On Fri, 2 Aug 1996, Vincenti, Ross wrote:
> Hey, good discussion on the swing spring "thingee." So, now on to the
> really important question...
> What are your thoughts on whether I should bother to make the swap? My Mk I
> will not be 100 point concours when done (the motor is a GD series, it has
> Mk II headers, elect. fuel pump in trunk, etc.), OTOH, everything else is
> being restored to near perfection and I expect she will be beautiful. My
> inclination is to leave the original spring in (especially since I have
> already bead blasted and repainted the spring). Thanks for your opinion
> (and anyone else, too!)
Well, beyond the tendency of the rear wheels to "jack" under extremely
heavy cornering (providing as much drama for spectators as it does for
the driver), there's nothing seriously wrong with your original setup for
about 99.44% of "regular" driving. So, assuming you could get decent
used parts (which you'd then have to clean and repaint anyway), the
upgrade might only cost $50-100. Starting with all new bits would easily
double (or worse) that cost. The only other gain I can think of would be
in a slightly softer ride.
The "classic" and much less expensive alternative to either camber
compensator or swing-spring is, of course, having the original spring
dearched somewhat. Exactly how much, I don't know, but it's an
alternative that has been used successfully in many applications over
the years, among them Sir Jack Brabham's Coventry-Climax-powered
Heralds. But then you'd have to repaint the spring again! ;-)
--Andy
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* Andrew Mace e-mail: amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* *
* Mrs Irrelevant: Oh, is it a jet? *
* Man: Well, no... It's not so much of a jet, it's more your, er, *
* Triumph Herald engine with wings. *
* -- The Cut-price Airline Sketch, Monty Python's Flying Circus *
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