camber, the disk on top of the plates tends to move as well, up to 1/8" or more, making it uncertain if you are actually returning to the same previous settings.

I've been running the BMW strut tower reinforcement plates for years now, and realized that there are two holes on each side of the plate, which line up with the two small holes in the strut tower itself. I figured if I could tack the camber plate ring to the plate, and then bolt the plate to the strut tower, then everything would be solid and no more shifting around!

Here's a pic of the welded finished product.

I also instructed them to cut off a small piece of the reinforcement plate since I noticed some marks from the camber plates when sliding close to maximum camber. I also had them tack the plate in two places where it would not interfere with the camber plate sliding back and forth.

I purchased a set of stainless steel bolts to keep the reinforcement plate tight, which doesn't interfere with the OEM strut brace. You'll notice that I only can put a bolt in the outer side of each tower, since the other bolt would interfere with the camber plates when trying to achieve more camber.

Now everything should be good to go, and I'm looking forward to the next time I have to adjust my camber, lol! Well I had fun with this minor mod to my car, and just wanted to share some information in case anyone else was struggling with the same issues I was having

Str8///Left · Tue, Jul-31-2012, 03:45:20 AM

Looks good!

admranger · Wed, Aug-01-2012, 06:27:40 PM

Nice work!

The bolts on the camber plate through the shock tower look a bit short by lack of thread engagement on the stock nuts. Maybe it's just me though...

king-rb · Wed, Aug-01-2012, 10:59:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by admranger

Nice work!

The bolts on the camber plate through the shock tower look a bit short by lack of thread engagement on the stock nuts. Maybe it's just me though...

thanks!

The 3 bolts on top of the strut tower actually have a recessed portion that sits about 1/4" below the strut bracket, so there are plenty of threads that grab. They are the OEM bolts that you run with the strut bar

kaiv · Wed, Aug-01-2012, 11:46:26 PM

^this.

I've seen this stuff in person. Some great ideas! And great work ^_^

BlazenXLT · Thu, Aug-02-2012, 12:23:13 AM

Awesome work! I have the same issue with the plates moving when adjusting camber.

sddynamix · Sun, Aug-19-2012, 09:58:42 AM

I just did this mod with my vorshlag plates. Thanks for the awesome ideas!

king-rb · Sun, Aug-19-2012, 04:29:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sddynamix

I just did this mod with my vorshlag plates. Thanks for the awesome ideas!

No problem! Let me know the next time you're at the Q, or stop by on 9/9

Sat, Jul-28-2012, 08:00:00 PM	#1
king-rb dammmmmmmmit! Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,369 Reputation: 0 Location: San Diego	AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications I purchased my AST4100's back in November of 2010, after selling my ground control suspension, and have been happy with them for the most part. The one thing that I was not a big fan of in the design was the adjustable sway bracket mount on the front struts, since I was never really able to keep them tight enough with the two tightening nuts on either side. I recently noticed that the new AST's are coming with a beefier billet sway bracket, so I called up Vorshlag and decided to purchase a set to solve my issues. When they arrived I must say they are beautiful, so I was excited to install them! When I ordered the billet brackets from Vorshlag, they did tell me that the reason mine might be coming loose was from the excess weld on the sway bracket, which prevented the tightening nut from keeping a flat seal on the bracket. I think I received one of the first few shipments of them before they realized this, and from then on they started to grind them down prior to selling. After disassembling my front struts, I did in fact confirm that the current brackets had a lot of excess welds on them, so I decided to try grind them down and try to use my existing brackets instead. Here you can see the excess welds on the brackets, and the marks from the nuts trying to tighten down on them. After taking them to the machine shop and grind them down, here they are And lastly, a comparison of the two So I sprayed the brackets with a little black paint and decided to reinstall them. Another issue that I noticed with the Vorschalg camber plates, which is the same issue I had with my Ground Control camber plates, is that when switching back and forth with the camber, the disk on top of the plates tends to move as well, up to 1/8" or more, making it uncertain if you are actually returning to the same previous settings. I've been running the BMW strut tower reinforcement plates for years now, and realized that there are two holes on each side of the plate, which line up with the two small holes in the strut tower itself. I figured if I could tack the camber plate ring to the plate, and then bolt the plate to the strut tower, then everything would be solid and no more shifting around! Here's a pic of the welded finished product. I also instructed them to cut off a small piece of the reinforcement plate since I noticed some marks from the camber plates when sliding close to maximum camber. I also had them tack the plate in two places where it would not interfere with the camber plate sliding back and forth. I purchased a set of stainless steel bolts to keep the reinforcement plate tight, which doesn't interfere with the OEM strut brace. You'll notice that I only can put a bolt in the outer side of each tower, since the other bolt would interfere with the camber plates when trying to achieve more camber. Now everything should be good to go, and I'm looking forward to the next time I have to adjust my camber, lol! Well I had fun with this minor mod to my car, and just wanted to share some information in case anyone else was struggling with the same issues I was having __________________ Last edited by king-rb; Sat, Jul-28-2012 at 11:33:46 PM.

Tue, Jul-31-2012, 03:45:20 AM	#2
Str8///Left Leave the others behind. Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 898 Reputation: 0 Location: SF, NorCal	Re: AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications Looks good! __________________

Wed, Aug-01-2012, 06:27:40 PM	#3
admranger Registered troublemaker Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 462 Reputation: 0 Location: Las Vegas	Re: AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications Nice work! The bolts on the camber plate through the shock tower look a bit short by lack of thread engagement on the stock nuts. Maybe it's just me though... __________________ '02 M3, Imola/Black, 6MT, CWP, PP, xenons, no sunroof, swapped ft. strut hats, Bimmerworld radiator and oil cooler, Ohlin struts/shocks, Eibach pro kit, PFC DD Rotors, PFC pads (Z or 06, depends...), Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus speakers up front, two HAT Legatia 8's in rear deck, two big amps in the trunk for increased downforce... '11 E90 M3, Mebourne/Black/Fox Red/Black, 6MT, roof, PP2, heated seats, bone stock

Wed, Aug-01-2012, 11:46:26 PM	#5
kaiv SoCal vanos/valve specialist :D Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 5,385 Reputation: 0 Location: san diego	Re: AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications ^this. I've seen this stuff in person. Some great ideas! And great work ^_^ __________________ AW S65 E92 6MT past: AW S65 E90 6MT- LSB S54 E46 6MT- JB S52 E36 5MT Kaiv's SoCal Feedback! [M3Forum] [iTrader] [Bimmerforum]

Thu, Aug-02-2012, 12:23:13 AM	#6
BlazenXLT always money in the banana stand Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,782 In the garage: '83 MERCEDES-BENZ 240D '12 VOLKSWAGEN Jetta TDI '94 FORD BRONCO '02 BMW M3 Reputation: 0 Location: North of Baltimore	Re: AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications Awesome work! I have the same issue with the plates moving when adjusting camber. __________________ Journal

Sun, Aug-19-2012, 09:58:42 AM	#7
sddynamix Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 563 Reputation: 0	Re: AST 4100's & Vorshlag camber plate minor modifications I just did this mod with my vorshlag plates. Thanks for the awesome ideas! __________________

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