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nice, the one I made are out steel as well. Despite lots of paint they've started to rust a little. I may need to replace them in a few years with some stainless. Good idea making it removable with the tub in place
Nice idea. At some point I want to re-design my rear tub layout to make it easier to access things, hadn't considered the petrol tank tho my petrol tank brackets are only made of ali, seem to ok so far? ....
How the new-look engine progressing? I will be investigating how to chop down the ridiculously large instrument cluster which is currently presiding under my dashboard, so much so that I can't fit the passenger aero screen atm!!! Should be possible to minimise it somehow...
Atb
Tim
Hi Tim,
i'd keep an eye on those ali brakets as a full tank of petrol is surprising heavy.
My new engine project is on hold as I've decided to get the car painted, so that is the priority. I haven't done much over the winter so didn't want to start the engine refit and then not have a running car for this summer. Maybe next winter?
The bmw intrustrment cluster plastic cowling comes off quite easily leaving a much flattter structure to hide somewhere.
Hi Tim,
i'd keep an eye on those ali brakets as a full tank of petrol is surprising heavy.
My new engine project is on hold as I've decided to get the car painted, so that is the priority. I haven't done much over the winter so didn't want to start the engine refit and then not have a running car for this summer. Maybe next winter?
The bmw intrustrment cluster plastic cowling comes off quite easily leaving a much flattter structure to hide somewhere.
...peter
I would second that. IMHO bog standard alluminium (like you get on Ebay or at B&Q) is not really suitable for something like tank straps as it easily fatigues. I made my first ones from ally and they had started to show signs of fatigue at the bends even before I had used the car! In the end I obtained some galvanised steel strips (about 2x the thickness of the originals) and made mine from that.
BTW - I didn't use the Marlin ones because I thought they weren't up to it - but because I moved the tank up about 2" to provide clearance for the exhaust. As a bonus it is better protected as it sits between the chassis rails and it also doesn't show below the rear tub as it does in the standard position. Gonna prove trickey to remove though if I have to take it out at any time....
Thanks for the advice guys, I will swap them for something stronger when I get the chance...
Well, today I removed the instrument cluster, chopped off the protruding part and stuck a nice flat piece of perspex on, and re-fitted it. Lots of room now! Took it for a test drive to a friends house, came out, wouldn't start. Same old immobiliser problem. Nice Green Flag man towed me home (unlike before when I didn't have a number plate!!).
So back to the drawing board, or finding someone who can re-programme the ECU, EWS and key. Something to do tomorrow. It had been starting fine, so don't know if it was the act of taking the instrument cluster out upset it??
Also, the speedo (Marlin-supplied) came on with the calibration setting in view, rather than the distance, and the speedo then didn't work. No amount of pressing the button or replacing the plug at the back seemed to work. Anyone else had this problem??
Thanks
Tim
After a quick dash back through the rain tonight from the painter, my Sportster's back home looking sublime.
The paintwork is superb!
It's still covered rain in this picture and the Lexus pearlescent paint seems impossible to capture on camera. The keen eyed will notice she's been out shopping for new matching accessories to go with her new frock.
After a quick dash back through the rain tonight from the painter, my Sportster's back home looking sublime.
The paintwork is superb!
It's still covered rain in this picture and the Lexus pearlescent paint seems impossible to capture on camera. The keen eyed will notice she's been out shopping for new matching accessories to go with her new frock.
Peter
You must be very pleased with the paint job - it looks superb: well done.
You've worried me though - why have you abandoned the TR6 exhausts?
I 've just spent hours and hours building my system around two TR6 back boxes - and you choose to discard yours!!??
What did your original system sound like?
Peter
You must be very pleased with the paint job - it looks superb: well done.
You've worried me though - why have you abandoned the TR6 exhausts?
I 've just spent hours and hours building my system around two TR6 back boxes - and you choose to discard yours!!??
What did your original system sound like?
Mike - alias "Worried"
Mike, no need to be worried and they'll sound great.
Mine were secondhand off eBay and scratched and dented. I tried painting them but beacuse the were stanless they looked even worse, so I got some new ones. I fancied the twin tail pipe look so went for these Jetex ones.
No need to worry at all about yours, this was more of a 'fashion' purchase than performance. The new ones are slightly louder so not sure if they would have passed the IVA
After a quick dash back through the rain tonight from the painter, my Sportster's back home looking sublime.
The paintwork is superb!
It's still covered rain in this picture and the Lexus pearlescent paint seems impossible to capture on camera. The keen eyed will notice she's been out shopping for new matching accessories to go with her new frock.
Well I took the Sportster down for its annual health check and MOT today.
I took it to the same place as the last two MOT's but for some reason they seemed a bit more wary about it this time? Very insistant that they checked the chassis number before even starting the test?
Anyway they ran through the test starting with the usual lights, horn, wipers routine. They then gave the car a very close visual inspection, suspension and steering test and tested the emmisions which were fine. They then backed it out the garage and parked it up.
A few minutes later the guy came out with a pass certificate. It all seemed a bit odd so whilst paying I cautiuosly inquired if they tested the brakes?
"No", he said, "we didn't want to damage your car on the rollers"??
For a fleeting moment I considered asking them to test it again but quickly decided to quit while I was ahead and left for the nice drive home!
Peter - when I had my pre-IVA MOT, they didn't put mine on the rollers either. They asked me if I had an LSD fitted, and when I said yes, they said they wouldn't put on as it could 'wind up the diff'
They tested the brakes by using a weighted gizmo that they sat in the passenger footwell, and ran the car up and down the road outside the test centre.
I took the Sportster on a trip down to Henfield near Brighton. On the way there, my turn indicators packed up completely. The Hazard switch worked OK but nothing from the indicator switch? I investigated the fault tonight and found this break inside the indicator flasher unit. (I'm using 'old skool' flasher units because of the type of swich I used.)
It was a cheap (and nasty) one bought in Halfords. I'll get a pucker Lucas one to replace it! Hoefully it will last longer than 1700 miles I got out of this one.
Apart from that, we had a good day out and using hand signals on the M25 comming back was a laugh!
I still find the front wings 'bobbling about' a bit distracting and worrying. I've been wondering if an additional short stay from the top ball joint to the inner edge of the wing would help?
I still find the front wings 'bobbling about' a bit distracting and worrying. I've been wondering if an additional short stay from the top ball joint to the inner edge of the wing would help?
...peter
Me too.... I went down a huge pothole Sunday on the way back from a local show and I half expected the wing to come off. It didn't but I was probably watching it more than the road that I should have been watching afterwards...
I was also wondering about an additional stay from the top ball joint fixing. I think it would have to fix to the undersde of the wing though for strength. It would probably have to be adjustable in some way as well. It would certainly stop the wing from bouncing arround quite so much and hopefully take some of the strain off that single weld on the plate that bolts to the strut.
Perhaps we need to undertake a design study.... (Anything to get out of the DIY jobs that have been lined up for me to do)
Good idea!
Should it be rigid or slightly compliant to absorb/dampen the vibration?
Flat strip or round rod, like the other stays?
Steel or polished stainless?
Is anyone else suffering 'bobbling wings' or is it just me and Robin?
I have been doing a survey of what other cars (mainly 7 style) use. Most of them use a fairly large diameter (20mm) round section stay which must be a tube or it would be too heavy. The larger the diameter, the stiffer it is. I am sure that's why Marlin temporarily used tubes for our cars - they just didn't take into consideration the weak point where it is welded to the mounting plate. So I reckon the 3rd stay should preferably be a tube for stiffness (and weight).
I think I posted this in the wrong thread before, but here it is again. My idea for some 'bolt on' attachments for the e30 hub. It would need modifying, but I have no idea how feasible it would be to drill holes in the upright, considering the loads / stresses going through it.
I've got some decent quality replacements for my flasher units. The original's where bought from Halfrauds and were very low quality. If using this type of flashers on your Sportster build make sure you buy ones that are capable of handling front, rear, side repeaters and the dashboard lamps. The original BL flashers where only designed for 2x21W lamps and one dashboard light.
Also, I finally got some decent hub-centric rear wheel spacers. These are superb quality H&R's to replace some low cost temporary ones first fitted when I first built the car.
Going back to the bobbling wings problem, which I have also pondered, is it at least partially due to the fact that the two stays can twist in relation to each other from the vibration, which is why the wings bobble??
If so, a possible solution (which is probably easier on the E36 hubs) would be a third bar, curved slightly and mounted approx horizontally, joining the other two bars and secured in the middle?
Or would this not cure the problem???
Tim
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