White 340 1.7 Martini

[andrew]

Hi Mac, thanks.
Quick question:
i disassembled my strut and a set of spare struts.
Top plate was cracked, as you said.
I welded the cup for the bump stop back to the plate that holds bearing and a spring.
Now a can't find the way to attach the rubber bump stop to its metal cup.
The cup is fair bit larger than the bump stop and the bump stop just falls down the shock rod.
Do i squeeze the cup so it would tie the bump stop? Maybe i should leave bump stop to float freely on the shock rod?

Another one - how does the protective rubber sleeve fix at its top? I can stretch the sleeve above the bump stop cup and tie it with the clamp.





Curiously, the spare set of struts didn't have cups for the bump stops at all. Nor i can see the way rubber part can be fixed to the metal as well.

[mac]

Evening Andrei,

First - the easy answers -

The bump stop does not fix to the cup at all - it "free floats" on the damper rod.

The protective concertina sleeve just stretches over the cup "bell" - you anchor it's bottom end over the strut tube with a boot clamp (but usually a cable tie works just as well).

Never seen spring top cups without the bump stop "bells" - I suspect they've broken off in the past.

Keep well - Mac.

[andrew]

Greetings, all. So i continue:

I was going to press polyurethane bushings in a machine shop. So i took the arb and wishbones and drove there.


While the machinist was busy a guy local to machine shop asked to have a look. He was very determined he could install them. So after 15 minutes of agitating the bushes with bare hands and two skrewdrivers the first one went in. Everybody were really surprised how his persistence paid out.


After an hour i had all 4 bushes in place.


Then i dismantled and reassembled the strut. Welded bump stop cup where it belong. Sorted out cracks on the top plate.



Reassembled suspension and bearings.


Met another volvo in martini livery. This turned out to be official martini representative so he wasn't about cars at all.


And that was all for 2016 and i went to ski vacation.
When i returned a track day for winter championship was announced so i rushed to get the car ready. Unluckily i lost the only key i had for the car so had to grind off the ignition switch. Rerouted electrics and tidied up small bits here and there. Changed oil. Finished at 2am the day before the race, so didn't even managed to test drive the car after all the works. Why is it allways have to be 2am in the morning, i wonder)).


The next day i drove the car 70 kms to the track and had 2 successful sessions on the track. Car run good, more that it's me having no patience. So i sped like hell and was more like catching the car than actually driving it.



After 2 sessions i found a stream of oil pouring from the oil filter. Must have had a proper filter, but i grabbed a smaller diameter one that was available at the shop for my thread size.
So instead of my third session on the track organizers towed me to the nearest town to leave the car there, until i return with oil and spares. I have a week to prepare for the next event.

[andrew]

Hi Guys, got pictures from previous week:







This weekend i went to another track. It is in a sand quarry, so many turns got descents and ascents. Massive fun.
Finished first twice in my class and one time finished in a snow wall.


On my way back home the nut came loose that holds the wheel together and i made an emergency stop across 3 lanes at 100kph with the jammed wheel. Oh me, the way i secured the nut that holds the bearing together wasn't enough, but no damage done and that was 3 kms from home on 200km round trip. Flat bed truck was the next car in a line, so it didn't take more than 5 minutes=) So i classify this as a good outcome=))




Regards, Andrey.

[mac]

Oooooops!

Hub bearing nut is a "stake nut" with a deformable ring on its outer face.

On reassembly tighten nut to 54Nm, back it off by 90deg and then collapse the ring into the "key way" slot on the stub axle.

Your pics look like fun, fun, fun!
(In my younger days I used to rally a SAAB 96 two stroke - also fun!)



All the best - Mac.

[andrew]

Cool SAAB, Mac.
Appreciate your choice of rally car.
Recently, one 96 appeared for sale not far from Moscow for like 4000GBP and i was even considering to have a look, but common sense won this time. Hopefully it will also stop me from buying an Alfa 75 or Giulietta (116). 4000gbp is half of what they ask for 3rotor Mazda Cosmo Eunos. I have to not to make impulsive and silly decisions=))

I squashed deformable ring with a flat screwdriver and a hammer.
Didn't see any slot on the stub axle. Just a regular threaded rod. I'll go and have another look then.
Maybe i can fix stake nut with second thin nut.

Regards, Andrey.

[bogbasic]

Mac, don't tell me you crashed it in 1984 ;-0

[macplaxton]

Didn't see any slot on the stub axle. Just a regular threaded rod. I'll go and have another look then.
Maybe i can fix stake nut with second thin nut.

Nut is UNF thread!

Flat bit can be seen in this picture:

[bogbasic]

Brilliant work.

[andrew]

ok, so it was not the stake nut)) outer bearing took a fair bit of stub axle with it.

[bogbasic]

That bearing is knackered.

[mac]

Superb conclusion - such a difficult diagnosis too!


Mac.

[bogbasic]

The stub axle is broken.

[andrew]

So i assembled spare strut back in place. Car runs on all 4 wheels now.


Found bent caliper guides, so swapped straight ones from spare parts. Brake disk hit the pad and the caliper on its way out. One brake pad have a radial groove where it met the disk. Car is steering left under braking now. Not sure why, maybe there are other bent parts that i didn't recognize. Or its just uneven wear that will smooth itself away.

Anyway, found a pic from previous stage and waiting for the next round of the winter championship.

[mac]

Hi Andrei,

Steering left under braking

Could be unseen damage - but - is far more likely to be a brake balance issue and the front brake on the repaired side is producing a different retardation force than the other.

If (for whatever reason) the car pulls to the left under braking it suggests that the brake on the left is giving more braking force. Look at the parts you changed - caliper? (partially seized?). Did you reuse the damaged brake pad (damaged friction surface?) or replace only that side? (different grade? Or damp (boiling off moisture?)). You changed the caliper guides (I assume you mean the slider pins) - does the caliper move freely on these?
Did you replace the disc itself? (damaged friction surface?) or replace, with one with that has corrosion and less surface area.

Food for thought.

Best of luck whatever you find - Mac.