wonkey eyed barmaid Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 4th out of 6 on the 'to do' list and going well so far... have apparently solved the clamshell to tyre interface woes. (yet to be fully confirmed by a high speed blat, but initial results are excellent) after a few options presented themselves and were considered, I returned to option A (my own). option B: caterham say bend the wing stays and raise the wing . its high enough thanks, and I like the profile of the car. option C: fit 60 profiles come tyre change time . lowered ride height and messed up gearing the side-effects... option D: fit wheel spacers and longer studs . everyone said NO 🙆🏻 option E: "fit an Aeroscreen" shouts Hoopy... just how magical are these things!!! (hehe) and so back to option A - my idea to get right to the cause of the problem, and simply remove the offending part of the wing! It is just the lip on the leading edge that catches, and as there is at least 15mm of it, it seems perfectly reasonable to remove 12mm or so and create more clearance. the position of the lip renders it quite out of sight, so my mods are not noticed in normal viewing. the integrity of the wing as it arched towards the headlight concerned me, but by leaving a very slight return from the main wing surface to the lip (about 3mm) it retained plenty of strength. it sounds like a savage solution to the problem, and in its execution it probably is, but it surely more elegant in its results than the bending of wings stays, as the shape and stance of the car are unaffected; and there are no ground clearance problems as found with the tyre change. it takes about 2 hours all told. firstly measure up the offending area by marking the wing using a permanent pen above the edges of the tyre (185/70 in my case)at either lock (looking from front of car) then mark the upper limit of the template by following the contour of the edge just a few millimetres below. this leaves a section of about 14cm long x 12mm high, with a gradual curve leading into and out of the cut out area. you then need a cylindrical sanding stone (from the set used to fit starter button )) fitted to a decent variable speed drill, to simply grind away what you dont want, following the template you have drawn. you could use 2 grades of stone if you wish, one heavier grade for the bulk of the sanding, and a finer one for finishing, but i found this was not necessary and a medium stone was quite capable of doing both on the soft fibreglass. just check frequently round the underside you are not grinding anything you should be. 30mins either side should have the sections removed, then shape the edges of the new cut out to resemble that of the rest of the wing. with the 'permanent' markings removed with a wipe of t-cut you really wouldnt know I had been there. (the mods cannot be seen when standing in front of the car). and so far I have had no rubbing *smile* even if it does catch again - its very easy to whip the wheel off and buff away the affected area... sorry for the long post - hope this has helped some people though. clamshells rule! (well they do now). >grant Edited by - granteuk on 27 Feb 2003 00:44:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Grundy Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Grant, sounds an interesting mod. I assume you are running 13" wheels with the 185x70s? Is this normal for the tyres to rub on the clamshell wings?, because I am in the process of putting mine on and its something I could do now rather the fit them and then take them off again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Mine used to rub if I hit a bump in the middle of a slow corner. I took the alternate route of having height adjustable dampers and dialled in some more clearance. The problem is that the wing stays and clamshells are not exactly precision engineered and raising the wing stay is the best option if you are prepared to gamble on not breaking them. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Unfortunately it is fairly normal for the tyres to rub on that lip with the wheels on full or near full lock and I would certainly modify before you fit although as Grant has described, it is quite easy to do with them in place. I had to modify mine in this way even though I have got 60 profile AO32Rs. Still wouldn't change to the dark side though ❗ 😬 Brent 7 in bits, LOTS of bits ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philwaters Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Brent, You know it is only a matter of time before you can resit the Dark Side no longer. The flared wings power is weak compared to Dark Side. Join us and be more powerful than you can possible imagine (oops wrong quote!) Vader Who's ya daddy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaseb Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Not sure about this resitting the dark side thing, does it hurt? You wouldn't fit in a 7 anyway Mr Vader not even an FB, err sorry SV Teaching you all how to do it properly, flares and a crossflow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Excuse me Vader but I've never SAT on the dark side so I certainly won't be resitting it 'Flares' the Connoisseurs choice, yes even Chris Clark (Mr Carslick 🤔 😬) Brent 7 in bits, LOTS of bits ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philwaters Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Jase, Aimed at Brent - he knows who I really am, and no not his Father 😬 Well, my teacher was Yoda and Ewan Mcgreggor, so I can't spell... oh, and once you take off the breathing equipment I fit my 7 easily... can't breath though Right, back to my construction plans.... Edited by - Vader on 27 Feb 2003 08:35:19 Edited by - Vader on 27 Feb 2003 08:38:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casbar Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 I've had clams for 11 years and run 185/70's and have never had any rubbing. Guess I must have been lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philwaters Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 I used to get rubbing with the MXT's, but as someone has noted, onlt on big holes/bumps/potholes. Very rare, only remember it 3 or 4 times over the 3 years I had the MXT's This went away when I fitted 60 profiles and adjustable platforms... expensive fix, but I did it for other reasons - like grip Phil Waters You mean you can drive these? I thought it was just there to polish 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonkey eyed barmaid Posted February 27, 2003 Author Share Posted February 27, 2003 thanks for the comments folks. Iam most pleased with this latest mod. proper blat to the big city today (edinburgh) 70 mile round trip on A roads, and no rubbing. result. casbar: you must have been lucky after all.(or you aint driving quick enough ) colin grundy: wait until after the clams are fitted, then mod them if necessary. plus, its easier to mark them when they are on the car and you can judge the effected area... graham sewell: caterham suggested bending the wing stay as well - but frankly i didnt like the idea of raising the wing and altering the profile of the car. I didnt want any more gound clearance either, and adj dampers are circa £400, whereas my method is £1.50 and 2 hours work. cheers. grant. resisting the dark side is far easier than i thought... me thinks the dark side has gone soft...!!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Crudders Posted February 27, 2003 Area Representative Share Posted February 27, 2003 On my (very long) To Do List - Option F: stronger springs! I well remember observing with horror the official fix for this problem during my Post Build Check - a hefty skyward yank on the wings It worked but looked bloody awful, so I carefully eased them back to where I'd set them and put up with the occasional graunch. But hopefully not for much longer But this grinding caper would presumably permit even closer alignment of wings to wheels , so ta Crudders Visit the North Kent Area Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted March 1, 2003 Share Posted March 1, 2003 "May the Force Be With You" It'll only be a question of time before those on 'the-other-side' start 'Clammering' for the Clamshells. .............actually might be a bl%dy long time. They think they know best but as 'WE' say. Those of you who think you are perfect are annoying to those of us who are! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh It's late and I'm tired but sleep is not an option. This saving the world thing is hell on your social life. Regards, Clark Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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