FlymoFraser Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Ok I've uncovered the captive bolt under the side skin and tried to fit the petty strut that came with the FIA roll bar however it doesn't seem to fit appearing too long by 5/6 mm? Have I missed something? R287 Mobile Jaffa Cake- It's black at both ends with a smashing orangey bit in the middle here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted March 1, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted March 1, 2007 Petty struts usually come in 2 parts. This is to allow for slight 'tolerances' in the chassis i.e. different distance between the roll bar and the chassis fixing point. The strut is fitted into place and then the 2 parts of the strut are drilled and fixed to length with a bolt. Did you buy your strut/rollbar second hand and therefore already bolted to length? If so, you may have to redrill or elongate the hole. Hope this makes sense. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) www.lads7.co.uk Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlymoFraser Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 Paul ☹️Yes second hand, didn't realise the adjustment hole was a customer modification, if I elongate the hole won't that invalidate the petty strut?? Surely all these bits on a Caterham are exactly the same dimensions on every car. ( sorry, just joking) 😬 R287 Mobile Jaffa Cake- It's black at both ends with a smashing orangey bit in the middle here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 That's interesting....I may have the same problem. Couldn't you just turn the bar parts so the holes don't line up but the ends do? Am I being particularly dim? I guess the amount you'd beed to file it out to elongate would be a matter of a few mm, so not going to invalidate the function of the strut. If worried, weld up two holes, file flat, re-drill and repaint/powdercoat. A new strut is about £20 from CC. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds..ooooh hooo hooo!!... 😬 😬Abbey Road Time-Machine *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlymoFraser Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 UF Don't think you can do what you suggest. I'll try to get a photo up over the wekend to demonstrate the issue. £20 sounds a lot better than welding filing etc etc. R287 Mobile Jaffa Cake- It's black at both ends with a smashing orangey bit in the middle here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierson Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 From memory, the bar has brackets welded at the top which have to be angled to take account of the fact that you're attaching the lower section to the chassis side rail and so it can't fitted any other way than intended. Likewise, the bottom section has to have it's mounting hole angled to take account of the overall rake - and hence can't be fitted otherwise. Sorry! Pierson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frying Pan Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Do you have the Caged FIA bar (with the 'x' diagonal). The petty strut for this is a single piece, with no adjustment. Mine is identical to yours in that the holes don't quite line up. I spoke to a Caged chap at Stoneleigh a couple of years ago, and he offered to modify it / make a custome one to fit if I wanted, but I never got round to it Guy See some pictures of the build here. 11000 miles completed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted March 2, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted March 2, 2007 Neil The slight difference (5 or 6mm) will make no real difference and shouldn't compromise the effectiveness of the strut. Suggest you remove the nut and bolt, fix the top and bottom sections (the strut pieces slide inside each other) and then re-drill or file in situ. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) www.lads7.co.uk Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Lynch Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Same problem with my Second Hand Strut (never fitted for that very reason). Good question regards elongating the misaligned hole, I'd already decided on redrilling mine to suit, as described by Paul 1.4K SS 😬 here 'You've got be in it to lose it !' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlymoFraser Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 It's an Arch, single diagonal one which is two piece. UF Not sure if you are suggesting simply leaving out the middle bolt that doesn't fit 🤔If so that would leave the strut able to shorten by about 5 inches in an impact because the middle bit slides in and out without the bolt, in which case I might be better off making a new petty strut from a bacofoil roll 😬 As I am hoping to sprint this year and I've just cut a bl@@dy great hole in the inner side skin I'm keen to get it to work. R287 Mobile Jaffa Cake- It's black at both ends with a smashing orangey bit in the middle here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Richard Price Posted March 2, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted March 2, 2007 Neil, I'd redrill in a different position. I'm sure thres plenty of overlap. If you're bothered about a set of unsightly holes, you could fill them and paint over, or just wrap a bit of black tape around (unless its Jaffa coloured - I don't ever recall seeing any PVC tape the same coulour as your car!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted March 2, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted March 2, 2007 As I said before I don't think a small amount of elongation of the hole will make a great deal of difference. Richard does however have a good idea and you could drill a new hole 180 degrees different to existing hole. At the end of the day, I see very very few people using the petty strut even in sprints or trackdays. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) www.lads7.co.uk Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclefester Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 > Not me guv, I was suggesting either turning it by 180° , welding up the hole & drilling one in the right place, or just filing/elongating it....or buying a new petty bar as it's only £20 from CC! Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds..ooooh hooo hooo!!... 😬 😬Abbey Road Time-Machine *eek* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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