There has been some discussion on Rotoflex joints,and some claim they have
some good points,an opinion that is by no means universal in the net.I
cannot claim acquaintance with the installation in the TR cars,but for many
years I suffered them in my Austin 1800.
The Austin 1800 will be unknown to the American confreres,although the
smaller frere was sold there as the Austin America.In my regard it was a
masterpiece of design,poorly executed.It had the same engine as the MGB but
with a single SU, sitting E/W and driving through a very solid 4 speed box,
which sat in the sump,ala Mini. Alas this linked to the gear shift by four
Bowden cables.Imagine,4 additional escape routes for the sump oil to escape,
as the oil seals here were laughable.The interior was vast,the seats
comfortable,road holding and braking quite good.It had the Hydrolastic
suspension,meaning that it was a bit stiff on indifferent roads,but superb
elsewhere.
It was known here as the "Land Crab" but widely appreciated nonetheless.In
the middle 70's BL fitted the 2.6 six cylinder engine of the Leyland P76,
but this concoction,called the Austin Tasman was not a great improvement,
and died after a couple of years.The car was quite reliable,but the
Rotoflexes were the weakest point,and changing them was even more complex
than in the TR6,as the car is FWD,and you had to disconnect the suspension
ball-joints.This weakness and the amount of oil ANY 1800 deposited on its
parking place were the undoing of my Austin.More than 10 years after giving
it to my older son,I can still see the stains on the street outside our
home.And yet...I have the same regard for it that I had for a 122S Volvo I
ran in my student days in Boston.A car full of character.
The automatic transmission versions were equipped with mechanical Spicer
inner joints,which could and have been used in the manual gearbox version,
a great improvement.
The Australian Woodworker mag published a neat design for a little press
to make tortillas,which I built with success, but their recipe for
tortillas is no good. Would any of the gourmets in the net be willing to
pass on their cherished tortilla and filling recipes to enliven the
working sessions in our cold Tasmanian winter? Maria is trying to get some
jalapenos to grow in our unreliable summer.
In eager anticipation
Sergio Montes Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
University of Tasmania
Box 252C,Hobart 7000,Tasmania,Australia
Ph. 56-02-202113 (Int) 002-202113 (Australia)
Fax 56-02-234611
e-mail montes@cmech.utas.edu.au
"Lo bueno,si breve,dos veces bueno" Gracian
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