Triumph Sports Cars

Thanks, thats good to know on the shifter, the Z32 trans on the RB25 engine has the shifter at 29" from the front of the trans and a quick measurement of the TR6 trans while still in the car was about 25". Plus I may need to move the RB25 engine back a little from the postion of the TR6 engine. Excited about the 200 HP, should make for one crazy corner carving machine.

Hi Calvin...... I just wanted to say that your conversion is spectacular.....just beautiful! A comment and a question:

The Miata seat brackets I'm now using are made by Rick Patton (http://pattonmachine.com/Miata-Brackets.htm) and work beautifully. They reuse the stock mounting holes and once installed remain bolted to the floor while each seat is then bolted to the brackets with four bolts per seat. I can remove a seat in 5 minutes or less..... same to put back in.

My big question concerns your Wilwood M/C..... it looks like it bolts to the stock servo and I'm wondering what modifications you had to make? Is there a spacer required or was the rod altered? Does the M/C require any "pre-load". I think it would make a great upgrade to any TR6 so any info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bob

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the compliment. I have used your website several times for information in research for my build. I thank you for having it up on the web for others.
The new Miata seat conversion parts for the seats look great. I think I’m using the first setup you had, which is working fine. I just had to switch the seats because of the recliner lever would hit my rocker panel. This probably was from my T56 transmission being so wide.

The installation for the Wilwood master cylinder was a direct fit on the stock booster. The connections are reversed from a stock master cylinder. On a stock master cylinder the back port is for the front brakes. The Wilwood the front port is for the front brakes. The Wilwood master cylinder comes with a spacer that takes up all the space in the bore for a longer push rod type installation. In other words the spacer fills the bore to almost flush to the piston bore. So when mated to the stock booster the only modification I did, was to take out the adjusting screw out of the booster plunger end. Then I installed a smaller headed srew to get the right adjustment and play between the booster plunger and the Wilwood master cylinder piston spacer. I used a 1.25 MC which is to large thinking that I had 4 pot calipers up front and single pot disk brake calipers in back. Also Wilwood told me that would be the right size for my application. I’m going back to a 7/8” MC soon for better braking with less effort. I also bent my brake pedal over, so lost about an inch in foot pedal ratio.


For someone to use the Wilwood MC on a stock TR6.

1) It will bolt right up to stock booster. (Tandem Wilwood MC)
2) Use a 7/8” MC
3) Fix the booster screw to get the right tolerances between the booster plunger and the Wilwood spacer inside the piston (spacer is supplied from Wiwood in the box)
4) Switch the brake lines. The front of Wilwood MC towards front of car will supply the front brakes. The stock brake MC, the back towards the driver would supply the front brakes.
5) Need to take out brass fitting that has the safety light in it for the dash, which ties both front and back brakes together. This part is under the booster on the wing inside fender. Name?
6) Direct connect front brakes and back brakes as their own circuit.
7) Install a Wilwood proportionate valve into the back brake circuit to adjust back brakes in. This will insure your brakes will not lock up. So there would be an adjustment.
8) Be very careful adjusting brakes in and testing for the first time.
9) Anyone please chime in if you have something to add??

I saw the PM Bob,

Calvin

Calvin:

I love that 74 of yours. Can you please tell me what size the hiem joints you used are for the steering column? I like your setup and I wanted to begin setting mine in place. I also need the dia and length of the steering rods if possible.

Hi Art,

Below is a list I made up for some one else that wanted the part numbers, to make the Woodward steering shaft assembly. The steering rods you ask? I would suggest getting the parts like I did, make wooden dowels to measure up everything together, then you will know the length of the shafts needed. Your car may have a different route to run the shafts than mine. You will assemble all the parts together using the 3/4" wooden dowels as steering shafts.

Hope that was understandable?



I have all the part numbers for you that
I used. Some parts are on this site
page.....[woodwardsteering.com]
ng%20universal%20joints.pdf

1) UAD3-20201( Double Universal
Joint).......(.750-20) Is used between the 2
steering shafts that you will be making. Buy 5' of
3/4" .120 wall steel tubing. You will be making or
have someone weld in the splined ends inside the
tubing ends.I used 3/4" wooden dowels to mock up
my two steering shafts. I drilled out the ends of
the wooden dowels so that the weld in stubs would
fit in the ends.

4) ST201A (Weld in stubs) .750-20.....For 3/4" OD
.120 wall tube These will be welded into each end
of both steering shafts that need to be made.

2) UA20110 ( Universal joints) .563-36 spline X
.750-20 spline universals. These universals will
go onto the steering shaft at the bulkhead of your
TR6, and down on the steering rack.

2) You will need 2 stand points (Heim joint ends
with a ball in them) that the 2 steering shafts go
through. The two 3/4" OD shafts will go through
one each. I installed one in the suspension tower
of the TR6 on the drivers side. The second one was
on the inner fender. These will keep the steering
shafts ridgid as it is turning. I don't know what
the part number is for these. Look down on page 4
at the bottom. (Clevis Assembly) The silver part
only. You will need two jam nuts per = 4
total........here is the site page...
[woodwardsteering.com]
nion%20mechanical%20parts.pdf

Check out the parts pages that are linked above.
The 563-36 splines will be on the ends and all the
20 splines will be in the middle.

I hope this helps you understand the parts that
were used in my build and Ken Morrisons.

Check to make sure the part numbers work right
with Woodward before ordering.

Calvin

Calvin,
Thanks for the information on the steering parts (I didn't ask the question). I have been looking at the catalogs, and am curious why you did not choose the 3/4" double-D shaft? As I type this I am wondering if the answer is the 20 splines make it easier to align the u-joints?
Thanks,
Dennis

Hi Dennis,

I just figured I could make my own out of 3/4" steel tube that was .120 wall thick. It was fun tig welding up the shafts. Also it was done by someone else, and it worked.

Thanks Calvin, your choice sounds reasonable to me.
Dennis

Dennis,

If my memory serves me right, the double D shafts were only certain lengths. I didn't see any double D weld in ends, in the Woodward book. Therefore, to get any length of shaft, the spline way is the only way to do it with Woodward products. To answer your question you had (about the double D shaft) was probably that. Cut your own shaft and weld those up is the course used because of the length increments of the double D shafts.

Calvin

The nice thing about double D is that you can cut it to length. That's probably why fewer length choices were offered.

Maybe I was thinking double ended double D? What would be done with the other end of the shaft if cut, spline, slip, weld if it is a solid shaft or..?

I think you use a double D joint, and cut the shaft to length, just like you did with the tubing. The difference is you wouldn't need to weld in spline stubs. I think the phasing of the joints wouldn't be an issue-but I haven't done it.
Dennis

Calvin,
Now that I look, I can see where if you used Woodward, the .750-20 spline stub would be necessary as Woodward doesn't seem to offer a 9/16-36 spline to 3/4DD shaft! DUH on me!
Dennis

I knew there was a method to my madness, and Dennis you figured it out! Thank You :-)

For future reference, I'm pretty sure Sweet Manufacturing told me they'd make whatever configuration steering u-joint I wanted. I'd already bought my u joints with the 34 or 32 or whatever spline my MG had and called them to order the steering shaft when I learned that. Would be easier though to get one side of the u-joint with the spline you need for your column and the other side double d. Same at the other end. Then you can cut the shaft to fit.

Calvin:

Thanks, thats a great ideas. This beats using a tape measure. One additional question. I noticed you put a indention on te left fender ( I figure 30 to 45 degrees) to allow for the shaft to pitch downward. Did you cut out a portoion of the fender or did you just take a hammer to it?

Hi Art,

I cut out the inner fender a little then welded that little section in with the shape of the shaft for the clearance needed.

Calvin
I used the double D and cut to length and they seem to work OK but the Over size Heim joints on both sides of the double universal have a fair amount of slop around the shaft and you can see and feel it when moving the steering wheel. Did you have that problem with the tubes and if so have you done anything about it. I haven't driven the car yet but getting close and would like to fix this problem now rather than later. I have enjoyed your build and have used it as a reference many times.
Thanks
Phil

Hi Philip,

Nice build by the way Philip. I like the wood work that you have done among many other artful tidbits.

Hmmm, My steering shaft has very little movement inside the Heim joints, there is some but not enough to cause to much movement. What is the finish of your shaft? Can you weld some metal on the shaft and lathe it off for a closer tolerance in the area of the Heim joint? Maybe have some plating added on to take up the slack......I wonder if the tube I used had a little larger OD diameter that the double D shaft? I will mic out the OD of my steering shaft if I can get in there, for a measurement, and post up soon.

Rob,

That is a great reference for everyone that (Sweet Manufacturing) needs custom steering shaft or shafts made up.

Just a thought, and I haven't taken the time to research it, but could a speei-sleeve over the shaft take up the clearance to make it a snug fit? I presume there is no movement along the length of the shaft. I don't know how you would retain the sleeve-perhaps a thread locking material, or one of the bearing setting compounds?
Dennis