Rod to Stroke Ratio, Suspension Red Flags & a Wild Ford Cortina | Build Support - Featured Image

Can you repair chassis rails with cold rolled steel? What's the correct way to calculate rod-to-stroke ratio? And are solid engine mounts really the right choice for a street car?

In this episode of Build Support, Brandon answers more of your workshop questions, tackles a round of Red Flag, highlights an incredible community build, and shares an update on a recently purchased Honda CR-X that's proving to be more challenging than expected.

This episode covers chassis repair materials, tube notching methods, and why rod-to-stroke ratio isn't as simple as fitting a longer connecting rod. Brandon also explains several common modification myths, including cooling issues at speed, excessively stiff suspension, full roll cages on street cars, and what to expect after a fresh build's first shakedown.

Finally, we feature an incredible turbocharged Ford Cortina community build before heading back into the workshop to diagnose why an '88 Honda CR-X Mugen refuses to start, despite being sold as a running car.

If you've got a question you'd like answered or want your own build featured in a future episode, leave a comment below or post it in the HPA Build Community.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Can You Repair Chassis Rails With Cold Rolled Steel?
0:58 - Three Ways To Notch Tube Accurately
2:22 - Calculating Rod-To-Stroke Ratio Correctly
4:07 - Why Online Engine Dimensions Can Mislead You
6:50 - Red Flag Or Not? Cooling Problems At Speed
7:45 - Are Solid Engine Mounts Worth It?
8:52 - Can A Car Be Too Low?
9:44 - Should A Street Car Have A Full Roll Cage?
10:25 - Are Witness Marks After A Shakedown Normal?
11:01 - Community Build: Turbo Ford Cortina Coupe
12:34 - Workshop Update: Diagnosing A Honda CR-X Mugen

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Comments
  • 's profile image
    Really interesting discussion, especially the points around diagnosing issues and understanding what is happening across the vehicle. With modern vehicles generating a large amount of data through https://www.precisol-automation.com/lin-can-gateways having reliable access to real-time vehicle data can also be valuable for remote diagnostics, vehicle health monitoring and predictive maintenance. It’s interesting to see how workshop-level diagnostics can increasingly connect with vehicle telematics and cloud-based monitoring.
    - Dhananjayan India
    13 days ago