DINGODOUG Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I am now on my second MK 1 Pig , 03BK22 , which seems to show the same problems as the first. The clutch seems to have very little 'bite' and only engages in the last inch or so of travel. I have tried adjusting it but can make no improvement. Is this normal or does the clutch need replacing? Also I have a very saggy rear end, or at least the Pig has. I have adjusted the torsion bars right up but the lower wishbone is horizontal and nowhere near the angle shown in the User Handbook. Again is this a normal Pig problem and if so is there a need to get the torsion bars re-tempered? Who could do this without breaking the bank? Incidentally my old Pig was 810 FUF which I still see occasionally in pictures at various shows. I bought it from John Marchant in the Seventies and used it as a car for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Also I have a very saggy rear end, or at least the Pig has. I have adjusted the torsion bars right up but the lower wishbone is horizontal and nowhere near the angle shown in the User Handbook. Again is this a normal Pig problem and if so is there a need to get the torsion bars re-tempered? Who could do this without breaking the bank? Doug a few things spring to mind. Have you checked that all three retaining bolts are in place & tight on the splined collar that locates the torsion bar into the suspension unit? If more than one has twisted or is missing the torsion bar will not behave correctly of course. If that is all ok it is likely that someone failed to align the collar splines correctly after working on the suspension unit. For a rear wheel you should be able to measure 1" between the nodule of the rear adjuster (which of course is at the front of the vehicle) and the nodule on the chassis opposite this point with the suspension released. If this is not so, you should Jack up the rear & remove the wheel. Slacken off the suspension adjuster, then unbolt the three retaining bolts this will loosen the locating collar so it can be prised off the splined part of the torsion bar. This should reveal a locating dowel in each bolt hole. Introduce a 1" bar as a gauge between the nodules as described above. Then locate the retaining collars & their dowel then bolt up & tweak the adjuster as per the handbook. Out of curiosity mark with chalk/pencil/crayon the original position of locating collar relative to the torsion bar to see how much it was out. One unpalatable thought. Is the problem on the off side? Originally the transfer box was supported by a torque reaction bracket with a bush. For Pigs at least this bracket was done away with so that the torque reaction bracket was supported by plates retained by three long bolts over the chassis rail. One bolts goes between the outer chassis wall & the torsion bar. The bolt is protected in a U channel piece, this is a mm or so from the torsion bar. A perfect focus for rust & they have been known top snap at this point. Check that it is not being weakened here by rust. The clutch seems to have very little 'bite' and only engages in the last inch or so of travel. I have tried adjusting it but can make no improvement. Is this normal or does the clutch need replacing? It may well need replacing but first have you checked that the clutch operating chain is not opening any links & the adjusting bolt to it not bent? Yes 810 FUF, been watching that for 30 years now at various high & low points of its life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DINGODOUG Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thank you Clive for your excellent advice. I adjusted the torsion bars as you suggested. They only needed to be rotated by one spline which made a surprisingly big difference. I had expected a struggle to free the torsion bars from their collars but they came off with minimal force so the job was incredibly straightforward. Next job will be the clutch. I was wondering whether to fit a harder wearing clutch? Presumably they are all carbon based friction materials now so wonder whether they perform better? regards Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Well done Doug that's a satisfying outcome. As for clutch, I have no experience other than fitting an original item. I had to do this because of nitwit abuse. The clutch was a bit worn but overheated to the extent that the flywheel had cracked. Bearing in mind your clutch may have been in place for nearly 60 years I would have thought fitting an original type would have been ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DINGODOUG Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 Just for the record I finally got round to fitting a new clutch. It was a straightforward job but involved removing the engine bulkhead and gearbox cover plates along with the floor plate on the drivers side. The gearbox came off easily and there was room for it to sit on the pasengers side floor. I used my trusty hydraulic crane with a short extension to reach in. The clutch was not pretty. It didn't look as if it had been on for very long but had overheated badly ( bad driving?) and was down to the rivets. The bad news was that the flywheel had also overheated and was cracked! Luckily I had an old spare and got a new clutch plate from TRUCKFIX who advertise in some of the classic truck magazines. All in all the job went smoothly and I am now looking to get the PIG on the road. The last job is making a set of rear wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I was wondering how you were getting on Doug. I had a similar thing on the Hornet with a cracked flywheel. I had to buy a FV1601 to get the flywheel out of it. But using the RR workshop manual I torqued up the studs on the flywheel & snapped two. Then I realised it was not ft-lbs but in-lbs :argh: Not so much room in the Hornet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 kin ell clive presuming those studs were say 350 inch pounds u were trying to do em up to 350 foot pounds poor bugggers no wonder they snapped!:red: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I think we need you to post up some photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DINGODOUG Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I see what you mean about lack of room in the Hornet - I've never seen one in the flesh. However I ran the Aerial Delivery trials Section at JATE for a while and found some interesting old photos of a Hornet which had hit the ground at terminal velocity due to parachute failure. There was not much left of it and you would not have recognised it from the wreckage. You can't see the registration number but the drop was dated Jul 1978.:embarrassed: There is also a nice picture of 21BK83 prepared for trial dropping in Dec 1961 by ATDU which , presumably . was a success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Doug yes Dec 1961 was certainly early. 21BK83 was prototype P2 it was Wing No. 6092 at FVRDE. The "production" run for the Hornets was Jan 1962 to Jan 1963. I think that smashed up one is at the end of my article of FV1620 development. But it is recognisable (just) by the characteristics of the door. Interesting to get the date of that, thank you. JATE had two Hornets do you know the fate of the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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