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[Old Hywel]

After exhaustive testing, I can announce that 12” trailer wheels, as fitted by several manufacturers, fit comfortably onto Land Rover hubs with 10” brake drums. 11” drums would require an inch or two of spacers.
The legality of such a combination is questionable, as is the effect on the steering, as the wheels have zero inset.
Shown is the comparison between 155/70x12 and 7.50x16. With approximately 8” difference in diameter (4” fitted height), the driver of any vehicle fitted with the smaller wheels would need to be extra vigilant to avoid becoming grounded on kerbs, speed bumps and aggressive cats’eyes.
In all cases, the original wheels should be retained, so that they can be refitted when everyone laughs at you.
The above is for information only, and I accept no liability for problems encountered if you develop on the above.
PS, 195/60x12 would give more of a ‘racing car’ image.

[Porkscratching]

He'll need one of these stickers...

[w3526602]

Hi All,

Thanks for your comments. much appreciated. I was brought up in the days of "centre-point steering", and "Akerman (sp?) angles" ... which seem to get little more than a gesture on modern cars. Can you achieve true Akerman geometry with the track-rod in front of the axle and sensible size wheels? Nowadays, car designers seem to rely on  "scrub angles".

We all know about differentials, but how do they compensate for the difference in the theoretical rolling speed of a wide tyre at full lock?  Similar question for twin-wheel Transits?

On one of my RAF trade tests, I was asked to explain how railway locomotives, which don't have differentials, could go round  bends without skidding? I didn't know ... or to be more precise ... I knew the design feature that enabled it to work, but didn't realise what it was for. One sentence from "Chiefie", and I knew what he was on about.  .

Apparently, the gauge of railway tracks was the result of very precise calculations.

602 (who's grandfather scrapped 2000 locomotive wheels before he noticed his hammer was cracked. Er ... my great, great, great, grand father was George Stephenson ... according to family lore. Strange, because his son died without "issue".).

Whatever, I still waiting, with breath bated, or my new toy to arrive ... the "virus" is probably enhancing the initial delay factor.

[w3526602]

Hi,

I've finished the drawing or my adaptor plate, to allow hand cranking of an engineless Series.

I need a 125mm  length of 80mm x 10mm steel bar, and have no idea where to find such a thing in MK. In Swansea, I'd have just wandered into Faulls (steel stockholders) and rumaged through their pile of off-cuts. The downside was the £5 for the first cut ... it was cheaper to buy longer than I needed, and buy a new Eclipse saw blade. I have cut 8" x 5" I-section by hand, (about 20 minutes) with the off-cut making a useful "anvil". The other end (aka "quality off-cut") became the gantry in my "self-build with basement garage". On more than one occasion, I lifted the entire front end of my Series off the garage floor with my 1-ton block & tackle.

Barbara has just ordered me a new B&T, but I will probably have to ask my tame builder (Irish ... with a degree) to organise delivery of a couple of 9ft x 6"X 2" wooden beams, to hang it from/between.

My garage is 9ft x 22ft. Guess which way they hung the roof trusses.

602

[w3526602]

Hi Old Hywell,

I used to enjoy traffic light racing. Young Escort drivers used to eyeball my Scimitar GTE, and decide they could "take me". My Scimitar was Robin Rew's old racing barge, which used to tow his "factory" Sabre 6 to Silverstone, where he'd compete in both. RR's reputation was that he'd either win ... or destroy his engine on the start line. The GTE red-lined at 6500, and pulled 30mph per 1000RPM, You do the math. It also did 30mpg.

Whatever, Laddo parked along side me at the traffic lights was obviously looking for a race. Lights changed, and away we went, with me "managing" to keep up with him. When I saw his nose drop, indicating that he was changing into second gear, i floored my throttle, my nose lifted, and suddenly he wasn't alongside me any longer.    Hopefully it taught him to pick on somebody his own size. 

Regretfully, that engine dropped the teeth of the timing gear as I was approaching 45mph in first gear ... I was late for my Sunday afternoon "trek".

My licence has been "clean" since 1964, when Plod clocked me doing 80mph in my 850cc Minivan on the A1. At that time, goods vehicles were limited to 40mph, but there was no other speed limit on the A1. I pleaded NOT GUILTY, but to no avail. Fined £2, and the beaks apologised (sp?) for having to endorse my licence. All the other miscreants were being fined £4 for doing 45mph in a 40 limit ... apart from one bloke who asked for leniency ... and was fined £3.

602

602

[w3526602]

Hi ... er ... Doh! Forgot who sent that. Sorry.

When I had horses (and pigs, goats, assorted poultry,and orphan lambs) I also had an old wooden horse box.

Four wheels, all Land Rover look-a-likes ... apart from them fitting Morris 1000 studs on 4" PCD.  Maybe it would be worth looking through my INDESPENSION catalogue (1980s edition), to see if they do any strange  specials. I know they do LR pattern wheels, but I doubt that they are cheaper than the usual culprits.

602

[Mr Ed]

.

[w3526602]

Hi Mr Ed,

See your mails, above.

"No answer!" was the stern reply.

Please try again. If we see another blank page, maybe somebody (maybe me?) can contact you,and help.

602

[Mr Ed]

Sorry for the messages. I was trying to post images and then I didn't know how to delete them completely.

I didn't want to post in this particular section.


Cheers 602

[ZebraDriver]

My 2p worth.

 I saw some mention of possibly utilising a Rover 2000/2200 and a 3 speed autobox for this project. Many moons ago I had a SII SWB fitted with a V8 and a Borg Warner 35 autobox. I didn't build the conversion but it retained the LR transfer box, hence also the handbrake and hi/lo gears. The conversion was made by utilising a bespoke section of "pipe" with a flange at either end that bolted onto the autobox, once the original tail section of the box was unbolted. The transfer box bolted onto the end of this. The original conversion had a bearing part way down the shaft but for some reason this fitted onto the back of the auto box and I had to miss it off when the autobox was replaced as some modification had been made to the box which I couldn't replicate (I think the output shaft had been machined down to fit the bearing).

The conversion worked well but as I was using the vehicle for trials and comp safari's it ate gearboxes. I later found out that the BW 35 box was on its limits trying to handle the output from the V8 attaching it to a transfer box was just too much for it...….

On the road it was a different story. It gave many a real car and a few bikes a fright because it was something of a Q ship. The outside didn't give any clue to what was under the bonnet and the auto box changed quickly without having to lift your foot. You just had to remember that you only had drum brakes at the next set of traffic lights.

Martin

[w3526602]

It gave many a real car and a few bikes a fright because it was something of a Q ship.

Hi Martin,

Don't you just love driving a Q-ship?  Particularly when the other bloke thinks his is the Q-ship.

I never "raced" ... just teased the other driver.

602

[ZebraDriver]

A little more to the story of my auto box V8.

Kicking it hard away from traffic lights I found that the vehicle would do a funny corner to corner bounce as it changed from first to second. I spent a bit of time trying to work out what was making it do this. Eventually a mate who was following me pointed out that the set of 7.50 Michelin XL? sand tyres I was running it on would crumple up on the wheel that was receiving the drive as the power came back on (I was running them at fairly low pressures as this took the harshness off the ride).

When I first got the LR it had a roll cage fitted to it made from 2x2 box section. The enterprising PO had attached flexy exhaust to the bottom of the front hoop and used the cage as the exhausts. A V8 on full chat with no silencers exiting just behind your head sounded great but unfortunately the MOT man didn't agree. I made baffles to go into the end of the box section and got it through the test but sadly the flexy portion of the exhaust was never made to handle the constant movement from the engine and I had to revert to a more standard system.

Martin

[w3526602]

Hi Martin,

In Days of Yore, I pondered on running the silencer  (stainless) up the front of the passenger side windscreen ... sort of like some tractors.

To keep things in balance, I would have run a stainless INDUCTION pipe up the driver's side.

In the event .... there wasn't an event ...

Change of subject ...

I've just written to somebody who's advert suggests that they make parabolic springs. I asked if they could make me a set, but that would reduce the ride height, by 2", rather than increasing it.

I then browsed some spec sheets to see if S1 88s carried less avoirdupois. Yes, but not really worth bothering about.

 S1 - 86" = 2702lb.   S1- 88" = 2740lb.   S2-88" = 2900lb.

I doubt that 200lb spread over four springs would be noticeable, height wise, though it might feel "softer". Hang on, most of that difference might be in the engine, so might compensate for me fitting a lighter engine. Back to Google.

602



602

[w3526602]

Hi,

I couldn't find much ..

V8 engine weighs 170kg, and S2 engine weighs 350kgs.

So I tried getting devious... Complete Rover 60 (P3) = 1490kg.  Complete Rover 80 (P4) =1472kg.
Not the answers I was expecting ... the P4 is a bulkier car. Maybe I wasn't comparing like with like?

I'm pondering on packing between springs and axles ... an inch (?) might enable me to utilize standard S2 U-bolts on the parabolics. "Enhanced" axle tramp? Maybe not ... less engine torque, and smaller tyres OD.

602