Anti roll bar adjuster ---

[Christopher Crowe]

-- I'm sure in the history of the sport, someone has used an aircraft throttle quadrant (no detents, just friction) to fine-adjust anti roll bars from the cockpit. Question is, does this work well or are Comprent-like units with detents really advisable.

Any shared experience appreciated!

Chris Crowe

[RobLav]

I don't doubt that the friction type can be made to work, but I can think of two reasons why to use a detent type:
1. A friction type is infinitely variable. I don't think that is necessary because you are not going to feel the difference in car handling by moving the bar a really small amount.
2. How are you going to remember or log a particular location of the adjuster for varying tracks and car setups? "Let's see now - it's about 1/2" from full soft." It's just easier using click number 2 or 3 or whatever.

[S Lathrop]

For me space and ergonomics have always been an issue with roll bar adjusters, especially when you have front and rear adjustable ARBs. As a result I have always built my own.
The latest trick I found was to use spring loaded detent balls in set screws (McMaster-Carr Items less that $1). I use 2 concentric levers with one taller than the other. The whole thing is less than an inch wide and the driver can just about move the full range for both bars with wrist movement only.

[R. Pare]

We used the aircraft throttle type 20 years ago for a while, but found that they have a tendency to drift from the engine vibrations.

[Christopher Crowe]

-- and I just needed to hear it from somebody else; each of your mentioned a why-not-to reason that was bugging me. Maybe I can fashion a way (via McMaster and Co) to both positive-lock the thing and give evenly spaced incremental adjustments -- as well as guarantee of no slippage.

Thanks fellas. Can't wait to finish. If I have to fish-mouth just one more tube in my life, (you know the rest)...

Best regards,

Chris Crowe

[stephen wilson]

Steve,
do you happen to have a picture of your setup? I'm looking at building a rear adjuster.
Thanks,
Steve

[S Lathrop]

Steve,
do you happen to have a picture of your setup? I'm looking at building a rear adjuster.
Thanks,
Steve

This is the second request I have had for more information. Give me a day or 2 and I will post a drawing. I have templates for making the parts but I have not done a drawing yet.

[stephen wilson]

No problem, I appreciate your taking the time!

[S Lathrop]

Here is the simplest form I have made. For a dual adjuster I mount the base plate so that the levers are on either side of the plate.

The simplest detent is to use a 3/16" bolt and half nut. The bolt extends beyond the nut far enough to catch in the holes for the detent. The end of the bolt needs to be ground to a nice taper. The cable is attached to the lever with a 3/16 rodend. I have used the same bolt to attach the rod end and serve as the detent. The bottom is a 1/4 bolt with an arrangement of flat and spring washers to hold the lever against the base plate. I have used a spring loaded detent/set screw.

The lever can be .080 aluminum and the base place is .058 steel. All the tubing is .o49.

The adjuster mechanism is held to the frame with 2 hose clamps. You will need to make a mounting for the cable housing. I also use hose clamp mounted brackets for the cable mounts.

I made one of these with a 5/8 dia. 18 ga. tube, cut in half, welded to the base plate. At the end of the tube I made a clip to fit the cable end into so the lever and cable uesd the same mount.

[stephen wilson]

Thanks steve,

A question or two, my cockpit is "lined" with .063 Aluminum panels, could I use that to mount the lever & drill detent holes? The holes would wear quicker, but I shouldn't be constantly adjusting the bar, just during testing.

I'm having trouble picturing how you use a spring loaded detent/set screw at the pivot, I would have thought they were used for the actual detent holes.

Thanks,

[S Lathrop]

I originally used this design when I had aluminum panels on the inside of Citation Z16 frame. I used a doubler on the side panel and attached the lever to the side panel.

.063 aluminum should be strond enough to not require a boubler. I used .032 on the Z16.

The spring loaded detent goes in the upper hole in the lever that aligns with the detent holes. The lower hole is for the rodend. A button head 3/16 screw, from the outside of the lever, is thinner than a 3/16 half nut.

[stephen wilson]

I've got it now, thanks.

[Charles Warner]

For history's sake: my Lola 592S factory car came with a variable friction type front sway bar adjuster. Very similar to aircraft prop pitch controls in that the central button could be pressed to make gross adjustments or the knob could be turned for finer adjustments. Never had any problems with it.

[Rick Kean]

Here is the simplest form I have made. For a dual adjuster I mount the base plate so that the levers are on either side of the plate.

The simplest detent is to use a 3/16" bolt and half nut. The bolt extends beyond the nut far enough to catch in the holes for the detent. The end of the bolt needs to be ground to a nice taper. The cable is attached to the lever with a 3/16 rodend. I have used the same bolt to attach the rod end and serve as the detent. The bottom is a 1/4 bolt with an arrangement of flat and spring washers to hold the lever against the base plate. I have used a spring loaded detent/set screw.

...

A 10-32 external thd'd, round delrin nose-spring plunger + a thin captive nut pressed into the lever material (like those from www.picsscrewmachine.com) should make for one clean 6061-lever/adjustable-detent/rodend-pivot!

What's the maximum control torque required at the blade adjustable stabar that this design would have to overcome?

Rick