Eddie the 2a "It's a nuts and bolts thing"

G'Day all , Had a trial fit of the fuel tank because I had replaced the front fuel tank out rigger , my question is should there be anything between the tank mounts and the out riggers like a rubber strip or does it bolt directly metal to metal ? Thanks Al

Metal to metal.

John

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Metal to metal.

John

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Really John? I'm not doubting your awesome knowledge at all but.... I just thought that a rubber 'thing' that allowed some movement like when the chassis flexes or whatever would be important; so that the tank doesn't rupture. Or am I over anallising it? Do you think it would matter for different tank materials, ie stainless steel? because it's more brittle than mild?

The actual movement of the chassis is negligible in terms of the tank size. Vibration is transferred to the tank by the rigid connection to the chassis, but I seriously doubt whether rubber packing would make any difference to this.

Stainless is more prone to work hardening and cracking, but while it is quite common to see tanks where the solder joint between the tank and the skid plate has cracked, I cannot remember ever seeing any leaks that were the result of cracking - always is rust.

Thanks John. I guess the proof is in the pudding isn't it.

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

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Originally Posted by sisyphus

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

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The drag link came in several varieties - initially it was just a plain tube, which according to the parts book was standard on all Series 2a (and 1 and 2).

Optionally the single piece one with the bracket was fitted to all 2a and early 3, either with the steering damper or without it. The drag link became two part only with Series 3 axle suffix D, and this became standard from November 1978.

The steering damper was never standard on the 2a, but appears to have become standard on late Series 3 in Australia at least.

You need to bear in mind that the steering damper is only to prevent violent feedback on the steering wheel when a front wheel hits an obstacle offroad. It does not damp vibration or shimmy, this is handled by the friction from preload on the swivels and the friction in the steering relay.

So with that in mind, for most ordinary driving, you will not find the damper makes any noticeable difference.

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sisyphus

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

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I've got a 2-piece drag link with steering damper bracket. It's724mm long. However it's threaded to the end which suggests it needs tie rod ends without a shoulder. Send me a PM if you're interested. .W.