I've had a set of Bakemono camber/caster plates sitting around for a while, and I'm finally going to install them. I currently have a Ground Control spring and perch setup on Tokico D-Specs with stock top hats. It's been a few years since I've had the struts apart, and I'm a little unsure about mounting the Bakemono plates on, and what I need for washers, spacers, etc. I'm hoping I can get a little clarification before I start taking the car apart here. The bottom of the Bakemono plates look like this (both front and rear have the same bearing design): There's a nut that goes inside the bearing, and the bottom of the nut doesn't reach the bottom of the bearing. Also, the plate around the bearing is tapered down and the bearing kind of sticks up into this tapered area. What I'm having trouble visualizing is how the upper perch from my Ground Control setup mates to the bearing and plate here. This is what the upper perch on the ground control setup looks like: Now, if I recall correctly (and I might not), when I installed the D-Specs and Ground Control setup - what I did was in the fronts I had the factory conical washer on top of the upper spring perch, and then the top hat on top of that. And in the rears I just used a scooby spacer (stack of washers, actually) and the upper GC spring perch just went directly into the stock top hat. With the Bakemono plates, do I use the stock conical washer? Will it mate up to the bearing in the tapered recess in the plates on the bottom correctly? And if so, it would seem I'd actually want conical washers on both the fronts and the rears - is this right? Could it be a different conical washer like something from Cusco, or is the stock one right? Thanks.
It looks like the piece I may be missing is a pillow collar, something like this: Does anyone know if that's correct and if so who sells them? If that's what I need, do I still use a conical washer?
The ID of the bearings in that vivid racing pic you show is much larger than your bakemono plates. I suspect those were designed to use the stock conical washer. Not sure why there are bearings in the rears. As they don't need to turn....
Well, not those ones exactly, but something like that - some sort of particular spacer. That was just one of the few photos I could find. I can't seem to find the guy who is Bakemono anymore.
I wanted to find some better pics of it, so I pulled up the group buy thread. http://www.rs25.com/forums/f14/t104601-bakemono-camber-plate-group-buy.html Not sure if you've tried, but his phone number is in his Sig. Looks to me like the stock conical washer would be perfect. The spring perches he made and posted in that thread look like the function almost identically to the G-C ones. Been a long time since I've had the stock rears apart on an EJ car, so I can't picture how that would work.
Ya, I just wasn't sure if the diameter on the top of his perch was smaller than the G-C perch. I see he asked me about it when I signed up for the group buy I never followed up. He also in that thread says the pillow ball should be the same as Cusco and a bunch of others, and that Cusco sells a spacer - but I haven't been able to find any such spacer anywhere (other than in pictures where they were included with other brands of camber plates - some are simply like the ones in the vivid racing pic, and some are stepped). I measured the Bakemono's and it looks like a stepped spacer that's got a 3/4" OD section 3/16" tall that goes to 7/8" OD for 1/4" or more tall would definitely work, but I have no idea where I'd get that. What I really need to see is the G-C perch and/or a stock conical washer. Got to get the car in the garage and apart, but I don't want to do it too soon because I'll probably jack the alignment to some degree when I take it apart. From what I've seen so far, I think the stock conical is going to be fine, and the rear might not need anything. Morrie's didn't have any conicals in stock but I ordered an extra pair that'll be in Thursday. It seems like with the angle the strut will be at when installed, it should be clear.
I was able to reach the fellow from Bakemono by phone and he said what I need is a misalignment spacer (3/4"), he thought the stock conical washer would be too short (I was thinking the same). Now I just have to find where to pick a few up at.
So I've got one strut out right now, and the upper perch is positively jammed onto the strut shaft. I tried tapping it with a little sledge but the perch is soft metal and it already chipped a little on the edge. Also, I can say that these 3/4" spacers work perfectly. They are a bit taller than I'd like, but after much searching I cannot find anything of the correct diameter that is shorter.
