Top bush reamed. Quite a bit of material removed. (VW spec for bush id is .710 inch. Sorry cannot do metric.

Just starting the bottom bush. See how an extended reamer keeps itself lined up top to bottom.

Earlier in my postings you will see I was attempting to create a means of using a cheap, readily available adjustable reamer and some home made positioning bushes to allow parallel reaming and any one could have borrowed them. Forget this. Chinese reamers not worth a light and gouge rather than cut. No wonder they cost peanuts. UK ones are available but expect to pay between 80 & 100 quid for one... just not worth it for a one off job. (In a recent post, either manx david or buggy pete, cannot remember which one mentioned the lads at limebug. I took a look at their website and they will dismantle both axle assemblies, fit & ream new bushes, fit new king pin, fit new link pins and bushes and re-shim the bottom end spacer for £218... this might seem a lot of cash but for the work involved plus parts it`s a bargain).

VW spec for bush id is .710 inch. Sorry cannot do metric

Yes you can...  ....  1" = 25.4mm

.710" x 25.4 = 18.034mm, whereas 18.034mm / 25.4 = .710"

Just out of interest, In your picture below, do you use a long slim tapered sleeve on the reamers lead diameter
to assist and ensure alignment between the two bushed bores ?

Hi Pete... I think I remember the version you refer to. A type I havn`t seen in a long time. The extended reamer type with a tapered bush was common for use on many of the old cars with king pins. As you are probably aware the tapered bush, often with different taper angles "top and bottom" sat in the "lower" king pin bush housing to guide the reamer through the lower bush parallel top bush. I don`t think that type is available anywhere but I could be wrong on that.

The reamer in the photo is not a relic from the past so to speak. My original "wore out" quite some time ago. By this I mean I could not have it re-ground and maintain the .710 cutting diameter. The one in the photo is a high quality reproduction of VW`s original. These I believe are still available across the pond. Looking at the photo, at the reamer "bottom end" is a short length cutting section. Main cutting section is higher up. The serrated cutting edges are not "parallel" to the shaft. The .710 dia is mid point of the cutting section. So reamer goes in from top. Slides down until the bottom end is just seated in top of bottom bush holding the reamer vertical to both bushes. Clockwise rotation with gentle downward pressure cuts through bushes as you go. In an ideal world, as you had when VW made the bushes and king pins and they were all identical, a perfect job every time. I now find that the king pins vary in their o\d so I always have a few new ones to hand and chose the closer to ideal pair as I can.

A lot of words... hope they make sense.... regards Paul

Another iva issue out of the way I hope  

Local examiner will not accept the use of "u" shackles on shortened cables. Here is something I hope will resemble the original handbrake end connector. I was a bit dubious about using "swaged" type wire rope connectors as when undergoing the examination the guy yanks on the handbrake really wildly to see nothing gives way. Without a correctly fitting swager I would be dubious about the strength of the swaged section.

Here is an alternative from the marine industry. It is A4, marine grade, stainless steel with a version of a compression style clamping so that it is suitable for home build just requiring a spanner or wrench to assemble. I am assured by the manufacturer that as long as it is not overtightened it will hold the cable as securely as a correctly swaged type.

In the photo I have used some wire to represent the steel cable but you will see what a good solution this is looks wise. The cone section is polished.

I have often wondered about these, how big is the thread on the outside ?

As if you did this, you will be able to use a standard cable, chop the threaded end
off the new cable and feed the cable through the centre of this fitting.

Clamp up as it was designed and also clamp the Allen screw you just fitted, put a small disc pad
under the M6 screw, as it will stop the tendency to chaff and break a wire frond when tightening it up.

Set things up and then shorten the cable to give 200mm of it sticking out of the rear of the fitting...

Passing the longer cable through the fitting will give you unlimited adjustment when setting things up, the dead length
situation you have now is fraught with a possibility of getting the cable length wrong

Maybe 

Peter

I think I remember the version you refer to. A type I havn`t seen in a long time.

And that's a great shame really, as they worked perfectly well and eliminated any misalignment.
I made tapered sleeves to suit whatever I needed to use them on.

Hey Ho 

Peter

Or...

You may be able to make one of these...

Both use M6 and M8 Allen bolts but one has pads the other has a collett...

Hi Peter .. many thanks for these photos. Certainly a great deal of food for thought. A "limitless" adjustment certainly is appealing.

The items in the photo.... 6mm stud for 3mm cable & 8mm for 4mm cable. (There are others available in the range).

There are two additional variants.. One with a flattened head and hole through it instead of the threaded stud. The other has a "U" shaped end with clevis pin.

The items in the photo.... 6mm stud for 3mm cable & 8mm for 4mm cable. (There are others available in the range).

There are two additional variants.. One with a flattened head and hole through it instead of the threaded stud. The other has a "U" shaped end with clevis pin.

Your 6mm stud version gives you the correct cable size I guess but drilling a 3.2mm hole up the middle will throw
up issues, as the thread depth of M6 will reduce the wall thickness to the point it will break.

You could try the M8 version as it will accommodate a 3.2mm hole straight though, maybe using some shim in the 4mm clamping collet...

Thats why I used M8 Allen bolts, a 3.2mm hole up the centre doesn't weaken it much. This Allen bolt hits a 3mm thick wall at
the end of the body, which I also tapped M8 so the cap screw locks in and doesn't twist.

I hope you can see how the one I have made works, the sleeve is slightly bigger than the M8 cap screw head diameter and
it slides into the body, I tapped the two M6 holes with the whole thing assembled to ensure the threads line up.

I just ran an M8 tap straight into the standard wing nut which is M7, the wing nut doesn't need drilling first.

Quite honestly, it works a like a dream 

Peter

Hi Pete..... apologies for the delayed response. Just back from holiday.... 

This looks a perfect answer.

I agree M6 far too small a dia to drill down, tap and have enough wall thickness left.

Looks like photobucket wants some cash out of me.... just after coming home spent up and broke again. Ah well it can only get better.

On the go again...

25 x 25 x 3mm tube now welded in place. Tubing extends a further 6" past end of floorpans to give me something to use as I ponder what I am going to do to secure at this end but still have access to torsion bar end caps. ( Tube secured forward at admiral hat but will have to be secured to a non moving section at rear... possibly using the lower two end cap bolts).

The underside was painted, covered with dinitrol and painted again. Dinitrol is resin based and it certainly likes to burn when welding. A lot of repair work to this needed now.

I am going to say it again.... Try to make sure all your welding is done before painting etc. Save you a lot of time, not to mention a bit of cash and a lot of depression. 

A few words on drilling steel.... Lot of people, over the years, have asked if there was an easy way to drill through steel, snapped bolts and the like.

The answer to this is yes. You can use standard hss drill bits. Very few of you will have cobalt drill bits to hand. The cost of these seem to depend on the amount of cobalt used in the mix when manufacturing them. I have a few but rarely resort to using them.

I find the crux to drilling through a bolt or thickish steel plate, tube etc. is to use some light oil, something like 3 in 1. I don`t know if it is the lubrication, the cooling, or both that makes such a difference.

Firstly use a centre punch to give the drill bit a chance of boring exactly where you want it to. The oil can make the bit slip to the side if you don`t watch out for it.

Now then.. a tiny bit of oil on the drill bit tip and start drilling but use a moderately slow speed. drill only for about 30 seconds and re-oil tip. carry on like this and you will be through in no time. If you see smoke.. stop.. this is the oil burning so put a bit more on.

To give you a practical idea the difference these tiny drops of oil make here is detail of something I just carried out.  My son has a 2006 Honda crv. He needed to replace the rear drive box support arm for mot. This needed the roll bar removing for access. roll bar brackets secured each side by 2 bolts. All four bolt heads sheared off. He tried drilling them out and spent all afternoon at it. He blunted two drill bits and managed to drill into one bolt by about 6mm so he had persevered. After work, which is when he called me, I took a fresh drill bit with me to his house and by using a bit of 3 in one had all 4 drilled out in 15 minutes. He was quite taken aback at how easily dad had managed this. Simply something I was shown as a young man.

If you are going to drill through tube and need to drill through "top & bottom" take a bit of time to ensure the drill is vertical both forward and back and left and right before you start. (I use a right angled piece of steel or something similar that may be at hand each and every time). This ensures that when you feed a bolt through  it goes through in a straight line. Get holes angled only slightly and the nut will not come down flat against the washer when tightening up).

It is a good idea to paint the pan U channel and top of the box section before assembly to stop rust the kango rotted out along that section after many years of use and winter salt ingress. The jas has the box drilled only in the top and rivnuts to secure it to the pan using the body bolts the roll cage bolts were drilled through the box and anti crush tubes fitted. Luckily both ours have no iva regulation build requirements.

Hi snoopy...  I am going to attempt to do all I can to prevent the attack of rust in the U channel and to the tubes.  The roll hoop mounts & seat belt mounts, at the floorpan area, will need some modification.

I suspect buggies and iva will never be easy bedmates.

Hi snoopy...  I am going to attempt to do all I can to prevent the attack of rust in the U channel and to the tubes.  The roll hoop mounts & seat belt mounts, at the floorpan area, will need some modification.

I suspect buggies and iva will never be easy bedmates.

We had the VOSA training team in at work so time ago to get some of the workshop fitters trained and passed off so they could join us examiners if needs be and the top man stopped and looked at the kango outside and said it would never pass iva but it pre dates it and a Q plate so was acceptable.