Anyone got a lathe???

[nunchukhamster]

Hi guys, after a favour!

I need to get a couple of circular washers made up to help me finish off a mod on the C70. I've searched the net and can't find the correct size washers ready made and don't seem to be any companies local to me who can knock them up (only need half a dozen, not 300 :D)

So, details:

O/D: Anything between 28mm and 30mm
I/D: 8mm
Thickness: 4mm
Material: Steel

The thickness is the problem, I could just use 3 or 4 thinner washers but I'm a bit of a "neat freak" with stuff like this and would much prefer to use a single washer on each of the linkages.

Anyone got any ideas???

Thanks!

James.

[Ang]

We do have a lathe but may be better to cut them out of a sheet of steel. James recommends these people

http://www.wurth.co.uk/

He also says if you are needing 4mm thickness you would be better off with a 10mm bolt or bigger (it would also be easier to find). If you are not needing the strength you could as you've mentioned use several washers. Hope its useful.

What mod you fitting?

Hold in there because he thinks he may be able to get you some tomorrow, 6 ok or do you want more?

[nunchukhamster]

Thanks Ang, 6 would be sweet!!! Let me know what I owe and where to send it.

It's a slightly odd thing, it's not a bolt that the washer goes round :D

Gear linkage cables on the Volvo's end in an eye, which has a rubber bush mounted in it. Those rubber bushes become soft and the gear change feels sloppy over time. However, Volvo being Volvo, you can't buy the bush separately, you have to buy the full gear linkage cables at over £100.

On earlier versions of my car you can use brass bushes that were fitted to the MR2 & Celica 3SGTE SW20. However, for the gearbox fitted to my car nothing is made.

I got hold of a couple of superflex bushes and went to work with Mr Dremel and created what I need for the bush. However, the original bushes have a lip top and bottom to stop the gear linkage eye sliding about too much. The washers are the replacement for this lip.

The I/D has to be 8mm because that is the size of the "lug" that the bush attaches to, there are no bolts involved in the setup.

See if my comedy picture makes the above a bit clearer.....

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x314/Nunchukhamster_photos/bushpic.jpg

The big red bit is the gearbox itself, and you can see the pin sticking up. Blue is the new superflex bush, black are the 2 washers, the green bit is the retaining clip. Obvisouly when connected the gear linkage eye is actually mounted to the bush. Ignore the gap in the picture, once it's all installed the whole thing sits snugly together :)

At the moment the 2 washers are the standard penny washer type items and the bush is a few mm taller than it needs to be, so the linkage cable can slide slightly up and down the bush. With a thicker washer I'll machine the bush down so that it is the exact correct depth to mount the gear linkage on, then the thicker washer will fill in the gap that is left behind by thinning down the bush, preventing the slight motion that is possible as the moment (in simple terms that I can understand, the blue bit gets thinner, the black bits get thicker ;)). Does that make sense??? :rolleyes:

So, the whole thing works really well now (much better than the original Volvo bushes), but I'm a bit of a perfectionist for things like this :D

[Ang]

Thanks that's a great explanation, missed for some reason the bit about linkage in the original posting, the grand prix is on in the background and rather distracting. ;)

If he gets them tomorrow there will be no charge and we'll pop in the post to you. I will show him what its for and he'll see what he can sort out. If not then it may have to be that wurth place, they are pretty good.

[nunchukhamster]

Thanks that's a great explanation, missed for some reason the bit about linkage in the original posting, the grand prix is on in the background and rather distracting. ;)

If he gets them tomorrow there will be no charge and we'll pop in the post to you. I will show him what its for and he'll see what he can sort out. If not then it may have to be that wurth place, they are pretty good.

Thanks both!

Let me know and I'll pm snail mail address.

James.

[nunchukhamster]

Ang,

did James have any luck with these?

Thanks,

James (this may get confusing!)

[Ang]

Ang,

did James have any luck with these?

Thanks,

James (this may get confusing!)

Typical brain has now woken up and oh yeah, James said only ones he can get were 10 mm or 12 mm. Any other ideas?

[nunchukhamster]

Typical brain has now woken up and oh yeah, James said only ones he can get were 10 mm or 12 mm. Any other ideas?

Hi Ang, if that's the I/D then I can actually use the 12mm ones (sounds mad, but I'll take a pic to demonstrate why when I fit them :)). Cheers!

[Ang]

Will sort that out then, not sure if he bought 12mm home but if not he will do on Monday. :D