Toe in - toe out

Set the toe today, which is quite a lot of work if you have to adapt the parts prior to assembly and setup. First I had to cut the steering rack extensions. Those provided from Westfield with the wide track kit are a little bit too long, I cut three threads on every side. Then there is only one half nut delivered per side. To fix the extensions you need two. Starting from a full nut, I lathed two more.

Toe in toe out can now be set and after some driving controlled again and set anew if required. The graph shows what exactly this setting means. It is mostly responsible for the cars ability to corner. Toe out makes the car turn easier, toe in gives better straight on stability. The graph shows extreme settings, in reality we talk about 1 or 2 degrees.

The steering hub is covered with a bellow to prevent dust and dirt to enter.
Cheers.

Upper steering column & quick release

Quick release system LOCKED !

Quick release system UNLOCKED !

 

Quick release system RELEASED !

The lever is springloaded, the hex connector is welded to the steering column.

Prior to mount, the hex connector welded to the steering column and the upper bearing with two half bearing shelves. The connecting rod to join the hex part with the steering shaft was turned on a lathe and the bearing surface is now integrated.

The lower bearing made out of brass on the lathe.

Different bolt circles on steering wheel and quick release hub ask for an intermediate adaptor plate to bolt the steering wheel to the hub. Turned out of aluminium. 

The steering system is almost completely new and bespoke for my car. The selected heavy duty steel for the column parts and the newly designed bearings are a safe construction. The added quick release system might appear superfluous, but is a very useful goodie adding some more race feeling.

Cheers.

Lower steering column

Lower steering column, shortened, welded, painted. Looks like bought.

It's a tight fit along the chassis rail, but there's enough room for the column to spin freely.

The upper coupling is quite near the exhaust manifold, but a less cramped fit than previously when I had to shave a little off of the coupling and shorten the bolt to it's minimum. Next will be the quick release hub for the steering wheel at the other end of the column.

Cheers.

Steering column parts

With the exhaust manifold in place, the steering column can now be designed. The upper part is lengthened just enough to pass the manifold. I welded a new shaft onto the existing part with a 36 spline end to bolt to the coupling.

The lower part of the steering column joining the rack has to be shortened accordingly. Above pic shows from top to bottom
- the amount of length added compared to before
- the lower part of the column to be welded with a coupling at both ends
- the closure that will cover the weld and then will be welded additionally to further strengthen it.

One more goodie, although I've not yet decided wether I will mount it or not, this is a quick release system for the steering wheel. Two possible advantages of a removable steering wheel are ease of access (especially in a small car) and theft protection ... well, for the latter, the thief will have to bring his own.

Cheers.

News up front

 

New steeringrack mounted up front. Looks posh with those big aluminium brackets.

Front left suspension with wheelcarrier and hub and discbrake. This is only for trial, the body panel has to be fitted first for the final assembly.

And some more homework ... the clutch pedal from OBP has not the right ratio. I have the choice, modifying the existing pedal or designing a new one. Depending on available time (and skills), I will decide. I'm tempted to build a pedal which will exactly suit my needs and keep the original pedal in case I need it anyhow.

Cheers.

Steering 'n gearing

Some more stuff arrived today from Rallydesign (UK). The LHD (left hand drive) steering rack with quick ratio 2.4 turns, the gearlever relocation kit to have the gearlever 135mm moved backwards and a new gearlever to suit (items in pic are not scale). I also went to a hardware dealer and asked for aluminium panel prices. Never ever go to a DIY superstore, they just steal your money! 1mm x 2500mm x 1250mm for around 33.-€ taxes included. Now go to your local superstore and compare... Amazing!
Cheers.

Weight watchers

The chassis is ready, but the mechanic wanted to trial fit the wishbones before handing it over. This is quite a professional approach and I'm happy I chose this company to straighten my frame. Meanwhile, my order from Westfield came in with the wishbones, hubs, uprights and the lower column (plus some smaller parts like rod ends a.o.). I assembled one hub plus disc brake plus upright (wheel carrier) to compare it with the old one both in bolt pattern and weight. The saving is quite big with 1.8kg saved per side (9.8kg old vs 8.0kg new). The discs are vented and grooved and 22mm wide, but I will not save weight on this item and kept them. Together with the HiSpec brake calipers, this is a weight saving of 4.8kg per side (unsprung weight). I wonder how much more I will save with the wheels when converting to 13", and I will report!
Left is new and shiny except for the disc:

The wishbones being wide track, they extend the front track by 100mm (50mm per side). Therefore, the rod ends have to be extended as well. Those extensions come with the wide track kit. I'm not very happy with this bolt on solution, but forum members tell me there's no reason for that.

The steering rack brackets being old and a little rotten, I also ordered these nice aluminium brackets. Further examination showed a small crack in  the left side knuckle and therefore I will replace the whole rack. Brakes and steering are safety relevant items and I will not save money there!

Two orders on hold now, one at rallydesign for a new steering rack, gear lever extension and gearlever, the other one at Caterham for the nose-cone, bonnet and radiator. Caterham? You thought it was a Westfield? Yes! You're perfectly right... more on this later.

Cheers.