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Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Build Area > Marlin 5exi builds

Marlin 5exi builds Calling all you sexi builders....sorry 5exi builders, show us your progress.

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  #1  
Old 10th February 2008, 20:56
Bennyh Bennyh is offline
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Default Steering Universal Joint/ Hydraulic Clutch Hose

Hi All
Been a while since my last thread, Getting cracking on my build as the cold weather seems to be subsiding.

I remember reading a thread on hear a while ago about miss matched spline’s between the marlin supplied steering rack/ rover steering column. When I fitted I never gave this a thought, since I was dismantling the front end of my car to fit a hydraulic clutch I though I would check to see if I had this problem, and I do. What has everyone else done to fix this problem? I seem to remember in the Which Kit build, they talked about welding the universal joint onto the steering column, however I don’t really think this is the best option. Does any one know a company to makes universal joints that will fit, or a car that has a universal joint with spline that will fit the Marlin supplied steering rack.

The other thing I have been working on was the hydraulic clutch, I have converted a rover 400 pedal box as others have done, but what has everyone else used for the hose? Does anyone know of a company that will make one to my specification? I am probably just being a bit lazy, I will do a bit of searching online later.

Any help as ever would be most appreciated.

One last point is there anyone building a 5exi in Herts, Beds or Bucks, as I live near Aylesbury and would like to meet up with other builders.

Hope everyone else’s builds are progressing faster than mine is,
Regards
Benny
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  #2  
Old 11th February 2008, 06:29
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limpabit limpabit is offline
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Default

Hi Benny.

There are a few builders in Essex if that's not too far.

Two complete turbo's(still tinkering) and one nearly there (final bits prior to SVA) 1.6 Honda GTI.

Hydraulic clutch pipe. I took the two ends (from master cylinder and slave) to my local Pirtek http://www.pirtek.co.uk/and asked them to make up some copper pipe and attached the ends. Sorry can't rememeber the length.

Blimey the steering UJ. Can't remember having a problem. I do remember some having problems if they used a 400 donor. Might need to get one from a 200.

All the best.
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Old 11th February 2008, 11:09
MikeN MikeN is offline
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Lot's of problems with the Steering bottom UJ if you are using the Marlin supplied Rack (which I understand to be a Metro Rack) and like me the the R25 (or R200 Bubble) as the donor car.
The splines are of totally different sizes. And if you just pich them hard together (as I was instructed to by Marlin) they will eventually fail in service. I know this as I sheared off bolts trying to nip up the splines hard enough. They still eventually came undone whilst I was working on the car (thank god).
See my previous post on this subject of a year ago (search using Steering as the heading in 5exi forum).
Higly dangerous if you ask me, in fact short of total brake failure I cannot think of anything more dangerous.
Anyway what I did was get hold of a Metro steering column from the scrap yard, dismantle the UJ with the correct spline on it, and rebuild it into the R25 UJ. Sounds more complicated than it actually is.
What you are left with is the perfect solution, one that I think Marlin should offer as an option to buy or at the very least an exchange service. Something that would at least cover them from a legal point of view.
If god forbid a builder was to have a serious accident that ended up with someone being killed or maimed (group of people standing at a bus stop) then Terry and Mark would at the very least be sued into poverty and most possibly end up in prison!
They should at least send out a warning on this and include it in the 'Build manual'

I for one feel as though I have done my duty here as a fellow builder to warn all about this.
Regards

Mike
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  #4  
Old 11th February 2008, 18:09
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BIG_Fella BIG_Fella is offline
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my collum was for a power steer model so the Uj spline supplied was to big
So i got a Uj spline for a non power steer model Job done
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  #5  
Old 11th February 2008, 19:10
5EXi girl 5EXi girl is offline
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Default Re steering problem

Hi Ben

I’ve noticed that some people are giving you advice and making sweeping statements about safety issues on the steering linkage supplied in our kit. There will be a mismatch in certain circumstances (dependent on the parts used) between the Rover steering rack and the Rover steering column UJ as fitted to the Rover 200/25. ‘Which Kit’, when building the car, thought the best solution was to cut and weld the column shaft to the UJ joint, this is a viable option. Alternatively on all my cars, including our racing cars, we have chosen to clamp the soft splines in the steering UJ to the hardened splines on the steering rack pinion shaft.

To do this I would make sure that the bolt I use is of an 8.8 graded material (you will find that all of the bolts supplied in the EXi kit are of this grade) rather than “plastic ones” that some people seem to use.

Regarding a reply from Mike N above I will answer to his comment of :-
“And if you just pich them hard together (as I was instructed to by Marlin) they will eventually fail in service. I know this as I sheared off bolts trying to nip up the splines hard enough. They still eventually came undone whilst I was working on the car (thank god)”.

I have driven many thousands of miles in the road cars and I’ve raced for over four years. I have experienced some pretty horrendous racing accidents and my chosen method of clamping the soft UJ joint to the hardened splines (all be they of a slightly different size) I have never had any failures of these components.
I therefore suggest that given the two different methods of fitting, you have alternative methods.

I also need to say here, that it makes me very uncomfortable to see that some people go on line and offer advice and comments with very limited knowledge or experience. I have been building and engineering kits and specialist cars ever since I can remember, so I don’t understand why you guys just don’t ask me when you are so unsure. I check emails everyday and try to answer within a few days of receiving.

Regards
Mark M
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  #6  
Old 11th February 2008, 20:59
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alackofspeed alackofspeed is offline
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I used a column from a late 90's 200, and UJ from somewhere (god knows where to be honest!), but there was nothing about the way mine bolted together that seemed problematic.

I used bolts from the donor, so they should be fine.
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Old 12th February 2008, 13:18
Bennyh Bennyh is offline
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Thank you all for you advice, it is good to see that there is always more than one way of skinning a cat.

Regards
Benny
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