[Shop-talk] Frozen sway-bar slider

[old dirtbeard]

Hi Phil,

Your Cat 1700 sounds like a wonderful car. I think they were about 135HP if
I recollect correctly. Do you think the LSD helps traction significantly?

I always thought that with under 150 BHP an LSD probably was not much of an
advantage, just additional maintenance, but it sounds like you think it is
beneficial.

I just rebuilt the rear axle and pumpkin on my '56 Lotus Eleven and decided
against an LSD at the time and you have me wondering whether I missed an
opportunity. I have a Climax FWE at only 110 BHP and the car only
weighs 950 lbs, so it is significantly less powerful and probably lighter
than your Seven. Just curious if you had yours with an open diff before
going LSD.

I'm not racing it currently, just doing the canyons here in SoCal with
"exuberance."
[image: PXL_20240915_220640034.jpg][image: PXL_20240915_215013737.jpg]

On Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 9:30 PM Philip Ethier <pethier7 at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> On Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 6:36 PM Thomas Coradeschi <tjcora at icloud.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I think heat is gunna be your friend.
>>
>
> I didn't have to resort to the blue flame.  The slider block finally came
> loose with liberal application of Kroil and 1100-degree-F air from a heat
> gun followed by a twist with a pair of vise-grips.  Ran a half-inch reamer
> through the block. Polished all the corrosion off the sway bar with a
> sandpaper strip and eery cloth.  Block is 20mm long.  Used one block to put
> saw marks 20mm apart on each bar arm on both the inside and outside to
> serve as guides to settings.  I set the bar two notches up (40mm plus saw
> kerfs). Cat is much-more neutral now.  Front tires are sharing with each
> other better with car rolling less.  Plate-style LSD is preventing
> wheelspin.  This has transformed the handling, There is much more overall
> grip.  I can provoke both understeer and oversteer now.  May try one more
> notch at next weekend's autocrosses.  I did have to put a little more bend
> in the endlinks to allow one more notch.   They are factory-bent to clear
> the DeDion tube.
>
> Took out the lateral drift on the brackets with slit PEX pieces held in
> place with hose clamps. Clicky noise is gone.
> Phil Ethier
> 1991 Caterham 1700 Super Sprint
>
>
>
>>
>> On Sep 16, 2024, at 2:02 PM, Philip Ethier <pethier7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Saturday I ran a small-lot autocross at a dragstrip near Rock Falls
>> Wisconsin.  My Caterham was pushing a bit and I had trouble staying in the
>> power band in second gear.
>>
>> Also, there is a light clicky sound when I drive over bumps on the street.
>>
>> The click is probably the rear sway-bar moving sideways and hitting the
>> hose clamps that locate it in its aluminum-block brackets.  First shot at
>> quieting it is to put in a couple of cable ties between the clamps and the
>> blocks.  If that does not do it I will slit some PEX.
>>
>> Next, adjust the rear bar stiffer.  Problem:  I have removed all the
>> fasteners and the blocks will not move.  The Heim joints pulled out OK.  I
>> swung the bar down.  It moves very easily.  I shot the blocks with Kroil,
>> smacked them with a wrench and stopped for lunch. At least if I need to use
>> heat, the part is far from anything to damage.
>>
>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54000198064
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Shop-talk at autox.team.net
>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
>> Suggested annual donation $12.96
>> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk
>> http://autox.team.net/archive
>>
>> Unsubscribe/Manage:
>> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/tjcora@icloud.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Shop-talk at autox.team.net
>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
>> Suggested annual donation  $12.96
>> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk
>> http://autox.team.net/archive
>>
>> Unsubscribe/Manage:
>> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/pethier7@gmail.com
>>
>>
>
> --
> Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
> _______________________________________________
>
> Shop-talk at autox.team.net
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Suggested annual donation  $12.96
> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk
> http://autox.team.net/archive
>
> Unsubscribe/Manage:
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/dirtbeard@gmail.com
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk/attachments/20240917/fdb0701f/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: PXL_20240915_215013737.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1388871 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk/attachments/20240917/fdb0701f/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: PXL_20240915_220640034.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1409738 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk/attachments/20240917/fdb0701f/attachment-0003.jpg>