AK 1106 rework ...

[westcott]

The rear upper wishbone with the bushings, to get the wishbone in place i had to remove the outer bushings and the metal tubes.
   

[westcott]

The frame brackets, the outer bushings and the tubes are pushed into the wishbone through the bigger visible step washer holes on the outside brackets.

[westcott]

Olivier did it with his car and yesterday i checked the wheel alignment of 1106.
   I made the same experience according the data availability, under "AC" we found all Cobras and behind them the MK IV and the 428. [:)][:D]
   
   Result after 20 minutes of work:
   
   Front
   Castor:
   LH before 3°23', LH after 3°07', RH before 3°42', RH after 3°37, set value 3°30'
   Camber:
   LH before -0°33', LH after -0°31',RH before 0°00', RH after -0°01' set value 0°45'
   Toe in:
   LH before 0°03', LH after 0°10', RH before 0°11', RH after 0°11', set value 0°10'(total 0°20')
   
   Rear
   Camber:
   LH before 1°19', LH after -1°14', RH before -0°29', RH after 0°21', set value 0°30'
   Toe out:
   LH before 0°09', LH after -0°17', RH before 0°23', RH after -0°19', set value -0°15'(total -0°30')
   
   The new values let the car go more easy, accurate and stabil on country roads, the "Autobahn" experience i will made end of next week going to Black Forest Area for a Cobra meeting.
   
   Castor difference is inside todays production cars range, so no reason for me to change it
   
   The camber values front and rear are out of range and i decided to improve this between cw 23 and 25 or end of the season.
   
   Is here some experiance available how much "turns" on the upper a-arm ball joint are how much degrees camber, as a rough guide ?
   
   Uwe

[Migge]

I don't know how much turns on the upper arm will change the camber but I know the at a 15" wheel, exactly 15 3/8" apart from edge to edge, 1/8" or 3.2mm is 1/2 a degree difference or 6.4 mm foe 1 degree. Easy to measure but only rough calculation. So if the upper edge of the rim is 6.4 mm more in to the center than the bottom edge you have 1° negative camber.
   
   Uwe, you wrote REAR Castor, I think you meant camber.
   
   Cheers
   Migge

[French Frie]

Uwe,
   
   I do not know either, even if I was asking the very same question to myself ! But my understanding is that it would be a good idea to change this rod end and put a female one, with a clockwise/anticlockwise rod (sorry, don't know the name in english), that could allow the camber to be set in place without needing removal ! The point is that I'm afraid there's is not enough room to allow the setting, as the present rod end is almost fully screwed in the upper arm, but it would be interesting to try, wouldn't it ?

[westcott]

Michael,
   yep, changed it to camber.
   
   Olivier,
   
   I will count the revs when it is time to adjust the settings and will show  the degree changes.
   
   As You said before, it would be nice to have a direct adjustable a-arm but space is limited.
   
   Uwe

[westcott]

It's blood relationship and they life close together (about 33Km) but met each other the first time at Saturday, last weekend.
   
The picture of AK 1106 and her younger, Weber powered, brother AK 1240 was taken at "Klassikstadt", a beautiful place for car enthusiasts.
   
http://www.klassikstadt.com/
   
   

[French Frie]

Very Nice , Uwe !
   
   PS: i found the right word in english to name what I was talking about : TURNBUCKLE ! I learn everyday [;)] ...

[westcott]

Back again with improvements and spare part infos.
   
   Last weekend during a nice tour in Bavaria i faced a problem some of you may had in the past as well.
   
   The steering column became "loose" and felt indifferent because this small rubber part in the foot well broke.
   
   The part itself is called "lower steering column support bushing" or "lower steering column support bushing". My car is a 1985 and use the SD1 column and stalks so the correct rubber thing is a Rover/MG part as well.
   
   It is pressed into a metal bracket screwed to the front of the drivers foot box front wall.
   
   The original rubber piece has the Rover MG number "CRC360", a also available PU tuning part from company Super Flex Polyurthane in the UK has the part number SF2109.
   
   Here are the links from Rimmer Brothers and Super Flex:
   
   http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-CRC360
   
   http://www.superflex.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=SF326-2109
   
   I ordered 2 of every kind and if i consider a 30 years lifetime each I'm prepared for the next 120 years.....[:D]
   
   Will post pics from the repair next week.

[French Frie]

Hi Uwe,
   
   Nice to hear from you again ! I encountered this issue as well, and I wish I had those infos, even if I' m not sure the part is the same, as AK1113 has the newer column... Anyway, as it not the Ford assembly as well (triangular bushing on the ford set up), i made a bushing from a nylon piece (story here : http://www.acownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2808 )...  So far, so good !

[westcott]

Here the promised pics.

First the damaged part and the rover replacement in grey rubber.

After that the blue PU replacements.
   

[westcott]

A few month before i did some changes to the interior. After i finished the car with later straight dash i changed two details giving it a "cleaner" look.
   
   I organized used Granada2(was used originally for my MKIV) and Midget handbrake levers, cutted and welded them together to my "special MK IV" lever.
   
The original shifter and leather shifter boot was replaced by a 289 gear lever with rubber boot and chrome ring.
   
The ring was located to cover all before used holes for the leather boot and moved a bit to the left.

Every modification is reversible just by screwing on the original parts stored in my garage.
   
I will definitely keep the 80s look and not change the steering wheel and column stalks.
   

[westcott]

9 weeks before i faced a problem with my rear brakes and needed to replace my left rear caliper.
   
   In my early car the Peugeot 505(504,604, Talbot Tagora)rear floating calipers are used.
   
   The Peugeot calipers dosn't differ that much by the years and just the width between the brake pads is different.
   Early 505s(551A)had 10mm rotors and later cars(551D) had 12mm rotors, also the mounting of the pad guides/clamps to the caliper bow is a bit different.
   
   The mounting to the upright is completely the same, so all 505(505 Break or Limousine), 504, 604 and Talbot Tagora rear disc brake calipers could be used for the MK IV.
   
   Just keep in mind that the right Peugeot part is used left on the MK IV and vice versa.
   
   They are famous for their handbrake mechanism realized by a 2 piece brake piston with internal adjusting mechanism and a external elbow lever for the handbrake cable.
   
   If the inner part of the piston will stuck in the caliper bore because of damaged piston seals the external parts will be damaged soon by too much force applied to them and need to be replaced.
   
   That would be easy if you could order or buy replacement parts what i tried for 2 month, worldwide.
   
   The parts are unavailable now, don't believe in online offers found in the www, they are all obsolete
   
   After the month I found a right side NOS replacement piston(not caliper) with internal handbrake mechanism via Ebay and installed it. Problem solved for this year
   
   But next year i need to have Geman TÜV approval to get my licence plate for historical cars.
   
   So if in the near future the right hand caliper will stuck and damage the handbrake mechanism, there is no replacement and i need to go a alternative route.
   
   The later cars i think used Scorpio or Sierra floating rear calipers(not Cosworth, they had vented rear disks) and i want to organize a pair of these newer parts available in all kind of quality.
   
   Could someone post pictures of the installed Ford rear calipers?
   
   I need to know if there is a adapter plate used to fix the calipers to the uprights.
   
   Thanks, Uwe

[dkp_cobra]

Uwe,
   
   maybe you can find some Aston Martin DB5 rear brake calipers. I have those in my MK IV without any adapters. I know they are hard to find but maybe you have luck.
   
   Regards, Peter

[westcott]

Peter,
   
   all sources i checked for original DB5 calipers need exchange parts and are not willing to sell reworked calipers without the exchange parts.
   
   Will check with BG developements for the new aluminum replacement DB5 type calipers.