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 Post subject: Re: Re:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:28 am 
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
Irish Yobbo wrote:
...Of course if your engineer says to replace it, then replace it. ..

It's not my engineer who specified the collapsible column. I applied for an extension of the modification approval with the Dept of Transport here in W.A. and it came back re-approved but with the an additional requirement of the column - which was not present in the original approval. I did phone them and try and discuss the point of ADR compliance and got shut down very quickly. It was their way or the highway...

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I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:43 am 
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Location: Sandy Bay, Tasmania
Any plans on what column you're going to use?

Barina columns have been done a few times (a good thread here) and there are some aftermarket options that look very nice, but are also quite expensive.

I haven't discussed with my engineer if he's happy with the current column or not, but I'm considering the barina conversion, since it's probably safer, and my wife would like power steering.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:10 am 
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998cc
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
I will be using the Toyota Starlet column that came with my front cut. I will need to shorten the column (but still retain the collapsible structure) but I'm not concerned abut the lack of power steering.

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-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 11:16 am 
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998cc
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
With the engine bay mechanicals all done, it was time to look to getting the driveshafts done. I've never actually seen anyone document how to measure the required lengths so this is what I came up with.

I had the idea to use a section from an adjustable tent pole (or adjustable curtain rod could be used) for this task but then I need to replicate the shaft ends. I machined some plastic pieces on the lathe to the same lengths of the splines at the end of the driveshafts. In the photo below, the top shaft is from the Mini - where a thick circlip limits how far the splined section can be inserted into the outer CV joint. The lower shaft is from the Toyota Starlet.
Image

The plastic pieces were pressed into the tri-bearing (left joint in the photo below) and outer CV (right joint in the photo below) and with tent pole pieces inserted into these plastic ends, the adjustable-length driveshaft was complete
Image

I talked a driveshaft workshop and they advised that the ideal position of the tri-bearing in the inner CV cup/housing was in the middle of the housing when the car is at normal ride height. With the upper & lower arms, wheel hub, outer CV and inner CV housing fitted to the car, and the wheel hub jacked up to simulate a normal ride height, the tri-bearing was pushed half way into the inner CV housing and a mark made on the tent pole then held in place with a hose clamp
Image

With everything removed from the car, the required length was measured and the process repeated for the passenger side. Thanks to the 4AGE layshaft, these shafts ended up being near enough equal length - Driver side 270mm, Passengers side 290mm.
Image
Image

_________________
-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:27 pm 
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Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:07 pm
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Location: SE Melbourne
If you have the funds available, I would highly suggest buying some Allspeed engineering HD CV joints.
They have a bigger spline on the mini end and the ability to take way more horsepower.
4efte engines are good at shagging driveshafts if you drive with a heavy foot and the boost wound up a little bit.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 1:12 pm 
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998cc
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
Harley wrote:
If you have the funds available, I would highly suggest buying some Allspeed engineering HD CV joints.
They have a bigger spline on the mini end and the ability to take way more horsepower.
4efte engines are good at shagging driveshafts if you drive with a heavy foot and the boost wound up a little bit.

I did consider those, however (potentially to my detriment?) I purchased some new Italian made outer CVs. I'll post some details when I get a photo of the final assembly but if it all goes bad later, I'll invest in those.

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-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2019 9:23 pm 
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Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:07 pm
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Location: SE Melbourne
Check those CVs you have too. Some of them have the drive flange spline incorrect and you cant get the correct pre-load on your bearings. I point this out because i had this issue happen. I got the CVs swapped eventually for a set that works.......but i later found out the inner race on some of them varies at the diameter where the shaft shoulder fits it.
The fix was easy enough whatever it was- but it was inconvenient.


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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:08 am 
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Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:27 pm
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Location: Wodonga - Vic/NSW border
Mearcat wrote:
I'm not concerned abut the lack of power steering.


you should try driving a mini with a 2.2 turn quickrack and power steering... so much fun

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:11 am 
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Location: SE Melbourne
Where can i obtain said power steering for my car?
:D


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:17 am 
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Location: St. George Area, New South Wales
Harley wrote:
Where can i obtain said power steering for my car?
:D



In the weight lifting area of your local gym????? :twisted: :lol:

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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=86675


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:45 am 
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Location: Wodonga - Vic/NSW border
Harley wrote:
Where can i obtain said power steering for my car?
:D


I did the same as linked above (minidna), but made up all of the necessary electrics, shafts, brackets etc. myself

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:25 am 
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998cc
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Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:17 pm
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
Short of paying about $800 for a pair of custom shafts, the other option was grafting the Mini & Toyota shafts together - a method I've seen in various engine swaps that provide a reliable solution, but I assume as long as the drivetrain is not abused.

I cut the factory shafts and machined them to size in the lathe. The Mini shafts weren't too bad but the Starlet shafts were HARD. Even with carbide inserts on the lathe, I could only cut 0.1mm at a time so 4 hours later, I had two pieces for either side of the car. This pin arrangement kept everything aligned once they were lightly pressed together.
Image
Image

I was planning on getting a pro welder to weld the shafts but after consulting with a workshop, we discussed the process they used and I could probably do it myself if I was confident enough with my welding (that's a yes). To give it the best chance of success, it was suggested to preheat the shafts to at least 250degC to minimise the temperature difference between the area being welded and the rest of the shaft base material, and this would help the entire shaft cool at a similar rate therefore helping to lessen shrinkage stresses that can lead to cracking and distortion. After welding was complete a SLOW cool would be required, NOT quenching.

I tested/confirmed the correct settings on the MIG welder on the leftover shaft pieces and then with my pizza oven cranked to 300DegC :D the shafts were preheated and the V groove area filled with welds.
Image

Each shaft was put back the oven and allowed to slowly cool to over 4-5 hours. Once cooled, the welds that sat proud of the shaft surface were then machined off
Image

I then made a custom 3mm thick sleeve to be welded on over the join area and also drilled some holes in the sleeve for plug welds. The reason the sleeve in the photo below is so short is that there is only about 40mm between the inner and outer CV boots, otherwise I'd have made it longer.
Image

I repeated the same preheat, weld, cool-down process for welding the sleeves and used the lathe to clean up the shaft afterward. These sleeves may not be necessary, but it was simply an attempt to provide more strength to the join areas. Once completed, the runout was checked and came in at a very acceptable 0.008in / 0.21mm
Image
Image

After a quick paint job, I gave all the parts (with brand new outer CVs) to a workshop to assemble.
Image

_________________
-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


Last edited by Mearcat on Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 1:25 pm 
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Location: Wodonga - Vic/NSW border
excellent - and yes, they are very nice looking welds....

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 2:12 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:21 pm
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Location: St. George Area, New South Wales
Yes, very nice looking welds, I did a few similar when I did a short welding class as part of my Draftee training, the teacher wasn't happy because they were smooth and told me to do them again. :S

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Nick
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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=86675


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:23 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:17 pm
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Location: NOR, Perth, W.A.
I've only just noticed that in this pic of the assembled parts, the workshop has fitted the small end of the boots on the outer CVs at different positions on the shafts - The boot is stretched on one of assemblies (or compressed on the other). Will this affect the longevity of the boots?

_________________
-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one :D
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.


Last edited by Mearcat on Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

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