Skip to main content

So guys it looks like I will probably be in the BMW again.  I verified that the nosecone mount on the transaxle is partially broken.  I doubt seriously that I will be able to get it fixed in the next 6 weeks and I don't want to have it fail on my while enjoying the Dragon, Rattler, or whatever.  I did get new tires (Vredestien Sprint Classics) but the mount is concerning.  I hope y'all will still speak to me.

Last edited by Lane Anderson
Lane Anderson posted:

So guys it looks like I will probably be in the BMW again.  I verified that the nosecone mount on the transaxle is partially broken.  I doubt seriously that I will be able to get it fixed in the next 6 weeks and I don't want to have it fail on my while enjoying the Dragon, Rattler, or whatever.  I did get new tires (Vredestien Sprint Classics) but the mount is concerning.  I hope y'all will still speak to me.

6 weeks? Alan can get a whole car built in 6 weeks. (Not really but almost) It's just a nose cone Lane. Get out in the garage and get started.

I did build one in 6 weeks (rolling chassis was completed by previous owner)                            6 Weeks ??? You Can Do It Lane....If not for moving to WV next weekend and setting up the town home, I would seriously consider coming down and wrench in that much talked about Charleston humidity. Even if you tackle it yourself you can have it disassembled in a day, do the misc clean / prep on day 2  and another day and a half to set it all back together....with the proper beer buzzer times of course.

 

Last edited by Alan Merklin

Yeah, but I don't have a way to get the car up high enough to drop the engine.  I suppose I could use a floor jack to well, drop the engine.  Carey recommends pulling the transaxle as well.  Could I not slide it aft while leaving it at least partially mounted?

The heat indexes around 110 don't make me want to spend a lot of time outside, and I am still in surgical recovery, albeit not as restricted as before.  This is a job I've never done on one of these and I'll admit to a bit of an intimidation factor.

So Lane, let me get this straight- the front rubber trans mount is broken? Yes, you should be able to wiggle the old out and the new in without completely removing the trans. Pain in the *ss, yes, but not the end of the world. If it's the nose cone on the trans that needs replacing, then yes, the transaxle has to come right out, and make sure the it's in neutral when you start. IF any gear is selected at all, the hockey stick (shift fork selector that sticks out the end of the nose cone may only be able to grab 1 shft fork (or none at all). Is your car irs or swing? Al

PS- did we know you were recovering from surgery?

Lane.... should you decide to take this on, I can get you through it via phone calls .

I'm doing this from memory and hope I hit on all points.   Confirm you are in neutral....Loosen right rear wheel lugs but leave wheel on the car, Get it high up on 4 decent jack stands. Now pull the right rear wheel off , disconnect the battery, if necessary..label then remove wires, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line feed. Remove E' brake cables from the handle ( this allows you to slide back the trans later)  remove exhaust & tins.  Support the motor with the jack (you may have to remove the carbs for clearance...all you need is 1 inch)   remove the 4 motor bolts, pull back on the motor & lower it on the jack .....it will be heavy and wobble on the jack use caution & get someone to slowly lower the jack while you balance the motor on it.    Then slide the motor ( toward the open wheel well) off the jack onto a piece of heavy cardboard or an old throw rug , drag the motor out through the wheel well. Unbolt the trans and just slide it back enough to access the broken mount.. The beer buzzer will go off at this moment.  Check the clutch condition and T/O bearing at this time, change the trans grease while you are there too.    Reinstall in the reverse order.                             Call me anytime to discuss or walk you through this....... 717 860 8476   Alan

Lane:  I've also sent you Al gallo's contact info.  He swapped his front tranny mount in 1/2 day w/o pulling the engine.  Rather than do what Al Merklin (too many "Al's" in this post) suggests, he just got the engine/transaxle supported as a unit (no pulling them apart) on a rolling floor jack, released the shift rod coupler at the back, removed the frame horn bolts holding the transaxle in and released the front mount studs, slid it back a few inches, replaced the front mount and slid it back.  You don't have to mess with the axle tubes or anything and all electrical wires can probably stay connected (you have to release the throttle and clutch cables in order to slide the transaxle back).   Remember - you only need to move it back 2" - 3" to get the forward mount out - the frame studs holding it in protrude about 1-1/4" and they are welded to the frame.  Replace the mount with a Rhino one (Carey uses them).

I think Heidi helped with the moving of the engine/transaxle (it can be awkward) but it really isn't that bad.  The tough part is girding yourself up to start on it.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

I plan to call Al this weekend.  I spoke to Gordon about it and the Beck frame is a bit different and may preclude the in situ scenario.  IIRC, the trans is attached to the Beck frame at all four bolts rather than just the bottom two.  The transaxle is fastened between an upper and lower cross-member with the upper going between the two main frame tubes.  To detach it from the frame I believe all four bolts must be removed, meaning the engine is unsupported.

Lane Anderson posted:

Well Sonoma Beach!  You're absolutely right although I was sure I had put one in here. I guess it just sort of evolved through the thread since the planning was pretty much an ad hoc thing.  Here's a quick summary:

  • Thursday, 28 SEP: Arrival in Maggie Valley at the Creekside Lodge.  As far as I know we’ve all been able to get a rate of $99/night when mentioning the Speedster Owners Club.
  • Friday, 29 SEP: Cruise a 100+ mile loop that includes the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherahola Skyway, and several other lovely roads - Led by Phil "Fear the Yorkie" Luebbert
  • Saturday, 30 SEP: Cruise of the backroads in Brevard county - Led by Carlos G
  • Sunday, 1 OCT: Cruise of The Rattler, a twisty set of roads that we preferred to the Dragon last year on Don’s cruise - Led by yours truly
  • Today, 2 OCT: Sadly we all depart for home

I'd love to see more of y'all.  The weather that time of year should be perfect.

EDIT:  The Maggie Valley Creekside Lodge is at http://creeksidelodge.com/

Should they be full there are other hotels nearby:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Ho...Carolina-Hotels.html

We're at the T-minus one month mark, gentlemen.

Talking to Jeanie last night, she was curious about potential "alternate activities" for those who might not want to cut the perfect apex for 3 days in a row. I'm in no way suggesting that we should change a single thing, just keeping in mind that Phil had mentioned his wife not being all that keen on this, and wondering who else may be bringing a right-seater who might want to do something else.

We'll probably stay an extra day or two, and go to Biltmore together.

Ok folks, I've lined up a motorcycle jack and some friends and intend to give it a try on replacing the trans mount (there's a freebie for you jokesters) so that I can use the Speedster for this event.  All of this is predicated on:

  1. Can I get the car up high enough on my jackstands with my floor jack?
  2. Can I figure my way through this as I go?  Neither me nor any of my friends have done this before.
  3. Is hurricane Irma going to level my house and make this all moot anyway?

We'll see.

Last edited by Lane Anderson

Local stores sold out of water at 9:00 am this morning. I got 8 cases of drinking water just in case. Wolfgang and I both live in the Panhandle, but a Cat 5 coming up the eastern edge of Florida, or the middle of the state could still give us some nasty breezes, rain and perhaps some surge. If it comes across into the Gulf, my family is out of here.

We are about 30' above sea level and just off the Choctawhatchee Bay. Wolfgang is right on the water.

Good luck to you guys on the southeastern seaboard and the Florida peninsula as well.

So much for the big aircooled show here this coming weekend. Got a feeling it just might get cancelled.

I'm going out in a while to fell a big pine that could end up going through my neighbor's screened pool house if things get bad.

Lane Anderson posted:

Bob - That was my plan until the Peanut Gallery here shamed me into thinking about doing it myself.  If it was cooler and I didn't have a storm to worry about I might even be looking forward to it.  With other stuff going on (and Irma) I may just not have time to get it done.  We're down to just over three weeks, folks.  Woohoo!!!

Unknown-3

Did someone say something??

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Unknown-3

I always wondered why someone would choose to live in a place where inevitably and inexorably, sooner or later a hurricane will hit with disastrous damage to life and property.  If there was some chance that another hurricane would never hit maybe---but not when a certainty exists.   It's not like lightening hitting ---the odds are in my favor--- but Miami and hurricanes---sort of like tornadoes and trailer parks.

My brother's home in South Miami was totaled f-o-u-r times.  He collected the insurance and rebuilt it himself.  For him it was a financial windfall everytime it happened---but for others it's a killer---literally.

May God protect our countrymen from this looming hurricane and give the storm a sharp turn North, staying over the ocean before any landfall along the Florida coast.

 

Jack Crosby posted:

I always wondered why someone would choose to live in a place where inevitably and inexorably, sooner or later a hurricane will hit with disastrous damage to life and property.  If there was some chance that another hurricane would never hit maybe---but not when a certainty exists.   It's not like lightening hitting ---the odds are in my favor--- but Miami and hurricanes---sort of like tornadoes and trailer parks.

My brother's home in South Miami was totaled f-o-u-r times.  He collected the insurance and rebuilt it himself.  For him it was a financial windfall everytime it happened---but for others it's a killer---literally.

May God protect our countrymen from this looming hurricane and give the storm a sharp turn North, staying over the ocean before any landfall along the Florida coast.

 

A little like California and earthquakes. Lived there for 40 years and you never knew when they were coming. At least there is some warning with a hurricane.

Jack:  My Peace Corps home was in la Esperanza/Antibucá, Honduras, way up in the western mountains near the el Salvador and Guatemala borders, about 7K feet above sea level.  In 1998, Cat 5 Hurricane Mitch came in from the Gulf, put San Pedro Sula on the Gulf coast under about 30 feet of water and then stalled for 2 days about halfway across Honduras with 180-200 mph winds and many feet of rain (which it was still picking up over the Gulf).  11,000 people died in that storm, many from mudslides in the mountains.  Almost all of la Esperanza was simply gone.  It has been rebuilt on a much smaller scale, since, but honestly, after the storm there was simply nothing left there.  Makes you really respect these storms a lot more, knowing something like that.

If you're anywhere in Florida, BUG OUT NOW!

Add Reply

Post Content
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×