Alain,
I don't know the answer to the first question.
On the second, since the axle travels in a slight arc, there will
certainly be a position where the distance between transmission & axle
is at minimum. I suspect that on your car with the springs unloaded,
that the shaft will become a little shorter as the springs are
compressed. It will depend on where the spring front halves are parallel
to the drive shaft, which would be the shortest position. Yes there
should be some play to prevent bottoming out the splined section of the
drive shaft.
Usually the front half of the spring is designed to not flex much under
compression with most of the spring action taking place in the rear half
where the shackle accommodates the length change. If the springs are
otherwise, the car will be subject to roll steer as the axle (relative
to the car) moves backward & forward with changing spring loading. A
spring with equal arch & stiffness (when loaded) in the front & back
half will be especially susceptable to roll steer. Some cars are
designed to roll understeer for driver comfort. Guess I got off topic a bit.
Dave Russell
BN2
Alain Giguhre wrote:
> First question: I just installed the engine in my rebuilt chassis this
> week. What is the clearance between the engine pulley and the rad
> support/crossmember? 1/2"? 3/4"? And what is the distance at the back
> between the valve cover lip and the firewall?
>
> Second question: when the rear springs are installed on an unloaded
> chassis, can the driveshaft be bolted on and should it be fully
> compressed, or should there still be 1/8" play to be on the safe side.
> My thinking is as follows: the rear axle is on the bumps (bottomed out)
> as when it has been installed unloaded. the driveshaft should not be too
> tight in this position, maybe extended just an eight so the rear axle
> never gets to push the engine forward in an extreme case of suspension
> travel.
>
> Any advice / opinions?
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