Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

[FOSSIE]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Before you weld this up, have a little think about where the stresses are on the tubes... Wheel loads are fed into the axle at the ends of the tubes, and it's anchored at the 4-link brackets (and the damper brackets, in the vertical plane) So i think the most heavily stressed bit of tube is the bit from the 4-link bracket outboard? (if you measure a casing that's seen some abuse, it'll have bent around the 4-link bracket, which is arguably where the highest stress is. So the gusset could do with extending past the bracket, if possible?

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

That makes sense as it is the very four links that takes the forces. I'd rather not cut up the brackets but an internal axle support would be quite straight forvard at this point.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

I got housing ends. Nice and tight heat fitted. I bet they'd stay on there without any welding at all. REally needed to heat the axle and still had to hammer away to get them in. On a down side they rotated durong hammering and theres no way on earth to turn them to a nicer equal position. But I can live with that. As soon as I get some garage time I'll weld'em up. Ditched the plug welds though.

Also asked an engineer friend of mine to do some structural strenght calculations on the axle tubes. The results were quite interresting. The second moment of area is greater on the English than on Atlas axle. The difference is insignificant but even so its more bend resistant. The second moment of area is 260232 mm4 on English (std 63,8 x 3) where as the Atlas (std58.6 x 4) figure is 257052 mm4. Who would have thought.
I also got some more enlightment on the stress / load spread along the axle. In a nutshell the most stressed are of the axle is the ends from 4 link bracket outward. But supporting the middle part between the brackets will make the outer bits more torque resistant too. The brackets act as pivot points if the area between the pivot points is rigit it graetly shortens the area under load. A shorter rod is harder to bend than a longer one.
If you row hard enough the oar will bend on its full lenght, not only on the lenght before the oarlock. If the oar is significantly stronger on the outer part of the oarlock whole oar is more rigid but when rowed hard enough it will give from the inner bit of the oarlock.




Not at all nicely positioned, but theres no turning it now.


Starting to look like an axle.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

[FOSSIE]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Good work Markus

[exboyracer]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Lovely work mate, your attention to detail is very impressive!

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Thanks Ex and Fossie thats highly appreciated ! Now that I'm pretty much a one man team its nice to have some compliments.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Welded the housing end on. And the minute I got me own MIG set up the bloody gas ran out. And sround here finding welding gas on saturday is simply impossibe! An a acquaintance of mine owns a garage near by and happened to be in so he let me use his mig. Not an ideal situation for a novice welder to use unfamiliar welder but the occasions for quality time is scarse so I just winged it.



Also tacked the diamond brackets in place. Lined them up with a bubble level so atleas they should be two of a kind.



I magaed to move the housing ends so that they now point roughly to the same direction. The procedure was so violent I did not dare to bang away too long so still not perfect but will do.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Received a package from Torsten today.



Comparison to high collar RS shaft. Not sure is the RS any bulkier than the STD english shafts. At thinnest the GP1 shaft is only one mm thicker than the OE shaft. At the thicker end the the GP1 beats the RS by 3mm's. The baseball bat shape looks good to me. Makes the shaft tougher and more bend resistant. Just what I ordered. English axle shafts and no kick back in the brakes. Quick measuring showed 40mm to be cut off the GP1 shaft to fit 123cm English housing.



Shiny


This is the spacer under the bearing retainer bolt. Isn't the bearing supposed to pass trough it? No biggie just bring on the die grinder. Just need to know. If memory serves me right I did pull out the Koln (housing end donator) shaft right trough the brace shield.


The package showed 9kg's so were now somewhere around 37kg's. With flanges and 5 brackets missing. Just under 40 kg's could be possible. Without brakes and oil.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Spent the whole afternoon in the garage today but didn't get much done. I binned three attempts to make a desent shock mounts. Maybe need to pop by the local harware store if they'd stock some suitable material for shock mounts. But an pre fabricated set has step up to the plate as an option.

Anyway today was out with the old. Now I wonder what a GP4 FF Atlas Weights.


And in with the "featherweight".


The brackets aligbed nicely so they could be welded on


I also tack welded a nut behind the left axle gusset.


Thats supposed to secure that brake line T - piece. No need for a bracket there.


Magic


DIY magnetic drain plug. Gives me a a good idea on the diff condition while oil change. And obviously helps to keep the oil cleaner.


I also need to order me some new 1/2 shaft flanges. I was hoping I could use the ones I used with the mustang axle but no. Theyre different with hooge bore splines. I believe they have been re splined during the custom shaft work.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Did some bracketry today. Thought the shock mounts are simple enough to make myself so I did. Took me all evening though. The trial fitting and measuring took a while.

Some cutting and bending of a 3mm strong U beam.


Cool speed holes


Welded up


And welded on. Still need some smoothing around the edges.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

Heres where we stand tonight. For now thats the last of the bracketry. Next is the differential and then the the half shafts need to be cut to lenght. Then its the caliper brackets and the wheel alignment. Then I can weld the axle braces on and then we're pretty much done.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

The halfshaft flanges have arrived. Pretty much nothing more to report.

The flanges slide on nice and firm and theres no play at all when man handled by hand. The splines interlock nicely. The flange is even a bit reluctant to slide off the shaft and needs a bit of a tap to let go.
I've been warned about these quife flanges. I hear they are in the habbit of coming loose but theres nothing worrying to be seen so far. They even seem a tighter fit than the flanges on the custom made 2 piece shafts I had on the Mustang axle. Which never had issues even with a regular nut and thread.
I'll still mark the nut position and keep an eye on it. If it seems to be moving I'll throw in some glue.








One question came to mind while looking at the wheel bearings. Which way are these atlas bearings supposed to be going in. They seem to have some sort of rubber seal on the other side. I believe it is supposed to be go in facing the bearing housing. Right?

[FOSSIE]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

The side with the garter spring should be nearest the diff

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

OK, thanks. Will do.