Clamshell pivots

[josephmoore]

Looking at the clamshell pivots, it seems they're some kind of pressed in fitting to the front tube? Any tips for removing it? The reason I ask is that mine's given up on one side recently and I guess it's easiest to fit a nut into the tube and bolt it through the clamshell mount rather than replacing the pressed fitting?

[MattD]

I'm being stupid & don't understand the question

clamshell = bonnet / flip front ?

[josephmoore]

Yep! That's what I've always called that kind of full tilting body panel, anyway...

[MattD]

Yours has the factory flip hinge then.

If the thread is stripped, you'll drill out the fitting or just drive it further in.
Its some form of rivnut or tubenut compressed into the end, so could probably be replaced like for like.
I would guess its a bit like the star fangled nut on a mountain bike steer tube.

Try these guys - UK based
http://www.jetpress.com/Products.aspx/1 ... ectorNuts/

As you say - you could grind down & weld a nut into the end for a quick fix, but that takes away the ability to replace should the same happen again in the future.


Mine's modified from the original one piece body setup & has a fixed welded frame.
I just use the forward front hole to pivot on - means there's less body overhang & the body doesn't hit the floor when tilted open (have trimmed the centre section of the front valance to clear the cross tube & rad/intercooler as it tilts).

[MattD]

Just remembered that I'm partway through building a new frame for my bigger FMIC, so I will be junking the one in my photo.

If you want start again you can have it - & I'm only a few miles north of Portsmouth,
(or maybe even a train ride away - Portsmouth to Waterloo stopping service stops in the village)

[josephmoore]

It looked like it was a pressed in thing that had sheared off rather than a screw in bolt that had dropped out but I might be wrong. Definitely looked a bit permanent. I'll go inspect later as my memory might be playing tricks on me. Those tube connector nuts you linked to look ideal, though.

[hearbear]

Did Tim not do some where the tube on the front of the A frame had a length of bar fed through it and the two side pieces welded on, so the bar though the tube was the pivot.

[MattD]

Did Tim not do some where the tube on the front of the A frame had a length of bar fed through it and the two side pieces welded on, so the bar though the tube was the pivot.

Yep, that how its done on a Fury & Phoenix

[stylussprinter]

Did Tim not do some where the tube on the front of the A frame had a length of bar fed through it and the two side pieces welded on, so the bar though the tube was the pivot.

That's how the factory cars were done but then Alec may have done his own thing , being an RAF engineer

[josephmoore]

Some kind of pressed pivot fitting on my car... I assume it got rusty and wore itself out until it sheared as that half donut shaped piece is still on the other side.

I'll swap them both when I get around to repainting that part of the chassis as if one's gone, the other probably isn't far behind.

[stylussprinter]

Some kind of pressed pivot fitting on my car... I assume it got rusty and wore itself out until it sheared as that half donut shaped piece is still on the other side.

I'll swap them both when I get around to repainting that part of the chassis as if one's gone, the other probably isn't far behind.

That photo looks exactly like the '' bar --- plus welded on ends '' pivoting within the tube to me.

[josephmoore]

Bit of follow up to this - having finally gotten around to tackling some jobs on the car.

Unbolted the lot from the car and ground the head off the surviving (just about - seized up) press fitting. Thought I might be able to just tap what was left of them inside the tube but they were manky and crap so the local garage just drilled the remnants out and welded a nut into the end of the tube for me.

The brackets which bolt to the clamshell / flip front will simply bolt through. The holes in them were a little oversized so I just bought some flanged nylon bushes and glued them into the hole in the bracket to take up the slop. Got to buy a few new nuts, washers and bolts to replace the manky original ones then I'll take some photos of the new setup.

If I were to fit some connectors in the headlight wiring harness adjacent to the hinge it would make fully removing the clamshell a two bolt job which is handy.

Incidentally, someone's fiddled with the legs on my frame as they have some dubious 1" extensions which slightly adjust the position of the pivot.

[josephmoore]

Photo from refitting this morning. Quite pleased with the result - easy to fit single handed. Took the opportunity to spend a few pennies on some new bolts. A dab of loctite on the bolts will keep them in place, though they're also way over length so it'd take quite a while for them to unwind themselves.

[stylussprinter]

Your photo shows a pivoting sidebar as opposed to the fixed bonnet original which was welded straight ahead parallel to the ground. I've made my own design which is simpler to make , plus keeps the fully opening flipfront off the ground. However , the easy way to achieve the same , would be to weld straight ahead THAT pivoting sidebar THEN use the end hole to pivot from , this allows flip opening at 90 degrees plus misses the ground.

[josephmoore]

It's not too bad as it is, to be honest - gets the bonnet to maybe 80 degrees before the nose touches the ground. A scrap of foam backed lino on the floor protects it and there are already enough stone chips that I'm not too precious about it.