Sliding block on racers

["Mark Battley" <m.battley@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ah bliss, Alfas, and engineering, all at once ... but what does a SUV use? 

Following up on Chris' excellent description of the rear axle location
options:

<Back to the original question. Aside from its geometric imperfections,
<the sliding block location system has the fault of hanging greased
<surfaces out in the air, under the car.  So, they grab all the gritty
<stuff available and grind the locating surfaces.  The result is that
<the steel block and the steel locating surfaces have to be replaced
<quite frequently.  

and Taiju's comments:

<My sliding block is neatly modified by previous owner with modern tech:
<- - a new blacket to accomodate 2000 diff
<- - nylon sliding plates to eliminate the need of constant lubrication and
<tears&wears from its dirty grease.

If you really want to use a variation on the sliding block system, why not
use rolling instead of sliding contact? It wouldn't take huge amounts of
engineering to replace the "block in a slot" with a bearing/wheel that rolls
up and down a (probably wider) slot? The "wheel" could even be an
appropriate polymer with a central bearing (same concept as an inline skate
wheel, but engineered/specified for the load levels required) if you were
prepared to very slightly compromise location for significantly reduced
noise. I suspect that freer vertical movement would more than compensate for
any reduction in lateral location. Presumably an appropriate component could
be found in any good industrial wheel supplier's catalogue. 

Just a thought.. 

Mark Battley
Auckland, New Zealand.

1974 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
Lead free and happy. Don't find no crappy cast iron heads in real
engines....

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