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  • Marlin trails car

    Hi there I'm looking to fit a 10cwt ital rear axle into my trails car and wondered if I should fit van rear springs to improve ground clearance or will it make it too stiff what has everyone else done please? Thanks Alex

  • #2
    Re: Marlin trails car

    That’s really a question for the Trials boys.
    Bearing in mind that a Roadster is a lot lighter than a Morris Marina.

    Do you know what your existing springs are, presumably but not certainly from the original donor, but was it a 1300, 1800, or an estate?

    This document might help https://kvisit.com/S1Mb2AQ
    MOC member since 05/97
    1984 Marlin Roadster SWB.
    1800TC, Unleaded ported head, stage 2 cam. Ford Type 9 gearbox, Dolomite Sprint rear axle fitted with MGF disc brakes.
    Three core radiator, Renault Clio vented front discs.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

    Loads of Marlin Reference can be found documents here or there.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Marlin trails car

      Springs are huge area of debate in the Marlin trials world, with no clear 'industry standard' (yet). Personally, if you have a set of van springs, I would fit them and worry about alternatives after you've done a few events. Lots of people have played-around with alternatives but there have been a lot of spring failures. I have van springs on my Marlin, and they are stiff, but I now think that the shock absorbers may have had-their-day and are contributing to the stiffness. Replacing them is a priority when there's a decent lull between events (too busy at the moment).

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      • #4
        Re: Marlin trails car

        PS - See https://wheelspin.info/marlin-roadster/ and then please Contact Me so I can keep my Register of Trials Marlins up to date.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Marlin trails car

          10cwt Marina or Ital van axles are now pretty rare. I counted myself very lucky to find an [unidentified] one on fleabay a couple of months ago. Key identifier was the cast iron [therefore slightly rusty] diff housing - standard ones are alloy. Good luck.

          Steve Green may have a couple back in England but as he's now in Spain access is extremely difficult.
          Last edited by marlin1984; 12-01-20, 11:41 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Marlin trails car

            Originally posted by marlin1984 View Post
            Steve Green may have a couple back in England but as he's now in Spain access is extremely difficult.
            True, they are in the loft of my garage in the UK, but I rarely return and dragging them out and arranging postage/delivery when I have tenants there it would be quite an inconvenience, so for the sake of discussion, they do not exist.
            Should the consequences of Brexit or life mean I have to move back to the UK, they may become available, but don’t hold your breath.
            MOC member since 05/97
            1984 Marlin Roadster SWB.
            1800TC, Unleaded ported head, stage 2 cam. Ford Type 9 gearbox, Dolomite Sprint rear axle fitted with MGF disc brakes.
            Three core radiator, Renault Clio vented front discs.
            The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

            Loads of Marlin Reference can be found documents here or there.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Marlin trails car

              Originally posted by AndrewKB View Post
              Springs are huge area of debate in the Marlin trials world, with no clear 'industry standard' (yet). Personally, if you have a set of van springs, I would fit them and worry about alternatives after you've done a few events. Lots of people have played-around with alternatives but there have been a lot of spring failures. I have van springs on my Marlin, and they are stiff, but I now think that the shock absorbers may have had-their-day and are contributing to the stiffness. Replacing them is a priority when there's a decent lull between events (too busy at the moment).
              Maybe - but "had-their-day" shocks normally get weaker/more feeble with wear rather than stiffer … ?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Marlin trails car

                Some years ago now I had some Spax adjustables on my Mk 2 Cortina. They failed as they became progressively harder and although the adjuster screws would turn they wouldn't soften up the ride. Peter.

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                • #9
                  Re: Marlin trails car

                  Originally posted by greyV8pete View Post
                  Some years ago now I had some Spax adjustables on my Mk 2 Cortina. They failed as they became progressively harder and although the adjuster screws would turn they wouldn't soften up the ride. Peter.
                  ??? I did say "normally" because that has always been my experience - maybe Spax are constructed differently to nearly every other make ?

                  Have had Spax adjusting screws go solid though [thanks to exposure to water].
                  Last edited by marlin1984; 16-01-20, 10:00 PM.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Marlin trails car

                    Originally posted by marlin1984 View Post
                    10cwt Marina or Ital van axles are now pretty rare. I counted myself very lucky to find an [unidentified] one on fleabay a couple of months ago. Key identifier was the cast iron [therefore slightly rusty] diff housing - standard ones are alloy. Good luck.

                    Steve Green may have a couple back in England but as he's now in Spain access is extremely difficult.
                    Standard Marina, van and Ital diff housing were not ally they were cast iron.
                    Formally DonSayers on here.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Marlin trails car

                      both van and car axles look very similar from a cursory glance. and yes both have cast iron diffs. So just Count the bolts around the diff circumference . 8 equals standard, 10 equals the Stronger Van version.
                      these axles are VERY similar to MGB versions which effectively only differ in width and mounting brackets - the hubs/drums etc can be retro fitted.
                      Don

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Marlin trails car

                        Above posts - just goes to prove you should not believe everything you are told by an 'expert' - He said 'only 10 cwt low-ratio diffs were CI '... APOLOGIES.

                        So I was very lucky in ending up with a van axle ?

                        On similar subject of very duff info. on internet > beware the MGB site that states >"... In practice Gold Seal engines have an 'E' or 'N' suffix letter as in 48G733E nnnnnn." - NO. Mine does not.
                        Marlin engine number digits covered.JPG

                        Also beware the assertive statement '... all [Gold Seal] engines had the core-plug recesses bored deeper to accept the cup-type plugs instead of the flat type' - NO. Mine does not, it still has the 'flat type'.
                        Last edited by marlin1984; 26-01-20, 02:10 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Marlin trails car

                          Originally posted by marlin1984 View Post
                          Above posts - just goes to prove you should not believe everything you are told by an 'expert' - He said 'only 10 cwt low-ratio diffs were CI '... APOLOGIES.

                          So I was very lucky in ending up with a van axle ?

                          On similar subject of very duff info. on internet > beware the MGB site that states >"... In practice Gold Seal engines have an 'E' or 'N' suffix letter as in 48G733E nnnnnn." - NO. Mine does not.

                          Also beware the assertive statement '... all [Gold Seal] engines had the core-plug recesses bored deeper to accept the cup-type plugs instead of the flat type' - NO. Mine does not, it still has the 'flat type'.
                          There are lots of experts, anything that you read on the Internet should be treated as guidance, not as gospel. When it’s in print from a verifiable source, it’s more accurate than the bible!

                          I try to verify everything I publish personally, but still mistakes slip through.

                          Its when the experts are also salesmen, especially on eBay, that the mis-truths begin to multiply.
                          MOC member since 05/97
                          1984 Marlin Roadster SWB.
                          1800TC, Unleaded ported head, stage 2 cam. Ford Type 9 gearbox, Dolomite Sprint rear axle fitted with MGF disc brakes.
                          Three core radiator, Renault Clio vented front discs.
                          The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

                          Loads of Marlin Reference can be found documents here or there.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Marlin trails car

                            Hi

                            i to am working on developing my marlin to a better trials car. I am fairly sure mine has a van axle from historic information I have. My issue is over the leaf springs, to get front wheels light and weight bearing down on real wheel, to do that I have added a lot of weight, which is making springs go flat and reducing travel. Shocks I don’t think are an issue. I am struggling to understand what options I have with leaf springs in terms of weight bearing and ground clearance. Nobody seems to sell springs based upon length and weight as they do coil springs.
                            any guidance would be very welcome
                            thanks
                            john

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Marlin trails car

                              The wonderful thing about Leaf springs is that you can simply add more leaves to the stack to make it stiffer!

                              My leaf springs for my unbuilt Marlin have two leaves - undo some bolts and fit another leaf

                              There are fixings to stop the leaves from wandering about but you can make new ones or replace them with the square U Bolts you get for trailers

                              If you want the normal stack look - shorter, medium, long - then simply cut the "new" leaves to length

                              You can also grind the leaves in width to match yours - I would not grind the thickness

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