thebear54
DAF Nut
Those who say it can't be done, should not interupt the people doing it !
Posts: 1,426
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Post by thebear54 on Jan 21, 2015 8:18:15 GMT
Indeed Mr. Bays...those mythical towns do exist on this side of the pond.  They are both located about 2 hours North of me (Essex, in the County of Essex, is where my company office is located) www.essex.org/   John |
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 21, 2015 9:00:45 GMT
Cool!  I would like to see them for real one day. That day will most likely not coincide with Jaguar ownership... |
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thebear54
DAF Nut
Those who say it can't be done, should not interupt the people doing it !
Posts: 1,426
|
Post by thebear54 on Jan 24, 2015 10:25:04 GMT
Simple solution Pete...Pass on the "Shaguar" for something less painful (like a trip to Vermont). During these cold winter months I came up with a brilliant (maybe) thought. Yes, it scared me as well (before you say it Pete or Matt) I know how time consuming (as well as being a pain in the arse) it is to properly align the front tyres on a DAF using only a tape measure to set a proper track. The roads in Vermont are not that great (pothole after pothole on most secondary roadways) so my DAFs need to be be re-tracked (or at least checked) almost annually to prevent tyre wear. With my trusty pencil in hand and my brain switched on I came up with a few ideas to fabricate an Alignment Jig.  Firstly to gather up some lightweight steel stock & take a few measurements.  A few fast cuts with my trusty cutting wheel for the side rails.  Measurements, along with a few cuts for the horizontal front & rear legs.  This jig will have to accommodate both the "A" and "B" bodied DAFs so have to be adjustable between 47 inches to 50.4 inches (In this photo it is set for 50.4 inches).  I've "engineered" the slide mechanism for the two adjustment settings. Now to start welding things up a bit.  John |
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Post by Nick on Jan 24, 2015 14:38:47 GMT
put a spacer under the bolts or it will be a pain in teh arse to get anything on them to adjust them up, also think about putting gradients on both parts so you can fine tun e the lengths
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thebear54
DAF Nut
Those who say it can't be done, should not interupt the people doing it !
Posts: 1,426
|
Post by thebear54 on Jan 24, 2015 14:52:48 GMT
The threaded rod with nuts is already suspended so plenty of room to adjust the nuts Nick. Still trying to calculate what I will use to set the 50.4 inch outward setting to be accurate (47" is no problem , it's set when the jaws are closed) SO...here is the final result after assembly & welding.  Now, which one of my DAFs should I try it out on?? John |
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 25, 2015 9:15:29 GMT
As Rolf Harris would say "Can you tell what it is yet?". Looks well conceived and built, look forward to seeing it in action |
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Post by Nick on Jan 25, 2015 10:08:19 GMT
maybe run some hollow round tube up the back with a bar inside of a matching outside diameter in effect sleeving it so it can only run true?
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Post by Nick on Jan 25, 2015 10:10:56 GMT
obviously you would need some way of allowing for the TOE-Out angle as front wheels are simply NOT set parallel, there is always a small amount of outward pointing to create the run straight effect, on front wheel drive they toe IN as the wheels are PULLING the car, on RWD they toe OUT as they are being pushed (thats for the benefits of people who do not understand Toe-in-toe out)
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Post by macplaxton on Jan 25, 2015 11:16:20 GMT
Hats off to you John for your time and effort, I'd have given up by now and bought a Trakrite |
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thebear54
DAF Nut
Those who say it can't be done, should not interupt the people doing it !
Posts: 1,426
|
Post by thebear54 on Jan 25, 2015 20:42:11 GMT
Unfortunately Sir Richard nothing like that is available across the pond for smaller cars.
Do you have a photo of this miracle tool ??
John
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