RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: Bob Purton on January 25, 2012, 04:52:56 pm
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After much deliberation I decided to replace my Nobel center steering pin with a new one, the old one had a severely corroded tapper and mullered woodruff key slot, I thought it wasnt worth risking my neck using it so here is the new one, notice the longer improved key slot. What do you think? Ive heard a few Nobel owners say this is the hardest part to sort out but it is possible , you just have to bite the bullet!
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ah dear old Mullered Woodruff - Key . haven't heard anything of him since he went off with that landgirl in '42 and it turned out she was only after extra rations ;)
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You sure it wasn't for stockings to put in a gearbox?
Back in the 1960s we rented a house from an RSPSA inspector called Woodruff-Peacock.
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Looks like a nice piece of work there Bob. I presume you did the machining yourself. I wish I had a better lathe, but other priorities.
LD: Surely you mean m'Lord Woodruff-Quay of Nobel!
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LOL :D ( whats RSPSA Rob ? )
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Regional Society for the Prevention of Stocking Assaults.
Woops! I should have typed RSPCA. C4S
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Royal Society for the Prevention of Shocking Assaults?
Look folks, we are steering away from the thread just as Bob steers his moped away from the road.
Right, that should link us back to topic!
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That looks very nice Bob.
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After much deliberation I decided to replace my Nobel center steering pin with a new one, the old one had a severely corroded tapper and mullered woodruff key slot, I thought it wasnt worth risking my neck using it so here is the new one, notice the longer improved key slot. What do you think? Ive heard a few Nobel owners say this is the hardest part to sort out but it is possible , you just have to bite the bullet!
As I said, looking great!
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So much better than the rough looking wood key hardness specification original. The taper is all as it needs to be a sure grip in a position of no great mechanical advantage when on lock. A poor bit of design really but these are cheap cars and that's the way it came. One has to wonder though when you see the simplicity of the Heinkel steering rack which rarely needs to be repaired. Bang that in and you only have to worry about grip and stopping!
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glad you aprove of the Heinkel one . i have one that i hope will fit the Bruetsch - like all else mechanical it's missing . i too liked the feel of a Heinkel .
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^ It is one of the aspects of the Heinkel which in my opinion make it a small car rather than a "cabin scooter" or "cabin moped", that and good brakes!
Once I was in Deptford returning home from Bromley Pageant of Motoring with Squeak beside me. We were in the inside lane and a car to our right hid us from the view of a Morris Minor (in nice nick and possibly also returning from Bromley by another route) which was heading the other way.
Not realising we were there, Moggie turned Right in front of us, we were feet away and doing 20 mph, but I have very fast reactions and hit the brakes hard. Moggie had just spotted us and cleverly accelerated as fast as possible to try to make space for us behind him, I could hear his motor and tyres screaming. DUF's amazingly good braking and controllable handling saved the day. We were both hugely relieved not to have damaged each other's Pride and Joy! Squeak and I had both assumed we would die, but she was very calm then laughed it off.
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^ It is one of the aspects of the Heinkel which in my opinion make it a small car rather than a "cabin scooter" or "cabin moped", that and good brakes!
Once I was in Deptford returning home from Bromley Pageant of Motoring with Squeak beside me. We were in the inside lane and a car to our right hid us from the view of a Morris Minor (in nice nick and possibly also returning from Bromley by another route) which was heading the other way.
Not realising we were there, Moggie turned Right in front of us, we were feet away and doing 20 mph, but I have very fast reactions and hit the brakes hard. Moggie had just spotted us and cleverly accelerated as fast as possible to try to make space for us behind him, I could hear his motor and tyres screaming. DUF's amazingly good braking and controllable handling saved the day. We were both hugely relieved not to have damaged each other's Pride and Joy! Squeak and I had both assumed we would die, but she was very calm then laughed it off.
Nice brakes?
I thought they roll the car when you pressed the pedal around a corner, because of the angle of the dampers!
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i just loved the ride - its all part of the fun :)
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True Jonathan, hard braking and swerving is not good, but because the Moggie driver had the experience and wisdom to accelerate hard in low gear it meant I barely had to turn, we were mostly saved by the great "in line" braking power. The hydraulic brakes and the lightweight/low momentum of an H/T at low to medium speed give stunning stopping ability. Squeak also has quick reactions and braced herself with her feet, and I put out my left arm to help hold her back from the windscreen, whilst bracing myself against the steering wheel. Most other micros would have collided.
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Heinkels have very good brakes, if you do not use the green bonded original friction material which is excessively hard. Also if you are on real tyres the grip is good enough that they do not immediately skid. The real issue with Trienkels and there ilk is the rear blow out or skid which calls for very swift response to correct without over correcting. The Trienkel particularly is easy to over commit to corners as it has grip but the front suspension reaches a point where it gives way to roll. So unlike a schmitt where you can sometimes power out of trouble, delibrately skidding, even drifting the rear wheel, you really are only left with steering out of the roll in the Trienkel. Clearly that depends if there is stuff in the way as to if it is a successful strategy. John and I bent an axle back about 2 inches in one adventure with a kerb. So a Trienkel is quick but you need to judge the risk and it is easy to get caught out.
I never really had an Isetta that was capable of high cornering speed since they are pretty tardy. My feeling is they are less good in a corner than a Trienkel for all out speed but perhaps more predictable.
The Nobel was, frankly, dangerous as it went exactly where it felt like and not where you expected. On that basis it has no sporting pretensions.
The Scootacar is possibly the car yet to show its hand as if set up I am pretty certain it can out do most of the other trikes.
Why this need to corner on the limit you might ask. Driving Microcars is about momentum driving. Stopping or slowing is just not what you want to be doing. Keep the kettle hot and A to B times drop to a point you are really not far behind bigger machinery. It is also damn good fun. If it were not for being a gut bucket I could have a T60, a clear performer, but the suspension cannot cope with one sided loading and return performance so I gave them up.
Then we have the little miracle that is the Type 70. However it is a S###z so not included. Whatever, eat the dust.