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[w3526602]

Hi,

Brain on gimbals time.

I know that "carden" disc hand brakes have been fitted to Land Rovers, but this techno-wimp is having problems finding details ... and anyway, I  want something different. Can I mount the caliper on the front of the rear differential?

Why? It would (in theory) allow me to use an automatic gearbox.  Reminder ... Barbara has one usable arm, and needs both knees replaced. My project vehicle will be running on tiny wheels, to lower the height of the front seat ... but will also alter the overall gearing, I have not yet done the math to work out how small an engine I can get away with. I'm currently thinking Marina 1800, but nothing is written in stone. If they ever get round to actually doing the ops, she will be restricted to driving an automatic for an unspecified period.

Today's thoughts are that if I can make and mount a caliper bracket on the front of the differential (in front of Pt.No,236547 - Retainer. on Page 1H-08), it should not be difficult to hang a disc between the prop-shaft U/J and the drive pinion. There is already a kit available to do something similar on the front end of the propshaft ... but I won't be using the Landy gear box.

I can see nothing difficult ... so far ... but this is where things get silly.

I done a Google, looking for disc hand brake calipers (Is there any such animal?") and found a single "unit" for £16. I'm guessing it's for a pedal cycle. Hmm? I'd be operating on a larger "disc", smaller wheels, and via a 4.5:1 axle ratio, and hopefully it would never have to stop a moving vehicle. I'll put that one on the back-burner.

Do any motor-cycles use a cable operated caliper?

Perhaps it would be sensible to have dual line braking ... tandem master cylinder (which I hate). Back to my thoughts on twin master cylinders ... with the second cylinder sitting in the clutch pedal box ... and a balance bar. My brain starts to hurt when I think about cylinder diameters, and line pressure, etc.

Series hand-brake, or Sanky axle brake,  but hung on the front of the differential.  Time to get my coat.

602

PS.  CARDEN SHAFT = any shaft that transmits power.

[Peter Holden]

A marina 1800 engine is not small when you consider that the early land rovers worked very well on 1600 engines and that BMC used to put 1500 diesels and 1600 petrols in the J2 vans.  The French Renault Estafette had an 850 engine and what about the original Standard Atlas that only had a small engine

Peter

[w3526602]

Hi Peter,

I'd already considered the Land Rover 1.6, to persuade myself that a Marina engine would suffice. I've already mentioned my spread sheet, which will take into account laden, unladen, and train weights, etc. Also engine revolutions per mile of the donor vehicle, compared with the Landy on "dinky" tyres.

Once that is sorted, I will also consider other engines ... Cortina 2000, maybe 1600?   Triumph Dolly? Spitfire 1600? I have not yet ruled BLMC 1.3 A-plus engines, but that might be a step too far.

I wish I had a bare chassis to look at, so I could visualise the angle of the prop-shaft, if I managed to poke the tail-end of the gearbox through the big hole in No.4 cross member. I suspect that it's not feasible, but memory says ....

Got it ... I remember my last 88" project. Within the first hundred yards of her first trial run, she had wiped off the rear prop gaiter on the bottom of that hole. But she was sitting on new parabolics, and wearing an S1 tub (presumably lighter than an S2) and no roof.  Once the rubber was all gone, there was no further conflict.

As most gearboxes now seem to have that tail extension, I'm anticipating problems in that area, It almost brings LWBs, and their longer prop-shaft into the equation.  I wonder if it's possible to go under that cross-member, which would mean nerfing the engine towards the centre line of the chassis ... probably not a bad thing, although the prop would then be angled sideways as well as down. Hmmm! Fit a new cross member ... the other way round.  Or further back?  I won't know until I have the metal in front of me,

Retaining the Landy gearbox would overcome the prop-shaft and hand brake problems, but then mean I'd have to adapt the new engine to fit the gearbox. I know an MGB  (alias Marina 1.8TC) engine has been fitted into an S1, but many many yonks ago. All Google can come up with are MGB V8 engines fitted into Land Rovers. Doh! Does anybody know anything useful?

It is reputed that any Ford gearbox will fit any Ford engine. My primitive logic suggests that, therefore,  a Ford V6 to Series gearbox adaptor will fit an inline Ford 4-pot engine, at the front end. "NO ANSWER!" has been the stern reply. Steve Parker no longer supplies conversion kits, but still supplies some parts. But what parts? Presumably these kits come onto the second hand market?

Which brings me to my next problem ... the project vehicle is lying, inaccessibly, in a barn, some forty miles South of Milton Keynes. The owner has "domestic" problems, which make it impossible for him to extract the truck from his barn, at least, not in the near future. He has suggested that I look elsewhere.

So, does anyone have, or know of, a suitable project? I would rather not fit a new chassis, but if push comes to shove, I'm sure Barbara loves me ... it will be me who decides what she can afford.    But that is tempered with the possibility that we might be paying for her new knees.  Benidorm (the Civil Service medical insurers) seem to have associations with the Nuffield Trust  hospital near Oxford, which is a bit closer than Kent. Does anybody know anything?

The RAF used J2 mini-buses, loaded with "Snowdrops" to accompany our convoys, although there were also some of them riding 500cc  Triumph bikes with side valve vertical twin engines.

Nuff for now!

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