Cracked My Sump - Again

[Telomerase]

Advice please -

For the second time this year I have cracked the sump on my Pinto - off to get it welded tommorow.

How can I stop this? Increase ride hight? Stiffen up the Avos? I was even thinking of an F1 style sacrificial plywood sump gard.

It is not the potholes, both time I have bottomed out coming out of a fast dip in the road at near the NSL.

At a few hundered quid a time + oil I need to find a solution.

[Terry Everall]

Welding up should be cheap not hundreds

What ride height are you running?

What clicks on shocks?

You could look at fitting skid plate to bottom

[Telomerase]

local garage needs to get an ali welder in - 2hrs labour + oil + fliter = £200

I will get my measuring stick out - where do you take the height from (bottom wishbone?)

5 clicks on shocks

any advice on mounting points for a skid plate?

[langy]

Surely if you have damaged your sump twice in 4 months, there is an issue with your ride height (clearance between sump and road) or you have a particular penchant for speed humps that particular stretch of road.

Is you sump a standard one or shallow ? If it’s standard, it may be worth investing in a shallow sump. Otherwise your ride height needs to be increased.

For info, I have a shallow sump on my Pinto and it’s remained intact for 5+ years.

[peterg]

http://westfield-wor...suspension.html

scroll down and click on the images to show ehere to measure ride height from and a list of base settings to give you an idea if you're too low (which it sounds like you are...)

[Telomerase]

Thanks for all the help. westie owners are the nicest folk on the web.

OK I am way too low, 110mm to the underside of the chassis as per the above schematic. I think that it was set up by a previous owner to make the lower wishbones horizontal ( is the a good reason for that?)

So, my plan is fix sump, wrack up the height on the Avos, anything else I need to adjust?

Edited May 3, 2012 by Telomerase

[Telomerase]

@langy, yes it is a shallow sump, is seems to be a modified cortina sump with sticky out bits to matain the oil capacity.

[Matta]

You'll have to redo the wheel alignment and camber unfortunately.

Matt

[Geoff101]

If it's any help, Northampton Motorsport set my Avos on 9-10 clicks (although they are a bit old).

[TIG Brother]

local garage needs to get an ali welder in - 2hrs labour + oil + fliter = £200

I will get my measuring stick out - where do you take the height from (bottom wishbone?)

5 clicks on shocks

any advice on mounting points for a skid plate?

180 quid to weld up a sump! Pirates ahoy!!

Where ate you based? Can you not find a local company who will only charge you 40-50 quid tops!!!