TRIGO wheels
So here it goes, it is going to be long:
The other day I received my latest set of TRIGO wheels. After shipping to South-Africa, customs and tax their "value" increased by 50%.
Beeing very tired with my project car at the moment I kept the adapters for a stuation where I needed something to work out straighforward to give me new strength for the project.
Sure enough the moment came, when my
oil cooler that came with the car, was leaking when I started the engine for the first time.
Wheels off, adapters on. 1st mistake: to restore the existing thread I chased them with a 1/2"x20 from Craftsman and only realised when I was about to be finished that the Jaguar thread features a Whitworth thread pitch of 55 degrees compared to the 60 degrees of the SAE thread of the tap. By doing this I converted my high tensile rolled thread with a flow in grain around the root of the thread into a "home improved" cut thread. Not good.
Stud bolts on, not quite: my wheels studs are too long. Cut them off with a hacksaw because I hate the noise and mess of the speed grinder. It turned out that I would have needed two blades per stud.
I have a beer.
Okay, quick, quick with the speed grinder. It is getting dark and late, I better close the doors because of the neighbors. The red glowing threads from the studs made me think for a brief period, but I carried on (2nd mistake or annealing?). A bit of filing and massaging of the taper to restore the start of the thread and on went the stud bolts.
This is now the new version of stud bolts, shiny - compared to the dull looking 1st gen ones which used to crack because of the thin wall around the hex, which is now a 12mm opposed to 1/2". Good idea, but why did they crack?
To check for straightness of the studs a centering ring is supplied, imitating the bolt pattern of the wheels. Looks alright, I slide the ring on easily, take it off and torque the stud bolts.
Grab a wheel slide it on - not. Wheel to the side, check with the ring: does not fit. Loosen the stud bolts, ring fits. Take the stud bolts off, inspect the adapter: only a contact area of 0.020" (or something ) is seen. The taper of the adapter seems not to match the one from the stud bolt bending the stud bolt to the side upon torquing.
Also, it is no uniform. More like quenched on the stud bolt instead of machined.
I have a beer.
Next day machine shop. Check the taper and get confirmaton of my assumption. Okay, make them fit, give me the same taper on the stud bolts as on the adapter.
Another day. I pick them up and JJ explains me that only at the last stud bolts his turner mentioned that the thread in the stud-bolt is not parallel to the outside! He grabbed the stud-bolts with a threaded round steel to machine the taper in relation to the thread. Good idea!
I take them home anyway, check contact area to the adapter, find that they fit now nicely (the whole taper of the adapter is now shiny after bolting the sbs down), try the wheel: does not fit.
I have another beer.
What now? Another day (remember, I thought about addding the wheels easily when the car gives me other troubles) I bolt on the sbs (stud bolts) measure distortion at torqing them down and find that they may fit if they were a little less in diameter.
Have them turned down (mistake no 3?), parallel to the thread, drive home, it is getting dark, they do not fit.
Upon torqueing them they still move out of straightness and I do not know why. Maybe the taper lenght of the stud-bolt is now too short to fit in the adapter, meaning I have to bevel the adapter to clear the taper start of the stud-bolt? I do not know. I am not modifying the adaptors, let alone the wheels.
I have another beer.
The machine shop makes me an offer I can't resist: manufacture new stud bolts. I put the Compomotive wheels on for now. I do not have other tires anyway at the moment.
Any ideas? TRIGO did not respond so far. I hate to post it, but I do not know what to do.
Sending everything back is out of question. I would have massive problems to get customs and tax back, as well as shipping of USD 500 to South-Africa.
BTW, cost of the wheels after arriving here eat a 3 month south-africa's salary, although I got a discount.
Eventually TRIGO admitted that the stud-bolts are machined wrong. A couple of weeks and I should have new ones ..., but in the meantime I try toget similar ones from a local wheel manufacturer and modify them.
I have time now to wait, because the rebuilt engine was not supposed to live with the 3/8" con-rods. although 5500 is not very high-revving. lost some con-rods and an irreplaceable block.
I would have bought better rods if I had known.
You all have a very great day (by BJ)!
Dominik, Cape Town