Oooh-Er Look At This!

[Guest mower man]

Please forgive me if I 'm barking up the the wrong tree but that is not awish bone failure but a chassis tube failure I think caused by poor welds [under cut! ] which to me is more frightening, how much more is on that chassis ?I don't like saying it but it needs serious investigation ! mower man

[Guest mcramsay]

it would be good if we could keep this thread pinned at the top of the forum? just so all us zero owners can keep an eye on it, hopefully its a one off...which sucks for ollie! but at least GBSC are going to sort it, thats really really good news. it may be one of those common failures though, which we all need to be aware of, that could have been much much worse!

[knights_templar]

pictures do not look good, but has anyone noticed anything ?

 

must agree with shaft, if the tube is to short the wishbone pivot will bind and cause a twisting moment on the chassis, which it is not designed to take.

 

good to hear GBS has responded so quickly.

[Guest mcramsay]

just for clarification, is the Crush tube the metal tube that you press into the two plastic bush halfs when you assemble the wishbones? when i built mine up all the crush tubes were provided already pre cut from gbsc so i am assuming they are all the correct length?

[Guest gdc]

but was the tube of a quality to be used for a chassis?

mayby the quality was compromised .by cost ?

glad to hear gbs has responded so fast , i hope they act quickly and re chassis the car .

you should not be inconvenienced by their actions ,its their car its their kit they should take

responsibility for the kit they supply.

graham

[sj-bradley]

No, they are DEFIANTELY not supplied to the correct length. They are supplied longer than needed.

 

I was told when building up that they need to be 0.1 mm longer than the outside length of the tube + bushes when installed. No more than 0.2 mm max.

 

So each one has to be ground down to the correct length before fitting. Some are a tight fit but a slight chamfer on the end helps them go in without stripping the inside of the bush.

 

The wishbones should then be free to move without any tight spots for the full travel of the suspension. (Difficult with the springs on to see this. Wind them right off and remove the suspension top cap to get as much movement as possible)

 

Simon.

[Guest mcramsay]

To be honest 0.1mm Or 4 thou is not going to be achieved by the average builder at home, unless you have access to a lathe or surface grinder. Or are good with a file. But this is something I've not been told about before, and had no idea about when building the car, but as far as I'm aware I have full suspension travel with no tight spots, but I will double check there is no movement in places there shouldn't be.

[knights_templar]

This is getting heavy, and I can understand concerns.

 

but to repeat, has anyone noticed anything from the pictures?

 

it is a serious question. but must admit it had to be pointed out to me.

 

did you buy the kit from GBS Ollie?

[Guest snotfart]

nope cant see it,do tell

[speedtripledan]

me either, do tell

[Guest snotfart]

well,thats not on,he was just here and didn't tell !

[knights_templar]

production chassis has bracing from rear lower wishbone bracket to cross member behind diff and extra web

[Guest snotfart]

thanks.I could not have spotted that,I have a 2b 'ish'

[johnlrichardson]

I would take lots of photos, from as many angles as poss, and I would get a second opinion as to the cause, it might cost a few bob, but it may avoid anyone accusing you of not fitting it correctly, as there would be no proof after its repaired

 

I may be shot down in flames but its "my opinion"!

 

jon

[knights_templar]

was trying to find a pic. but yes.

 

if this is a picture of shafts car, his is late 2009, according to member info the one with the broken chassis is 2008, according to above. so is possible there was a change in that time.