'Removable' Strut brace

[Anonymous]

As we know, strut braces are used to make the suspension 'system' rigid and if anyone has seen pictures of, or have one fitted, the rear brace makes the Puma boot quite useless.

Now, thinking out loud, what ideas has anyone got on how to make the rear strut brace 'removable' without having to unbolt it each time.
We would potentially lose it's rigidity, but how could we overcome this....

Ideas welcome......

 

[Anonymous]

After a little digging around, I've found this:

Available for a Scooby

 

[S1_RS]

That looks suspiciously like an MTB seatpost quick-release!

 

[Anonymous]

That looks suspiciously like an MTB seatpost quick-release!

That's what I thought...

 

[hotrodspike]

Or a Cam Lok off an engineering jig or fixture

 

[pumad]

Tuninghaus.de has this... site is down at the moment... but they sell one specially designed for the puma

 

[tobim88]

http://www.tuninghaus.de/shop/product_info.php?cPath=1624_75_111_1313_1331_129&products_id=90282#.UWPyakMt1bE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Anonymous]

Site still down by the looks of it....

As an experiment, I've started to make my own removable strut brace.

Got two pneumatic cylinder fittings from a local company, found some scrap bits of metal, couple of nuts and bolts.

The large 'gold' colour bolts I've filed the head round so it will fit inside a 20mm steel tube, with the nut being welded onto the end of it.
The other end will have another nut on the bolt, but it will have the threads drilled out so it acts as something to hold the bolt but allows the bolt to slide. The additional nut will be used to tighten the brace up slightly to I can be sure it's taught.
Each end will have a pin which will go through and clip on to the silver fitting.

Just needs a small amount of welding and a length of steel tubing to go between the ends....

 

[Daveyca55]

This is a brilliant idea. I have loads of those yoke things in my toolbox from fitting slack adjuster kits at work so may have to 'borrow' your idea and knock one up, if thats ok??!! :grin:
Think it will work brilliantly with those quick release things that are on mountain bikes. Could remove the brace as needed in about 2 seconds!
Top idea sir!

 

[Anonymous]

This is the quick release part:

Looks a bit better than the bike wheel quick release and is more substantial. They withstand years of abuse from a pneumatic cylinder, so should cope with being in the back of a car.

 

[pumad]

hmm intresting... how those quick releases are really called or were do you get them... will make myself such a thing

 

[Anonymous]

hmm intresting... how those quick releases are really called or were do you get them... will make myself such a thing

The whole item is called a 'Rod Clevis':

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/pneumatic-cylinder-actuator-mounting-equipment/3895362/

 

[Daveyca55]

This is the quick release part:

Looks a bit better than the bike wheel quick release and is more substantial. They withstand years of abuse from a pneumatic cylinder, so should cope with being in the back of a car.

Nice, yea thats the more refined version of the clevis pin they use to attach the brake chamber rod to the slack adjuster on truck brakes. They can take some very heavy abuse before they break!
Will get a 4 of those levis rods ordered as i may have a go at making a brace for the front!

 

[Anonymous]

Bear in mind that the thread in them isn't a standard thread. To put a standard M8 (1.5 thread I think)bolt in them, I just re-tapped the thread.

 

[Daveyca55]

The ones i have at work are a much bigger thread than those (m14 or m16 designed for brakes on an old volvo coach) so will have to modify a clevis pin to make it quick release (think i'll be rinsing the gas bottle on the welder at work lol). Think some studing screwed into a bolt welded on some tube should suffice.

 

[Anonymous]

Apart from a little welding and to fix the mounting points in to a car, my removable brace is virtually done:









Will consider a lick of paint once the welding is done.

 

[Daveyca55]

Neat! And i guess because the fork bit is on a thread, its adjustable aswell? Think you could have hit on something really good: adjustable removeable strut braces!

 

[Anonymous]

One end will be solid. The other end is on a bolt with a nut on it. So basically when the strut is put on the nut on one end can be done up to put tension on the strut, basically by lengthening it. To remove it just undo the nut enough to release the tension then remove the clip from each end.
So, it's adjustable but only in one direction. As i have no special tools and no specific materials to make it fully adjustable, I think it will work quite well.
Theres one thing cheesing me off about this. I've not got a Puma to put it in.

 

[pumad]

this is the one i meant:

http://www.tuninghaus.de/shop/product_info.php?products_id=5061&MODsid=f3c2f4cd41e4405a3ccceb2c4715a6d3&cPath=11_59_68_69_99" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;