Metro-powered sports car project

[JackMcCornack]

Short form: my friend and partner, Sharon Westcott, had a bout with cancer and it put the Skate project on hold for four months and a week. Anyway, I'm back, and a new tech details thread sounds like a good idea.

I'm working on rear spindles, I'd like them to use as much standard metro drive wheel parts (axles, brakes, etc) as possible, does anybody know of a fwd wheel bearing cassette that will work with the Metro innards?

[bandit86]

how about a sandrail? put the engine in the back. the same stuff the vw guy use. should go just as good if not better

[suspectnumber961]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

So all you've ever driven was a Spit and maybe a gravel truck?

My Spitfire handled pretty well on curves under maybe 35 mph...if you could keep the rear end from weirding out with those swing axles...speeds above that were risky for fast cornering. Best thing would have been some shocks that controlled the downward range of the axle...stiffer springs on the back?

[Christ]

Originally Posted by suspectnumber961

My Spitfire handled pretty well on curves under maybe 35 mph...if you could keep the rear end from weirding out with those swing axles...speeds above that were risky for fast cornering. Best thing would have been some shocks that controlled the downward range of the axle...stiffer springs on the back?

Maybe it was because I put the car together by hand, but I can't say I had a similar experience in the Spit I drove... in fact, it was quite opposite. The car was more than fun to swing into the twisties at speeds bordering 60-70 MPH at times, and hard cornering was nothing short of 30-40 MPH with plenty of tire howling.

Could it be a difference in operational skillsets?

I'm not saying it compared even to my wife's current car, but it was definitely more adept than you make it seem, in my hands, anyway.

[Frank Lee]

I'm thinking it's because Spits' handling sux and it's built in.

That swing axle in stock form was a nightmare. Can the word "handling" even be used if the car only behaves <35 mph?

Wasn't really an issue most of the time however. When the stub axles weren't twisting off, the Lucas was making sure the car sat in the driveway more than being driven.

[suspectnumber961]

Originally Posted by Christ

Maybe it was because I put the car together by hand, but I can't say I had a similar experience in the Spit I drove... in fact, it was quite opposite. The car was more than fun to swing into the twisties at speeds bordering 60-70 MPH at times, and hard cornering was nothing short of 30-40 MPH with plenty of tire howling.

Could it be a difference in operational skillsets?

I'm not saying it compared even to my wife's current car, but it was definitely more adept than you make it seem, in my hands, anyway.

It's just that it made me nervous at higher speeds in corners...and I also put some fancy retreads on the back that had a curved tread surface so you didn't see the loss of traction when the tires of the day folded over and ran on the edge. Problem was they probably set the rear a little too high.

For whatever reason...that's mostly all I drove for 5-8 years or so...british roadsters...from the Spitfire to a 56 Jag...with some TRs in between. Those were the good old days...freezing my *ss off...noisy rattling excuses for side windows...steering wheels that left no room for your legs....fortunately...didn't get to meet any trees though.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by suspectnumber961

It's just that it made me nervous at higher speeds in corners...and I also put some fancy retreads on the back that had a curved tread surface so you didn't see the loss of traction when the tires of the day folded over and ran on the edge. Problem was they probably set the rear a little too high.

For whatever reason...that's mostly all I drove for 5-8 years or so...british roadsters...from the Spitfire to a 56 Jag...with some TRs in between. Those were the good old days...freezing my *ss off...noisy rattling excuses for side windows...steering wheels that left no room for your legs....fortunately...didn't get to meet any trees though.

Ah, well, we're probably also talking about different time periods, then... i.e. different parts, different tires, different... well, everything!

I can guarantee you I wasn't using retreaded bias-ply tires that "folded over" while cornering. I wasn't using any sort of "stock" suspension equipment, only aftermarket stuff designed to fit in the stock locations.

That's me, though, to not think about things like that. Really, were we even operating the same car?

[suspectnumber961]

Originally Posted by Christ

That's me, though, to not think about things like that. Really, were we even operating the same car?

Well...you ARE a moderator? We probably don't type the same either...

Just saying that close to stock...the swing axles were an issue. As a poor student...I couldn't swing the mods...even if I'd have known about them...

[Christ]

Oh, I'm not a mod. You're not the first person to make that mistake, though. The tag line kinda helps that assumption, I guess. :shrug:

[Arragonis]

Dunno if this helps but from the Mk IV the Spitfire had a revised suspension which kind of removed some of the wayward rear end symptoms. It made more of a difference on the GT6 though - it went from almost fatal every day to usable.

Solid axle Spridget tended to handle better though IMHO.