S1 cv joint half shaft installation

[JKING]

Hi all.
After driving my '64 S1 for 42 years I have decided to add cv joint half shafts as my donuts are showing some cracks. I obtained a pair from Dave Bean and have been busy setting up the installation which I thought would be fairly simple. However I notice that the full rebound position of the shock cannot be accomodated by the max angles of the joints. I am presently contemplating a method of limiting the amount of rebound that the spring can produce. For example:
1. A strap from the high point of the frame around the A-arm link except that I would have to remove the body which I don't want to do.
2. A length of cable through holes in the top and bottom spring "hats".
3. Spring clips.
I'm sure someone has solved this problem. What's the best way to do this?

[SADLOTUS]

More expense I know, but does DB supply shorter shock inserts?

[jkolb]

I think Bean has them, but Richard Dent (RD) also has them, and you can even order them from Tony Thomson Racing for about the same overall price. At @ $650 a pair they are spendy - but nice.

Jerry

[RotoFlexible]

Might be time for new shocks in any case, after 42 years - unless you've replaced them in the interim, of course.

[ecamiel]

I had a sailboat rigging shop make up SS cables with a swaged eye on one end to bolt on the top and a threded link on the bottom

[JKING]

Thanks folks. I posted a reply to this yesterday but it seems to have disappeared. I said that I think my shocks are ok and would like to use them.
Which brings to mind another related question: If I changed my shocks do I have to change the whole hub? I don't see how to remove the shock from the vertical tube. I find two slotted brass rings on top of the shock, the inner of which I can remove and seems to be a seal. The outer one I cannot remove. DBean says that it is pressed in and cannot be removed. This doesn't seem reasonable. Colin wouldn't have done that to us. What I had in mind was to open it up and add a polyurathane spacer inside the shock to limit the travel. But I can't get into the shock.

Ecamiel. That sounds like a good idea. To what did you bolt the eye and what does the threaded end bolt to? Is the cable outside of the spring?
I was thinking about passing a cable through holes in both top and bottom spring hats, inside the spring, with cable clamps on each end. The clamp positions would determine the rebound length. I don't know if the clamps might eventually slip, though.

[rgh0]

Photos of the restraining cables fitted to my Elan with Cv's. I welded a small steel tab to the base of the rear tower, used a cable made up by a boat rigging shop and strip clamped around the A frame tube. The cable actually takes very little load as not much spring load at full droop.

regards
Rohan

[rgh0]

John

Normally the shock insert is just held in by a single thread top cap that screwed into the top of the tube clamping the insert between the top cap and the bottom of the tube. The cap was locked in place by punching the side of the tube to lock the threads where it screwed in so it can sometimes be hard to remove.

On the early cars before the inserts were used in the tube the shock internals ran directly in the tube but they could be similarly removed by unscrewing the top plate. I dont think many cars would still have these orginal direct running shocks in the tube anymore as they have typically been replaced with inserts.

I have never seens an installation as you describe it with a 2 rings one of which is pressed in (but that does not mean they dont exist either done by Lotus or by a DPO).


One additonal way to limit the shock travel of an existing shock is to remachine the thread and seat on the top of the shock strut so it is shorter by the required amount. Not hard to do if you have access to a suitable lathe

Rohan

[poiuyt]

Seems like an awful lot of trouble just to avoid the occasional replacement of the Rotoflex joints. I'm also guessing you will be more likely to shear off the stub axle at the diff since the rubber joints absorbed a lot of shock that will now transfer elsewhere.

Well, to each his own and good luck!

[rgh0]

Steve

You will shear off the diff output shafts in any pre 1971 Elan or plus 2 regardless of whether you have donuts or Cv's if you drive the car as intended.

Beyond that I agree "each to their own".

But after changing donuts for 20 years and getting it down to under an hour to change all 4 donuts I dont regret not having to do it any more.

Also 1 donut failure on the road and 2 while competing despite very regular inspections over this period made me want to change, it just does to much damage when they let go even at low speed. I am happy with the CV's in that have been in both my Elan and Plus 2 for the last 15 years without problems or need for maintenance.

regards
Rohan

[JKING]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. At the moment, I'm on the shelf about going ahead with this or just once again replacing the donuts and selling the cv joint shafts. If I go ahead with it I plan to bolt brackets on the top and bottom spring hats, inside the spring and bolt a length of 3/16" maybe 6 x 19 wire rope with thimbles to the brackets. I would like to explore inserting a bush inside of the shocks to limit their travel but I just can't get the shocks opened up. I've broken two tools (homemade) in trying to do so.
I'm not really worried about breaking the differential output shaft. I don't intend to race the car anymore. In the 42 years that I've owned the car, it and I have become increasingly fragile so I tend to treat it rather tenderly. The Elan, however, doesn't try very hard to reciprocate.

[twincamman]

a rear sway bar attached to the wish bone will limit droop ---I can take a pic of mine tomorrow ---ed

[Keith Scarfe]

Excellent photos. Thanks Rohan. I wondered how this has been done. I too have just bought some cv driveshafts from Sue Miller. These are really in fashion at the moment aren't they. I have yet to start fitting mine but I know mine has huge droop on the rear and I will need to restrain this.