vintage-race
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Loosing a Wheel, Part III

To: Jari Tabell <jari.tabell@pp.inet.fi>
Subject: Re: Loosing a Wheel, Part III
From: lwdent <lwdent@fwi.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 11:42:14 -0500
Make sure you have not replaced the rubber bushings with delron or some
other very hard material that has no deflection.

While zero deflection is desirable in racing suspensions, the Spitfire
rear articulation is such that very high stress is placed on the diff
housing and the hubs if the soft bushings in the spring eyes and
elsewhere are replaced.

The arc of the spring binds with the arc of the axles and the loads are
enough to actually break the diff housing.

We used a ball heim joint in the spring eye many years ago to get better
rear location and still allow for the conflicting arks so as not to bind
and cause things to break.  That was in a GT 4 but the rear is the same.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Larry Dent

PS  All the SCCA racers have gone to a zero roll rear suspension that
completely changes the rear to a formula V type suspension with bell
cranks, push rods and a single spring/shock mounted horizontally in the
trunk just above the diff.  SCCA allows BIG changes like that these
days.  Bad shit.  High dollar for club racing.

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>