On Wheels, Brakes, and the Front Upright: Podcast Highlights

Words by Connie Carter

Wheels, brakes, and front uprights: three interwoven components that directly shape an 037’s handling, performance, and…usability. For Episode 2 of the Drawing Board Podcast, Allan and I tackled these components head on to unpack how the engineering decisions he has made will make Rebel 037s more versatile for drivers taking to the gravel.

In this short blog, I’ll touch on a few of the episode’s highlights. However, if you’d like to get a more in depth understanding, I recommend you watch the full episode, which you can find below. 

[https://youtu.be/bpSev43IopY]

Highlight 1: Entry and high level brakes

To give buyers more flexibility when speccing their Rebel 037s, Allan has designed the suspension to be compatible with two different brake packages; an entry level option, and a high level option, from separate manufacturers. The front upright has mounting points for both packages, allowing drivers to upgrade brakes as they need, all while still fitting under a 15” rally wheel. As I saw it, the big win here is for the entry-level buyers still progressing along their skill journey: as their ability grows, they can upgrade to the advanced brakes, all without needing to order new uprights and wait to have everything refitted. Instead, the old brakes can be quickly unbolted from the upright, and the new ones bolted straight on, no big changes required. 

Highlight 2: Sticking with Lancia’s geometry

Behind every decision Allan makes at his drawing board is a simple question: will this design choice alter the handling characteristics of the Rebel 037s? Ultimately, the goal for Rebel is to produce 037 recreations that replicate the handling of the original cars. Luckily, when brainstorming new designs for the front upright, Allan had a guide to ensure his finished concept wouldn’t compromise handling. On his drafting paper, several points are marked out, specifically, the mounting points for the ball joints as defined by Lancia in their original 037 design. By sticking within these non-negotiable points, the finished Rebel front upright will replicate the original car’s handling, despite being a clean-sheet design. 

Highlight 3: Ambidextrous front upright design

In a decision made to reduce parts costs and increase desirability for the rally-focused buyer, Allan’s front upright is compatible with the right and left sides of a Rebel 037. While discussing his experiences as a rally mechanic, particularly those instances where major suspension components needed replacing all within a 20 minute service stop turn around, it became clear why having an ambidextrous upright was a great idea. After all, why carry around several spares for your rally car’s left and right uprights, when you could just carry the one type?

Have a burning 037 engineering question you’d like Allan and I to discuss?

Drop a comment on the episode, or send me an email at info@rebelautoworx.com and we’ll feature it in a future episode.