Agreed - good feedback. Now try 12" rotors! This set up does require
constant maintenance, but we all do that anyway, don't we......?
The original nuts are of poor quality, the "D" washers are variable. I would
think a 1/2" UNF thread on the stub axle plus an ARP quality washer & good
nut would do the trick. Look at the diff nose: 5/8" UNF with the same size
shims,at huge torque, which chew up at 0.003" quite fast. The answer is to
eliminate the shims , then apply large torque to the spindle nut.
ALSO! Fit new drums & shoes - the TR brakes can't compensate for wear in
the drums. Sedan or Stag brakes can.
Two shillings worth
JW CR #40
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack W. Drews" <vinttr4@geneseo.net>
To: <FOT@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 1:54 PM
Subject: Spacers and spindles report
> Well, we gave the spacers a very very hard workout this weekend.
>
> We had them in three cars, my TR4, Tony's TR4, and Jim Hill's TR6 at Road
> America. All three cars have Southwick aluminum hubs.
>
> Jim was more than pleased with the improvement. He told me that they
> virtually eliminated his brake pedal problem. Tony and I raced each other
> very hard all weekend and they continued to work fine.
>
> Here's a little more detailed report:
>
> We find that if we set them up with zero clearance, that by the end of the
> session the clearance will range from zero to .001 - .002 clearance. After
> the hubs cool down, they are back to the original clearance. We don't know
> why the clearance increases with use and heat. It would seem that the
> expanding aluminum hub would tighten the bearings, but this is not the
> case. We like to run them at zero because then the pedal problem is at its
> minimum. Remember, this is not a total cure but it is a significant enough
> improvement that pumping the pedal is not mandatory.
>
> Tony did have a failure that was pretty interesting and potentially
> exciting. His car started acting squirrely and the left front bearing
> adjustment was very loose. He found that the nut on the spindle had
> stripped, but the cotter was still in place. Of course the caliper keeps
> the wheel on too. That car has been a racer "all its life" and we figure
> that the nuts may be original, and have been taken off and on who knows
how
> many times. Also Tony cranked the nut down pretty tight a couple of times,
> to seat the races and to get the cotter in. We think that the spacers had
> nothing to do with this. I've noticed in the past, before this whole
> project, that when I tighten the spindle nuts initially to confirm that
the
> bearing races are seated, the nuts seem to deform a little bit and are a
> little harder to unscrew. Our bet is that the original spindle nuts are
> made from very low quality steel.
>
> Considering all this, we continue to think the spacer addition is a
genuine
> improvement, and that Mark's policy that our 40 year old parts should be
> replaced with new spindles, hardened washers, and high quality nuts.
>
>
> uncle jack
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