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Set up and welded my Volvo axle the same way. I never removed any bearings or seals but probably should have. Bearings are really not much of a ground path problem unless you ground to the axle. Still a good idea to remove the axles for welding.. I'm sure most don't. Remember; parallel four link does not work well with rod ends. you need PERFECT spacing or modified geometry to not get any binding and it will rag out the joints quick. Ask how I know. Use one rubber joint on each side to get better articulation.

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Volvo 240/P1800 Based Locost
2004 Aprilia Mille Factory
1988 Volvo 240 5 Speed ( For Sale)
2002 Toyota Tacoma
1999 BMW M3

I would've gone with bushes on both ends if I had any confidence at all that I could've gotten all the links exactly the same length. Now that I've attached them, I realize I could've put rod ends only on the bottom links, and then adjusted the bottom links to match the top. In any case I can move the axle through a wide range of motion without any binding, so I'm good.

After Warren's comment, I'm wondering now if my welding problem was caused by clamping the ground cable to the bracket instead of the axle. Could that've kept the axle tube from heating up more?

Wow, I have a nose! On my Locost! My girlfriend conspired with Jack to get this to me by my birthday, and to say I was surprised when I opened the box would be a major understatement. I immediately stuck it on the front of the Locost, and for some reason it looked way better than every other TTL nose I've ever seen on any Locost.

I'm extremely impressed by the quality of this piece. Light but very rigid. And it fits like it was made for an MGB radiator. In fact, I could run 1/2" foam weather-stripping around the inside of the nose, and the radiator would be just about completely sealed. So the nose itself works as a cowl for the radiator. Trimming of the nose will be minimal, just some clearance for my cantilevered shock mounts.



Best birthday ever, except maybe for last year when my girlfriend got me my Miller 140 welder.

Happy Birthday, Nick! I'd have to say your girlfriend has good taste in "noses." That sounds a little weird, doesn't it?
Still, that's better than saying the your girlfriend "picked" your "nose"...

Congrats, any-hoo!!!

JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

wow, a girlfriend that buys you a welder and then a locost nose? marry her.

She's a keeper

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I USE TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND ..BUT MY BRAINS KEPT FALLING OUT

Hey Nick
What are you using for a bearing at your lower trunion to A arm joint ?

It's all stock.

Interesting. The design of that joint is completely different on the Sprite and much better on the B. What size is that bushing that is pressed into the king pin ?

It's not even a press fit. It just slides in. I'm not sure if the bushing is rotating on the bolt or the kingpin is rotating on the bushing, but with the nut torqued to 60 ft-lbs the kingpin swings freely, so I'm guessing it's the latter. The hole in the bushing is 1/2", and the bushing itself has about a 1/8" wall. I can measure it with my dial caliper when I get home, but I'll bet it's really close to 3/4" O.D.

Edited to add: There actually is a second bushing in the kingpin that's pressed in. It's already installed when you get a new kingpin, so I forgot about it. It's grooved for greasing. The slide-in bushing runs inside of it.

If it is anything like my old MG, there is a bushing press-fit into the trunion and a distance tube that is free to ride in it. The distance tube should be ~ 0.005-0.010" longer than the trunnion/bushing assembly. The bolt is supposed to tighten the control arm tabs against the distance tube, locking that whole assembly tight. Then the trunion being ~ 0.010 shorter, is free to rotate on the bushing's ID and the distance tube's OD.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

The B is way different than the Sprite (better) the Sprite has a pin with a little wedge that holds it in place the ends of the pin have threads and they seem to be the wear surface. All this is a little hard to believe but I couldn't tell how it was built because I couldn't take the damn thing apart. The threads had worn their way half through the lower A arm.

Alas, I have rod ends on all the links at back. No binding problems ( think I must have pretty good spacing. I will let everyone know if the ends get sloppy in a short time. I sure hope not.

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1998 E 300 Turbodiesel
2006 Jetta diesel
1995 C3500 purple diesel bucket truck w/yellow & silver flames

It's amazing how much confidence adding a nose to the car gives you. It also clues in those who think we're nuts for building our own car in that the nose kind of makes the whole effort look real.


Looks like you're on track to get some Gaz shocks for Christmas! Those wooden sticks just don't hold up well in off camber turns.

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1998 E 300 Turbodiesel
2006 Jetta diesel
1995 C3500 purple diesel bucket truck w/yellow & silver flames

Hey, those are genuine GAZ wooden sticks. Okay, maybe not. I've since replaced them with steel parts, which won't necessarily work any better than wood in off camber turns, but at least they won't fail catastrophically and send the Locost into a wild spin.