[urq] CQ suspension on URQ

[Fluhr]

Sean C. asks:
>We picked up a 90 CQ 2-pc suspension for the car shortly after getting the
>car (actually before it was shipped).  We are stuck trying to figure out the
>hub setup is required to do this.  Does any one on here know? 

Sean, I have done this conversion.  I have some decent pictures of
it, both on and off the car.  I have meant to put these on my web
page, haven't found the time but I'll see if I can do it over the
holiday weekend.

Some key points:
	I used S2 Avant rear hubs in the front 82mm housings.  These
	maintain the proper Urq hub offset (I used BIRA System 1 front
	brakes so this was important for me).  They press right in,
	no fancy messing with the wheel bearing or anything required.

	I used '91 200tq front CV joints on the Urquattro axles to
	mate with the S2 hub.  I did have to grind/lathe a bit of
	material off the CV joint to make me comfortable with the
	clearance. I am not sure if this was due to rust or interference.
	I was not happy with this solution and plan to re-engineer it
	in the future.  I think S2 front axles/joints are the most
	promising solution, but I also believe I can find a cv-joint
	only option equally as good.

	I used the sway bar with link rod connected to the upper strut
	housing.  This caused havoc with my brake lines and forced me
	to re-route the hard and soft lines.  In retrospect and with
	the additional info from the list, I would recommend the link
	rod sway bar that attaches to the control arm a la Euro Urq 20v.
	Oh, BTW, I am using the cast steel control arms, not the stamped
	steel.  The cast steel are more readily available (tons in the
	junkyard).

        On the rear, I used the Urq hubs in the CQ rear struts.  I
	had to lathe 3mm on the outer edge of the hub where it
	interfered with the strut housing.  This let me continue using
	my factory rear axles & CV joints.  Otherwise I was going to
	swap to B5 A4 Avant rear hubs with CQ rear axles, which also
	required changing the flanges on the rear diff.  This may have
	let me use factory rear brakes, but I never got that far.  In
	the end because of the 2mm difference in hub/housing offset, I
	had to modify my rear brakes anyway.  I had V8 rear brakes,
	and I simply ended up using '91 200tq rear rotors with a
	steel spacer on the brake bracket and longer grade 12 brake
	bolts.  At some point I plan to re-do this, but it has worked
	well at two track events so far, so I am not worried.

That is all I have time to write for now.  I am very happy with the
conversion, and highly recommend it.  I had the first-gen Urq
suspension with the rare ball joints and tie rods.  Now with the CQ
suspension, I can source replacement parts anywhere.  Plus, repair
work is much easier with the two-piece strut.  The downside is weight,
as the whole assembly is heavier.  For me, I'll live with the weight
if I can keep the car 20 more years without worrying.


Later,
Eric
'82 urq