Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

If they had been ground threads they would have had a better surface finish but alas too expensive to make
Have you tried Rimmer Bros or are they more expensive. Vertical Link ?105 + vat
Alan

Several questions come to mind on a practical nature.
1. Will you use the car for road use or is it intended for track use where it will be subjected to much higher loads?
2. Will you be using standard road tyres and wheels or much grippier track tyres which will put more load on the suspension.
3. Are you adding ventilated discs which add unsprung weight?
4. Are there any reports on here of new or nearly new uprights breaking in road use (I don?t think so)
5. Have you an up rated engine and drive it like it was stolen.
6. Do you intend to maintain the suspension, lubricate it properly and do a low mileage?
If you can answer no to the first five questions and yes to the last one, I suspect you?ll be perfectly safe driving it for many years on these uprights. You might want to polish out the worst of the roughness a bit, but as long as the trunnion screws fully up without binding or excessive play you probably have as good a set of parts as you can get unless you can go to suppliers and go through all their stock to mix and match parts to get the best combination of upright and trunnion.

Bigbaldybloke wrote:..as long as the trunnion screws fully up without binding..

Unfortunately, the left hand trunnion locks up on the thread at the halfway point, and the right hand one has a small amount of play when fully wound on, so they are rejects even if we ignore machining quality at the base of the threads.

In answer to your other points, I think my use of the car qualifies as "reasonably gentle", but (according to what I read) the kingpin doesn't normally go when you are driving fast. It's when manoeuvring at low speed on full lock (for example, when parking) that the stresses are the worst, and hence when they're most likely to shear off.

I've read lots about these parts failing, and I'm after piece of mind. I do like to drive fast and corner hard. Imagine if a kingpin snapped off as I was doing that.

For me they all have some play.
I wondered for the tight one maybe it's possible to lap it in and then a good wash out.
Alan

Jon
You're becoming quite the expert in where these things come from now!
I think Chris is probably right in that if you can get a decent initial fit, keep them lubricated, avoid kerbing and potholes wherever possible then they will last as long as the originals and probably You!
Mark

JonB wrote: I'm not sure they are the maker, although Canley said they are made in Coventry.

There is probably a town in India / China called Coventry.

If you plough through the link to the Triumph website someone gave in the previous comments, it gives he name and details of the supplier in Coventry that is making all the uprights. Can?t temember it and sitting by the pool on holiday I can?t work up the enthusiasm to read it all again, I?m offfor a beer! Good luck JonB, you?ll get it sorted in the end, and as they said in the film, ? it?ll be alright in the end, and if it?s not alright it?s probably not the end!?

Well, I went and had a very pleasant chat with Miles Wilkins @ Fibreglass Services as he is not far away from here. He agreed that the left hand upright was scrap after we tried unsuccessfully to fit one of his trunnions onto it. So I think the trunnions I got are good but the uprights aren't. Back they go, and I'm on the hunt for a good pair... again...

Jon, been doing a bit of research while sitting by the pool having a beer. A company called T D Fitchett seem to get good referrals for quality of uprights. Not used them myself or heard of them previously but maybe worth a call. My usual source of parts is Kelvedon Motors and I?ve been happy with everything I?ve got from there so far and that runs to well over ?1000 of parts but not uprights as mine are ok, bought new over 30 years ago and still to see active service.

Bigbaldybloke wrote:If you plough through the link to the Triumph website someone gave in the previous comments, it gives he name and details of the supplier in Coventry that is making all the uprights. Can?t temember it and sitting by the pool on holiday I can?t work up the enthusiasm to read it all again, I?m offfor a beer! Good luck JonB, you?ll get it sorted in the end, and as they said in the film, ? it?ll be alright in the end, and if it?s not alright it?s probably not the end!?

Hi BBB

The Coventry supplier (ESP Ltd) says they are a wholesaler and don't make the uprights, but CC say they do. Either way, they're not going to deal directly with me, so I hope CC will take the quality control issue up with them.

Cheers
JonB

So Miles didn't have any?
Nor did he suggest a source?

He had a right hand one but not the left hand. I should have looked at it more closely. Still, can always go back. 20 minutes drive.

Go back to Miles
Alan

alan.barker wrote:Go back to Miles
Alan

After I get my refund from CC. Not inconsiderable sums of money involved!

Following the triumph thread suggests that the actual maching company is (was)

R L Walsh & Sons - http://www.richmannwalshengineering.com/

Who actually cast them, and what from, is a different matter.