RichardUSA

There is a circlip and a screw on 'knob' - at least on my 5 spd Sierra. The whole affair is a bit of a joke imho because the clip is a pain to get in (and know it's seated) and the knob loves to spin the drive when it begins to get tight.

I've posted about this before but why can't we, (at least when posting on TechTalk) have a signature that gives the basic info about your car? People trying to help must ask basic info like....'what engine? what year chassis? What model? What tires? LSD? Mileage?.............. Can we anticipate a bit? Sorry for the rant - bad day. ☹️ BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/8,500 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's Ali/black

Will do Billyboy. Please e-mail me at RichardEngelhardt@msn.com and I will reply w/ photos to your e-mail with some info.

Sorry for the hijack rant and I can hear the 'tart' talk now but the low quality plating on the fasteners is one of my gripes about the car. Working on the car this winter I was amazed that my BMW bike ('87) hasn't a bit of rust on its various bits. My car never sees rain and is clean so why should I be seeing rust starting on the fasteners? Exposed suspension deserves better... CC please source better bits. I'm willing to pay an additonal 50 bucks or so for quality fasteners.

No front anchor points available on the exhaust as supplied. If I found the anchor point on the chassis how do you anchor onto the exhaust? I assume you'd use the same anchor mechanism as the rear but not sure how to use? Thanks in advance.

Just noticed condensation dripping in front of the rear wing at the exhaust. Didn't think much of it (should have) until I also noticed the purring sound. Theres a very small crack in the exhaust pipe at one of the anchor point welds where it fixes to the rubber bobbin. Not big but expect it will get bigger and have to be dealt with. Hoped that with a nice SS exhaust that was one thing I wouldn't have to mess with. Anyone else had this happen? BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,500 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's

I thought fins were supposed to go on the back of the car. 😬

How about some of these... Better than WWII nose art.

Mick The CC ad I mentioned was from July '05 (ok my piles deeper than I realized). In the ad it says 'INTRODUCING THE NEW AVON CR500......... Now in its fifth year, we have used the experience of the tyre gained on the road, track and in race conditions, to develop a third evolution of the product. The new specification 13" CR500 retains its Kevlar reinforced light weight of the original and continues to be hand-built on the race line, along with racing tires such as the Formula 3 slicks.....' This is after my tires were made. Not sure if they also modified the design of the 15" tire which is what I have. I like the tires (although I haven't compared to anything else) but cannot have a set of tires that exhibit such cracks and have been known to blow out suddenly. I guess I'll send pics to Avon and see what happens. If no positive response I'll vote with my checkbook. Anyone have a specific e-mail address that may cut through the bureacracy? BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,500 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's

I'll find the ad/issue when I get home. It was probably a year or two old. It was in one from my 'pile' but did attract my attention because of this topic. Get back to you. Edited by - RichardUSA on 1 Apr 2009 12:52:31

My cars been on stands all winter and took the wheels off last night to inspect, clean, etc. After reading this post I checked the tires carefully and what a surprise, the inside face of the left rear tire has a couple radiating breaks in the sidewall about 3" apart. I saw an add in LF for a new designed CR500. Does anyone know if this redesign is intended to address the issues raised here? What is the difference from an '04 tire? I no longer feel I'm able to trust the tires enough to do highway speeds or take my kids along. The car has nothing wearing on the sidewalls, I check pressure often (18psi) and have never used nasty chemicals on them. I also drive a bit like an old lady too often (sorry) . Has anyone had Avon step up regarding this issue? If not it looks like a tire from the Rising Sun is in order. BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,500 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's

And what would you jack against anyway ?.......................sorry. 😬

Screw it all I'm digging a pit in the garage. Always good to keep the wife nervous.. 😬 Thanks to all for comments. 😶‍🌫️ BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,000 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's

I don't see how there would be any difference in the forces imposed on the outer welds whether the lift is placed at the center of the cruciform or in it's final state on jack stands. Either way you transfer roughly 1/4 of the weight of the car each way across the member to the side frame. The outer connection/welds must resist this shear force. If the main cruciform tube deflected (bent) significantly I could understand how it might result in added stresses on the bottom welds - to say nothing of the tube itself. But whenever I've lifted the car I don't observe deflection in the cruciform tube which means it is transfering the load the same way (horizontally across the tube) as if the jack was closer to the side. Regardless I've always been more concerned about the tube not having sufficient capacity and might deform so I'm at least going to put something substantial to distribute the force more uniformly across it's width. This should also resolve any other forces that may be acting on connections. (I'll also put the issue to one of the structural engineers at work since they are pretty bored these days.) Still waiting for CC to jump in.................................................................................................................. BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,000 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's

Well kids...........funny how the simplest questions aren't. *confused*I guess I will form a wood brace of some sort to help distribute the load better. Maybe a low clearance jack is on the Christmas list also. I had tried jacking at the sides and at the tow hook but this seemed to induce a painful torque in the chassis. Never saw much deflection in my chassis when jacking on the cruciform but the architect in me says it doesn't feel right regardless of what I've read or been told. The best idea I heard is that Bruce at Arch or Caterham could pipe in with a definitive or on the cruciform or other. Anyone have pull with them for an 'unbiased' and final answer. All responses were appreciated. 😶‍🌫️ BASIC TECH INFO: 2004/9,000 mile Cat w/Zetec SVT, widetrack, DeDion, 5 spd/3.62, 15-CR500's