Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
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xvivalve
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Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
What will prevent you from crushing your chassis leg?
Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
I think two things.
Firstly the spacer tube will be positioned in line with the tube existing within the chassis leg. It has to be because it will be around the same bolt.
Secondly the wider flange will be at the chassis leg and and this ought to also spread the load a little. Mainly the first point though.
'course, I have to check tubes exists within the chassis legs first. Fairly certain they do but need to double check
Firstly the spacer tube will be positioned in line with the tube existing within the chassis leg. It has to be because it will be around the same bolt.
Secondly the wider flange will be at the chassis leg and and this ought to also spread the load a little. Mainly the first point though.
'course, I have to check tubes exists within the chassis legs first. Fairly certain they do but need to double check
Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
I've been out of the country for a bit so this job took a back seat.
Now I'm back at it there is a little more to report.
On the NS there is no tube protruding as mentioned before. I have a couple of the top hat spacers for the front sub frame mounts and have confirmed these fit through the hole in the sub-frame although it is quite a tight fit. It is my intention to cut down the spacer to the correct length and then insert it from the underside through the sub frame and through the poly washer bush. I can then fit the cone shaped bush and washer and tighten the whole lot up.
The concerns at this point are cutting the tube to the right length - see below - and whether the tight fit through the sub frame causes squeaks
On the OS I have established that the chassis leg does have the protruding tube. See the attached photo. The poly bush remains in place and is in OK condition. The issue is that the tube protrudes about 17-18mm and not the 22mm indicated in previous posts. It's all looking to be in good condition although it's noted that the tube is considerably less substantial than the cut-down spacer tube that will get used on the NS.
I'm also wondering, for the record, how people remove the washer bushes when the chassis leg has a protruding tube? I had to use a pry bar to encourage the separation of body and sub frame on the NS. The idea of getting the sub frame sufficiently clear of the tube to remove or insert the washer bush just looks practically impossible.
The next course of action is to make the NS tube at 22mm and then see how I go tightening up everything on both sides - one with a 22mm spacer and the other with a 17/18mm fixed tube. After that it will be either reducing the length of the cut-down tube or adding a short spacer to the OS to bring it up to 22mm.
regards
Now I'm back at it there is a little more to report.
On the NS there is no tube protruding as mentioned before. I have a couple of the top hat spacers for the front sub frame mounts and have confirmed these fit through the hole in the sub-frame although it is quite a tight fit. It is my intention to cut down the spacer to the correct length and then insert it from the underside through the sub frame and through the poly washer bush. I can then fit the cone shaped bush and washer and tighten the whole lot up.
The concerns at this point are cutting the tube to the right length - see below - and whether the tight fit through the sub frame causes squeaks
On the OS I have established that the chassis leg does have the protruding tube. See the attached photo. The poly bush remains in place and is in OK condition. The issue is that the tube protrudes about 17-18mm and not the 22mm indicated in previous posts. It's all looking to be in good condition although it's noted that the tube is considerably less substantial than the cut-down spacer tube that will get used on the NS.
I'm also wondering, for the record, how people remove the washer bushes when the chassis leg has a protruding tube? I had to use a pry bar to encourage the separation of body and sub frame on the NS. The idea of getting the sub frame sufficiently clear of the tube to remove or insert the washer bush just looks practically impossible.
The next course of action is to make the NS tube at 22mm and then see how I go tightening up everything on both sides - one with a 22mm spacer and the other with a 17/18mm fixed tube. After that it will be either reducing the length of the cut-down tube or adding a short spacer to the OS to bring it up to 22mm.
regards
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Last edited by Toledo Man on Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Resized the photo.
Reason: Resized the photo.
Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
Just for the record in case there are later searchers of info :
I made the spacer for the nearside using a top hat spacer for the front sub frame and cutting it down to size. I removed the top hat part when doing this. Although the idea of it spreading the load a bit was attractive it would have made fitting very difficult. As it is the resulting spacer is a tight fit in both the poly bushes and through the sub frame opening.
The method of location is to get the washer bush in place with it's hole centralised. Then put the bolt through the whole thing. Then fit the spacer into the cone shaped bush. Put some of the supplied grease on the poly bushes and spacer end and feed the cone washer/spacer arrangement over the bolt and push it up through the sub frame to locate into the washer bush.
Then tighten the whole lot up. Some adjustment of the spacer length may be required in order to get satisfactory looking/feeling compression of the bushes when tightened.
One the NS I tightened to 38lbft which is the lower limit of 38-48 shown in Haynes. Although the advice above says the tube should protrude 22mm I started with a bit under 22mm and probably filed down to 20-21mm during experimentation. Everything seems OK.
The existing tube on the OS doesn’t protrude as far as spec either and was only 17.5mm long. This means you can’t tighten right down onto it without feeling like you are crushing the bushes too much. I went to 30lbft where it looks OK and everything looks similarish to the NS.
Finally I checked the front mounts and that's it. All that remains
is to reassemble the whole of the front suspension, put the steering column back in and roadtest. All of this follows on from the original job of doing the rear axle seals and they have never been road tested as a result. The car is due here : http://perthspeedfest.com/ on 13 Dec so I have until then !
I made the spacer for the nearside using a top hat spacer for the front sub frame and cutting it down to size. I removed the top hat part when doing this. Although the idea of it spreading the load a bit was attractive it would have made fitting very difficult. As it is the resulting spacer is a tight fit in both the poly bushes and through the sub frame opening.
The method of location is to get the washer bush in place with it's hole centralised. Then put the bolt through the whole thing. Then fit the spacer into the cone shaped bush. Put some of the supplied grease on the poly bushes and spacer end and feed the cone washer/spacer arrangement over the bolt and push it up through the sub frame to locate into the washer bush.
Then tighten the whole lot up. Some adjustment of the spacer length may be required in order to get satisfactory looking/feeling compression of the bushes when tightened.
One the NS I tightened to 38lbft which is the lower limit of 38-48 shown in Haynes. Although the advice above says the tube should protrude 22mm I started with a bit under 22mm and probably filed down to 20-21mm during experimentation. Everything seems OK.
The existing tube on the OS doesn’t protrude as far as spec either and was only 17.5mm long. This means you can’t tighten right down onto it without feeling like you are crushing the bushes too much. I went to 30lbft where it looks OK and everything looks similarish to the NS.
Finally I checked the front mounts and that's it. All that remains
is to reassemble the whole of the front suspension, put the steering column back in and roadtest. All of this follows on from the original job of doing the rear axle seals and they have never been road tested as a result. The car is due here : http://perthspeedfest.com/ on 13 Dec so I have until then !Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
And some more info. I just got everything back together and started the car. At low revs there is a vibration which sounds a little bit like the exhaust knocking but isn't. I have a suspicion it's the top hat spacer tube I used being a relatively tight fit in the hole in the sub frame. I'll see how it goes. I might have to get a different bit of tube
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Re: Sprint sub-frame torque and steering column bush washers
Just to close this off, I replaced the shortened top hat spacer with a different bit of tube and the unpleasant vibration has gone.
The top hat spacer tube has very thick walls causing it's OD to be a moderately comfortable fit through the sub frame hole. The vibration movement with the engine running was transmitted through the sub-frame and caused a rumbling vibration against the spacer tube which when clamped is really an extension of the chassis leg. I have replaced it with a regular bit of tubing and the problem is resolved.
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The top hat spacer tube has very thick walls causing it's OD to be a moderately comfortable fit through the sub frame hole. The vibration movement with the engine running was transmitted through the sub-frame and caused a rumbling vibration against the spacer tube which when clamped is really an extension of the chassis leg. I have replaced it with a regular bit of tubing and the problem is resolved.
m