Advice opinions please

[Thomas591]

Hi Brian and Andrew,

my two problems are:

1. I live in Germany and sending parts to Amsteer would involve Amsteer to clear the parcel through UK customs..

2. I can not take off the track rods from the car, as the car would be immobile for several weeks.

3. Yes, I could order new track rod ends and then manufacture new rods, but it would be a hassle to obtain the correct lh threaded tap I think.

Therefore I hoped that Amsteer could supply a complete new setup with lh/rh ends.

I will try to phone and email them again…

Regards

Thomas

[DODD]

Yes, I realise you are in Germany but I still think it’s necessary to provide Amsteer with accurate information for the replacement parts.
May I suggest:-
Taking off the track rod and ends from one side, check the dimensions of the tapers also the diameter of the track rod, although this is not critical but the length is. When I did my suspension I wasn’t able to remove one of the tre’s from the bar. It was well and truly anchored.
Amsteer fabricated new bars of a suitable length with extra thread at each end. If it had been necessary (which it wasn’t) I could have cut a little off each end to achieve the correct length, too long wouldn’t have been an issue but too small would have been.
For the sake of a few hours work you will at least have the confidence when the new ones arrive, they will fit.
You could also try faxing them on 01827 61999. Prefaced with the international code.
Regards
Brian

[AndrewA]

Did car run around New Forest yesterday (treasure hunt/tulip diagram type thing). Great test of cooling system as covered 80 miles in six hours driving!
It was a warm day (by UK standards) but no issues whatsoever.

[dwomby]

Originally Posted by AndrewA

Did car run around New Forest yesterday (treasure hunt/tulip diagram type thing). Great test of cooling system as covered 80 miles in six hours driving!
It was a warm day (by UK standards) but no issues whatsoever.

Great to hear and looking good in those photos!

David

[Roger Morrall]

Thomas

I feel I must defend my corner in that I know what I told you re A/H track rod ends is absolutely correct for the 408s, 409s and 410s. Given the proviso re the later A/H 3000’s.

Tracking was very straightforward on the earlier cars given the combination of LH and RH threads on the centre rod. Your comments re your difficulties indicate that something changed from earlier Bristol practise, perhaps they just ran out of L/H threaded T/E’s.

I note your comments re a difference between the inner two and outer four T/E’s. I also note that Amsteer list a different T/E for the 411. This might suggest that Bristols went for a bigger T/E on the inner rod on the later cars and continued to use the A/H T/E’s on the outers. Note that this means that the drop arms would also differ in this detail from those on the earlier cars

My memory continues to say very firmly that the track rods on the 408s to 410s carried Whitworth threads and the lock nuts also required a Whit spanner, but I have no way of actually double checking that so I could be mistaken. So forgive me if this is a red herring but it might just be worth your checking that the rod end of any track rod end does actually meet your requirements before you order.

Can I suggest that the best person to consult re your Series 5 might be Brian Marelli, the fount of all knowledge, who is I think now to be found at Coleman Classic Cars on +44 (0) 20 3987 3812

Hope that this is some help

Roger

[DODD]

I am getting a little confused, which isn’t difficult!
My 410 has three track rods, one on the left hand side, one on the right hand side and one central.

The left and right hand side track rods need adjusting independently, which is quite difficult and time consuming if all 4 TRE’s have a left hand thread. Each side needs to be aligned. To carry out the adjustments one end of the track rod is removed from say the hub and turned inwards or outwards on the rod as needed. Once both side are set to the correct line the central track rod is then adjusted to achieve the correct toe in or toe out. The central rod does not adjust the tracking. How much easier it is with 2LH and 2RH on the track rods.

[Roger Morrall]

Originally Posted by DODD

I am getting a little confused, which isn’t difficult!.

So am I! I don’t understand what you are trying to adjust on the outer track rods, they only (I say only, but they are of course vital to the whole scheme of things) connect the steering arm on the hubs to the drop arms. They affect no element of the steering geometry. They don’t need adjusting, they just need doing up tight and leaving well alone until such time as a track rod end needs to be changed and that’s the only time they ever need to be touched. "Adjusting" them would affect toe in / toe out of course but would be extremely tedious and that’s not what they’re there for. Since they affect no element of steering geometry in themselves - leave them well alone.

One of the drop arms is connected to the steering box, the other to an idler box. The two drop arms are connected to each other by the central track rod which carries a left hand thread at one end and a right hand thread at the other. Toe in/out is readily adjusted by loosening off the lock nuts and rotating the central rod one way or the other.

Can I refer you to the relevant page of the 410 spares handbook on this forum Resources - Bristol Cars - Owners and Enthusiasts Forum which illustrates the various parts I’m referring to

If by "tracking" you mean you are seeking to get the steering wheel to match the actual straight ahead position of the wheels this is very readily achieved, after having set the toe in, by taking a careful note of the position of the s/wheel when the car is tracking straight (which is much easiest done on a short test run on the road) and then relocating the steering wheel appropriately on its splines. This is dead simple when you know how, let me know if any further advice is required.

Hope this is some help and that I don’t sound too bossy.



Roger