Messages

196

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Winchester stub axles - UPDATE and Questions!!!

« on: October 08, 2013, 08:30:07 »

Just to add to my original posting,why not upgrade to a MKI Cobra rear setup,
   After all Thames Ditton went through all this years ago and their answer was a redesign utilising a much improved taper roller setup.
   
   I guess maybe you have to retain the rear drum brakes for your racing series?
   
   Just a thought!

197

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Winchester stub axles - UPDATE and Questions!!!

« on: October 08, 2013, 08:19:17 »

Hi Rob,
   
   I also purchased a pair of these stub axles last year for a 2.6 Ace I'm building. Upon receiving the axles I was also unimpressed by the roll played by the use of the (very loose) retaining bolt and spring washer as designed. After I read your initial findings, which confirmed my fears I returned the axles to Nigel so he could get a new pair made up that incorporated the threaded section of the originals. Last week after several months of waiting the new shafts arrived! These now have a 3/4''UNF male thread with a split pinned castle nut similar to the original 3/4'' BSF setup.
   
   However,while these new hubs will unquestionably be able to handle more torque than the original taper and key design the setting of the hub position and bearing preload still remains absolutely critical.
   
   The hub depth and preload in the new design is set by the use of a thick splined washer that locates on a very small shoulder at the base of the splines. My feeling is that this is the  week link in this area and maybe where your problems stem from. Possibly when your hubs have loosened in the past it has caused these washers to fret on the axles and so increase the clearance. This increased clearance could be enough to unload the bearings leading to slight axial movement, which in short order would cause an outer wheel bearing failure.
   
   Another factor is that of the outer wheel bearings, the original type not having been available for some years. The current bearings have fewer balls and irrespective of the loading specifications from the bearing manufacturers there has to be some ''real world'' difference here. A possible upgrade here would be the use of angular contact bearings but I suspect a suitable replacement with the same dimensions may not be available.
   
   Overall I think that Nigel's new axles are a step in the right direction and probably fine for normal road usage but are as yet marginal in racing applications due to the increased cornering/grip loadings. I guess that for now at least Nigel's customers will remain his R&D department!
   
   All the best
   Luke.
   
   PS. Did you solve your door lock issues?

198

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / BE 646

« on: August 14, 2013, 11:49:20 »

The cutout is for the clock and trip meter resets. However, from your earlier postings it looks like your speedo and tacho are from a series 1  Jaguar E type so I guess the cutout is now redundant.

199

General Forum / Cast iron welding

« on: June 19, 2013, 19:09:14 »

Slinden look like they can offer exactly what you need welding wise.
   Just be aware that  some machining/refacing may well be needed after welding.

200

General Forum / Cast iron welding

« on: June 19, 2013, 18:04:06 »

Hi,
   
   I would not recommend having your manifold welded. Specialist cast iron welders are very hard to find and even then there are problems with distortion due to the high preheating temperatures required. If anyone offers you a plain arc welded or tig welded repair walk away, unless you want to have more cracks than you started with (don't ask me how I know).
   
   Occasionally an effective repair can be made by gas or tig brazing but this can also be problematic due to the casting having undergone many heat cycles and become semi porous.
   
   Possibly the most effective solution is metal stitching but it does depend on the location of the crack.
   
   Good luck with whatever method you choose.
   
   Regards Luke.

201

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Soft top bracket.

« on: June 05, 2013, 20:20:58 »

Hello,
   
   Cris Glover at Brasscraft should be able to help.
   http://www.brasscraft.co.uk
   
   Regards Luke.

202

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / ACECA in the Mille Miglia

« on: May 28, 2013, 22:32:21 »

Congratulations Alfred!
   
   I'm glad everything went according to plan.
   
   Maybe we can get your windscreen wipers working better for next time,
   I see this years event was quite wet. []
   
   Regards,
   Luke.

203

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / ignition distributor

« on: March 27, 2013, 11:35:04 »

Hello Alfred,
   
   If you send me an email using the contact in my user profile, I should be able to help you find what your looking for.
   
   Regards Luke.

204

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Ace/Aceca over riders

« on: March 04, 2013, 19:37:44 »

Just out of interest are Gerry's over riders cast or pressed like the originals?
   
   Luke.

205

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Arrowhead Pointers?

« on: February 19, 2013, 08:12:15 »

Their company addresses and postcodes are both listed as Speedy Cables.
   
   Luke.

206

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Arrowhead Pointers?

« on: February 18, 2013, 22:58:47 »

Tim/Barry,
   Isn't Caerbont just another arm of Speedy cables?
   
   Regards
   Luke.

207

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / ACECA Door Latches - PLEASE HELP!

« on: January 07, 2013, 20:39:25 »

Hello all,
   It is not all that difficult to repair these locks. As Robin pointed out the strikers are available from various sources and there are also some listed on the owners club spares list, this therefore takes care of half of the problem. The rest of the wear usually is due to the star/gearwheel becoming loose on the shaft and also wear on the shaft and bushing, leading to slop. The star wheel itself is case hardened and does not usually suffer from wear, this is likely because the striker unit is only made from much softer pot metal.
   
   If you clean and examine the lock you will find that they have a very simple mechanism. It is of course important to check for broken return springs and lubricate the pivot points. Most car door locks require occasional lubrication and often suffer from neglect, until they stop working correctly, after all even the youngest Aceca locks are now fifty years old.
   
   If you have access to a lathe and mill it is possible to make up a new shaft that is oversize
   in the diameter where it passes through the steel bushing and in doing so take up the wear.
   
   The following link on Flickr shows the disassembly process and components.
   http://www.flickr.com/photos/48703027@N06/sets/72157632463614650/
   
   Hope this helps keep your doors on! []
   Regards Luke.

208

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Weather etc. protection

« on: November 29, 2012, 22:04:08 »

Some of the original body framework tubes I've seen didn't even get a quick blow over!
   I haven't seen any Kirkham panels thicker than 16 gauge but they sure are as hard as a battleship.[]

209

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Weather etc. protection

« on: November 29, 2012, 07:35:43 »

After 20 odd years of building and repairing aluminum bodied cars I now recommend the following underbody protection to my customers.
   
   firstly seal all wire edge seams with a very thin bead of 3M drip chek sealer ( you can use others but most are a pain to remove if the panel ever needs repair or welding).
   
   Apply terotex 2000 to all wheel arch areas with a shutz gun. This coating is not bitumen based and therefore remains slightly elastic, which stops cracking and impact denting. The grade of ali that Kirkham use for their bodies is so hard (way harder than that used on original AC bodies) that unless you are contemplating serious off roading no further protection is needed.
   
   Lastly for the underfloor areas I would use a mist spray of Dinitrol 485. This is a clear protection wax that has a tack free surface. The Dinitrol 4941 that you have used is a heavy black coating that is more suited to modern cars that require heavy salt protection.
   
   All the best with your project.
   Luke

210

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Ace Dashboard Questions

« on: November 28, 2012, 06:47:25 »

I've just measured the threaded portion of a 31568E switch and it is 3/4" long. This is mounted through the Ace dash with a thin nut and large washer part way down the thread  behind the dash and the chrome nut clamping from the front.
   
   Aces and Acecas both had leather covered dashboards. The only original unrestored Cobra dashboard I have seen was from CSX2289 and this was covered in thin fine grained black leather as was the glovebox door.
   
   Regards,
   Luke.