Kiwi scratchbuilt

[Russ Noble]

Russ:
I would love to hear what yours will sound like when fired up.
Cheers
Phil

You and me both! Might see if I can rig up my in car camera to do audio and video of the first fire up.

You've got the mount figured!

I have almost finished my gear shift too. Dead simple, direct acting, positive and short throws. Shifts well static and cold, so should be a breeze when moving and warm.

The cockpit gearchange lever will be welded directly to the gearchange rod. No complicated pivots, leverages or heim joints. I'm waiting til I get the steering wheel in place to finalise actual lever/knob position. In the meantime I've tested the action using a cut down screwdriver. All gears are easy to get including reverse. The rod the lever mounts on, merely slides in two acetyl blocks and, at the bulkhead, connects via a U/J to the rod that goes all the way to the rear of the trans. This is the most simple system I could devise. U/J's are just cheap 3/8" socket set type with screw in pins. Lim machined up new U/J centre blocks to take the play out of the joints, and also machined the acetyl mounts.

Leonmac, I knew you'd be pleased to hear about the new regs. You should have no troubles running the M20 replica then! If my thing is doing competitive times I will seriously consider the long haul up to the North Island for some of the races.

John, I hear you about the clutch travel, my bearing only needs about 2mm to release. I fully expect to have to make a stop but will suck it and see.....

 

[Russ Noble]

Damn, some how my photos fell off the last post!!!

 

[Bill Musarra]

Russ,
You did what I was originally planning for mine. Unfortuntely, I have a cener shift setup and there were just too many u-joints to make it work. The reverse action was a major concern and a bell crank also had to be part of the works. I dreamed up a big + that had the vertical and horizontal arms acting independantly. Kinda neat but little room for it to work. So I used the cable system and bell cranks. Lets get cracking and get that baby fired up. Mine MIGHT be fired up by the end of this week or next.

Bill

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Simplicity sometimes is the best attribute. Great work!

 

[Phil]

Russ:
Looks good and I bet it would need minimal lubrication if any. I kind of like the screwdriver in there, maybe you should leave it!.
I had a similar situation as Bill mentioned as I am shifting from the center, and I share Bill's sentiments about too many u-joints. I minimized that problem by coming into the engine bay on one side of the tunnel. This meant altering my center cover slightly with the addition of a small trough, and some intrusion into the passenger side at the very rear. This allowed me to use one u-joint, just past a hanger bearing (3/4 heim honed slightly) and aside from the u-joint on my ZF box thats all there is. I did support the shaft at the bulkhead to take any possible bow out of it, and this necessitated the heim be in very close alignment, but it all works.
Russ, I am curious how you are establishing the rotation on the shift shaft, unless you have another u-joint just before the end of the trans that is forcing rotation thru your adapter on the trans which is what I suspect. I bet it feels pretty direct fore and aft thru the gears.
Cheers
Phil

 

[Russ Noble]

Phil, I'm not quite sure that I fully understand the question, but there are only two U/Js total in the system. Both shown in the photos.

The first at the linkage angle change at the bulkhead.

The second at the outer end of the fabricated shift arm that is on the gear selector rod out the the rear of the trans. The rotational movement is transferred by the linkage to the shift arm causing it to move in the desired arc. That second U/J is needed at this point to cope with the angle change between the linkage rod and the shift arm as the outer end of the shift arm moves up and down. One benefit of having the rod linkage set up like this is that the weight of the linkage tends to just nicely load the gearlever in the 3rd/4th plane.

The only possible drawback from this direct acting setup that I can see is that it takes higher than normal force (but not uncomfortably so) to overcome the detents. Once overcome, the force applied combined with the short travel makes for really quick gearchanges. Ideal for a dog box but maybe too quick for the reputedly lazy syncros that are apparently a feature of all 930 trans. If that turns out to be a problem it's an easy and simple fix to introduce some mechanical advantage in the form of a "leveraged gear lever" in place of the fixed 'screwdriver' ;-)

 

[Russ Noble]

And on the subject of dog boxes....... Dave, you posted this way back in Feb, shouldn't we be getting an update round about now??

Russ,
As for the trans,I was told there would be a 6 to 8 week lead time,so it will be a while before I can give a review on the Albins gears. I will have to keep the 930 box.The only complaints I have for it are the gear ratios not being optimal for the track(1st gear way too short and 4th being way too long) and the shifting feel being like that of a truck due to the P-car syncros.I hope that the Albins set-up addresses both of those concerns.I'm suprised that any of you in NZ or Oz don't have much in the way of reviews for the Albins kit with them located in your back yard.

 

[Leon]

Hi Russ...Your right about being happy to hear that SCCNZ do think about the people who want to run and watch big V8 Sports Cars. I have been going over a lot of your build log this time home and have noted that you are Brassing a lot of your suspension work and also I see you have done it on the gear lingage as well, this was quite the norm back in the 60s and 70s and If it was good then, I'm guessing its good now, but is there a paticular reason you have chosen this over Mig/Tig welding.

 

[Dave Deerson]

Yes,there SHOULD be an update by now..............but...you know how things go.At least the house now has central air con!!!Also the retaining wall in our back yard is redone along with regrading the yard for the paver patio and deck,but somewhere in there has been a minimal amount of time for the racecar.At least I have been racing the Spec Miata a few times this season!
The trans is back together,just not back in the car! Albins makes a nice kit including new shift shafts for the gears with detents to hold them in the gears(so they will not pop out when the gears are unloaded).The travel from neutral to engaged has been reduced from approx. .8in to near .5in..I also shimmed the shift detent springs with 2 AN washers each to lessen the force required to move the lever.The only mods to the case required was to the area around first gear(the input drive gear) as my taller ratio neededmore clearance then originally given.
As for your shifter,if the lever not pivoting is comfortable to you then go with it,but I found that style to feel odd. Building a formula style slider/pivot would not be difficult with the setup you have now.
You're getting there,almost time to fire her up!!! Looks great,keep giving us techies more pics!!!!

Dave

 

[Russ Noble]

Leon, see Page 4, Post #120.

 

[Phil]

Russ:
Sorry if my question was confusing, but you answered it. I once had a Formula Jr. car in the shop that had a Fiat box with a very similar arrangement with the rear of the linkage articulaing to acheive rotation, but we had to add some leverage to the shifter as the gearchanges were a bit difficult.
Looking good on your design.
Cheers
Phil

 

[Bill Musarra]

Russ,
Your setup sound like it will work just fine. If it gives you any problems, all you need to do is add a lever to the shift arm at the end and have a seperate arm on the imput shaft. the rotation of the shift arm will then have a clean shot at rotation, but I think your setup will do fine.
The only problem that I can think of using the setup like you have is that since the shifter arm is a fair distance from the imput shaft, there may be some torque issues on the tailshaft(fore and aft) that may stress the seals. Just guessing on that one.

Bill

 

[John]

John, I hear you about the clutch travel, my bearing only needs about 2mm to release. I fully expect to have to make a stop but will suck it and see.....

Hi Russ yeh same as mine, bugger all travel and they dont like going over center so i'm told hence the stop for saftey and longtivity.

Leon, sad to say i had to sell the Stanton chassis, it went to a guy in Taupo who intends to run with us when finnished, should be a quick car.
new SCNZ regs should be on paper shortly , if you send me your EMail i will send them on when i get a copy
cheers John

 

[Maurice Butler]

Went a visited Russ today to see how his GT40 looked the flesh seeing I was in his neighourhood.
The gear selector is absolute eligance in simplicity, it amazes me how he managed to leave space in the right place in amongst the headers, oil pipes, oil pump and every this else trying to fit into the same space, without using a computer just a ratty old exercise book full of sketches.
The changes to the back shocks look realy good - the overall standard of the car is such that if he was building a plane I would go for a ride if asked.

 

[Russ Noble]

Went a visited Russ today to see how his GT40 looked the flesh seeing I was in his neighourhood.
The gear selector is absolute eligance in simplicity, it amazes me how he managed to leave space in the right place in amongst the headers, oil pipes, oil pump and every this else trying to fit into the same space, without using a computer just a ratty old exercise book full of sketches.
The changes to the back shocks look realy good - the overall standard of the car is such that if he was building a plane I would go for a ride if asked.

Ah, Maurice, but I'm not building a plane...... How do you fancy your bum 80mm off the deck and your shoulder a metre from the armco at well over 250 clicks.....? You are most welcome to come for a ride!

Maybe these photos below convey an idea of how tight things are. Spot the gearchange rod! It's in all pics except the 4th one, and presently unpainted.

As can be seen I've also got the dry sump tank and cooler mounted and the trickiest plumbing done. Note the pre existing 'race patina' on some of the secondhand parts!

I still have to make up ducting to ensure the air from the side scoop can't go anywhere except through the cooler.

And a quick note to Dave. I know how it is, other things keep getting in the way! Did you get any pics of the Albins stuff as you assembled it? I'm sure there's lots of people would be interested.

 

[Russ Noble]

Deleted. Double post.

 

[Dave Deerson]

Russ,yes I took pics of the gears out on the bench,and then in the trans before I put the center housing back on.But,as I can hand build an exhaust header easier than I can work a computer,I need tips on the easiest way to post pics on this forum.Another forum I belong to needs the pics to be uploaded to "photobucket" then import them to the reply message from that.Is this how it's done here?

 

[Russ Noble]

Just for you Dave :thumbsup:

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/site-questions-suggestions-comments/13287-posting-pictures.html

 

[Phil]

Russ
Looks absolutely great!
I am glad you took detailed and clear photos as good work looks good close up. I can even see the heat shrink on the wiring to that little connector in one of the photos. Getting real busy under the deck now.
I really like the way your uprights came out on the chassis, they look good also. Have you qualified the rear geometry yet? I set mine up with 5deg. positive caster, before that, as I expected there was toe out on compression, now its almost neutral, with a slight amount of toe in at full extension, shocks at full travel. Should be OK.
What coating do you plan on using for your headers? If I don't go the stainless route I think I may do mine in a flat black heat coating.
Dave, When you finish writing your post just scroll down to "Manage attachments", you can click on that and browse your machine for photos, or import from elsewhere to post them.
Cheers
Phil

 

[Dave P]

Russ:

The Kiwi 40 is looking good. Excellent job on the shifter. Those u-joints are expensive little bits. I found 2 off of a 1/2" apex joint for $5.00 each brand new. I felt I was stealing them at that price. Keep up the great work! Cheers