Gridgway Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 In my new to me crossflow which I am fettling over the winter I'm wondering about the Ital axle.The car has done 9,500 miles since new and everything looks to be in good condition, but I don't know if everything was new when the car was built.I have some questions about the axle. Is there anything obvious to see/know about with regard to wear? Anything that wears quickly and what if anything I might check.Then are there any strengthening upgrades to apply? Also is there a go to specialist for axles?CheersGraham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 If you search Ital live Axle, there are loads of discussion posts. I'm in a similar position as you, I have a very low mileage 1985 car, that i've rebuilt and in the interest of improving it's longevity I took mine to McMillan Motorsport, who fitted a quaife atb for me, but more importantly shimmed the half shaft bearings to stop the bearings moving on the shafts.There is an article written by Graham Sykes on the site, this link may work lowflying.lotus7.club/1993/1993_03_05_Ital.pdf Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted December 25, 2021 Author Share Posted December 25, 2021 Thanks Alan, do you mean search blatchat as that doesn't produce much of note? Also the link doesn't work sadly!CHeers Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrightpayne Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 http://lowflying.lotus7.club/1993/1993_03_05_Ital.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 Thanks Kemosabe ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted December 25, 2021 Author Share Posted December 25, 2021 Thanks, seemingly it wasn't that the link was not a hyperlink but that the server had an error which it doesn't have now.I'll have a read - cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkeywood Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Graham Sykes article tells you pretty much everything you need to know and a decent, properly refurb'd axle shouldn't give you any problems on the road or track. Mine's had a lot of track use and only needed bearings and seals. I upgraded to a Quaife ATB as well not long after getting the car and that's proven to be bulletproof. The silly little plastic breather, particularly the OE one Caterham supplied at times, has a tendency to fail so treat as a consumable when changing oil (it's an MGB 21H6060). Most important thing is fitting the axle and making sure it's shimmed to align and remove any side to side movement. You might want to look at the brakes and change to 3/4" wheel cylinders, if not fitted already. Decent linings also help get the most out of the drum brakes. Relining is the easiest way to get something that suits what you want to do with the car. I've used Questmead in the past.Hope this helpsRobert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temple Cloud Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 I'm just getting to grips with the concept of a live axle as I don't think I've had one for about 40 years. Does the addition of an LSD make a worthwhile difference on the road (I drive in a spirited fashion lol) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 I've put a quaife atb in my Ital, more to take some load of the cwp and driveshafts ( and have a little fun too !) lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now