Do 'works' hubs exsist?

I can get a set but don't know if there is much advantage with them or how much they are worth.

Hi Steve,

I'm intrigued.

I've never heard of 'Works' hubs for the Z, except the types fitted to the Works rally cars. These were - of course - usually attached to full Works suspension legs ( Tokico, Ampco or Atsugi gas-filled legs with all the special Works-type mods ) but I don't think they had heavy-duty castings, bearings or studs.

Main thing that singled out the Works-type front hubs was the fact that they were modified to drive Halda cables off BOTH front hubs on the rally cars.

What are the ones that you have access to?

Cheers,

Alan T.

Originally posted by HS30-H

Main thing that singled out the Works-type front hubs was the fact that they were modified to drive Halda cables off BOTH front hubs on the rally cars.

What are the ones that you have access to?

Cheers,

Alan T.

Now you have me intrigued, Alan.

Halda cables ran from either the gearbox or "tee" piece from the speedo.

The only modification on hubs that I'm aware of [and had performed] is for a Terra trip sensor.

Is this what you mean or is there an obscure Halda electronic senor that I'm not aware of?

FWIW, 260 front struts are considered superior [in OZ] for rally purposes, possibly this is what HKSZ may be asking?

Cheers

MOM

This was a year or more ago, he showed me the two of them zip tied together but I didn't take much interest. From memory I think it was the fact that they are made from a type of magnesium or alloy, so the big advantage I guess would be in unsprung weight. Sounds like this requires a bit more investigation on my part.

Alan what type of brake caliper/rotor did they use, vented?

I just wonder if you need the right offset brakes and legs to go with the hubs.

Steve

Mike ( Zedrally ),

Most of the Works cars used twin mechanical Haldas ( not electronic ) and drove them off the front hubs. The front spindles were drilled for the cables, and a proper connector was attached to each of the front legs. In many cases one of these cables was only used as a 'spare', and one of the Haldas was driven off the speedo cable via a tee piece - as you mention.

They did not use the rear wheels or transmission for the main Halda drive because this would not be accurate ( wheelspin ). Some of the navigators had their own preferences for connection and layout of their 'office equipment'.

Steve,

I've never seen or heard of alloy / Mag front hubs on Works 240Z / 260Z rally cars. All the ones I have ever seen have been standard based, and Nissan certainly didn't officially homologate any alloy ones for competition use.

You are right though, they would offer a good saving in unsprung weight. However, Nissan seemed to be concentrating on durability rather than lightness for most of their rally parts of the time. Is it possible that these hubs you have been offered are a custom-made ( private ) part? Its the kind of thing that would be easy to make, or to adapt from another car ( like the Escort ally hubs ).

The 'standard' brake setup for Works rally 240Z / 260Z cars was the Sumitomo 'MK63' four-pot caliper, with vented discs. These were cast iron, and were very heavy! Later Works cars also had these fitted to the REAR of the car. There was a thread about these a little while ago, and a search for 'MK63' should throw it up.

Cheers,

Alan T.

Alan T.

Originally posted by HS30-H

Mike ( Zedrally ),

Most of the Works cars used twin mechanical Haldas ( not electronic ) and drove them off the front hubs. The front spindles were drilled for the cables, and a proper connector was attached to each of the front legs. In many cases one of these cables was only used as a 'spare', and one of the Haldas was driven off the speedo cable via a tee piece - as you mention.

Alan T.

I understand what your saying but not comprehending how the drive was connected. As you point out, Halda's are mechanical and require a worm, gear, cable connection. This is the part I'm intrigued about, on the strut side? How was this connection made?

Difficult to explain properly without a picture, so please see the attached:

The wheel rotates the hub, so all you have to do is connect the inner cable to the centre of the rotating hub, and fix the outer casing of the cable to the leg. You don't need any spur gears or worm drives that way.

A picture saves a thousand words, so maybe this will help:

Here's the view from the back.

The bracket that holds the hard outer tube for the Halda drive is welded to the strut tube. The bracket wraps around the strut at the top, and goes straight down underneath. If you opened it up it would be a simple T shape.

The outer tube passes through the spindle casting and joins the centre line of the spindle itself, so that the inner cable lines up nicely with the centre of the spindle. The inner cable then simply passes out of the spindle and into the retainer cap on the end of the bearing cover, where it is fixed in place. This bearing cover effectively drives the inner cable at wheel speed through its own rotation.

Whats a Halda ?

Used in rally cars, its a trip / odometer for the navigator

Here's a pic of one of the Haldas in a 71 Works car:

Thanks Alan,

I've never seen it done this way before and probably won't see it again!

Needless to say, Terra trips make life much easier!

Mike of the Mire!