At Last!. I have started on my car ;-) PART 2

Back to the adjustable front wishbones. I have not been totally happy with the outcome of my mods. Everything is marginal (especially the amount of thread in the rod end) and that makes me nervous at 180mph+.

Therefore a redesign has been in progress this afternoon using HE30 aluminium. Any comments, thoughts, suggestions etc from the engineeers/fabricators out there?


http://www.torquecars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1680&stc=1&d=1337895047
 

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Wishbones redesigned, again. Done away with the need for left hand threads. Various sized spacers allow for caster to be adjusted as well.

Vertical link trunnion threads are worn so I am replacing them with units fitted with a ball joint. This will eliminate any stresses in the bottom joint caused by altering the caster angle.

http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml=xhtml/product/catkit1.html&xsl=product.xsl

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New, modifed, vertical links arrived today. Bought from Canley Classics, who are a Triumph specialist, but as the front suspension on the Elan is mainly GT6 their modifed link fits my car. It does away with the weak link (no pun intended) of the brass trunnion by replacing it with a ball joint. This sharpens up the steering a tad and allows caster angle to be adjusted without loading the bottom wishbone rubber bushes or the nylon bushes in the trunnion. The trunnion threads on my links were worn (one of the few bits of the original car left!) so needed replacing. Although the modified links are more expensive I have a few new trunnions that I can sell to offset the cost a little.

The new joint needs a slight modification (as usual). The ball joint housing is designed so that the GT6 wishbone is tight up against a flange, stoppng the housing from rotating. As my wishbones are thinner (tubular) I am going to have to weld on a spacer to take up the slack.

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697&stc=1&d=1338409529

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1698&stc=1&d=1338409529

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I know, having a bit of trouble with the weather -) Working on it.

Fixed now.
 
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Not bad. Although thicker than paint, it still takes up the underlying shape, so anything other than faint defects still show. However, I am happy with it and will now do the other three. The only downside at the moment is that the power suppply to my barn isn't man enough to cope with an electric oven so it keeps tripping out. Did this with a hot air gun and will have to do the others the same way :-(
 
Got myself a single S/H oven so I have cooked some more parts. 10 minutes at 180 degrees does the job.

Comparing the wishbones done with a hot air gun to the one cooked in the oven, there is an improvement but tiny. The advantage is that the item is thoroughly heated so an even heat is achieved and it is a lot quicker. Probably have better adhesion as well, but haven't checked that yet.

Another advantage of the oven is that I haven't got to stand next to the fumes for 40 minutes :)

I have got to practice applying a consistant thickness of powder as the right hand swiss cheese has a thicker skin than the left hand one.

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1718&stc=1&d=1339885168
 

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Well the thicker coating is very hard to detect from your photo OG. ;)
Out of curiosity!!! You say powder coating!! and even though I have had my cam cover painted this way I was wondering, do you spray something onto the item first for the powder coating to adhere to then literally bake it or do you cover it in the powder then carry it to the oven as if it was C4 explosive so as not to disturb anything?

:embarrest: my apologies OG for what may be a daft question.
 
Not a daft question :)

The part is cleaned and wiped with acetone. It is then hung in the spray booth and given a positive static charge. The powder is negatively charged so that it is attracted to and adheres to the part. Then, as you say, it is VERY carefully moved to the oven.

I now have black powder all over the floor as my makeshift spary booth isn't very good. I will need to improve powder retention and collection if I am going to do much more of this (maybe even commercially).
 
Bit of a one step forward, 2 steps back on Tuesday. Got the quote for making adjustable wishbones - £878! Around double my top guess and way too rich for my pocket. Now having a rethink.

One option is to use standard wishbones but modify them. £250 for new bones and £140 for mods = £390.

Another option is getting them cast. I can make the pattern and am awaiting a price.
 
Loz said:
Is there nothing already out there that can be adapted to your car? Honda S2000, MX-5?
Click to expand...

Nothing that I am aware of. Besides, adapting something from another car would be more complicated than adapting the exisitng wishbones, which is an option I am considering.
 
Update on wishbone update. A friends's engineering company outsources their CNC work to a firm on the same estate. The price from them is a LOT lower, lower even than my original thoughts!

It looks, therefore, that we are back on track with the added possibility of offering them for sale. Here's hoping the price doesn't alter too much once we have met to finalise the details.

As most of the dimensions can be altered to aid manufacture, there shouldn't be any problems, but I have been doing this stuff for long enough not to get too carried away until the items are in my hand and paid for :)
 
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Loz said:
Brilliant, glad you got it sorted & as you originally planned. :D
Click to expand...

That could only happen to OG :bigsmile: If it was me I would have to leave my credit card details with the guy and the amount to pay blank :sad2:
 
Final design of wishbones agreed and they have been ordered! As soon as I get them I will post images :)
 
My new anti roll bars were finally shipped yesterday (Monday) so should arrive in the next few days. I also hope to get my new front wishbones this week as well. Photos to follow.
 

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So how far are you away now OG from getting the mighty chariot on the track, I've lost track! No pun intended :embarrest::bigsmile:
 

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As it happens, yes :) However, I will be having it set up by Graham Hatherway, who modified my chassis, as he knows what he is doing!
 
OG, are you ever going to start putting this thing back together ? I know, it's been a very rainy year up until the Olympics. LOL.
This cowboy for one, and I'll be a whole lot of others are dying to see you "pull finger" and start the bloody thing up.

Best Regards, (and in good fun)
Jon Bathmaker
 
^^^ The project could have been finished years ago by an ordinary man, lets just say that there are DIY tinkerers then mechanics then craftsman, and then there's OG ;)
 
As the suspension bushes in the front and rear bottom wishbones are of an indetermate age, I ordered OEM replacements on Monday from Christopher Neil and they arrived yesterday. Quick service but another £100 spent (on 8 bushes).
 
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