As like everyone today I have been out most of the day having a fantastic time.

That was until about an hour ago! Braked from 4th to 3rd in a left hander probably doing about 60ish when i heard a bang and the whole car swerving to the left!

Smashed my lightweight dynamic wheels, bent the gaz shock, damaged alot of the bodywork. Im just gutted...gutted more than Id ever thought. Ive only literally just had the 888's fitted and all laser aligned.

It just tops it off. I'll call MAC in the morning, Im gonna take it to them to fix as well as fit my shifter and get my speedo properly working which become iffy after the flood a month or so back

Anyways a few pics:








Have a whole bunch but think you get the idea. Looking at it the metal looks so thin. I could bend it with my hands. Again whats really done me in is that I had my mate in the car when this happened but only 2 hours earlier I had my 7 year old boy as we cruised about for 1/2hr.

You were lucky. That could have been alot worse. Iv never seen a wishbone fail like that before!

The kerb is the only thing that kept me out of the ditch! Both wheels are chewed. I can get them done but its just mind blowing - I was gonna do a trackday in a week or so!

Cant help but lose confidence. Ive spent hours apon hours and money trying to get this bang on and still big things go wrong! It proper went too!

Is that the bush tube thats split ?

There was a spate of broken wishbones a while back but they all broke at the outer end IIRC. Dodgy or what?

quote:

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Originally posted by rusty nuts
There was a spate of broken wishbones a while back but they all broke at the outer end IIRC. Dodgy or what?

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I'm glad you and your passenger are OK.

Not too impressed with the failure of the 'bone though.

I'm sure MAC1 will sort it out for you.

Mike

Bad news for the car. Lucky you came out OK.

I'd say drink an extra pint tonight...

The sh*t is going to hit the fan now, Sid Bridge and party will be along soon,this thread is going to be a long one I think..
But a wishbone should never fail like that,time for everyone with a Mac1 to check there wishbones or a factory recall,for safetys sake,and for anyone else with wishbones of this type of consruction to give them a regular check over,would be a good idea,you were very lucky,has your can ever been involved to any accident,or hit a kerb hard? previously?







[Edited on 19/05/04 by PAUL FISHER]

Not wanting to say to much but we had a bone fail like that except it was made by another manufacturer. I dont think its the makers to blame, Ours went on the other side from getting whacked in the drain covers that have sunk. The councils seem to have large numbers of sunken manhole covers that really give the suspension a hard time.
The hard bushes we run dont help the design as there is little flex puting the forces into the chassis or tearing the bones apart.

The bush tube looks very thin?

It just shows what can happen so easily, luckily it wasn't 80 on a narrow back road or it could have smarted a bit.

Steve

I must ask a question here as I do not understand how it could snap like that.

Doing a hard left would have, I guess, put that leg of the wishbone in compression, so guessing just that was not the cause.

But if also braking hard left then most of the force would have been on that front offside wheel, that is assuming the front normally does most of the braking and the nearside would have been trying to lift off the road going left. In that instance that front leg of the wishbone would be pulling it self apart trying to stop that majority of the car. Just trying to guess how it went.

Did it break on the seam or at the edge of the weld?

Adrian

Glad no one was hurt!

I guess that confirms the reason for using seamless tube.

I have seamless tube for mine, but I never imagined that a failure would occur there!

quote:

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Originally posted by Howlor
The bush tube looks very thin?

It just shows what can happen so easily, luckily it wasn't 80 on a narrow back road or it could have smarted a bit.

Steve

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quote:

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Originally posted by PAUL FISHER
The sh*t is going to hit the fan now, Sid Bridge and party will be along soon,this thread is going to be a long one I think..
But a wishbone should never fail like that,time for everyone with a Mac1 to check there wishbones or a factory recall,for safetys sake,and for anyone else with wishbones of this type of consruction to give them a regular check over,would be a good idea,you were very lucky,has your can ever been involved to any accident,or hit a kerb hard? previously?







[Edited on 19/05/04 by PAUL FISHER]

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First thought is that the 'bone couldn't rotate around the bush, and instead has been flexing around the weld on the 'bone, causing a fracture at the heat affected zone, which would then allow it to pull out like that during cornering.

Looks like one off failure --- probably a number of relatively minor factors involved that in this case added up to a failure.

Hi

As above the bushes where probably not fitted correctly ( common problem on virtually all using that type of bushing ) And the tube has gone around the weld that attaches the tube to the outer bush. More than likely due to an undercut on the edge of the weld.

Cheers Matt

Yes indeed "notch effect" due to under cut at the end of the weld was my thinking --- also wouldn't be surprised if the seam of the tube coincided with the weld to the main wishbone leg. ----add in a binding bush and eventually you might get a failure.

Hopefully it's just the picture.

However...

The other wishbone does not look dreadfully healthy either.

Coupla other thoughts.

1) The public road is an increasingy bad place to drive a lightweight sports car.

2) My completely standard Viva wishbones don't seem such a bad thing now.

quote:

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Originally posted by zilspeed
Hopefully it's just the picture.

However...

The other wishbone does not look dreadfully healthy either.

Coupla other thoughts.

1) The public road is an increasingy bad place to drive a lightweight sports car.

2) My completely standard Viva wishbones don't seem such a bad thing now.

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Just got back from a 400 mile round trip to mac. Was great meetin mark and collin and look forward to gettin it back on the road better than ever added with a new carbon aero screen and rear boot oh and finally gettin that flatshifter fitted. The next few weeks waitin will go very slow...

I do not know why you guys dance around the issues I have repeatedly seen with Mac#1.

It would seem that their cars are built for polishers not drivers. My friend had a factory built Mac#1 and it was absolutely terrible. The build quality was similar to that of a GCSE student building his first car.

If anyone has a Mac thats actually straight geometrically I would be surprised. The quality of components is just not upto the job and the suspension technology is non existent.

Come on Mac, sort these issues out, other companies seem to get it right but I have no evidence you have.

Well i spoke to mark today and they seem well onto sortin mine already and i had a page long list! I wont know quality until i start usin mine again. From seeing others in there i'd say their latest models seem pretty Damn good. I got an early 05 and comparin that to their latest 09's is like chalk and cheese! I've asked for anything that can be strengthened or uprated within reason to be done. Will get some pic's up when its all done with the new bits fitted

How's this looking?

quote:

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Originally posted by martylemoo
I do not know why you guys dance around the issues I have repeatedly seen with Mac#1.

It would seem that their cars are built for polishers not drivers. My friend had a factory built Mac#1 and it was absolutely terrible. The build quality was similar to that of a GCSE student building his first car.

If anyone has a Mac thats actually straight geometrically I would be surprised. The quality of components is just not upto the job and the suspension technology is non existent.

Come on Mac, sort these issues out, other companies seem to get it right but I have no evidence you have.

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quote:

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Originally posted by livelee
How's this looking?

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Been a lil while since the last post.

Been speaking to Collin a fair bit. All good now from what Ive been told. Working on being completed or damn close for end of next week

Still contemplating some Willwood calipers on the front. Its more money to fork out but is the difference really worth it?

Ive def at the limits with the std sierra calipers at the moment. They wont lock even pushing like crazy but thats not to say it doesnt stop damn quick!

Yes, because they will not fade so much on a trackday and if you can't lock the front wheels thats hopeless.Not that you want to be locking wheels. Brakes are as important as power but what do i know. I have only been in a 1100 blackbird engine westfield which had crap brakes.I'll know more when i have build and thrashed mine!

If your standard Sierra brakes won't lock your kit car up, there's gotta be something wrong. Try changing the pads first for something like Mintex 1144's. If they don't work, the problem lies elsewhere. If they can lock up a Sierra, they should be able to lock up something that weighs less than half.

If you're going to change the calipers, you might as well change the vented disks for solid ones too. You will notice the difference

Phil

Cheers for the info Phil. Ive had the calipers off and there all copper greased. Bleed the lines for air and put a load of new Halfords DOT4 in there too. Old stuff was real black.

After the difference was much better. Felt more progressive and same power on each wheel. I questioned the pads as there EBC greenstuff and thought maybe there a little too hard wearing.

The lines are already braided but didnt think changing the discs would really make that much difference?? Thought it was more to disperse heat rather than improve power or am I just being stupid...

Does anyone else run the sierra's then and find lock up quite easy?

im now using soild discs (changed from vented) standard sierra m/c and solid rear discs
it will lock them any time you like without any problems
also my pads are cheapo motor factor ones on the rear and the fronts are mintex 1144
HTH

A mate of mine said it was pads and that rears would be fine but change the front. He said about bout Ferodo? pads as well. They seem alot of money though and squeal too on his

I have std sierra calipers on the front with vented discs and standard pads from motor factors. Rears are drums from the sierra and standard shoes from motor factor. The fronts will lock up no problem.

Actually the brakes are supprisingly good, although I have not had it on a track or really pushed the car yet.

Its almost done!!

After speaking to Collin today and being easily persuaded to get the 4 pots we have worked a 'rough' guide on price and I should hope to see it near or maybe even completed within the next week or so.

Cannot tell you how excited I am now...new carbon aero screen, new rear boot, new shocks, new brakes, quick shifter fitted...oh im like a big kid!!

Pics will be up just as soon as I got it!

OK the call Ive been waiting for has finally happened!!

I pick it up thursday on my day off

Its been 3 months since I dropped it off

Have been told that everything I asked has been done (it was a big list) and there just finishing the exhaust wednesday

Bring it on!!!