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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Frontline suspension dimension

I'm thinking of making a cross brace across the top of the frontline front suspension mounts, as i've access to some good machining facilities over here.

I haven't got access to the car at the moment, so does anyone know the distance across the engine bay so i can see what metal we have in the 'scrap bin' is suitable.

thanks
Brad
Brad 1380

It would be awesome if someone would mount a cross brace, and then leave one end undone to drive hard and measure what (if any) flex there really is between those two points!

I have been looking at that part of the car, and wondering about this. I would think that a racer, or someone with very sticky rubber, could bolt a piece of angle iron to one side (damper top), and put some little "hershey's kisses" of clay on the other side (damper top) where it touches. Then drive really hard, to try and induce chassis flex, and measure what deformation of those little clay "stalagmites" there really is.

I would try this myself, but you have to remove the fan to make room for a cross brace to fit, and I use the stock fan. As I understand it, only folks with electric fans (well out of the way) can do it. Please correct me if I am mistaken.


Norm "curious" Kerr

Norm Kerr

wouldnt the cross section thats already there do that job, the one thats always in the way when you want to pull the crankshaft pully
Prop

Prop. yes it does.
But I had cracks in it next to the welds and my car isn't even a race car.

Funny coincidence, a fellow midgeteer proposed the same brace for his car last month.
Alex G Matla

Really Alex, who was that & i wonder if he has any drawings?
Brad 1380

Hi Norm

I'd be happy to pit a strain-gauge on my bar... does anyone have one?

A
Anthony Cutler

Brad, it's a mate of mine with a 73 RWA, not on the BBS. And he's not the kind of guy who makes drawings, he just makes it on the fly. if he ever gets to it...
Alex G Matla

Thanks Alex,
still leaves me needing the dimensions though.

Heres a pickie of my ali inlet in fabrication last night by Hans the Viking.

cheers
Brad


Brad 1380

Went down to the garage and measured next dimensions:

Front lower bolt, center to center; 545 mm (measuring tape not quite straight because of cooling hoses and breather and pulley)
Bolts are 62 mm ctc.

From top swivel to the other side is 690 mm.

Hope this helps.
Alex G Matla

Thanks Alex,
i'll look at it in more depth later, work seems to be getting in the way of my important homers at the moment.
cheers
Brad
Brad 1380

Alex,
one more dimension i need is where to put the bar in relation to the mount & the radiator, i.e. the distance from the 1st mounting bolt to the inside face of the rad.
thanks
Brad
Brad 1380

Brad, from the forward edge to the rad is 30mm, the bolt is 20mm from the edge, so 50mm.
Alex G Matla


Brad
Here's one I spotted earlier:

http://www.britishracecar.com/JohnMcCue-MG-Midget.htm

Ian
Ian Webb '73 GAN5

beautiful car that, i've admired it in the past. Noticed he's got ali ARB mounts on the wishbones too, now theres a project, if only i had one to trace around.....

I was thinking of a similar strut bar, basically a piece of angle suitable filleted with a bar welded on for the rose joint, got the idea in my head just need some time to draw it up.

Heres a picture of tonights efforts when i should have been reviewing procedures for a meeting tomorrow.


Brad 1380

I think this would work with a cross bar & a couple of rose joints, the only problem i can see is the fastener will be in shear, but then again does anyone really know how much force goes through the suspension mount?

p.s
anyone got a wishbone ARB bracket to hand?


Brad 1380

Brad
Those look like plated steel to me....but some decent 4mm ali should do it IMO
Ian
Ian Webb '73 GAN5

Here they are in 5mm ali, a bit over the top but i may have to modify my crossmember for the new pulley, so i might as well make them strong.

Many thanks for the dimensions Alex,

cheers
Brad


Brad 1380

If they don't fit, you can send them over :)
Alex G Matla

Alex,
you may jest, but one of the fillet welds wasn't 100% perfect, so i'm going to remake them in S/S, you can have the ali ones if you want.
Brad 1380

Ive been following this thread...

Im still un-clear as where your mounting your 2 end brackets for the rose hymn joints and brace bar to screw into.


Is your concept the same as this photo and bolts up basically the same location but made for the frontline tube shock suspenion kit?

any chance you can pull up a moss blow up diagram and show me the genral area of your mount location...just having a hard time visualising it

thanks

Still watching and trying to stay out of the way

Prop


Prop

>>>>>>>Prop. yes it does.
But I had cracks in it next to the welds and my car isn't even a race car.<<<<<<<

Thus the intrest in this thread as i had the same crackes when i got my car... I ground it out and had it professional welded.. i think tig, no problem scence...

but this mod would add to the cool factor, and eliminate any future cracking
Prop

Prop
I had the same difficulty
But i think i got it

it bolts to the top 2 shock/FL kit mounts with the round bit pointing forward (i think)
then you can just have a bit of thickwalled tube with 2 rosejoints in between.

Thinking a bit in the KISS way i wonder if you can not use the pivotbolt?
get a longer bolt of the correct grade and get a rose joint with a big enough hole....
Onno Könemann

Ahhhh .... I get it now, thats a great idea.

Thanks Onno

I think the pivoit hole has merit, definatly worth looking into

to follow on the pivot hole/bolt Idea perhaps a longer pivoit bolt with a threaded transition female coupleing ...(sorry I dont have a part name) that would screw over the end of the longer pivot bolt and the bolt that goes thur the rose joint would screw into the other end of the female transition coupling

yeah I see problems with a threaded transition female coupling also...but this idea is the 1st to spark off the top of my head...

Just an idea to build-on using the piviot bolt and hole instead of a mount

Prop

Prop

Prop

or KISS....

could just get a rose joint with the same size hole as the pivoit bolt, then get a much longer grade 8 piviot bolt and run thur the rose joint then thur the pivot hole of the F/L kit and nut it from the backside


DUh... why simple when harder and complex is so much easier...LOL

Prop
Prop

Onno / Prop,
you have the gyst of it. I am making it snug to the radiator so it will clear the supercharger belt, which is why it has the circular bar at one end to give the right amount of stand off.
Brad 1380

Brad 1380

Ahhhh....Supercharger belt! Yeah those can be thick and in the way.

So would Onnos idea of the rose joints bolted thur the piviot bolts in the F/L kit work in your opinion?

that would sure make life easy
Prop

Onno / Prop,
you have the gyst of it. I am making it snug to the radiator to clear the supercharger belt, which is why it has the circular bar at one end to give the right amount of stand off.
Brad 1380

Brad,

such great advice it must be posted twice...LOL
Prop

Thats bizzare, must be the dodgy comms we have here.
Your idea would work, but how would you run the SC belt on your next engine?
Brad 1380

Damn always that pesky SC belt to consider ;)
Onno Könemann

but how would you run the SC belt on your next engine?


Hmmm good question?

Convert the SC from mechanical to a veriable electric motor thats solar powered and battry operated. then just run a signal wire from the SC electric motor thur the coil to pick up the pulse to determine the SC rpm....like a tachometer.

hahaha

Prop
Prop

Darn that water pump...

solar powered SC idea with drawn hahaha.
Prop

Alex,
i have made a set in S/S so if you want the ali ones let me know, otherwise i'll see if anyone else is interested.

cheers
Brad

Still on the look out for an ARB wishbone bracket to copy if anyone has one to hand.
Brad 1380

Brad, I'd like them, but depends on the cost...
Alex G Matla

Alex,
just the postage.
Brad 1380

That's mighty nice. I'll send an e-mail.

BTW, we are kind of competative in work, as I work in conventional electricity plant.
Alex G Matla

This thread was discussed between 12/09/2010 and 24/09/2010

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