Remanufacturing T16 Rear Box and exhaust shroud

[Marc van Aalderen]

Going slightly of topic but ok. The Universal starts with 168 links, 8 lenghts of 21 links each. After a run in period of 50 to a 100 miles you would have a proper mesh on the sprocket that was installed new with the new track. You would then remove the first link to compensate for the running in wear leaving 167 links. After this you were allowed to remove a further 10 links and the tracks was considered worn when adjusting was no longer possible with 157 links. Mind you, I have seen and talked to owners who run on less links but breakage is frequent and only low speed and manouvering recommended!

Cheers,

[andrew honychurch]

I knew we were not being ignored, it just seemed very quiet on the board!

Ok, so I am now going to have to count my track links to find out whether they are worn out or not!

Talking about tracks and pins makes me think it would be great if someone starting making new track again! I know there has been talk about it but it still doesnt happen.

[Ben]

There is a danger of a thread hijack, sorry. I have been asked to produce a casting master for new track! I'm not entirely convinced of serious buyers numbers and how many of those would be prepared to pay for a set. I'd hazard a guess at a run of 20 or so links could be produced to test the concept at a cost of a few hundred pounds. That initial high outlay could be re absorbed into a successful production run. The missing link (excuse the pun) is the initial investor!

What value does the forum collective put on a set of NOS track? I'd suggest a new set would be about the same price.....a few thousand £££. Old track if available is always cheaper but the price usually reflects is use.

I'm happy to help with the initial tooling if a serious offer was put forward.

Ben

(please move post if you want to start the great track debate)

[RichardT10829]

I have an unused un issued NOS link i could post to be scanned still in its cosmolene wrapper.

[Lynn Eades]

The was a thread about manufacturing track (Aust) It was a guy from an engineering company, who was working with a Chinese manufacturer. The problem was the price was going to run out at about $8,000.00.
The engineer chap dropped it due to lack of interest.
Maybe there is still enough track out there?

[Ben]

That was kind of my point. If you said a single track link would cost £15 each as a raw casting plus a couple of pound each for machining, drilling then you needed the pins. The numbers get pretty big quite quick.

I think if you can get NOS track for £25 a link its probably a good but expensive buy!!! plus you'd be sure it worked. New track would be no cheaper IMHO.

Ben

[Lynn Eades]

Search a thread called "reproduction UC track availability)

At post #58 Wayne Henderson of western Australia has the original moulds for Australian track. There are pictures posted at #65.

A lot can be gleaned from this thread.
Could a Moderator move these few posts from Andrews thread, to that thread, and delete all but line 2 of this post