does anyone know?
does the spicer mean the clip on the outside of the bearing? if so then whats the hardy?

IIRC the hadry splicer is the part that slides up and down(or in and out)
the uj joint is the part that joins both parts together the cross part

Hardy Spicer were the original manufacturer of the type that started to replace fabric disc couplings for automotive use from the the 1920 owards, original types were plain bronze bushed, but you won't find any of thoe around the needle roller type that followed was built on the same toolong so needle rollers repair kits drop straight in the original 1920s/30s yokes.
A US company Spicer was famous for supplying complete axles to the smaller US manufacturers.


Correct generic name is a Hookes Joint after Robert Hooke who invernted it for a telescope mouting see http://www.roberthooke.org.uk/leonardo.htm

[Edited on 6/11/06 by britishtrident]

[Edited on 6/11/06 by britishtrident]

[Edited on 6/11/06 by britishtrident]

Don't know, but I would guess that Hardy Spicer was probably the first manufacturer of the type of joint (universal joint?) in the same way people refer to a worm drive hose clip as a Jubilee clip and a vacuum cleaner as a Hoover.


Must be typing slowly today

[Edited on 6/11/06 by nick205]

ah right i see now, thanks.

i was wondering because i might need a cross part to go between two differnet sizes of couplings on the end of two different shafts. does anyone know if such a thing can be got or could i meachine down a larger one to fit into the smaller one?

not sure, but never heard of one like it

well for all i know i might not need to but since i haven't got a car yet with a AWD tranmission i might as well explore all the possibabilities that might occur, because i have looked at one picture of a sierra 4x4 front output is a Hookes joint and it looks smaller than the one on the prop shaft out of the spitfire i have, which i'll probabily use cause we have about 3 or 4

have a Hookes joint beside me right now came of a spitfire prop shaft when my dad built a spartan about 30 years a go

[Edited on 6/11/06 by goodall]

[Edited on 6/11/06 by goodall]

You'll find the u/j cross pieces virtually impossible to machine due to their hardness. Much easier to use an ordinary u/j & join the shaft at another point.

i'll probabily end up trying to do that but the front prop shaft is solid and there would bend if i try to weld it i'd say, but who knows i might have a joint on an other prop shaft, think theres a rs2000 shaft kicking about somewhere and right few half shafts from various cars

Hi there, and welcome

They're not great photos but you can see my front prop in my photo archive. What you ideally want is a front prop from a cossie 4x4 or the bog standard 2 litre XR4x4 (to avoid cossie tax!). This is a tubular shaft with decent sized joints. The joints also happen to be the same size as rear wheel drive volvo propshafts which have nice sliding joints and centre bearings.

So essentially my front propshaft is a shortened volvo propshaft with the ford 4x4 end yokes on each end. I did the yoke swapping myself but got bailey morris to shorten one of the sections for me and balance the whole lot.

Hope that helps,

Liam

thats useful to know for when i go outlooking for my donor thanks.

i like your front suspension system, i'll probabily do something similar myself.
what kind of a diff are you useing in the front?

I'm using the whole ford 4x4 system - so that's the front diff from that. It is normally bolted to the sump with the intermediate shaft running through, but i've simply removed it and mounted it in the front of the chassis.

Liam

ah right i see, do u have 2 have a bearing on the end of the intermediate shaft and how do u plan on balanceing the car with the weight of a diff on one side and not the other?

sorry for askin so many question but i want to be sure about what i'm about to start doing

No probs asking questions

The standard intermediate shaft bearing is also removed from the other side of the sump and fitted in my chassis. The front axle is basically just as it is in the sierra minus the sump.

Well most cars dont mind the weight of the driver on one side and not the other, so a 12kg diff wont bother it either. My engine is offset to the passenger side by a couple of inches though, but this was more a space reason than for weight distribution.

Liam

ah right its nice and light the diff, i'v only ever had the one diff in my arms and it was about 40 or 50 kg but 12 kg thats nottin really.

have you got your car driveing yet? if so i'd say she'd be one of the best things you'll ever drive with that V6 and AWD in a super light frame

Yeah it's not too bad. The 4WD system - extra weight of the gearbox (centre diff, chain drive, etc), front prop, diff and driveshafts add about 50kg over the weight of a 2WD version.

Not driving yet - just have to get the engine running on megasquirt now. Yeah should be pretty awesome! What have you got planned?

LIam

ah well 50kg not bad like a set of wheels can be that heavy!

hopefully i can find a good sierra with 4x4 gearbox and i'd probabily like a pinto engine, but there few and far between in n.ireland but i think i know were there is one but not sure of the engine. have lots old stock parts and semi used parts from cars so i might beable to make mine for colse to the books optimistic £250 mark.

hope you get her going soon because she looks as if she'll be quick with that alloy V6 and the handleing of the spaceframe with awd, well be like that of the RS200

Look for a 2 litre XR4x4 if you can. Then you get the decent tubular front propshaft, a 4-cylinder MT75 gearbox that will fit a pinto (though many might say why have 4WD with a wimpy pinto) or indeed a cossie engine, and 3.92 diffs (instead of 3.62s on other 4x4s) for gearing more suited to a seven.

Good luck,

Liam

thanks mate i'll bear all that in mine when gettin the donor.

from what my dad tells me from the days when he had his RS2000 the pinto was a great engine, i think there is a carb from one about somewerewith the diuble choke, but well if the pinto turns out to be rubbish i already have an audi 5 2144cc, the same as that used in the UR quattro, i'll try that, puts out as standard 150 bhp

[Edited on 6/11/06 by goodall]