fiat woes

[callyspoy]

well the task is moving on steadily with the fiat installation.
Gearbox and engine are together
gear stick and gubbins have been removed, cleaned and greased
engine gearbox and prop removed from the car(and front grille)

so it is now a case of the trial fittings, in and out jobbies to determine where to drill the holes for the engine/gearbox mounts etc. relatively straight forward, as with everything though it is the prep work that takes time...

my problem is this though...
the bloody prop! what an absolute nightmare! i'm fitting a new rubber centre mount and it was a right palava to get it all seperated and then put back together. it just wouldn't budge, piece if crap! got it done in the end, just a bit crappy! but...getting the UJ back together is proving a nightmare, can anyone with experience tell me the best way to put it back together? the needles just keep popping out! it's very very annoying and taking up too much time!
updates and pics with follow at some point...
also, found a cute little Nuffield badge on the nearside front chassis bit(next to the holey bits in the floor) rather odd that i had never seen it before, and it looks dandy!

[charlie_morris_minor]

I hope callspoy does not mind me hijacking his post... but does the fiat fitting need the central mount or is it possible just to go for a custom made one piece prop?

[Mogwai]

The method i use to get UJ's back together is to sit the rollers in the cup then fill it to the brim with grease this will hold them in place for fitting

[callyspoy]

cheers Richard, i did put some grease in it to do the job, but i suppose packing it out would be better.
Charlie...i was thinking about this whilst i was having my nightmares...i don't see why you would need to have 2 piece, a one piece would be fine(i think) as long as you retain the "float" bit at the gearbox end. if i destroy the centre rubber quickly then this is the route i would look at going!

[jonathon]

I'd ditch the Fiat prop, and go for a one piece. We use Dave Mac propshafts in Coventry, who are well versed in these. Cost is about £140
but well worth it

[callyspoy]

that's not a lot of money to be honest! but i'm about 90% done with the prop now so a bit late now Mr Heap! but...i will keep that in mind for when the centre rubber dies!!

[PSL184]

I can vouch for Dave Mac also - been in business for years - He's never let me down and costs are very reasonable too

[Innovator]

I built props for over 5 years..........

Fitting Ujs especially in the middle of a prop is a bit of an art. Old Uj`s are more awkward and it is easier with new and while it is apart may as fit a new one for under £10 (I guess thats the cost)

You need to fill the caps with grease to old the needles in.

part fit a cap into a yoke and push it in, check no needles hve dropped out.

Put the cross into the cap. This will now hold in the needles.

Push the cap into the yoke as far as it will go. This will be further than where it should be.

Fit the Circlip (trade mark)

Fit the other cap onto the cross that will be sticking out of the other side.

Push the cap in until the opposing cap hits the Circlip (Tm)

Fit the other wire retaining clip.

Repeat for the other side.



Fiat props in general:

there are 2 kinds of gearbox output. One slides in and out like the Minor, the other is a fixed 3 prong spider that the guibo bolts to. I searched for ages to find a yoke that will slide in and take a UJ and there isnt one from another vehicle, so I made an aluminium adapter that a flange would bolt to so i could have a single piece prop.

http://www.beardmorebros.co.uk/website% ... _page1.htm

The guibo is designed to run straight. It will run at an angle but it will wear quicker. my first Minor had a 1 piece shaft but after that we used 2 piece shafts.

Hope this helps.

[jonathon]

The 3 pronged assembly is the same as a Jag unit. Dave Mac produced us several props which used the front portion from the Fiat mated to a prop fitted with the 3 prong fitting and a UJ. this set up workes extremely well. I'll see if I can blag a diagram

[dp]

Fiat props in general:

there are 2 kinds of gearbox output. One slides in and out like the Minor, the other is a fixed 3 prong spider that the guibo bolts to.

Are the outputs easily intechangeable?

[MartinB]

Personnally I wouldn't be to hasty to junk the rubber doughnut, it allows a bit of give in the transmission giving the halfshafts and UJs a slightly easier time. I have been running a two piece propshaft on my Minor for nearly twenty years with power outputs ranging from the standard 2 litre Fiat (112BHP?) up to the current output well in excess of 400 BHP with many hundreds of full bore starts! The choice of UJs needs to be the version with the slighly larger needle rollers (I had some needle rollers break up with the smaller version) if it is to live at this sort of level though. Also running a Mk2 Escort axle (with Quaife Grp4 halfshafts) with 3.54:1 ratio, which just about seems to cope, however the Quaife LSD is struggling badly and makes some horrendous noises at times (something to do with the enormous grip generated by the soft slicks when one is starting to spin).

Martin

[Innovator]

Fiat props in general:

there are 2 kinds of gearbox output. One slides in and out like the Minor, the other is a fixed 3 prong spider that the guibo bolts to.

Are the outputs easily intechangeable?

No the end of the main shaft in the boxis different.

[Innovator]

The 3 pronged assembly is the same as a Jag unit. Dave Mac produced us several props which used the front portion from the Fiat mated to a prop fitted with the 3 prong fitting and a UJ. this set up workes extremely well. I'll see if I can blag a diagram

Would be interested to see a pic of the prop of or a diagram. i cant visulise how you can get rid of the guibo and run a Uj in its place