Category: 2007 Baja 1000

Scottie Chapman’s handiwork on the boxed trailing arms.

Transworks has shipped our transmission. Eric Solorzano has dropped our pristine engine block off with the mill shop. Skid’s picking up the fuel cell next week. And latest team addition Scottie Chapman boxed the rear trailing arms.

And this report from Scott-A,

Dirty Dingbats,

Update on the front wheels/beam stuff I’ve got.

I’ve refurbished the tie rods & replaced the kingpins, replaced fasteners. These tie rods are subtly different than those on our other front beam, as the right tie rod uses a tapered bolt on the steering damper side instead of a C clamp like everywhere else. This just for info, know they’re not exactly interchangeable.

Also the Previous Owner (FPO, that is) used vise grips on the right tie rod, doubtless confused by the left hand threads on one end. I’ve lathed away the raised marks, but it’ll be subtly weaker than a fresh one. I assume this is a low stress part, more learned opinions welcome.

I have marked all bolts with the proper torque values, and all left hand threads are also marked. Bolts that have been torqued are treated with a dab of black silicone sealer to identify them until I can get around to drilling for safety wire.

Last night Carrie & I pressed studs into the two front drums. I CNC’d a counterbore 0.15″ deep into the hubs to allow the studs to recess, in hopes of clearing the brake shoes as I was advised by the ‘net. I machined the threads away & opened the diameter to 0.569″ this after a few tries with smaller diameter proved damned near impossible for us to assemble. I could find no advice on how big to make the holes for the proper press fit (thanks EMPI), so had to trial & error it. Trial & error required “indicating in” the stud holes every time, 4 times each. About 4 hours of setup & machine time grrrrrrrrrrr.

The pressing itself saw us heating the hubs to 300F, keeping the studs in the freezer. Gloved juggling the parts to my 2 ton arbor press, and with Carrie dangling from a cheater on the press handle, I pounded the top of the arbor with a 5lb hammer until the stud bottomed out. They won’t be slipping out.

Some folks recommended tacking the stud heads to the hubs. I am virtually certain this would be crazy, as the hubs are cast iron. The welders among us will back me up on this.

I was all set to put the bearings on the one spindle I have to assemble one wheel completely, but the inner bearings I have are a quite loose fit on the spindle. Perhaps they’re from the rear wheel, perhaps there’s a design/year change, perhaps I’m expecting too much.

I bought urethane bushings for the front beam to nuzzle the trailing arms. Internet wisdom is that they have to have the OD turned on a lathe to fit inside the beam pipes (could we race a Honda instead?) I have the lathe, but no beam to fit.

I’m dropping all these parts at sCary’s today. I’ll be there on Sat to play.

XOXO,

-Scott A & Calamitous Carrie