Cabrio Front Suspension.

[Jools]

Hi all, new to this forum, but have been Cobra Club site member (still am) for a few years.
I have just aquired a Marlin Cabrio, not had much time yet to crawl around it, however I need to identify where the front suspension comes from. The majority including the rear suspension is Sierra but the front is not. What were the options available? Also if anyone has a copy of a build manual I could do with a copy, primarily as I want to strip the body down for a re-paint. Thanks.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Jools

Hi all, new to this forum, but have been Cobra Club site member (still am) for a few years.
I have just aquired a Marlin Cabrio, not had much time yet to crawl around it, however I need to identify where the front suspension comes from. The majority including the rear suspension is Sierra but the front is not. What were the options available? Also if anyone has a copy of a build manual I could do with a copy, primarily as I want to strip the body down for a re-paint. Thanks.

Hi Jools

Welcome to the Madabout site. There are only a few Cabrio owner/builders contributing to this site, so its nice to see a new name.

Most of the Cabrios built have a Sierra/Marlin hybrid front suspension. The lower parts are usually standard Sierra: track control arm, Anti Roll Bar and hub carrier. The upper fixings are then Marlin/Metro. The Sierra's Macpherson strut has been discarded, and is replaced by a Marlin machined insert and a Metro ball joint (Quinton hazel No. QSJ10605) which attaches to a Marlin top wishbone. New coil over dampers are then fitted between the top wish bone and the chassis suspension turrets to complete the suspension.

There are variations on this theme, depending on what type of engine you have, and how Marlin felt on the day! I have a BMW M50 2.5 straight 6 engine, and Marlin chopped my ARB into two stub arms and sent them back for me to use! I was not happy! Eventually I found there are at least three different shaped ARBs, and as many thicknesses of the bar itself. Some Cabrio owners have dispensed with the Sierra ARB, or even the Track Control Arms, to fit special adjustable versions of these from companies like Burton Power.
I beleive it was possible to use Granada suspension components too, giving the possibility of 5 stud wheels.

I have a build manual in cd format which you are welcome to a copy.
If you want to send me a Personal Message with your address, I'll gladly post a copy off to you. It comprises 110 pages so is too big to simply email successfully.

As a new Marlin owner, have you tried the Marlin Owners Club website? There are over 500 members, and it has many more Cabrio members than the few of us who contribute to this site.

http://www.marlinownersclub.com/forum/forum.php

There are a few of us who have logged our builds on our own sites, which may possibly be of interest:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikes_bmw_marlin_cabrio/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashtun...in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marlin_...oto_5820450315

Hope this is the sort of thing you were looking for, and welcome again to the site - I have found it fascinating and invaluable building my Cabrio.

Incidentally, what engine does your Cabrio have?

Regards
Mike

[Jools]

Mike, thanks for the reply. I will pm you. I have a RV8 engine in the car.

[Chris Cussen]

Hi Jools. Welcome!
I have a cabrio as well but I can't add any more detail to Mike's reply which was comprehensive.

[Jools]

Yes it was, extremely helpful. I will probably be asking more questions over the next few weeks as I start to do a few jobs on it. It has been in my garage for about 7 weeks but I have just been to busy doing my casual "part time" job.