Plus 2 chassis repair

PostPost by: Cymru » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:12 pm

Hi all,

Still stripping the car for restoration.

The chassis is in very good condition except for the front driver upright.

I guess at some time the drain holes became blocked and the dreaded rust set in and looks like the upright failed

The repair looks like it was done well - but - the question I have is.

How can I confirm that the repair was done correctly - e.g. is there anyway I can measure to ensure everything was put back as it should be?

Many thanks,
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PostPost by: Grizzly » Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:15 pm

Have a look at types26/36's pictures on this thread lotus-suspension-f42/top-wishbone-dimensions-t25371.html

The most simple way of checking it's been repaired in the correct position would be to have a four wheel alignment with report done but that would require the car to be relatively assembled.
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PostPost by: Foxie » Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:14 pm

I repaired a fatigue crack in a front suspension tower in 1988 with ox-acetylene (didn't have MIG then ) and a bit of 16 SWG plate reinforcing, and it never gave a problem up to when I fitted a Spyder chassis in 1998.

That chassis is still hanging on the garage wall !

Visual inspection should pass the weld design and quality, and a geometry check should confirm the alignment.

What I would be concerned about with rust would be the condition of the cross-member closing plates where it joins the uprights. You could always pressurize it with and airline to check.

:)
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PostPost by: Gordon Sauer » Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:49 pm

There are measurements given in the repair manual that go from various points on the front of the chassis and when I had my body off I used those to check out everything being right on and you could use those to assure yourself as well. Gordon Sauer
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PostPost by: gus » Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:00 pm

The problem is the external repair is not fixing the problem

Tape a cardboard box together

pretty rigid right?

cut the tape off the bottom, not so rigid anymore right?

try to restore that rigidity without taping the bottom back up

It is really never effective

A new chassis is the real answer
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