Nuts... Lots of them..Up for grabs

[alexblack13]

Hi Guys,
I find myself with lots of 1/2'' unf nylock nuts on my shelf. The items that hold the wishbones on. I'v just made some special stepped washers to help improve clearance wishbone to nut etc. I was getting some metal to metal contact here, which wont help the smoothness. Now sorted. But had to buy some more new ones.

Question is would anyone like a set of 8 new ones? either T type (thinner) or std thickness, Nylock, BZP.

I will keep a few for my self and anyone else fancying some new ones I will send you a set at cost + postage. Not on the make here Just trying to help and save them sitting on my shelf.

Let me know.. 1st come etc etc..

Alex B....

[Elanintheforest]

I'll have a couple of sets, Alex. PM me the cost and I'll pay up...'onest.

Mark

[types26/36]

Alex, U have a P.M.

[69S4]

Alex, I'm ok on the nuts as I'm fortunate enough to have a business a couple of miles away that sells all sorts of nuts and bolts from buckets
like an old time ironmonger and I can buy them 1, 2 or 50 at a time, but I'm interested to know more about your stepped washers. Are these for the inboard end of the wishbone or the strut end? Where are you getting the metal to metal contact and how do the stepped washers help?
I presume these are something you've turned from bar for yourself rather than something you can buy.


Thanks

Stuart

[alexblack13]

Hi Stuart,
They are on the front lower end. The Spyder wishbones came with fitted rubber bushings which are rubber between two steel tubes as you know. Three of them look to have these bushes pushed just a little too far into the wishbones. Result is when one fits a large dia washer (about 3 - 4 mm dia more than the wishbone bore dia) and nut, the washer was rubbing on the wishbone. It had worn a fair step in the washer. This causes a bit of 'roughness' By allowing transmission of road vibes etc thro' the wishbone direct to the chassis.

I made up 4 special stepped washers, again same dia as wishbone 'eyelets' The small dia 'step contacts only the metal inner ring on the bush, which just spaces off the washer from the wishbone. I gave it about 2 mm clearance. But, because of the length of the thread on the wishbone chassis mounts I found the full size Nylock did not fully engage. The nuts were too wide. I got round this by fitting T type nuts or Half nuts as I call them.

I could just have removed the retaining washers and refitted the same nuts, But I wanted a backup to stop the wishbones from parting company from the chassis in the event of a bushing failure. Hence the special machined retainer washers.

The difference is quite remarkable.

Hope this is clear for you.

Alex...

[69S4]

Alex, thanks for that. It took me a couple of goes to understand exactly what the problem is and how the stepped washers help but after a good nights sleep and a re read it suddenly clicked into place.

The reason I asked is because having got the car back on the road after an extended period my initial concern was just to get it going at all. It's only now, after I've been using it a while, I'm starting to look at the little adjustments that collectively transform the way the car drives. Things like metal to metal contact with the bushes is on the list. It's going to be a long list though a good part of it can be worked through over the winter.

Stuart

[alexblack13]

My Problem is I have to walk under the car when I enter / leave the house. Unless I use my front door which then means I cant spend a few mins with my inspection lamp

The thing is polished underneath.... I am constantly footering with it!

I no doubt will find something else to wipe/tighten/adjust etc today...

Happy days!

AB..

[69S4]

My Problem is I have to walk under the car when I enter / leave the house.
AB..

Alex, if you're only six inches tall how do you reach the pedals

Yeah, sorry about that, I did read the other posts where you mentioned the lift

Stuart

[alexblack13]

Hi Again..

.... Will you stop it!! I am getting sore again. Good job you mentioned/remembered the lift. You would have been wondering..What on earth.

Here are a couple of self explanitory pics...



Have fun..

AB...

[69S4]

Thanks for the photographs. I can image how the lift would make things a lot easier but, sadly, imagine is all I'm going to be able to do as my garage is a purpose built unit separate from the house with the rafters starting at about 7ft from the floor. Not much chance of fitting anything like your lift into it.

It's a perfect size for keeping the Elan in one side and my various motorcycles in the other but my wife's little Fiat has to be driven in very carefully and there is no chance at all of getting our L.R. Discovery inside.

The house is under 20yrs old so you'd think that the builders would have sized the garage for 1990's cars rather than 1950's ones but presumably their profit margins were dependent on the number of bricks they didn't use. Could be worse I suppose - a new development about a mile from here looks like they've built 3/5th scale replicas of houses instead of the real things and you'd have trouble fitting a Smart car in the parking areas.