Yesterday’s Name That Part had a personalized touch. As Mike The Dog pointed out, it was the fuel pump from an AMC 195.6 OHV inline-six, circa 1964. I fought with this part at length, and after replacing it twice, ended up taking one apart and making a few tweaks to solve a problem I was dealing with. My dad, after watching me fight with this for more hours than I care to admit, told me I was “obsessed.
We understand that many of us could safely qualify as “obsessed” when it comes to cars. For some of us, that obsession also translates into other parts of our lives. Not content with “good enough”, we insist on finding a product that perfectly suits our needs. Personally, I like my music.
As a musician and performer myself, I tend to be critical of music, and am a horrible critic when I hear it live. When directing a musical several years ago, I went up to the conductor after the twenty-one-piece orchestra finished playing the prologue, and informed him that the tenor saxophone was off-key. He argued with me, insisting there was no way I could know that. I asked him to check, and sure enough, it was.
To that end, I’ve chosen a home entertainment system that was the absolute best I could afford. I’ve spent months shopping for all the best deals so that I didn’t have to “skimp” on any part, and chose to use analog equipment where possible. I was heartbroken, a few years ago, when my old record player broke, because I couldn’t afford the cost to get it repaired. Not that it mattered, I only had a few vinyl records, but it was the principle of the matter. I no longer had a way to listen to that “raw” analog music.
Some people, of course, are even more obsessive than me. The record player in the photograph is called a ClearAudio Statement. It retails for $125,000, and can perfectly play your record through a fairly significant earthquake. Now, I’m not that obsessive, but I’m sure if I had unlimited funds, I could become that way. I would need unlimited funds, too, as it weighs almost 800 lbs, and can tax the floors in some houses.
What does all this have to do with today’s Name That Part? Well, that’s for you to figure out.
In fairness, I’ll disclose that this part has been very slightly modified, but not in any way that will prevent it from being identifiable. Whether or not the generous number of hints help in your identification will depend heavily on how “obsessed” you are with your mission.
Tim Odell 
Robert Emslie
I see a lot of parts under there, which one are we talking about?
Which part are we supposed to be guessing? I see a brake line balancer and lines going to a drum brake. Or are we supposed to guess what the sum of parts in the picture are attached to?
Is it from an Opel Rekord?
(I’ll add to the chorus, this place rocks. You dethroned the J as my homepage.)
That’s kind of where I was going with the article series. Name the part, and use that to name the car. Clearly it’s suspension, like yesterday we had “fuel pump” nailed in seconds. But what car does it belong to? And bonus points if you can figure out how it all ties together!
I wish my cars were that shiny underneath. Instead, I have road rot and blackwidows. Ouch!
Be glad, my blackwidow sleeps in my bed …..
Well, the most prominent part in that picture is the brake line. But I see a tire there too. Can we get an arrow to what we are supposed to ID?
The driveshaft looking thingy is obviously a spring of some sort. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
I don’t think its a spring, IMO there has to be something to keep the wheel from moving in and out.
Unless, there is no ball joint, and the lower control arm is fixed to the spindle. Then it could be a spring.(?)
The ball joint is down by the spindle, right behind the brake backing plate. The pivot (where the U-joint would go if the driveshaft looking thingy was a driveshaft) allows tube to slide in and out with suspension travel without binding.
Why are you using part of a driveshaft as an upper suspension link?
That’s what I’m burning to know
It looks like an F1-style inboard pushrod suspension setup on a…I have no idea what kind of car, but something awesome obviously.
That was a good drum brake.
http://instantrimshot.com
COT…. oh wait…
suspension pushrod?
This is a very confusing setup.
i see no springs, cantilever then?
also, i see no lower A arm. so then it is an upper and lower I arm?
There’s only a lower control arm. The upper mounting point seems to be the pivot at the end of the tube. Almost like a primitive strut suspension.
You’re getting warmer…
That bulbous pointy thing in the middle of the photo near where the stainless brake line connects with the hard line looks slightly modified. Or maybe it is just a little dirty. It looks like a weight to me. Maybe it functions similarly to the handlebar end weights on motorcycles to dampen vibrations.
Front drums and the tire point to an older car but I’m sure which one. I do know one thing, that is not the front assembly of a Corrado!
That’s the bumpstop for the suspension. When it compresses all the way, that bumps up against the lower suspension arm.
That makes much more sense.
Axle shaft off a Corvette modified to be an upper link?
Fullshot FTW!
Me thinks it´s a 50´s chevy truck front wheel suspension with 16×8 diagonal tire, and very strange drive shaft upper arm. JeepyJayhawk: I like the way you explain.
That’s a phenomenal looking reply you’ve got there. Unfortunately Nutters (nibbles older brother) has forbidden me from seeing it. 🙁
put a “-tn” between 961 and .jpg.
its still incredibly small though
Let´s try this: De Caixa suspensa
or use this link: http://picasaweb.google.com.br/lh/photo/mAXXneqsiI8R-aGM8oRLWg?authkey=Gv1sRgCLaf09jM5ZKYrQE&feat=directlink
Way to take an idea and run with it. Your MS paint skillz are dope yo.
Is is some sort of pneumatic self leveling system or auto camber adjustment?
I will be honest. I tried for all of 50secs and I am flummoxed!
Is it some sort of 4-wheel steer setup?
Hmm, there’s the brake lines and bump stop that others have ID’ed. The tube in the front seems to be a tie rod and the edge of lower control arm I think is just visible above that. It’s what would contact that bump stop. the drive shat looking thing I think is the upper control arm which must have a pivot out of the frame in the upper right. There’s a monotube shock in the background.
Maybe the simple answer is the front suspension of something. I was thinking of a 20’s – 30’s era something, but the hydraulic brakes would make that unlikely.
FWIW, I would not spend that kind of money on the Clearaudio Statement. I would stop at the new VPI Classic. In fact, I plan to stop there myself sometime this year. Check out the stereo pix on my FB page for the two systems I co-own (they are not even at my own home, btw…the big one demands way too much room…801 Matrix S3s will do that…..
The tire sidewall and the color of the wheel it’s attached to make me think “vintage” for some reason. Also it looks like the body is simple sheet metal – it’s all to simple, smooth and clean to be a normal production car. You can see the “shop” in the background underneath the lower control arm, so there’s virtually no body overhang past the wheel.
That said, I’m not sure where to go from there. Doesn’t look like anything I’m familiar with, but then that’s not a very long list.
Sorry if there is too much vaguery. We’ve clearly established it’s a shot of a suspension setup. But WHAT suspension setup? I know, the photo kinda sucks, but geez, you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a good photo of it.
If it’s a swingaxle setup, then the drive-shaft thingie has a coil spring inside of it.
If it’s a double a-arm setup, then the drive-shaft thingie is the upper control arm and the spring is hidden somewhere else.
I’m going to say that this is on a ’40s or ’50s era car, but I’m not sure what kind. If I had to guess I’d say Kaiser-Nash, just because they’ve always seemed a little weird to me.
The closest thing I can find to this is a Rover 3500 but I don’t think thats it.
I had investigated that angle, too. It doesn’t match up, though.
Well, I just spent longer than I’d like to admit trying to find the answer… can’t be done, this part is a hoax.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Hahaha it’s not a hoax, and in fact it’s quite distinctive. But all the references to record players are a HUGE hint.
Here’s another: it’s very similar to the suspension used on R/C cars.
Okay, GO!
Alright, so I went again, and have only found out two things, and gained another question. first, the lancia lambda was freaking awesome, second, I can’t tell if I like this: http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/Custom/yamaha-xs650-chopper.jpg
The additional question is, why does searching for “model a suspension” bring up a wikipedia guide to bondage?
Another revelation: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lVCC9aDALT4/SVJ437kf26I/AAAAAAAAGIs/Ue39FpU1AxU/s400/34_with_rear_conversion.jpg
Awesome.
… is the answer your looking for cardan joint?
Additionaly, is it out of a 40’s bmw?
From looking at the body work you can see, its very flat, and you can see most of the wheel well, so it has to be an older car, 30’s or 40’s, with a rounded back like almost all cars from that era, so I have no idea… can I go back to it being fake? my phils lost today and my flyers aren’t doing all that much better…
nvm, I think I’m wrong on all counts, is that even a powered wheel?
I don’t see an axle shaft, do you? I’m pretty sure it’s a steering, non-driven wheel.
You’re correct, it is a front, non-driven, steering wheel.
Dearthair, I. Hate. You.
This is going to bug the ever-living sh*t out of me.
Well from my research heres what I’ve kind of figured out, the record player has a kardan suspension system, the car has a cardan joint visible. R/C cars seem to have swing axles, mostly, and it would appear that the car in the picture uses a cardan jointed swing axle. For some reason, when searching cardan joint, quite a few 40’s era bmw 328’s showed up… what does all of this mean? not a clue.
That’s not a Cardan Joint.
gabriel snubber!!!
I think I can name the type, not the veicle though
“Leaf Spring & Solid Axle
Otherwise know as Hotchkiss suspension. This arrangement is most commonly used in 4×4 vehicles and very old cars. The concept here is that two parallel leaf springs are attached longitudinaly to the frame. One end of the leaf spring must have a shackle which acts as a pivot and allows the spring to change in length while compressing or rebounding. The center of the leaf springs are attached to the axle typically with U-bolts. The springs also act as a lateral locater for the suspension, though a panhard bar can be added for more lateral stability. Many vintage cars and trucks incorporated a single transverse leaf spring in their suspension system.”
Although, it would appear if there is a leafspring, it’d be horizontal to the frame, that is what I envision that U-joint connects to. Man, you’re such a tease.
Damn, I wish I could delete that…
I’m giving up for the night, though I have found a suspension that’s even weirder:
It’s a complete longshot, but is it off an older Mercedes?
The hints suggest something Brucey. My first instinct was a VW Iltis (between the slight obscurity, the VW love, and that it looked sorta raised), but I from what I can find, it doesn’t look right.
What bothers me is that while the whole thing has a ’40s-’50s tech vibe to it, the banjo fitting on the drum brake is highly incongruous to say the least. I have never personally seen a drum brake that utilized a banjo fitting.
maybe its one of the
“In fairness, I’ll disclose that this part has been very slightly modified, but not in any way that will prevent it from being identifiable. Whether or not the generous number of hints help in your identification will depend heavily on how “obsessed” you are with your mission.”
parts
I’m going to make a WAG that it’s the air suspension of a ’57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. It’s just a WAG, though. I couldn’t find any pics to back it up.
Is it a pre-1941 Crosely?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosley
Crosley was a good guess, given the record player connection, but as near as I can tell, prewar Crosleys used a beam front axle on leaf springs:-(
A backup guess is the Bose Suspension System, based soley on the hints and not on the appearance nor on the R/C car mention.
http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_STATIC_PAGE_EVENT&url=/learning/project_sound/suspension_results.jsp
Wild-Ass Guess of the Day: Lloyd LP-(somethingorother), emphasis on the LP. No idea what any of those is packing under the skin, but it seems like the kind of sadistic arcana Dear Perfesser would un(d)earth.
Alrighty….here is my guess, an educated guess but still a guess none the less.
– A mid 50s to early 60s Chrysler suspension, probably an Imperial,
Based on the turntable clue, I want to guess a ’56 Chrysler product (with the Hiway HiFi in-dash record player) but I don’t think that matches the picture.
I spent a lot of time cruising on Plymouth Road (Hi-Way Hi-Fi angle, natch), but it seems that during the time frame ChryCo suspensions were of the basic bread and butter control-arm variety with nice fat coil springs that would been front and center in this pic.
Well it will be revealed tomorrow morning, and so far Auntie Mary is the closest with her Crosley guess. Still not right, but closest. Take note, boys, you’re getting your butts kicked by a girl. Mostly because she’s got the right time period. Take heart though… maybe Graverobber will go easy on you for tomorrow’s Name That Part.
Probably not though.
I see your $125,000 and raise you the Pagani Stereo.
As they say, if you have to ask…
Closest isn’t good enough. This? http://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/1938.html