troysladeck
Well-known member
Starting to get into more technical / precise suspension design on my builds and want to start learning cad that way I can design my own parts and send them to get cut. Whats a good entry level program that works best for modeling suspension and steering design? Being able to cycle the parts and plot the data (motion ratios, bumpsteer, caster change) would be awesome. Don't mind paying for a program if its worth it.
Also how much would a 3d scanner cost? Are there tools available for a hobbyist? If so are there certain CAD programs that work better with 3d scanning?
SECONDLY...
The main reason I want to learn CAD is because I want to start designing a mezzanine 4 link setup for my Cherokee. It seems to be the best way to keep the back seats completely in tact, keep the fuel tank in the stock location, and also run a tradiitonal coilover / bypass setup. And since I don't mind putting the shocks into the trunk I think it will work great.
I could do a typical mezzanine with a hard mounted pivot near the bumper, but I've thought up an interesting idea that seems a lot easier and utilizes parts of the leaf spring suspension that I've already upgraded.
Here my proof of concept:
So typical mezzanine setups have the hard pivot in the back and a connecting rod on the axle. This is essentially the same thing but flipped. The trailing arm that houses the shocks connects directly to the axle, then the shackle in the rear is what allows for movement. My shackle box is already reinforced and bolts through the floor (perfect spot to land a cage pillar) and also is tied into the unibody rails and stiffeners. Its beefy and strong. The direction of force would change (compression -> tension shackle) but I think it would still work fine
Its hard to visualize how it would cycle since both sides of the shock arm pivot locations will change. So I would love to model it in CAD and see if it would work. Is it worth investigating? Or should I just plan on doing a typical style mezzanine with the hard pivot in the rear?
Thanks!
Also how much would a 3d scanner cost? Are there tools available for a hobbyist? If so are there certain CAD programs that work better with 3d scanning?
SECONDLY...
The main reason I want to learn CAD is because I want to start designing a mezzanine 4 link setup for my Cherokee. It seems to be the best way to keep the back seats completely in tact, keep the fuel tank in the stock location, and also run a tradiitonal coilover / bypass setup. And since I don't mind putting the shocks into the trunk I think it will work great.
I could do a typical mezzanine with a hard mounted pivot near the bumper, but I've thought up an interesting idea that seems a lot easier and utilizes parts of the leaf spring suspension that I've already upgraded.
Here my proof of concept:
So typical mezzanine setups have the hard pivot in the back and a connecting rod on the axle. This is essentially the same thing but flipped. The trailing arm that houses the shocks connects directly to the axle, then the shackle in the rear is what allows for movement. My shackle box is already reinforced and bolts through the floor (perfect spot to land a cage pillar) and also is tied into the unibody rails and stiffeners. Its beefy and strong. The direction of force would change (compression -> tension shackle) but I think it would still work fine
Its hard to visualize how it would cycle since both sides of the shock arm pivot locations will change. So I would love to model it in CAD and see if it would work. Is it worth investigating? Or should I just plan on doing a typical style mezzanine with the hard pivot in the rear?
Thanks!
