Billet bellcranks?

[atomattack]

When I spoke to Brammo this week on the price increases, I asked if anything new was coming out, and I asked about the rumor of the billet bell cranks.  I could not get a straight answer, as they must still be in development, but it was clear that something was coming.  This is a must have for me, just sounds cool. Anyone confirm a guess on the price? I am thinking with all that CNC work they must be over 1000 US a set?

[Driver]

lets see, They either machine the 2 sides of the steel ones then spend time welding and inserting races, or just do the entire process in one machining process out of aluminum. May turn out to be a wash.

[McFred]

$1000?  I should hope not.  they are not that complicated a part.  dp from www.dpcars.net should have a good idea what it takes to have a set machined and anodized:

[dp]

yes, i do know what something like this costs to make.  steel ones are a lot cheaper, i can tell you that.  cost isn't the issue though (remember that brammo is in business to make money) - it just comes down to what they're worth to each customer.  some people will want them, some won't.  i have no idea what brammo is going to charge, if they in fact decide to offer such a thing.  but i'd be curious to see what people would think would be a reasonable premium over the steel pieces.  assuming no performance benefit, cosmetics only.  any opinions? 

[Myerfire48]

Depends on how pretty they make them.  I've got a bad billit habit...  By the way dp, been following your car.  Amazing. Im seriously considering the 10/18 PIR trip just to see that thing run.  Im hoping you may have a Radical killer there.  If my Atom is ready to p/u by end of week, you may meet me.  I'll be the guy in long johns and cowboy boots with a poodle and a boombox.

[dp]

unfortunately the forecast for the 18th is not looking good.  we'll see....

[Driver]

DP Wrote:

yes, i do know what something like this costs to make.  steel ones are a lot cheaper, i can tell you

I know custom machine work and setup charges for CNC's can be outrageous... But that's if Brammo has to outsource. I would assume Brammo has their own CNC machine. Wouldn't that cut it down significantly with it being an in-house part? Making it cost effective and possibly cheaper/comparable to the steel pieces?

[dp]

brammo does have excellent inhouse capabilities.  still, the cost on the billet parts would be 3X to 4X of the steel ones.  it's all relative.  again, the issue is not cost to brammo but what such pieces might be worth to the customer.  i'm curious.  how many people would upgrade to billet parts if the upgrade cost $1,000 for the set?  what about at $750?  $500?  i'm just throwing numbers out there, please don't infer that i have any 'information' - i don't.

[Myerfire48]

I would spend $500, Id think about $1000.  Thats assuming it was a full set (4) and they made them up to the same quality and aesthetics of the rest of thier machined parts...  Thats also something that could be changed out in the future, so maybe that could be a future accessory.  Did you want to start the Atom Aftermarket?

[Mr.Woolery]

It's all about function.  If it were stronger, lighter, and did the job better, than I'd upgrade.

[atomattack]

After a little checking around with race shops, I am guessing they will be in the 1000-1350 range, as this is what DSR cars pay on the low end. The couple of high end formula cars seem to be in the 800/corner pricing, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

I called again to see if/when they would be available this morning and Craig just said, "we are working on it, expect something soon". He would not give me pricing because they are currently in testing.

[bolus]

Oh man, I am going to end up going broke spending a bunch of money on cool little upgrades like this   I would totally upgrade to a billet set just for the bling factor.  DP, yours look sweet.    Can I get them coated in carbon fiber as well??

I bet these show up on the online accessory store as well which will have 1500+ parts for sale. I cant wait! My credit card is going to kill me

[dp]

only way to change function would be with different progression curves and/or motion ratios.  which would have to take into account shocks, springs, wheels/tires/brakes and possibly some other options on the car.   if the geometry is kept stock then it won't do the job any 'better' because the stock parts already work well enough, i.e. there are no problems (that i know of) needing to be corrected.  weight isn't going to be different to a degree that would matter.

by the way, speaking of weight - here's a quick 'tweak' you can make to the suspension.  the stock atom has the shocks installed with the body facing towards the bellcrank.  meaning that the heavy end of the shock moves with the suspension while the light end stays put on the chassis.   if you turn the shocks around you'll save about 3-4 lbs of unsprung weight per corner (there might be a clearance issue on the GM motor so double check that it's doable).  definitely doable upfront and it's easy and free.   chances are any perceived difference will be pretty small but still about 20x greater than anything you could hope to gain with same-geometry bellcranks

[dp]

just to clarify, the bellcranks pictured above are for the dp1, NOT for the atom.  i don't have any current plans to offer atom accessories for sale although once mine is running and tested the temptation will certainly be there.  depending on how my experiments work out

[dp35]

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