Vertical link

[spitNL]

Well, started the spit this morning to go for a new mot.

Apparently the spit didn't feel like it: Made a sharp turn in reverse, turned the steering wheel: SHABANG!!

Vertical link broken...   :-/

Luckily it didn't do any damage.

 

Looks like the crack was already halfway through the link.

 

Does anyone know if the caterham vertical links will bolt straight on a spitfire?

I am thinking of this one:

https://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=214&osCsid=b9b556d94ace4a470d6afbc98da91b82

 

Freek

[charlieb]

No, they're designed for a spherical lower bearing.

[tim_trinda]

Does anyone know if the caterham vertical links will bolt straight on a spitfire?

I am thinking of this one:

https://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=214&osCsid=b9b556d94ace4a470d6afbc98da91b82

 

Freek

 

How about this?

http://www.canleyclassics.com/products.asp?article=catkit1.xml

[AJ.Lintern]

There's a long thread about the Canley trunionless kit on here - I suggest you read that first

[SteveA]

Reading on the other side, it seems that the tooling for trunnions has been remade and they are now re manufacturing them in the UK. Paying the extra for these UK made ones might be a cheaper/easier alternative to going for the Caterham upright.

 

Of course no guarantee the UK trunnions are going to be as good as the originals, but certainly should be better than the Turkey made ones.

[SteveA]

Oh, bad luck on your vertical link breaking, seems to be a absence of lubrication in there, had it been oiled recently?

 

Lucky though it happened at low speed, not much fun going down the road at 50mph to have the link snap and continue on three wheels  

[GT]

This one's a wee bit complicated.

The vertical links were pretty much ALL done in Coventry, and JK who got bought by Pearson basically has/had a monopoly on selling them because that Co were OEM to Triumph and local. (I believe).

 

What that Co (17 Lythalls Lane, Coventry, CV6 6FN) did NOT DO was cast them up, they just finish machined them.

 

From what I can see, these links were all good quality FORGINGS up to around the end of production from as long ago as 1959, and very rarely broke unless completely knackered/rusty, indeed the Lotus 7 ones were so good they could get bent in racing and successfully re-straightened without signs of weakness.  

 

From about 1986-7 they seem to have started to be made in a sort of cast material, but nice quality.

Those could EASILY be snapped by simply curbing the car heavily with stiff springs and bushes,- so they didn't bend, they broke! I used to replace these every 6 months for safety's sake.  :

 

What appears to be the case in the 90s at some time, is they appear to have got cast up in an inferior material which frequently appears to have flaws in.

That seems to be one of the ones you have.

 

The drama is:- if you look thru this:-

http://www.automotive-online.com/transmission-system/output-shaft.html

 

you will find about 3 in the UK, and the rest are in India, Turkey or Korea.... >

[spitNL]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the reponse.

There's a long thread about the Canley trunionless kit on here - I suggest you read that first

No I don't want to go down that route. :X

 

Steve, any idea where I can get the UK ones, or how to tell them apart from the turkey made ones?

Although you can't tell from the picture it is quite oily, I last oiled it in January.

I oil them every 6 months and at the same time take out the trunnionbolt and grease it.

 

Actually I was kinda expecting it to happen sooner or later -to get out of the driveway I use the short turning circle quite frequently.

I am going on a rally in Luxembourgh in two weeks and was thinking of taking a set with me, just in case.

Lucky though it happened at low speed, not much fun going down the road at 50mph to have the link snap and continue on three wheels  

I don't think you will get very far, it is lying on the chassis.

 

Freek

[SteveA]

In no particular order;

 

Moss

Rimmers

Canley Classics

Paul Matty (Lotus specialists)

Spit Bits (USA)

Paddock

Rarebits

Anglo Spares

Sports Cars Supplies

 

They should be around £20 per side, though with some suppliers you may need to check they are the UK made ones

[GT]

Best thing probably is to ring up a few people who break old Triumphs abroad...

France LVA, or Markt in Germany, or via the French Spitfire/Lotus 7 forums and you'll probably come up trumps.

 

I would REALLY reccommend trying to find good s/h old ones and changing the trunnion/bushes, if you want them to last.

 

I don't trust a fat lot made after 1980.....they're ALL UK made anyway, but see above for why.

[spitNL]

Here's another photo.

 

They should be around ?20 per side, though with some suppliers you may need to check they are the UK made ones

Steve, I think you're mistaken, the trunnions are 20pounds, but the vertical link is closer to 100pounds each.

 

GT, As far as I know they are original.

It's from the US and other parts didn't suggest that much maintainence was carried out.

I know it's history back to 1993. After that it certainly didn't have new vertical links fitted.

I will check with my local supplier if he as any second hand originals.

If he has I it will probably be best to have them magnafluxed for safety.

[GT]

Here's from Amicale for the last 4 weeks.....

 

toutes pièces TRIUMPH SPITFIRE neuves et occasions de la MK1 à la MK4.1500fh contacter Christian au 04.77.30.07.18 ou 06.19.42.61.32 garoux.christian@wanadoo.fr

 

piéces spit 1300TC GT6 débarrasse garage avec de nombreuses piéces de triumph spitfire,1300 TC et GT6 carrosserie mécanique     se.serriot@laposte.net

 

Vd ttes pièces Mk4, carrosserie et mécanique... Moteur en état de marche, boîte, et tout ce qu'il y a sur une voiture... Me contacter par mail SVP, ou à défaut par tel au 06 22 02 46 16 abva@au-bonheur-des-vieilles-anglaises.fr

 

Je vends un stock de piéces détachées pour Spit MK4. Liste sur demande par mail   ahj.mallen@free.fr.

 

selling front suspension dominique.guichard@orange.fr

 

or Alain Beroud is bound to have a load of bits....  alain.beroud@wordonline.fr

 

AND he speaks English

 

Howzat?

[spitNL]

Thanks for searching GT.

Blimey, you found those quickly.

I will check with my local supplier first, if he hasn't got any good ones I definitely will try the ads you gave.

 

When I recently needed a pair of trunnions for my other spit, my supplier also recommended second-hand ones.

He said the new trunnions are the wrong shape and have totally wrong tolerances.

[DaveNotSoSideways]

I'd use a good quality trunnion and new standard uprights (as stevea says there are decent quality trunnions about now?)

 

I know the Caterham links bend and do not break, cause there's always guys on blatchat moaning about bent links after curbing/racing incidents. Then they have no hole and no stress rising threads.

[charlieb]

The new trunnions are good provided you buy the right ones from the suppliers Steve mentioned. They cost a bit more & have STANPART on them.

http://www.club.triumph.org.uk/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?b-cc/m-1213206707/s-30/

[spitNL]

Got a second hand vertical link from a local supplier this weekend.

I asked him about the quality of a new link, he says he will only sell original ones. And gives 12 months waranty on those.

Because I don't want another failure I have tested them for cracks.

Dye penetrant:

Developer:

No cracks

[Oracle]

Often they go more cause of corrosion around the flutted/coned area between the main body and threaded stub.

 

Threads look in pretty good condition.

[GT]

Got a second hand vertical link from a local supplier this weekend.

I asked him about the quality of a new link, he says he will only sell original ones.

And gives 12 months warranty on those.

  

 

Cor! that looks alright doesn't it! Fit 'n forget I reckon!  

[spitNL]

Cor! that looks alright doesn't it! Fit 'n forget I reckon!

Well I sure hope so, I'm going on a rally in the ardennes this weekend. 8)

Wouldn't like to have it fail there...

 

Oh yeah, my suplier said he gets around 15 people a year with broken v-links

Allmost all of them happen at very low speed.

But he usually gets 1 breakage a year that is more serious and happens at higher speeds.

[SteveA]

Here's a couple of pics after my 50mph breakage. In the first one you may be able to see a white mark on the road behind the car, where the lower wishbone must have been scraping along. I forgot how far across the road I went and was able to pull it back  :B

 

 

[thebrookster]

Hey!! Dats my car that is!! ;D

[AJ.Lintern]

This sort of occurrence is often at the back of my mind when driving my Spit - either vertical link breakage or drive shafts shearing resulting in wheels bouncing off down the road and me going [brundle]straight to the scene of the accident[/brundle] probably via a truck coming the other way Am I being needlessly paranoid? :-/

[SteveA]

I believe suspension and drive components to demand a healthy respect, even more so after that incident, but you can't let it get to a point where you dare not go out on the road. I got lucky when that happened as there was a car on the other side of the road when that happened, but it was able to move over to the slip road out of my way.

[Jony]

depends, do you know the condition of your VL? are they original? are they oiled regualy? yes they are comon for failing, but usualy because they are 30 odd years old, or they havent been mantained proerply and as dave has said they usualy fail due to corrsion just round the top of the trunnion. you can usualy tell if you wip them off, feel for any play in the trunnion and check the thread fro any corrosion, if all is well should be fine.

[Jony]

and yes i too have been subject to the front VL snapping, this time just as i was pulling off from the lights on J23 roundabout of the M1, right in the middle of the sliproad exit ;D  although was VERY lucky as the roundabout before i heard a BIG clunk , seemed fine so i carried on cautiously but still on duel carrigeway doin 40+ could have been alot worse!