SDJ adjustable watts link

[ITS5GB]

Looking for a little help from my fellow 1st Gen racers. My GSLSE(#5 white/blue graphics, Kryder Racing on the hood, formerly owned by Dave Deen) has the SDJ adjustable watts link. It is the older version(was installed on the car back in the '90's). Anyway, pulled it out of the trailer where it's been all winter and in to the shop, put it up on the lift and discovered the adjustable bracket that welds to axle is busted apart. It seems that there was some unusual torsion on it that caused the bolt and nut (that slides inside the adjustable bracket) to twist and break the bracket. The bracket broke once before but was a clean break and I had a guy drop the axle and reweld it. That was 2 years ago. Since then it has run probably 12 events at Waterford plus a couple at Gingerman and Grattan. The first time I ran it after that repair was at Gingerman where it seemed a little loose. I inspected the way it was put back together and it didn't look right so I changed it. Since then it seemed to react as it did before, glued to the track. Believe it or not it is still fairly competetive, at least at Waterford, which is in my backyard. I think Stan is out of business. I guess what I'm looking for is if anyone knows where I can find this part or if it can be machined? Also, if anyone has any old instructions laying around for installation or has one on their car they can take a picture of for me. I don't want to change to a tri-link or panhard yet, the car's been so good to me. Thanks

[ddewhurst]

Greg, I have zero knowledge of the SDJ adjustable Watts linkage. Go to the Production site & under members look up Gary Martz (he owned/drove the SDJ house car) e-mail & send him a message & or post a thread on the Production site asking these same questions.

Jim & Jay Samaris of Wisconsin had a SDJ adjustable Watts linkeage on their previous car. They have a new car with a Panhard bar.

[ITS5GB]

Thanks David, I just shot Gary an email(found it at the Prod site as you suggested). Hopefully he will be able to help. In the meantime, if anyone else can help, please feel free to chime in.

[ITS5GB]

[attachmentid=377][attachmentid=376][attachmentid=375][attachmentid=374]Her are some pics of the piece that is welded to the axle tube. Anyone have any suggestions?

[ddewhurst]

Greg, Oh $hit, not good. Looking at the pictures I will presume the saw tooth parts are soft. For a race car these parts would be considered consumable meaning they are going to fail by having the saw teeth shear just as they have. My guess would be that the fabers took a "V" shaped horizontal mill tool to create the "V" groves in both parts. This IMHJ looks like a costly deal to bring back to the original new condition. Parts would need to be removed from the axle, new parts manufactured, new parts welded to axle. Ya might look into some stock car or sprint car circle track catalog for the saw tooth parts. Second thought is that if ya have it at a happy spot & don't adjust up or down weld the shaft to the bracket. Third, if all else fails install a panhard bar.

Do you know Tim DeRonne or Peter Morton from the Detroit metro area. Both road racers & full of knowledge. [email protected]

Side note: Always use a good flat washer on the nut side of a link Spherical bearing so that if part of the spherical bearing breaks maybe ????? the washer keeps the link from floping off.

If more questions ask away.

My signature is for a Spec Miata but I also havce a ITA 1st gen RX-7...........With a third link & Panhard bar.

[ITS5GB]

Yes David, I do know Tim DeRonne as he is a Waterford regular and is also involved as an official in different capacities there. Peter Morton and I know of each other(we've raced) but don't know each other personally. I also have become good freinds with a couple of other local RX7 guru's you may know, Bruce Wentzel and Bob Cross. I have talked with Bruce but not Bob, yet.
I would really like to keep the car as is. It has been very competetive at Waterford and is a blast to drive. It consistently finishes in the top 3 with 10 to 15 car fields. Check results at Waterfordhills.com to see what I mean. There's nothing better than to be gridded in p2 or p3 with a $35k E36 BEHIND you, especially when your car is about 1/7th the cost!
At any rate, there is a local fab guy that does all kinds of cage work and builds IHRA cars. He can probably fab something for me. It's just a matter of $$$. I do have the original series of the G-Force tri-link. I took it off an ITA parts car I bought several years ago. I spoke with Jim Susko about a year ago about it(because I was going to use it on an IT7 project that I should have done this year) but he suggested I use his newer tri-link because it is more refined.
It looks like it is in the position it has been in when broke(I wasn't driving it when it broke). At Waterford. at the end of the season, we have what we call a "Fun Run". It is an opportunity for you, as a driver, to give up your car and let your trusted crew members or safety workers run your car. It is a single lap at a time, one car at a time event. It's a chance to give back some fun to the people that help all year but don't get to drive. Besides my wife, I let several corner workers take it out so it may have happened then. I didn't notice it until I rolled it out of the trailer where it sat all winter since that event.
BTW, I did talk to Gary Martz and he said he has not seen or heard from Stan in a while. He also told me he didn't use the adj. Watts link, but instead ran the G-Force panhard on his EP car.
I've got about 4 1/2 weeks until the Waterford opener, we'll see what happens. Thanks again for any input,
Greg

[ddewhurst]

Greg, I do know Bob & Erik Cross. Bob is one great faber & Erik is one hell of a driver. I have raced on the other side of teh pond at Gingerman, Grattan, IRP & Mid Ohio so I may have met Bruce.

One thing to know about the Panhard bar is that the bar should be mounted to the chassis side of the car after analysis of the track or tracks you race on. When the side of the chassis the bar is mounted to gets lower while cornering the roll center becomes lower. As the side of the chassis the bar is mounted to gets higher while cornering the roll center also rises.

Thr worker drive situation sounds like a great give back to the workers.

Sounds like you do well at Waterford. The car don't drive it's self at that place. Never been there but have viewed pictures of the track & talked to many who have driven there. I have a great fear of taking my 100 to 102 db 1st gen car there. Noise & the flag person :018:

[ITS5GB]

Yes, Waterford is a great place to race even if sound has to be 75db at the property line(about 90db from 50').
I spoke with Gary Martz again today and he suggested welding the "adjustable" shaft in place if it is where I like it. The only thing it does is raise or lower the roll center so if I like the way the car feels where it is, as they would say in my line of work, "nail it!". He went on to say if the latest version of SDJ's adjustable Watts link was available when he built his prod car he would have used it. Unfortunately his fuel cell and framework were in the way so it was not an easy install. He said the panhard bar is a problem for exactly the same reason you said, turns one way good and not as good the other way.
Looks like I'll be dropping the axle this weekend to facilitate repairs!

[ddewhurst]

***He said the panhard bar is a problem for exactly the same reason you said, turns one way good and not as good the other way.***

Greg, ya need to remember there are always options with the Panhard bar. Implement brackets to the chassis & axle so that one can have the bar location can be changed for a given track & it's predominate turns. :birra:

Good luck with your weld project. It's the most economical thing to eliminate your issue.

[Roger Walker]

Greg, I have a new SDJ adjustable watts link still in the box
with directions, E-Mail me at [email protected]
and I will see if I can help you.

[64oeg]

Hey Greg, also give Marc Gerstenberger a jingle over at Shy-Tek. 248-856-2000.
Or mgerstenberger(at)skytekllc.com . He can probably help witn any fab or weldiing work you need done. Just another option.

George H

[tdw6974]

SDJ Is Stan around or retired?? Anyone from that direction know? TW

[ITS5GB]

Apparantly, from close sources, Stan has been MIA for a while.

[banzaitoyota]

I have the remaining bits of stans stock in my shop. What piece exactly do you need?

[ITS5GB]

Got what I need but thanks for offering. I'll keep it in mind if something does come up.