AWD E36 BMW

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

After doing the Trans in the Tonner I decided to have a few days off, I’m fighting a cold after being in pox ridden Melbourne for a day and it’s Bathurst weekend, I stocked up on munchies during the week so all good..

Noticed the other night the BBQ was almost out of gas so took the bottle down to the shed to refill it from the house tank, all good while I was there I had a fiddle with the sway bar and to look at how I’ll mount it.

While doing that I cycled the suspension through its full range of travel, BZZZZ massive bump steer, WTF.. how could I have gotten it so wrong, when I designed it I had 0..

Stood looking at it resisting the urge to get the Plasma Cutter out and scrap it, had a thought, when I fitted the new rod ends to the steering arms the other day for some reason only my brain can explain and it refuses I mounted them on top of the steering arms..

Swapped them to underneath and we’re back to 0, whoo hoo, while I was there I dug out my old smaller adjustable rear sway bar and modded the lateral locks from the bigger non adjustable bar to suit, also cut down a set of links to work on the front.

Nice day off…

 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Had a Nana nap on the couch this Arvo, woke up and thought I’m bored and this is a waste of a day so the wheels fell off the rest day…

Sway bar is mounted, I cleaned up their work as best I could, I think they flanged and drilled the ends with their eyes shut…

 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Had to shoot into the village for milk, on the way back I hit the private road high speed test track to see what the Tonner is doing, 180+ smooth as silk so pretty happy with the new Trans!

[sands vsParticipant vs commodore View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 619]

180k milk run as you do

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Looking good mate, good progress.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Getting there slowly 

—————————–

Finished up some detail work on the sway bar this morning then made a start on the steering.. didn’t have enough parts here to do it so did a trip to Melbourne, think I have the bits I need, will get back to it tomorrow.

 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

And home again, after yet another false start on the steering shafts I found reusing the Holden shafts wasn’t going to be as easy or worthwhile as I thought..

There’s a big rubber boot that hides a bigger diameter section of shaft, I haven’t paid much attention to this in the past so while I was cutting down one of the shafts I had a good look.

Turns out it’s an isolator, doesn’t make much sense leaving it in place when you’re trying to build a fast direct steering system, as it’s part of the upper universal joint it’s not that easy to delete..

So another Melbourne trip for parts, grabbed some uni’s and a couple of bearings, returned the 2 couplers I no longer need so should be good to go for plan C tomorrow..

 

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Sounds like another improvement/development from the Lexcen, nice.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Yep, doing it this way means I’m making a lot more of the parts but it’ll be an improvement so worth the effort..

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Still going to run the steering shaft multiplier?

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

For sure Gary, can’t find a fast rack at an affordable price so this is a good alternative..

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Been down the Shed “fiddling” pulled apart the steering uni joints so I can weld them to the shafts without killing the bearings and seals, still trying to work out a way of making one of the joints so I can disassemble it to make the bearing removable…

Open to suggestions, it’s a 19mm shaft into a 19mm hole, needs to come apart but not turn in use, so far I’ve considered a close fit on the shaft then drill and tap a 6mm hole through both shafts, just not sure if I trust a single 6mm to do the job.

An alternative would be to use an 8mm bolt but then the 19mm shaft is getting thin, one saving grace would be it’s inside a 19mm hole so it can’t actually deform and fatigue.

I don’t want to use Grub screws with locknuts as they do wear/loosen in use, another option I considered is drilling and tapping into the end of the shaft between both parts and using a 6mm grub screw and bit like how some blower kits pin the pully to the crank.

Downside here is you have to disassemble the Uni Joint to get to the grubscrew, not a huge issue as I guess if it’s bearing time a bit of extra work isn’t a big deal..

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

I wouldn’t drill straight through the shafts.  Splines are best, but that’s probably not an option.  Is there something on another car you can cannibalize?

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Yeah same thoughts here Gary. can’t really find anything to use but I’ve Settled on pinning the shafts so a quick trip to Bendigo to grab some M6x15mm long grub screws and a fresh bottom tap, the concept is to use some 20mm bright steel shaft I have here, turn the end for the Bearing and Uni joint then press it together and drill and tap in two places per the pic then weld the coupler on the other end that has the splines for the steering quickener.

 

[cava454Moderator 93 VR BT1 View build HERE Member since: February 20, 2015 Posts: 2 390]

Was going to suggest pinning it like one would do to a balancer. With a blower. Or is there a way to do a key way?

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

I don’t have the gear to cut internal keyways so pinning it will do, I’ll use grub screws instead of pins so it holds the shaft in place but is easily disassembled..

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Yea nice solution.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

And home from Melbourne…

In an effort to correct anything I see as less than ideal in the Lexcen parts I’m reusing I decided to address the steering column and steering quickener…

I knew it had a bit of runout between the components and this in turn makes it a bit “cruise control” as it binds a little here and there, not ideal but as the handling was so bad I lived with it..

I spent a few hours this morning attempting to remove the runout and had it what I thought should have been near enough, still bound up when turning the shafts by hand, probably wouldn’t have noticed it with a steering wheel on but my OCD kicked in and I want it right..

I had stripped down a spare column in case I needed to start from scratch but really thought I could save it bzzzz, Craig was in the area and dropped in for a visit so we put our brains together (need a few more people to get a full functional one) and went back to the Lathe and the dial indicator..

No joy, broke out the porter power and tried some more, bzzz fail, as Craig uses the same setup he’s been chasing this same issue for a long time, I think we actually made it worse, after some thought and discussion I decided to start from scratch but we did identify the factors that lead to the fail..

I came up with an alternative solution but needed more parts, hence the Melbourne run, on a bright note they weren’t expensive and it was a nice day for a drive… Up until the run back in peak hour traffic, I don’t know how people do this shit daily, I’d lose the will to live…

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Success, it’s kicked my arse the last few days and today wasn’t looking any better…

The “problem” is standard these couplers come with a single grub screw and as there’s play in the splines it’ll push the shaft off centre and if everything is solid mounted the steering becomes quite notchy, also the grub screw wears and you get play at the steering wheel..

I thought I was being clever after seeing how others had modded the coupler so I did a slot and a pinch bolt as in the pic, bzzzz as you tighten the pinch bolt it pulls the coupler off centre again…

Came up with the idea of using 3x grubs, machined up a new end for the tube welded it then machined it on centre, pressed the coupler on then did 3x rosette welds, bit of tweaking to get it all true.

Also managed to whack my dodgy thumb again, grrr hopefully I don’t lose the 3/4 new nail.. (did go full blown Tourette’s)

Turning the steering shaft by hand there’s a bit of drag so I was stressing a bit, chucked a steering wheel on, mmm smooth and nice so it’s done, yaay now on to the rest of the shafts.

 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Working on an observation made by Craig on Friday I went down to the shed for a fiddle, the car had a bit more lock one way than the other, bit hard to tell as it has a bit of Ackerman happening and I “may” have borked a measurement here or there..

Turns out I just needed to tweak the Tie Rod ends a touch and it’s now equal both sides, good to catch now before finishing the car and finding it turns one way better…

Moral of the story it always helps having another set of eyes to look over what you’ve done!

[Author]

Posts