Decent Baulk Rings ?

[Spider]

Where can I get decent Baulk Rings for road use ?

Only interested in ones that;-
i) don't break, and
ii) if purchased, will actually be delivered

Thanks,
Spider



This one did less than 10 km

[Maddog]

Oh you're joking?! Spider what make was this? Please not Minispares comp ones, as I have a set on the shelf ready to install in a gearbox...
Have you tried Len Read's? They might be overkill for a road car but people who use them swear by his product. I have no personal experience with them, just hearsay.

[Oneball]

After similar problems I used Guess Works ones at the start of this season. Way better than the box has been for years with multiple other types (I usually end up with new baulk rings every year).

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34034

[Peter Laidler]

Jeeeeeees........I wish I was still teaching Spider Chris. What a fantastic example of a catastrophic break-up, especially one that is rotating in a closed environment too. Great for the engineers and metallurgists to ponder over.

Is this a common failure? Anyone?

[mk1coopers]

There was this thread on baulk rings and parts,

https://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... ox#p298919

Might be worth dropping Goff a PM and asking for the contact details for Jason

[goff]

Spider give Jasaon Swindells a call on

Moby 07557481664

email
jpswindells@tiscali.co.uk

Goff

[iain1967s]

Anyone tried these?

https://classicminisjapan.com/products/ ... baulk-ring

[360gts]

I think I must have kept every original baulk ring from the time I started in minis. Have a big box of used originals here that I still use.
Some need a few thou machined off the face to give clearance against the gear hub.
They never fail....amazing!!! we can send men to the moon, and we cannot manufacture baulk rings like they did in the sixties!!!!!!!

[winabbey]

Some need a few thou machined off the face to give clearance against the gear hub.
They never fail....amazing!!! we can send men to the moon, and we cannot manufacture baulk rings like they did in the sixties!!!!!!!

That's exactly what my very knowledgeable mechanic did when rebuilding my 1970 era Australian Cooper S. Most of the rings were re-used after checking and then machining like you describe.

Baulk Rings Refaced.jpg

Out of interest, the local Mini parts Legend John Smidt of Mini King and Mini Kingdom fame says the bowtie rings are the best to reuse (see bowtie engraved shape on the edge).

Baulk Rings Bowtie.jpg

[Spider]

Many thanks for the replies and links.

Goff, I'll drop Jason an email mate, his stuff does seem quite good, thanks

Simon from Mini Spares has also been in touch with me, he's kindly sending a new set from their most recent designs.

Doug, grinding Baulk Rings isn't a repair. The grooves within the Rings wear and so the grooves have less volume for clearing the oil from between them and the Cone and so become slow to allow for synchronisation, if at all. Usually too, because of the way they wear on the Taper of the Cone on the Gear, there's a step left in the small end of the Ring, which from my observations, when the Rings are ground and attempted to be re-used, only serves to catch the Molly coating on the cone and eventually lifts off parts of the coating. The 'Ears' on them also get battered about and so if the worn Ring will synchronise, the shift becomes notchy.

Also, the 'Ears' are a stressed part of the Ring in use and can crack, as yours is here and your 'mechanic' totally missed, but is pretty plain to see, even in your photo;-



Once they are worn, they are worn, fit for the bin only.

[winabbey]

Also, the 'Ears' are a stressed part of the Ring in use and can crack, as yours is here and your 'mechanic' totally missed, but is pretty plain to see, even in your photo;

Thanks for your comments.

My 'mechanic' did see that and replaced it, as mentioned (probably by you) and answered in one of my posts on here some time ago. I take his superior knowledge of A series and support his view that these used MOWOG rings, after close inspection of the things you mention, are far superior to some of the weak new rings you buy today, especially for my road car.

He's not the only one that reuses original BMC baulk rings. While at John Smidt's Mini Kingdom business I saw several well known, experienced and respected Sydney-based Mini racers and mechanics go through his bucket of old rings selecting some to use in preference to inferior new.

But each to their own.

By the way, building engines and gearboxes, mainly A Series but also Jaguar and other makes, is my mechanic's full time job. He has worked in mechanical workshops that have to warrant their work on customer power plants so using faulty parts and taking short-cuts is just not an option.

Once they are worn, they are worn, fit for the bin only.

Of course. Like all engine and transmission components baulk rings wear and will eventually become unserviceable.