AC Owners Club Forum
AC Owners Club Forum => Mk IV, Superblower, CRS and other Continuation Cars Forum => Topic started by: westcott on November 07, 2011, 09:59:01
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After my introduction i promised the rework of AK 1106 and here we go.
What i did so far:
- Interior completely removed
- Heating completely removed
- Engine pulled
- Transmission pulled
- Windscreen is removed
- Radiator removed
- All front end panels removed
- All exterior parts removed
+ The wheels are away for polishing just the outer rims, they will come back in the next 2 weeks
+ Quotes for interior leather and carpets are available, work will start in CW 51
+ Quote for body work and painting available, work will start in cw 47
Westcott
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After inspecting the now visible framework at the front end I found the following: The vertical square support tube at the front inner fender is splitted...
Has someone else faced the same problem?
The side walls of the square tube are curved and not longer flat. It looks like the tube is cracked by inside pressure or is it just rusted from inside to outside ???
The tube itself is not bended, just has curved walls.
Uwe
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First question to all MK IV gurus:
I found the big control box in the passenger side foot box mounted inside to the top surface and i wonder what functions are implemented?
Answers found in the www: PartNr. E5ZF-12B567-AA is a engine ECU for carbed Mustangs......The 1985 Mustangs,only the 5.0/5 speed manual versions,were supposed to come with a Two Speed Accessory Drive System,which used a twin accessory drive setup,controlled by a computer and electrical clutch,to let all the driven units,alt. A/C, PS, run at half speed under different conditions,to save HP and extra fuel mileage.
The idea was withdrawn,before production. However,some cars got thru with all the wiring harness and the computer control box.
What I can see is that the wiper motor connects directly to the box, is anything else controlled by the box???
Second question:
I removed all emissions devices in the engine bay.
Will the wiring harness still work and the car operate according to ignition and other non engine bay related functions?
I don't want to change the wiring because of a possible rebuilt to original specs in the future, just create a new engine harness with less connectors.
Uwe
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Who could post some pics of a heater installed in a straight dash car? Pics with and without carpet/covers would be highly appreciated. I need to know how the air inlet and bowden cables are covered! Is the heater hardware the same a in the T-Dash cars?
Uwe
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Uwe.
I have sent you an e mail regarding the heater covers.
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Peter,
thanks, sent you a answer by mail via the forum.
Good pics with all the information i needed, thanks !!
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O.K. the engine bay is empty, quality of the gel coat is quite good, nothing damaged, ready for cleaning and a new polished stainless cover after the car is painted.
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The interior is gone completely, the aluminum floor panels as well, some small rusty pits on the frame, no big deal.
The pits will be sanded out and painted with gloss epoxy paint.
As anybody before, going the same route, I'm looking for the rubber bumpers for the hood.
There are some general purpose rubber bumpers used for GM or Ford, has anybody found out what general purpose rubber bumper will fit the MK IV dimensions?
Uwe
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Hi Uwe, unfortunately we can`t see the photos without registering on the Deutsche forum!
All the best with your project, and thanks for sharing your progress, Nik.
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Hi Nik,
I'm going to bring up the photos tomorrow.
Uwe
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The spare wheel set is back, the rims(normally brushed and covered by clear paint) have been polished a bit. Good enough for me. They must be cleaned before mounting in spring. The complete set of 5(incl. spare wheel) incl. Avon tires was about 800€. It's a lot of money just to have a spare set, but this allows me to keep the thing rolling during restoration and switch to shiny wheels as soon as the new engine will turn.
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A lot of things going parallel right now. The car is at the paint shop, the interior is away and the engine is dismantled.
Because the engine saw some water over a longer period I decided to bore it one size up. Machine work, cleaning, hot tanking, painting and new engine hardware in Germany is in total more or less the same as a new Keith Craft 331 short Block.
Therefore i ordered a 331 at KC. It will be topped by KC ported 165 AFRs and a slightly better cam will go in for a broad torque band and good vacuum to be drivable all day with some fun factor. The Weiand Stealth will provide good flow from idle up to 6000.
This is the final simulation result without going to the limit. For sure I have to cut 20-25% for real rear wheel numbers.
I'm going to convert the clutch to hydraulic actuation. The slave cylinder is a series 305 pusher from CNC Inc and attached to the side of the T5 with a powdercoated bracket. The primary cylinder will be choosen from my shelf.
Has someone replaced the Sierra pedal box by a different solution to get more leg room? I know that the early cars had different pedals.
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A late Merry Christmas to You all.
I'm looking for pictures of the harness attachment points on the substructure behind the bulkhaed. My car has the early harness layout, the static belt is attached to the rectangular subframe behind the seats. The upper point is near the outside shoulder, the lower point is outside as well located in the rocker subframe. The latch bow is screwed to brackets behind the tunnel rear end.
I want to implement the automatic harnesses of the later models and need to know how the attachment points for the rolls look behind the bulhaed above the tunnel?
Is the bow comming out of the top welded into the subframe under the rear top body or is it removable attached to the framework?
Thanks,
Westcott
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Hi Uwe,
i was the second owner of AK 1106. If you have some questions
about 1106, you can send me an email.
taxoffice@t-online.de
Günther
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All the parts for the engine assembly and the Keith Craft 331 shortblock arrived this week. Engine completion will start end of this week and should be finished middle of April. I will keep you informed and come up with more pics soon.
The body is stripped and bare aluminum now, the paint preparation started, hopefully the car will be finally painted end of March.
Westcott
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I started the engine assembly. The main bearing and rod bearing tolerances are checked and fine. Crankshaft and cam are checked for endplay and o.k.
All fasteners are ARP and the main studs are the windade tray version to have a hazzle free installation of the pickup tube bracket. The standard main studs are too short for the additional pickup bracket and you have to have this in mind before you order your hardware.
I installed a torrington bearing in the cam retainer plate from precission oilpumps, a optimized race HV oilpump(where the rotor shaft has a second guide in the pump bottom plate), a Cloys true roller timing set and a pioneer race damper.
The 331 is internally balanced by Keith Craft, so the SFI flywheel and the SFI damper are "zero" balanced.
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If you have available your old seatcovers please let me know. Also could use carpet. Thanks.
Johan
USA
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If you have available your old seatcovers please let me know. Thanks.
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The seat rework starts end of this week, for shure the seams will all be cutted off to get patterns for the new covers. My first intent was to store them together with the green T-dash for some future rework to original specs but will decide on this in the next few month.
Do you need them for pattern or restoration?
Westcott
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I have a wonderfully worn and comfortable saddle interior and hate the look of brand new seats or re dyed seats.
I am looking for a used black interior. The original leather was very nice and no longer available.
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Most of the engine work is done, looks like this today:
Yes, all right, it looks a bit like a poser engine but it is just the pulley-and-bracket set from March bringing this shiny look.
For my former FE engine build i ordered a set of March Pulleys powdercoated in black to avoid the bling-bling look but they needed 10 weeks to send me a set because they where custom-made and March Performance needed a free production slot.
Westcott
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I cutted the visible valve cover spacers to half the height by hand, the shortened parts will be milled to the final dimension of 17mm in the next few days.
One head is disassembled because 2 badly rolled rocker studs stripped the threads in the head. The thread on the 2 studs was not formed completely and therefore the aluminum inner thread in the heads gave up immediately as i tried to apply the AFR recommended torque to them.
I ordered TimeSerts to rework the stripped threads because I don't like spiral or coil type inserts like the Helicoil items. My favorite theoretical and practical solution are "massive" inserts we fabricated in the past from stainless steel. I found inserts like the ones we normally fabricate online as "TimeSert", available as ready to use sets and wanted to give them a try. The installation process for the TimeSerts is the same as with te HeliCoils feasible with hand tools at home.
I will bring up some pics as soon as they are delivered or have a look here:
www.timesert.om for the TimeSert or the Big Sert inserts.
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Picked up the interior parts yesterday. They are not too bad and fulfilled my expectations. I saved the ugly items like headrests, heater controls, and lower cut out for the Ford steering column cover.
The round warning light cluster replaces the original rectangular arrangement. The black paint on the bezel is removed and the bezel was polished a bit with the Dremel.
The light switch is a Hella universal 2 Step switch with a illuminated sign plate, lighting in the second "On" Position. I saved the original switch for the future and found a replacement in the Hella switch. Just the grain on the switch bezel and on the switch itself is not as deep as on the original part.
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I have choosen a padding not as thick as it was originally but with denser foam, so the recess of the instruments and heater control bezels is less then before but the surface of the whole instrument panel is more defined.
The clove box door sits a bit tight, I have to remove one layer leather to have it more loose and easier to open and close.
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Very impressive!
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I lost a bit the original way of restauration and decided to close the side marker and antenna swages. December last year I organized myself 2 yellow front side marker lenses plus complete clear side markers I don't need anymore.
If someone need to replace the front side marker lenses or want to install clear sidemarker units instead of the yellow ones I will sell them for the same price I payed for.
Just drop me a mail. BTW the side markers are GM original parts and available via the various GM resto shops.
Westcott
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After AK 1106 is done I will post all information about part numbers and so on here to help completing the spare parts list.
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Arrrrgh, the painter delayed the delivery again now to end of this week....
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Uwe, better to get it right, than get it right now! Sorry for your delay, but you know it will be worth the wait! We look forward to seeing it too.
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Some short update about the Frog (nickname because of the colour and long nose). The painted roller was delivered Friday, 1st of June in the evening.
New status from Wednesday last week is the following: Reworked engine bay insulation installed and new firewall cover mounted.
All exterior details in place, windscreen with new posts mounted, engine and transmission in. Wipersystem, defrost and heater tubes are installed.
Looks like this:
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Sorry for the white, early model indicators,they can be replaced by the original ones in a minute.
This is the working space I'm limited to, it's just a universal concrete garage module 2.5 by 5.0 meters. The blue Royal Mail bag is storage for cleaning rags :-)
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My plans to replace the t-dash by the straight one require the use of the Ford column instead of the Rover unit. Just one thing is not clear for me, the intermediate steering shaft between column and steering rack.
Was it a Ford production part or a fabricated one?
Who has some pics of the installed shaft?
Westcott
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beautiful engine, Uwe ! is it the MSD EFI "4 barrels -like" injection ? any feedback on it ?
regarding the engine, did you start from scratch, or was the short engine from AK1106 ? if so ; you changed the water pump and serpentine pulley system (what is the brand of the new one) ? thanks !
and sorry, no clue for the steering shaft...
Olivier
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Olivier,
pulleys are from March Performance, water pump is aftermarket Edelbrock, thermostat housing and heater tube fittings are from Performance Stainless Steel. The engine is based on a Keith Craft shortblock build to my specs. All tubes are silicon tubes from a race shop.
The engine is topped by a MSD Atomic throttle body injection. Feedback on this system will be delivered as soon as possible but not before end of July.
Uwe
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thanks Uwe... the Atomic system seems interesting, as it is supposed to be more trouble free than 8 stacks injection, and preserves the 4 barrels look. it was on my wish list, but is quite pricey (vs a trad carb) and has not a lot of feedback yet ! So, your experience will be interesting...
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PS: fitting video here : http://www.atomicefi.com/AtomicInstallationVideo.aspx... as Lambda sensors are already fitted, as well as an adequate EFI fuel line, the fitting would be even easier on a MKIV !
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You can choose between the full system and the system without fuel kit. What you need without fuel kit is a complete fuel system with adequate EFI Fuel feed(3/8") and return line plus an adjustable pressure regulator to adjust the pressure to the required 45 PSI.
If you decide or need to go returnless you need to buy the full kit because of the pulsed fuel pump required for this case.
You can buy the basic kit for around 1900 USD or the same value in Euro from Gooze Garage in the Netherlands which is one of two official MSD dealers in continental Europe.
Uwe
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very interesting ! as you're a skilled engineer, do you assume it would produce more power than a traditional carbed solution ?
did you plugged the wideband O2 sensor of the kit, and if so, was it a direct replacement of the MKIV one ? did you left the other unplugged ?
last but not least, is your distributor "matched" to this system, or will you have to run a CDI box (6AL like) ? is your camshaft a hydraulic roller one ?
sorry for all these questions, but it's very intersting for me !
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The system has one O2 sensor and i will place it to the side which is better to reach with the wiring harness, the other opening will be closed by special plugs available on the market.
The main things I'm expecting from the system is getting rid of re jetting a carb to match it to the engine what i did in a excessive way with my last engine projects FE and Clevelands. The programming should also be much easier because of the self learning ECU(hopefully).
The initial fuel map will be created by the ECU after you answered the basic inputs about idle rpm, target afr, cam characteristics and so on. The rest of fine tuning will be done by the ECU during driving in different conditions. So you have to drive it as much as possible to give a mass of different information to it :-)
I'm expecting not a big step in performance gain, just better drivability and throttle response in all rpm ranges and a bit better fuel consumption.
Don't forget, I had a carburetted engine with catalyst....it was not a performance thing, in no way and I wanted to keep the carb look.
Uwe
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During the last few weeks I installed the exhaust system with two catalytic absorbers and the 4 silencers normally included in a MK IV with dual rear exhaust.
The clutch system is changed to hydraulic actuation by the following steps.
1. Installing a CNC Inc. slave cylinder with bracket to the side of the T5
2. Replace the cable clutch pedal by a pedal from a 90s Mondeo
3. Installed a 3/4 inch Girling master cylinder with integrated tank, extended/replaced the Girling push rod by a Ford Transid pushrod mounted to the original position.
The cutouts and holes for the cylinder are prepared by the company in the front metal reinforcement inside the drivers footbox. I just had to drill the GRP of the foot boxes
4. Used Dash 4 reusable aluminum fittings for brake or clutch lines and stainless braided teflon tube
All fits together but it s still not filled with fluid, a travel stop for the pedal has to be made too.
All the clutch system changes are done by clipping or screwing parts together. Fabrication is needed for the travel stop and eventually the pushrod.
I'll keep you updated.
Westcott
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The head light functions on my car did not work when I bought it. Now I'm in the middle of wiring work and I wonder if the head light function is dependent from the ignition switch position or not.
Actual it is not so you can switch to dipped/low beam without turning the ignition switch.
I would expect that the headlights cut off automatically if you turn the ignition switch into the off position. How is it in your cars with the T-dash?
Thanks, Uwe
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AK 1005 has also no connection to ignition switch for light function, except beam in permanent function, it would only work when engine is running.
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on my Mk IV (AKL 1417) with T-dash manufactured 1993 for a German customer all light functions (except direction indicators) are independent from the ignition key switch. Low and high beam can be switched without key.
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Hmmmm,
I should have looked it up in the manual....
It's written there that the headlight functions are independent from the ignition switch.
Thanks for the answers.
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Proof you must be an engineer.
Graham
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Seat belt anchor points are changed from outside to inside position as it was with the later cars but without the bow normally welded to the longitudinal tubes below the rear body section above the tank.
The powder coated plates are screwed to a clamp going around these tubes, the clamp can't slip out because the bow around the passenger compartment keep the load.
It looks like this and allows me to use automatic seat belts instead of the static ones used in my car originally.
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during the last few weeks we (the frog and I) made some progress. I received the hood after repainting because of metallic particle shading in the scoop opening. It took me 5 weeks to get the thing back home because of manpower problems at the paint shop.
Together with the hood the painter delivered some pics I want to show here. At least the car was not alone between Porsches, Lancias and other continental stuff, it had some native English speaking company....
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The guys at the paint shop where impressed by the very good surface quality of the pure aluminum body and they told me that even Bentleys have not such a good, close to perfect, body quality as the Autokraft MK IV.
A few days later a black 289 race with the lower additional front fender extensions, Kidney Beans and the shield around the fuel cap came in to the paint shop to get some cosmetic hours. Very nice black car, known from the usual publications.
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Yesterday i finished the wiring and completed the electrical part of the rework. Also the home made center console got its last leather wrapping and is waiting for installation. My first idea was to change the heater to the later design where the heater motor hangs upside down below the cross beam. But finally i kept the early heater design and changed a bit the side panels to accept a "front cover" replacing the t-dash vertical extension. This cover acts like a center console and has a upper panel for interior light switch, hazard switch and cigar lighter. Just for fun i put a AC labeled cheap aftermarket lighter in to have it closed when my trip meter or navigation is not plugged.
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Hi Uwe...
is it the "manpower problems" you're refering to [:o)] ?
(http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/3855/wescott.jpg)
hahahaha [:D] !
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For the Autokraft labeled Instruments i received the following information from Andy at Speedy Cables:
Hi Uwe, the gauges are made by Stewart Warner and they do not use a voltage stabilizer they need 12 volts feed and one connection to the sender. The fault you describe is the stabilizer operating and shutting of voltage to the gauges. The tacho has a Stewart Warner dial and pointer but a Smiths movement. + must be connected to 12 volt supply – must be connected to 12 volt neg supply, the other terminal is connected to the negative side of the ignition coil. You may have a problem with calibration as the pointer was never made for that pointer and the balance could be out, please contact me if you need any further assistance, Regards
Andy Barraclough
Director
Abercrave,Swansea SA9 1SQ
I tried to follow his advice but found out that the tachometer works in my car only connected to the + terminal of my ignition coil.
Again it is not the Smiths instrumentation I'm talking about its is the Motorkraft labeled series of gauges used in the straight dash cars.
Speedy cables is always a good support and helping hand, especially for the mechanical cobra instruments i used the last years.
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Well, indeed, they don't killed them self because of overload at least not from October last year until May this year.
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Here are some more detailed pictures of the inside release handle attachment to the typical crossbeam inside the MK IV doors.
The handle housings slide onto the L-profiles welded to the top surface of the rectangular door cross beam.
The up down movement is free and only defined by the mounted door panel and the bezel clipped to the handle housing. I promised to deliver the pics, here we go.
The instrument panel looked like this beginning last week. I want to keep the side panels of the T-dash heater, they will be covered in black leather and a additional center console will close the front, pics to follow.
The last small items are finished by me, I had to speed up a little because today a valuation report will be done by an authorized expert.
In simple words: Move your ... Uwe, step on it!
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The ugly original dimmer switch bolted through the upper Rover steering column cover is moved to the left of the steering wheel and received a new knob.
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It took me more or less 11 month, the first test drives around the corner are done today. The EFI is learning and learning, it feels pretty good with fast response from the throttle.
Did you know that our MK IV Horn/Compressor is a Maserati unit ??
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Uwe, beautiful job. It has been fun to read what you have done and see the photo documentation. A lot of work!! Enjoy! [:D]
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Uwe,
You did an outstanding job. The car is just great. Congratulations!
Jürgen
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with such an input, it could not become another output. Congrats, great car.
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Engine bay and Trunk are finished. The trunk lid received a more rigid needle-felt inlay. The original felt dos not protect the lid very well against small damages from parts stored in the trunk. I found a cheap tool role to have everything on board, the original tool roll is lost. If someone is willing to sell a spare, please drop me a mail.
It was formed a bit 3-D over my knees to give it a more curved shape to follow the inner lid surface. Finally i had to cut it just from the number plate lamp down to handle. This area is not visible and for me acceptable.
The hood is painted silver on the inner side as it was before.
The EFI is not visible and the test drives yesterday made me smile very, very wide; from one ear to the other i think.
During the winter i have to replace my front brake disks and pads. The rear and front suspension will receive PU-bushings all around.
A suspension component company sent me a set of rear poly bushings, not expensive. I will check out the fitment of the parts and give some comments about.
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Would be nice to see some pics on a 'before / after' basis...
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Uwe,
Beautifully done, you've even got a nice "AC" tool roll.
:-)
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beautiful job, Uwe [:p] !
I'm very interested in your PU bushings research, as I plan to overhaul my drivetrain this winter...provided we have the same set-up !
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Gentlemen, good too see that you like the result, thanks.
I hope it is still a MK IV even with the modifications i worked out.
Is it O.K. for you if i go ahead posting updates and keep you informed or is it just an additional rework story?
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I’m finding your thread interesting and would be happy if you continue to post updates and photos. I am particularly interested in how you progress with the PU bushes and overhaul of the rear suspension.
John.
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The first 400 Km trip is done without any problem.
The engine made me smile even with a rev max of 3000 rpm I try not to overrun or the first 1000 Km. We had a cobra meeting (yes, 99% resin body kit cars) last weekend and it was fun to push the car through the small winding roads.
It handles very well but feels like it needs just a bit more toe in at the front. I will check it after the bushings all around are replaced by my PU kit.
The Atomic EFI is so easy to install and prepare, it is unbelievable. The thing is learning all the time by itself and the car has a lot of punch out from 1000-1200 rpm or just above even in 4th gear at low speed.
The valuation report requested by my insurance company is finished by Classic Data. The car is rated as a "1" and the value starts with the same number :-)
As a conclusion after all the work: I can't get this grin out of my face.
Uwe
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Super job, Uwe. Congratulations!
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Yes bloody well done hope to see the car at one of the internationals or sometime in Germany
Jürgen
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congratulations, Uwe ! and your feedback regarding the Atomic system is very interesting...would you see any drawback (apart from its cost) ?
and remember, I'm interested in your PU bushings research [;)] ...
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Olivier,
if you have a EFI fuel setup with fuel pump, return line and adjustable pressure regulator in the engine bay you can buy the base kit for about 1900 USD. If you order via Gooze Garage in the Netherlands the delivery will be fast and easy to your home adress without any customs problems.
But if you dont modify your engine hardware wise it makes no sence to change to a atomic.
Only if someone plans to upgrade or modify the engine for more output it will be a very easy way to add EFI without the needs to program new chips or EFI updates and to switch to the clean look of a carburetted engine.
The price or the base setup will be more or less the same amount in Euro I assume.
Ups, I forgot that we normally NEVER assume !!
Uwe
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I have to say that I love the look of the carburettor efi. You would seriously struggle to know that its efi at all.
Mine has a TMS weber style kit on. My last car was carburettors and was no where near as easy to start or fuel efficient as this one. The power output was probably similar as well but from a larger engine and an extremely thirsty one as well. The current car on the run to Stonor Park achieved 25mpg, amazing to my mind!
Where the Atomic scores though is by self calibrating. According to the gumph it monitors your engine and your driving and adjusts the efi to suit the car and you. Thats seriously clever if it does what it says on the tin. My car needed to be calibrated on the dyno and then again after installation by rolling road. Thats an expensive day out when you have specialist engineers and rolling road owners to pay! This appears very easy to fit and a simple solution to making your car a lot more user friendly. I suspect a lot of people will be asking for updates on this unit and it's performance.
Definitely worth looking at if you have any issues with your carburattion, want more power or just an easier life.
Heres a pic of my efi, pretty, but an awful lot more trouble to set up. You also need a return feed back to the tank.
(http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt244/ak1023/1408066-1.jpg)
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Definitely agree to Nick's statement.
Just one thing, in theory the MSD works returnless, until today i does in my car but I'm expecting more troubles when I will be in heavy traffic on a hot summer day in the future. My experiance is based on late summer and early autumn days.
The engine bay of the MK IV is quite tight and the headers apply a lot of heat into it. Maybe the fuel will heat up earlier and quicker as it does in larger US vehicles it was tested in.
I will report in the future if i need a return line or not, anyway my tank is prepared for one.
The atomic A/F ratio is not based on a existing fuel map as it is with other systems.
The EFI tries to create the correct A/F ratio according your basic adjustments and sensor inputs in "real time". Those real time measurements are stored in the ECU. So more and more different situations are collected allways, you feel it after a long trip. The engines reaction to the pedal feels smoother and better the more you drive.
My experience up to day, I'll keep you updated.
One drawback: The limitation for the camshaft character, real hot cams don't work with it. It is limited to a max cam duration of 250° at .050 lift.
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We had a perfect weekend the week before and I used it to get some last pictures from the very short 2012 season.
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/crendon_2006/PA212672.jpg)
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/crendon_2006/PA212667.jpg)
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/crendon_2006/PA212679.jpg)
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I have some small update for the Atomic EFI as promised. The Atomic was installed in two cars the same time for the first time.
My one goes with a returnless fuel system. Until now i have more or less 1000 Km with the Atomic with no hassle, fast throttle response and without any variance from the default settings for A/F ratios.
The other car uses a given EFI line installation used with a mass flow setup before.
This car came back from a trip to northern Italy where it went up and down the mountains. The highest point was 2500 Meters, the hole mileage with the Atomic setup is now close to 3000 Km.
This engine is equipped with a cam close to the highest limit MSD allows for this system.
The owner is very enthusiastic about the self learning functions and has absolutely no problems up today. He was playing with the handheld, connected to the extension cable which came with the kit, the whole trip and found out that the setup has a lot of experimental potential even if you can't influence the base fuel maps.
From today's point of view we both don't regret the purchase.
We will keep you updated. If you have specific questions, just ask.
I couldn't resist to post this picture, the "snake" was lying in the trunk as I bought the car, it will stay with it..
The picture was taken during the last Cobra IG event this year. The Cobra IG is the German Cobra Club, the MK IV was not shy to meet all the plastic snakes and some Kirkham cousins.
Uwe
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A late happy new year to you all.
I'm going to rework my front and rear suspension bushes where needed and need some support
First thing I want to get rid off is the noisy, squeeky, rear end. I'm shure that I have read some posts about this noise problem and how to solve it here in the forum but can't find the posts anymore.
What causes the squeek noise at the rear suspension?
Uwe
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Today was my first "Garage"day this year and i started to disassemble the rear suspension. All rubber bushings will be replaced by PU inserts and all rubber covers for the uniballs and damper mounts need to be replaced.
But first i have to dig myself through the thick grease covering everything....
The upper a-arm is out and cleaned, the PU inserts fit quite nice just the inner tubes have to be shortened.
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Dear Uwe,
As already requested, please share your sourcing for those parts, as I plan to do the same myself ... Thanks ! It will be very useful ...
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The PU bushings I use are from Energy Suspension in the US, see:
www.energysuspensionxd.com
The part number for the rear set is : 4.3125G, FRT OR RR CONTROL AR,
The kit contains 16 bushing, enough for 1 car front and rear replacement.
I ordered via Ebay and it took me 5 weeks because they were out of stock, just allow for longer delivery as ebay limits or find them online at race shops in the US like this:
http://performanceparts.com/part/Energy-Suspension/4.3125G?confirmmobile=yes
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Great Uwe (even if the website seems to be down )! How did you manage to find the right parts ?
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here is the new webside:
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=4.3125&PARTNER=Adwords&gclid=CMzbzKC01LQCFYMXzQod0DoAHA
To be honest I found the parts via Google and ordered 2 Sets, may be the would fit by chance.
And they fit, the only difference are the inner metal tubes. The original Metalastic bushes have one metal tube per rubber part.
I will post the numbers of the rubber bushings here as well.
The new ones have one inner metal tube going through two PU parts, it has to be shortened. The supplied parts are 48mm and have to be turned down to 46mm length.
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Ok ... The http://energysuspension.com/ website is working, and I fund the ref you mention... On AC Cobra title ! Great ...
(http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s673/frenchfrie91540/b61c750dad429d6709b8fe57554ac69c_zpsabf1983e.jpg)
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Ooops... You answered in between [;)] !
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If you follow this link you will be connected to a dealer and the parts directly:
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=4.3125&PARTNER=Adwords&gclid=CMzbzKC01LQCFYMXzQod0DoAHA
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By the way, if you need new rod end bearings save some money, they are about 180€ each here in Germany.
The rod end bearings are marked RMC-10U, the following details describe them:
Part Code: RMC-10U
Manufacturer: NEUTRAL
Description
Also known as RM10T, 5/8" x 3/4" UNF Male RH PTFE.
The rod ends and the Dust Caps you can find at different race shops for example here at ISA-Racing in Germany, the part number at the shop are : 6145-1 and RRS 08
http://www.isa-racing.com/product_info.php/info/p5651{145}2073_NMB-Hochfeste-Fahrwerksgelenke--Zollma-e--Au-engew---Rechts.html
http://www.isa-racing.com/product_info.php/info/p11561_Koplettabdeckung-fuer-Zoll-Gelenke.html
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180€ ??? in what way do they differ from "standard" rod ends, as MGB ones for example ?
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The ones for 180€ are race parts made from high-tensile steel, for sure you can get cheeper ones.
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quote:
Originally posted by westcott
The PU bushings I use are from Energy Suspension in the US, see:
www.energysuspensionxd.com
The part number for the rear set is : 4.3125G, FRT OR RR CONTROL AR,
The kit contains 16 bushing, enough for 1 car front and rear replacement.
I ordered via Ebay and it took me 5 weeks because they were out of stock, just allow for longer delivery as ebay limits or find them online at race shops in the US like this:
http://performanceparts.com/part/Energy-Suspension/4.3125G?confirmmobile=yes
Now, also available via Summit:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-4-3125g
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Short update on the Atomic topic. Today I got hold of a used MK IV fuel tank with mounted sender. I did this because I expect some fuel problems with the returnless system sitting in heavy traffic during the upcomming summer.
Even MSD recommends strongly to mount the fuel pump in the tank in their new manual actual available.
So I spend a few Euros and got myself this MK IV tank today. It will be used to create a pickup keeping the pump and filter sock in place and a little sump around the sock. The whole thing must fit into the given sender hole in the tank.
After the modification is done finally it will be easily possible to do the tank or pickup change within a weekend at the end of this season.
That's the plan...
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The rear suspension parts like PU bushings and dust caps are replaced. Pics to follow until end of this week.
I started to disassemble the complete rear suspension without going into the hub assembly because there is no need to do it.
First i removed the lower damper screw then the upper one, you can remove the fully extended complete damper unit without adjusting the spring height.
The supplied bushing kit has 8 tubes going through one pair of PU bushings.
These tubes are a bit too long and need to be turned down.
If not the step washer ( in case of the MK IV a cylindric thick washer)will sit borderline in the outer frame brackets and could jump out if the whole thing is stressed.
The dimension must be 46mm with a negative tolerance about 0.5 mm.
The rear upper a-arms, if fitted with the "inner" 2 PU bushings, have a very tight fit when you mount them back to the frame brackets.
After the a-arm was back in position I added the outer bushings with the inserted tubes, everything coated with petroleum jelly. The inserts can be placed in position through the step washer opening in the frame brackets.
With the long screws you can guide and press the inserts in position easily.
The dust cap for the ball joint was stretched with long needle hosed pliers. The caps are made from neoprene and are very flexible if heated up a bit.
I kept the metal bushings originally glued to the sides of the caps, cleaned them and held them in place by hand during assembly.
Before final assembly i put some moly grease in the caps.
Then the lower tie rods where disassembled, the damaged caps removed,the ball joints checked, cleaned and new caps with grease fitted as before to the upper a-arm.
The half shafts where removed, checked, cleaned, the seals checked and cleaned. The splines where greased, the shafts assembled and mounted back in position.
The uprights are checked for bearing play and wear, cleaned and put back in place.
The Konis are cleaned, checked for leaks and the piston rods checked for scratches or other damage.
They are fine, no leaks, no damages. After a short conversation with Koni they explained that in theire opinion there is no need for a rework until you don't have any leaks.
In case of a rework the dampers need to be sent to Koni for a close inspection, if the piston rod is scratched or damaged it is gainless and a replacement is less cost effective they explained.
Btw, the dampers are not longer available, I found one source in the US offering 2 NOS parts with the correct number for 427 rear suspension. They are are about USD for one!
To be continued....
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The Koni Dampers can be rebuilt in the UK,a couple for places do it. That's whats on my CRS and they were rebuilt.
Grahanm
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Graham, the shops here can do it as well, but Koni explained if the rod is damaged it would be too expensive and gainless. Mine do not show any wear or damage, so I will check the car on a test rig during the summer.
For the PU bushing replacement i promised some pictures:
Here a comparison between original bushings on the left and the PU inserts on the right.
The originals have 1 integrated metal tube per bushing, the PU parts share 1 tube per pair.
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The rear upper wishbone with the bushings, to get the wishbone in place i had to remove the outer bushings and the metal tubes.
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The frame brackets, the outer bushings and the tubes are pushed into the wishbone through the bigger visible step washer holes on the outside brackets.
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Olivier did it with his car and yesterday i checked the wheel alignment of 1106.
I made the same experience according the data availability, under "AC" we found all Cobras and behind them the MK IV and the 428. [:)][:D]
Result after 20 minutes of work:
Front
Castor:
LH before 3°23', LH after 3°07', RH before 3°42', RH after 3°37, set value 3°30'
Camber:
LH before -0°33', LH after -0°31',RH before 0°00', RH after -0°01' set value 0°45'
Toe in:
LH before 0°03', LH after 0°10', RH before 0°11', RH after 0°11', set value 0°10'(total 0°20')
Rear
Camber:
LH before 1°19', LH after -1°14', RH before -0°29', RH after 0°21', set value 0°30'
Toe out:
LH before 0°09', LH after -0°17', RH before 0°23', RH after -0°19', set value -0°15'(total -0°30')
The new values let the car go more easy, accurate and stabil on country roads, the "Autobahn" experience i will made end of next week going to Black Forest Area for a Cobra meeting.
Castor difference is inside todays production cars range, so no reason for me to change it
The camber values front and rear are out of range and i decided to improve this between cw 23 and 25 or end of the season.
Is here some experiance available how much "turns" on the upper a-arm ball joint are how much degrees camber, as a rough guide ?
Uwe
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I don't know how much turns on the upper arm will change the camber but I know the at a 15" wheel, exactly 15 3/8" apart from edge to edge, 1/8" or 3.2mm is 1/2 a degree difference or 6.4 mm foe 1 degree. Easy to measure but only rough calculation. So if the upper edge of the rim is 6.4 mm more in to the center than the bottom edge you have 1° negative camber.
Uwe, you wrote REAR Castor, I think you meant camber.
Cheers
Migge
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Uwe,
I do not know either, even if I was asking the very same question to myself ! But my understanding is that it would be a good idea to change this rod end and put a female one, with a clockwise/anticlockwise rod (sorry, don't know the name in english), that could allow the camber to be set in place without needing removal ! The point is that I'm afraid there's is not enough room to allow the setting, as the present rod end is almost fully screwed in the upper arm, but it would be interesting to try, wouldn't it ?
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Michael,
yep, changed it to camber.
Olivier,
I will count the revs when it is time to adjust the settings and will show the degree changes.
As You said before, it would be nice to have a direct adjustable a-arm but space is limited.
Uwe
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It's blood relationship and they life close together (about 33Km) but met each other the first time at Saturday, last weekend.
The picture of AK 1106 and her younger, Weber powered, brother AK 1240 was taken at "Klassikstadt", a beautiful place for car enthusiasts.
http://www.klassikstadt.com/
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Very Nice , Uwe !
PS: i found the right word in english to name what I was talking about : TURNBUCKLE ! I learn everyday [;)] ...
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Back again with improvements and spare part infos.
Last weekend during a nice tour in Bavaria i faced a problem some of you may had in the past as well.
The steering column became "loose" and felt indifferent because this small rubber part in the foot well broke.
The part itself is called "lower steering column support bushing" or "lower steering column support bushing". My car is a 1985 and use the SD1 column and stalks so the correct rubber thing is a Rover/MG part as well.
It is pressed into a metal bracket screwed to the front of the drivers foot box front wall.
The original rubber piece has the Rover MG number "CRC360", a also available PU tuning part from company Super Flex Polyurthane in the UK has the part number SF2109.
Here are the links from Rimmer Brothers and Super Flex:
http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-CRC360
http://www.superflex.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=SF326-2109
I ordered 2 of every kind and if i consider a 30 years lifetime each I'm prepared for the next 120 years.....[:D]
Will post pics from the repair next week.
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Hi Uwe,
Nice to hear from you again ! I encountered this issue as well, and I wish I had those infos, even if I' m not sure the part is the same, as AK1113 has the newer column... Anyway, as it not the Ford assembly as well (triangular bushing on the ford set up), i made a bushing from a nylon piece (story here : http://www.acownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2808 )... So far, so good !
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Here the promised pics.
First the damaged part and the rover replacement in grey rubber.
After that the blue PU replacements.
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A few month before i did some changes to the interior. After i finished the car with later straight dash i changed two details giving it a "cleaner" look.
I organized used Granada2(was used originally for my MKIV) and Midget handbrake levers, cutted and welded them together to my "special MK IV" lever.
The original shifter and leather shifter boot was replaced by a 289 gear lever with rubber boot and chrome ring.
The ring was located to cover all before used holes for the leather boot and moved a bit to the left.
Every modification is reversible just by screwing on the original parts stored in my garage.
I will definitely keep the 80s look and not change the steering wheel and column stalks.
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9 weeks before i faced a problem with my rear brakes and needed to replace my left rear caliper.
In my early car the Peugeot 505(504,604, Talbot Tagora)rear floating calipers are used.
The Peugeot calipers dosn't differ that much by the years and just the width between the brake pads is different.
Early 505s(551A)had 10mm rotors and later cars(551D) had 12mm rotors, also the mounting of the pad guides/clamps to the caliper bow is a bit different.
The mounting to the upright is completely the same, so all 505(505 Break or Limousine), 504, 604 and Talbot Tagora rear disc brake calipers could be used for the MK IV.
Just keep in mind that the right Peugeot part is used left on the MK IV and vice versa.
They are famous for their handbrake mechanism realized by a 2 piece brake piston with internal adjusting mechanism and a external elbow lever for the handbrake cable.
If the inner part of the piston will stuck in the caliper bore because of damaged piston seals the external parts will be damaged soon by too much force applied to them and need to be replaced.
That would be easy if you could order or buy replacement parts what i tried for 2 month, worldwide.
The parts are unavailable now, don't believe in online offers found in the www, they are all obsolete
After the month I found a right side NOS replacement piston(not caliper) with internal handbrake mechanism via Ebay and installed it. Problem solved for this year
But next year i need to have Geman TÜV approval to get my licence plate for historical cars.
So if in the near future the right hand caliper will stuck and damage the handbrake mechanism, there is no replacement and i need to go a alternative route.
The later cars i think used Scorpio or Sierra floating rear calipers(not Cosworth, they had vented rear disks) and i want to organize a pair of these newer parts available in all kind of quality.
Could someone post pictures of the installed Ford rear calipers?
I need to know if there is a adapter plate used to fix the calipers to the uprights.
Thanks, Uwe
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Uwe,
maybe you can find some Aston Martin DB5 rear brake calipers. I have those in my MK IV without any adapters. I know they are hard to find but maybe you have luck.
Regards, Peter
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Peter,
all sources i checked for original DB5 calipers need exchange parts and are not willing to sell reworked calipers without the exchange parts.
Will check with BG developements for the new aluminum replacement DB5 type calipers.
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Spring is coming and some mods have to be done for the season:
The tank needs a Dash-6 male welded in for the Atomic fuel return line.
I disassembled the seats, rear fire wall and tank, cutted a hole in the tank to weld in the Dash-6 fitting.
The "Frog" will get a oil cooler and thermostat as well and i decided on a 16 row series 6 unit, 52mm deep, 123mm high and 330mm wide.
It is the same unit i used on my Clevelands and on the 433 FE, so it should work.
Pictures of modification, oil lines and installation will follow.
Is the oil cooler on original equipped cars somehow screwed or fixed through the body in the oil cooler opening and can someone post a picture of a original fixation and installation?
I have my own ideas but want to do it in the same way the OEM did it.
Thanks, Uwe
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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by westcott</i>
The "Frog" will get a oil cooler and thermostat as well and i decided on a 16 row series 6 unit, 52mm deep, 123mm high and 330mm wide.
It is the same unit i used on my Clevelands and on the 433 FE, so it should work.
Pictures of modification, oil lines and installation will follow.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That's the assembly i put together for the relocation of the big oil filter. It is parallel to the engine now and a thermostat sandwich plate is fitted between the Ford Motorsport 90° adapter and the engine block.
The shroud was assembled with clecos to get it more easy in place and out if needed untill it fits finally.
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I have to go for TÜV approval in September and want to prepare the car for it.
For every unforseen case i want to store some spares now and need to buy tie rod ends or track rod ends.
What make are the tie rod ends, still modified MG as ist was with the early cars?
My 1985 AK 1106 has the MK 2 coil spring chassis suspension with the round tube wishbones in front not the box section ones.
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Hi Uwe just doing AK 1040 will let you know which parts we used soon as . Neil
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Hi Neil,
perfect, thanks!
We and 1106 are still in Spain, the clutch release bearing starts to make some noise and vibration hopefully it will last for TÜV check end of next week.
The hydraulic clutch pedal adaption was the only quick and dirty solution i put in the car and now after 3 years it s going to remind me about that.
Next week i know if the TÜV engineer found fault with the rod ends...
Uwe
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Hi, I'm looking at a Keith Craft 331/347 for my std MK IV and not sure on carb or EFI, so can I ask you some questions please?
Was the 331 the right choice over the 347 do you think?
Has the MSD Atomic EFI been reliable?
What highway and city mpg or km / litre do you get, now the motor has been well used?
Did you keep the T5 transmission and if so, has that been okay?
What was the final hp and torque?
Are you happy with the change and do you have any further advice?
Many thanks!
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I don't like the 347 because of the oil ring solution in most combinations.
Keith himself did not recommend the 347 for street use because of the possible oil ring problems with some rod/crankshaft combination were the oil ring groove is opened for the piston pin bore.
Until today the engine runs great, good torque from the bottom end, no problems at all. I allways order short blocks and do the assembly by myself after a combination i define a few month before.
I simulated different cam, head and intake options for a very flat torque curve extended by the hp curve.
After years with high reving, high compression Clevelands i decided to go the higher torque route after my last Ford FE built.
If you want more hp at the top end i would recommend to go one or two performance steps up for the camshaft without so much loss of every day drivebility.
But then it needs a little bit higher intake what i wanted to avoid.
The Atomic run great after MSD distributed the final run in process, which is not part of the manual till now.
For real power i have no idea, must be around 300 hp at the rear wheel, i really don't care about because it is enough to keep lighter chevy LT1 engine powered replicas behind me :-)
Fuel consumption i assume around 11-12 liters per 100 km at normal use. The T5 in the MK IV is normally a WC and can cope with the 302/ 331 power.
For me at the moment there is no need to replace the transmission for a tremec tko or other.
I have to get the T5 out because of a defective release bearing. The former owner did not care about the car so mutch and the T5, if out for the bearing replacement, will be given to a friend of mine for a complete check to be ready fof the next 25 years...
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I allways use ARP high quality studs for mains and heads instead of bolts and a oil pump with rotor guide in the bottom plate, the so called race pumps and high quality drive shaft.
My favorite supplier is Precision Oil Pumps in the US.
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Thanks Uwe,
I am pleased to hear the 331 has good low end torque that's what I require, not top end. I presume compression is 10:1 and you are using hyd roller, AFR 185 heads with 2.02/1.6 vales. Also that the T5 is a good plan. Did you keep standard clutch actuation, or modify/hydraulic?
Did you have any problems with vacuum for the brakes? If no problem, the cam must be minimal overlap and in that case, were you happy with the sound at idle?
My only other option is a big project to fit the 427 FE. I have found a 1960s example. But it means footwell modifications, exhaust and heat will be a real problem to solve, not so good around corners and really just using the car for special occasions.
If your prefer you can PM me on my email address on my profile.
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The cam i used is a mild one compared to the cams in my former engines and has the following #:
CompCams 53-514-8
The pic is a screenshot out of my simulation.
It feels like the graph is close to reality:
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quote:
Originally posted by ak1040
Hi Uwe just doing AK 1040 will let you know which parts we used soon as . Neil
Neil,
do you have the specifications / sources for the MK IV tie rod ends available now? I need to replace my parts because of german TÜV approvel soon.
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Back to the transmission topic i asked for in a other thread.
Yesterday i started to investigate a way o disassemble the transmission without pulling the engine.
That's the way i did it:
- loosen the screws at the connection between header and elbow tube to allow some rotation/movement
- drain the transmission fluid
- remove gear lever knob
- disassemble the 4 seat runner screws from the passenger seat (LH drive) to the main frame, move the seat a bit outboard or remove seat to get space for transmission tunnel removal
- remove transmission tunnel srews, pull the handbrake leaver, remove the transmission tunnel, take care of the shifter and brake boot, cut the cable ties inside the boots
- disconnect all electrical connections(2 plugs) and speedo cable from the transmission
- remove the screws from the lower aluminum kick panel behind the seats to get space for drive shaft disassembly
- remove the 4 bolts from drive shaft to differential flange
- remove drive shaft, move it foreward to get some play to diff flange, tilt it to one side and then go rearward passing the side of the diff flange
- support transmission from below
- remove the 2 screws from transmission to the transmission crossmember from below
- remove the 2 bolts from transmission crossmember to main frame
- push out the transmission crossmember to below
- tilt engine and transmission smoothly that the transmission end points down, maybe it is necessary to loose the engine mounts before to allow movement
- remove 4 bolts from transmission to bell housing
- slide out the transmission and support it not to bend the pressure plate arms
Finished, it sounds easy but need the car jacked up or beeing on a ramp with access and room enough to move the transmission below.
It is not so easy to remove the transmission because of the ears comming from the main frame to connect the transmission crossmember.
I had some noise comming from the release bearing together with rattling and vibration if the clutch was not pressed.
The reason for the noise and vibration was a broken spring in the clutch fork. That spring normally keeps the release bearing from vibration.
It broke and slipped off the release bearing cage misaligning the cage a bit at every clutch pedal use.
The release bearing inner bore started to wear irregular and the final result, a bigger, uneven play between the bearing and the pilot tube on the transmission did the rest.
Now the transmission is out and need a pilot tube or release bearing retainer replacement. I will check the internal status of the transmission and rework the bearings, gears and synchro rings if needed.
Pictures to follow.
Hope that helps if someone need to get out the transmission and don't want to pull the engine.
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quote:
Originally posted by ak1040
Hi Uwe just doing AK 1040 will let you know which parts we used soon as . Neil
Thanks Neil, got the parts .
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My car has the later exhaust system comming with the EFI cars now and need some attention.
The exhaust hangers getting brittle and hard, they have to be replaced.
The parts are also used for MASERATI 5000, 3500GT, 3500 VIGNALE SPIDER TOURING,FERRARI 250GT, 275GT, 275, 365, DAYTONA 330, LAMBORGHINI 400GT, ESPADA, JARAMA S, ISLERO or MIURA.
Two of them are needed behind each muffler so 4 are one "car set".
20 hangers are bought via ebay from Maseratisource in the US.
This amount should be enough to service the car as long as I'll able to turn screws.
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Comming back to the brakes topic, i collected some pictures of MK IV brake calipers rear and front. The front one is AP i think, the rear one maybe Ford, both combined with hat/bell and motorsport disk ring.
What is the material of the bell, aluminum or steel?
For the front i have a spare set of original later disks and BMW calipers, everything is fine.
The rear Peugeot units need some tlc, unfortunately the parts are not longer available.
So for the rear calipers i want to change to the units shown in the pictures, they look like Ford Sierra Cosworth calipers.
Who can confirm my assumption ?
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The CRS and Superblower have these and they are Ford Escort(And RS Sierra) RS cosworth items
(http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj101/flyinghorse_lc/rear%20caliper_zpsudyy4ahe.png)
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Thanks for feedback Graham !!
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I tried to get hold of a spare AC badge and found one on a internet platform (not Ebay). Unfortunatelly there was only one...
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Hello all,
I'm back after the winter break and have a new issue to solve.
It is a often discussed one but never finally answered: What radiator fan switch is used in our MK IVs ?
My one let me alone after the first engine start this year and i went hunting for donor car and part.
Finally i ordered a switch which is exactly the same but different number on it.
The MK IV switch is a Otter switch # 5802082
The switch i found with the same dimensions and switching temperatures is out of a MGB from 1979 on with # 6800057A.
Don't forget to order 2 rubber grommets with the switch, one for installation plus one spare part.
Don't reuse the rubber grommet because the radiator is cutting into it forming a good seal during the installation.
Install the grommet first, add some water to the switch and grommet and push it in position by hand.
Everything fits perfectly.
The part can be found for example at www.mgpartsuk.co.uk and other shops.
Here a direct link: https://www.mgpartsuk.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=330_304_243&product_id=5359
Happy motoring, Uwe
Original part and grommet on the right, replacement and grommet on the left.
I put the same info into one of the original thermo switch threads.
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Still working on TÜV preparation but an other issue appeared, the tachometer died finally.
The tachometer is the Autokraft labeled straight dash one, not the standard Smith instrumentation normally used for the T-dash.
According to Andy from Speedy Cables / Smith it is a Steward Warner housing and a Smith movement. With that information on hand i ordered a conversion kit for Smith tachometers to be driven by ignition coil and contacts, ECUs or ignition boxes. The kit is from Spiyda and must be attached to a intact Smith movement only with the electronics removed.
I opened the instrument and found out that the movement or coil of the instrument is still working, so maybe the electronics internally gave up. The Spiyda kit was installed but the calibration by wav file and calibration cable did not work. I opened the t-dash Smith tacho and saw that the movement in the Autokraft labeled instrument looks completely different.
The Spiyda page can be found here:
https://www.spiyda.com/magento/index.php/vehicle-electronics/tachometer-electronics/smiths-rvi-rvc-conversion-external.html
Check the video and documents on the Spiyda page for more information.
I ended up with an order placed at uRevCo in Italy for a new complete internal movement, adjustable directly by push buttons and dip switches. The uRevCo kit will be here in a few days. After the installation i will post some pictures of the tacho rework.
For the uRevCo kit you just keep the housing, the face and the dial or hand. The hand has to be drilled to 1mm inner diameter!
The uRevCo page is that one, some interesting videos are there as well:
https://urevco.com/
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Last week my car had a TUEV date to correct the wrong rear tire size from 225 to 255. That wrong detail in the car papers was uncorrected until last week. The TUEV guy did not see any problem with the 255/50VR16 rear rubber and did the correction quick.
Because I received a "15 inch wheel gift voucher for 2 Acton Cobra Wheels(Trigos)" from my wife I was going to get TUEV approval for a set of 15 inch wheels as well the same day. The voucher was not a official one from Nicks page but based on the prices from Acton Enterprises for his Trigo front wheels.
The TUEV inspector told me that he need to check the real wheels on the car and he is not giving any cent on copies of other car papers. For documentation and his records he copied the Data Forecard from the later owners manual showing the 15" and 16" combinations.
One hour later the TUEV guy also aproved a new alternative wheel and tire set in the car papers allowing 7.5" front wheels with 225/65R 15 or alternative 235/60R15, the bigger one without any rubbing or clearence issues. The entry for the rear shows 9.5Jx15 wheels with 275/55 R15.
The sample set of 15 inch wheels was borrowed from Hobo's blue car and Vintage wheels identified the set as their product.
My car had the bended steering arms from the beginning and absolutely no issue with this specific set of wheels.
The dimensions of the wheel set used are as the following:
Front wheels: 7.5"J15 with 2.75" (~70mm) backspace
Rear wheels: 9.5"J15 with 3.5"(~89mm) backspace
My car has the 86 or later dual exhaust system but with the muffler in the rear fenders removed. The complete installation looks like in the pictures above showing the Ford rear brake calipers.
Actually I'm in discussion with Bob Lacey from Vintage Wheels USA for shipping costs. As soon as he is answering my requests i will order the wheels. Some update with photo documentation will follow as soon as the the wheel and tire combo is with me.
The often discussed cone angle was measured by me with a digital angle metre and identified as 60° on the Autokraft brass spinners, the Autokraft hex nuts and the aluminum Vintage Wheel spinners delivered with the wheel set.
One difference I detected was the length or depth of the spinners in direction to the hub. The Autokraft hex nuts and spinners are between 5 - 7 mm longer on the cone side.
That means the usage of Autokraft spinners or nuts on this specific Vintage front wheel will bottom them out before reaching the cone in the wheel.
That detail will explaine why some guys (in some cases) had to use additional cone rings on their cars using Vintage or Trigo wheels together with Autokraft parts just on the front.
The borrowed wheel set on my car looks not too bad.
Stay tuned for more detailed 15 inch wheel info and measurements in the future.
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looks good, Uwe !
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15" wheels:
In the meantime me and the "frog" made some progress.
The ordered set of 15 inch wheels arrived from Vintage Wheels in the US.
Unfortunatelly they sent me a "Trigo" wheel set instead of the ordered "Vintage" wheel set. The set I ordered is the CSX or Shelby set: http://vintagewheelsus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_71&products_id=575
After a short mail conversation everything was discussed and we agreed that I will keep the delivered set.
Difference between Trigo and Vintage is in the rear wheel where the Vintage wheel has an 3.5" backspace and the Trigo wheel has 3.65".
So the Trigo rear wheel sits 3.8mm more inboard.
Front wheels from both suppliers have 2.75 backspace, no difference.
Trigo front wheels have some free cut inside the wheels to clear bigger disks and calipers.
Vintage is offering an optional rework (welding in some aluminum spacer before the pin drive bores will be done) to adjust the backspace of the Vintage wheel to the original Autokraft 15" backspace if required.
Vintage has a special "Autokraft" set with front BS of 2.5" and a rear BS of 3.5"
See their web page: http://vintagewheelsus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_74&products_id=588
Trigo was not offering such an option.
The new Trigo set even came with "ET" markings on the inside of the wheel, allowing a much easier documentation with German TÜV authorities.
The above mentioned 3.8mm more BS on the Trigo rear wheels does not sound like such a big problem but newertheless all standard MK IV owners with silencers/resonators in the rear wheel arch should be aware of that.
On my car the rear silencers are removed but I had to loosen all exhaust pipe clamps from the front muffler on rearwards. Then rearrange all tubing, move them as much as possible inbord, check the look and tighten all clamps again.
That gave me some 10 to 15 mm clearance (with a Vintage wheel BS) between upper inner tire surface and exhaust loop in the wheel arch.
So maybe the routing of the exhaust tube loop need to be changed or eliminated in the near future with the Trigos BS.
Spinner investigation on 15" wheels:
After receiving the wheels I started a clamping investigation with 7.5 inch front wheels from Trigo and Vintage using Autokraft hex nuts and Autokraft winged spinners.
Both wheels did not clamp between the Autokraft hex/ three ear spinners and the hub.
Reason is:
A: the hubs thread is 4 mm too long(or in this specific case the wheel clamping width in the center is 3mm too short) to allow clamping without bottoming out the Autokraft spinners.
B: the outer diameter of the AC 16" wheel cone is some 3mm smaller because of the steps or free cuts done to the wheels.
That will position the Autokraft spinner more "inside" the aftermarked wheel cones and the arms will interfere before the cones will have a tight fit. In case of the hex nuts the small flange will be too close to the wheels centers, no more safety wiring.
To solve that problem I had different possibilities:
1: I ordered a set of stainless spinners from Cobraracing, Torrance Ca
They are shorter and have a free cut directly at the inboard base of the three wings. They fit the new Trigos.
2: add some 3mm free cut on the original supplied Autocraft spinners at the wing or arm base and shorten them 3mm at the end of the cone. Now they fit on the new 15" Trigos
Without free cut the Autokraft spinner arms will interfere with the center of the 15" wheels and the cones will in most cases not come together.
Without shortening the spinners or hex nuts will bottom out on the front hub and not clamp.
The use of Autokraft hex nuts would need some rework on the wheels. The center of the front wheels needs to be turned down to allow usage of the hex nuts with the Trigos or Vintage Wheels.
Autokraft 16" wheels with spinners or hex nuts:
All Autokraft 16" wheels i saw using winged spinners instaed of the hex ones from the beginning had some more or less flatter turned down centers arround the spinners to avoid interference with the spinner arms.
All 16" wheels I saw, using the hex nuts from the beginning and not prepared for spinner use had a small vertical step arround the center to allow safety wiring. Without that small step the hex nut flange with bores for safety wiring would sit too close to the wheel center and the safety wire would not be feasible between the parts.
Conclusion:
1. Autokraft winged spinners used on Autokraft hex nut wheels will sit too close to the 16" Autokraft wheel center and sometimes they have interference with the wheels.
2. Autokraft hex nuts will fit every 16" Autokraft wheel
3. All 16" Autokraft wheels delivered solely with hex nuts need some machining to avoid binding or close to binding situation of the spinner arms.
4. Autokraft Spinners need to get a free cut at the spinner arm base and need to be shortened by 3mm as well if used with 15" aftermarked wheels
I'm waiting to assemble my rear suspension (the reengineered drive flanges are still out for plating) to check final fitment of the 15" combination front and rear and to leave some feedback with more details here.
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A shame the pictures were lost on this (and most) threads.
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Last Summer the rear wheel bearings needed replacement. I realized a more and more worse roadholding in curves and turnes.
After a quick check of the rear suspension I found more then 10mm endplay at the outer diameter of the wheels.
So the rear uprights were disassembled from the car and the internals checked.
- the thin adjustment shims were eaten up more or less completely on the right and not so much better on the left
- outer wheel bearings run a little rough after cleaning
- radial oil seals were all bad
- one hub was worn out at the seat of the inner race of the inner wheel bearing because of too much endplay over a long time and the race become loose
- both drive flanges had some surface wear where it is normally pressed to the inner bearing inner race
At the end it looked like the disappearing material of the drive flange coused some endplay. This resulted in bigger endplay which destroyed the shims and the metal debris caused the inner bearing wear.
After getting all the necessary parts from the www and most of them from Gerry at Hawk Cars I started the rework.
First the drive flanges got a sleave to increase the mating surface which is in contact with the innerer bearing. The complete thing was shrinked and pressed together and then plated.
The inner imperial oil seals are replaced by easier to come by standard parts from higher quality, to fit them into the assembly adapter rings from aluminum were made and pressed in position.
The inner, more and more hard to get, bearings were replaced by alternative parts with same diameters but a bit different depth also from Timken. Actually the original inner Timken bearings are about 400 € each and still getting more expensive.
The distance piece between the inner and outer bearing with additional shims was replaced by a one piece part from hard steel,,individually machined for each side.
Each distance part was set up to 2/1000 inch endplay for road driving.
All the adjustment work was done with the worn hub, because it was easier to slide the bearings on it without a press.
After a lot of calls with Gerry and Alan the final adjustment was done and the worn hub will be a dummy setup part for all future rear bearing endplay work. Its kind of a expensive special tool.. :-)
After installation the car was completely different in roadholding and ready for a trip to Italy, ok it went to Italy by trailer but had some nice 600 km Italien roads to discover by itself.
Before the trip 15 inch Trigo wheels, directly ordered in the US, and Avon tires were fitted rear and Pirellis front. With some necessary work on the original Autokraft brass spinners to make them fit without the common problems often posted here all was fine and an improvement for the overall look.
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To use the Autokraft spinners with the Trigo wheels the spinners were shortened by 3.5mm on the wheel side and a 4 -5 mm radiused free cut was needed at the base of the arms to avoid binding between arm and wheel before the cone is seated.
This is because of the different length and diameter of the cones inside the Trigo and Autokraft wheels.
If you don't want to free cut the spinners you have to turn down the outer side of the trigo center of about the same 3-4 mm. But you still need to shorten the spinners.
If you don't want to shorten the spinners you need to order the aluminum aftermarket spinners with the trigos or get stainless spinners from Thomas at Cobraracing,Torrance, California.
Both spinners are shorter and allow the mounting of Trigos without the often mentioned adapter cone rings, especially to the front hubs of the MK IV because they are longer in the cylindric area between hub flange and thread.
The pictures show the shortened Autokraft spinner with needed free cut alone and assembled plus at the end the stainless steel unpolished spinners from Thomas Petrus.
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The 15" Trigos with Pirellis front and Avons rear
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Very nice, maybe a little lower would be prefect. I think the Trigos very similar to the Hawk/Autokraft originals and right now, the only option. You will see my car uses 65 profile tyres (Avon 225/65/15) in the front and with no rubbing, although this depends on offset. Plus you get more front ground clearance. These are the same diameter as the 275/55/15 rears.
How do you find the mirrors? I tried every round unit under the sun, but found the original units the only ones that work in every situation, including when opening the doors with sidescreens fitted.
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Vintage Wheels is an alternative, I think Vintage also supplies the wheels to Redline for their actual MK IV 15" sets.
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Some update...
I lost a bit the way of originality and modified my steering column, steering wheel and the heater system switches.
Sorry for that :o
My car had the Rover SD1 steering column but I changed to the Ford unit during my rework as I got hold of a "Lightweight" straight dash out of an AKL.
After some years of driving it I started to hate the steering column plastic parts and Mercedes Benz heater switches. ;D
Beginning this year I had an idea how to modify the column, sterring wheel and heater controls to something in between.
The intention behind was not to cut or modify the instrument panel but have a more cleaner and higher quality look.
So a spare SD1 column was ordered via Rimmer Brothers and some rough layout activities began.
At the end the column spindle was just moved a little bit inside the column tube, a small adapter tube was welded to the upper end of the tube and a VW indicator switch unit with integrated steering lock was installed.
The matching steering wheel boss was machined by Moto Lita UK. Joe Kaluza will still hate me for all the questions, answers and mails we exchanged for weeks. :)
After a package test build the old VW unit was exchanged for a NOS one and the result looks not too bad.
To do a new 60s like instrument panel with glove box and cut outs would have been much easier but I still don't want to to turn my MK IV into a pseudo 60s fake.
The bowden cable for temperature regulation was blocked at the heater unit to "hot" and all Mercedes Benz controls were removed.
The holes in the dash are covered by 2 adapter plates with integrated switches and a rotating MG B heater control.
Whats your opinion on the changes, is it some improvement in look or is it just ugly?
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I changed steering wheel, steering column, column switches and heater controls. The 15" split rim steering wheel wood is more brown in reality, maybe I have to do some more realistic pictures and replace the actual ones.
The MG B air distribution control was updated by me with an chromed bezel to match the small gauges.
For the wiper, wash and heater motor functions I installed Lucas switches.
The wiper and heater motor switches are mounted to the dash via circular stainless steel adapter plates covered with the same leather as the instrument panel.
Behind all 3 openings I had to remove the U shaped brackets riveted to the dash, normally keeping the Mercedes Benz controls in place.
Everything works.
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The column switch and locking unit fits (more or less) inside the original dash cutout
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That was the first rough layout to see if the VW lock,housing and SD1 spindle would line line up somehow.
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Lots of great work and inspiration here.
Love the post...
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Lots of great work and inspiration here.
Love the post...
Thx Jeff,
I try to share technical details and infos about our cars and some of my modifications with other owners.
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Uwe,
Do you have some more details on this - the parts you used?
Thanks
M
During the last few weeks I installed the exhaust system with two catalytic absorbers and the 4 silencers normally included in a MK IV with dual rear exhaust.
The clutch system is changed to hydraulic actuation by the following steps.
1. Installing a CNC Inc. slave cylinder with bracket to the side of the T5
2. Replace the cable clutch pedal by a pedal from a 90s Mondeo
3. Installed a 3/4 inch Girling master cylinder with integrated tank, extended/replaced the Girling push rod by a Ford Transid pushrod mounted to the original position.
The cutouts and holes for the cylinder are prepared by the company in the front metal reinforcement inside the drivers footbox. I just had to drill the GRP of the foot boxes
4. Used Dash 4 reusable aluminum fittings for brake or clutch lines and stainless braided teflon tube
All fits together but it s still not filled with fluid, a travel stop for the pedal has to be made too.
All the clutch system changes are done by clipping or screwing parts together. Fabrication is needed for the travel stop and eventually the pushrod.
I'll keep you updated.
Westcott
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Today the situation is a bit different. I collected a different slave and master combination for more piston travel, the pedal is still the same.
The update will be done during the winter.
I will check for part numbers and other details next week as soon as I'm back from Turino.
Uwe
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Thanks Uwe - let me know - we can do it in parallel!
M
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It's been a long time without an update but now the last parts of the frog have been revised.
Last year we visited the ECM in Inzell and while driving up to the Großklockner we heard familiar noises coming from the rear drive train.
The drive shaft on the left side has always had a bit of play, but the many curves and uphill climbs have made the situation worse.
In the evening, water stains could also be seen under the radiator in the hotel's underground car park. So: drive shafts and the radiator need to be reworked.
The drive shafts were manufactured by the Welte company in Hockenheim. The result is perfect.
The universal joints were replaced with reinforced joints and the splined shaft parts were completely rebuilt. Waiting time was a week with regular updates by email.
To remove the drive shafts, I always remove the upper wishbones from the axle support. The rubber sleeve of the universal joint usually needs to be replaced. We'll get to that later.
Here we have the new drive shafts ready for assembly:
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Let's move on to installing the rubber sleeve and the spacers on the side of the universal joint. Here I have developed 3 extremely expensive special tools that save me time and money. But you know good tools come at a price.
The first two extremely expensive special tools were made from a cleaning rag. Both strips are inserted through the smaller opening at the front, one comes out at each side opening of the rubber.
Now the universal joint is greased and the two strips are each gripped with one hand, thereby expanding the rubber. When the expansion is greatest, the rubber with the two strips is then lifted under tension over the universal joint. Twist 90 degrees and you're done. 1 minute work without damaging the rubber.
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The next extremely expensive special tool helps to replace 2 additional hands when the spacer bushes are positioned on the left and right of the universal joint and everything is to be mounted together in the upright.
A 16mm ABS round material is slotted lengthwise in the middle with the saw to make the diameter resilient.
Then it is filed with a file into a polygon (almost round) that can clamp the bushings and can be mounted through the u jount with a little pressure.
Then the pin is pressed through the U-joint and the bushings are mounted on both sides without damaging the rubber. Be careful not to crush the rubber between the bushings and U-joint.
Then mount the upper wishbone end in the upright, position it and press out the pin with the screw.
Done, no damage to the rubber and a lot of nerves saved.
Here you can see the ABS pin with the clamping spacer bushes that have been pushed on as a test
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The next to do is the radiator. The 5-row radiator mesh was completely replaced by a mesh in which the water-carrying tubes are not in direct alignment behind each other but are always offset. This means that cooling air flows directly on to all the tubes from the side, which increases effectiveness.
In addition, the fan switch installation was changed from the pushed in solution with a plastic bayonet to a current commercially available screw solution in order to be able to use many possible M22x 1.5 mm switches with different temperature ranges.
Fan switch is now a normal M22 x 1.5 single stage. Switching points are 85 -75°C
Note the detail work by the radiator company, they masked the Serck plate before painting. 8)