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I've recently purchased a back end, it was sold to me as a Euro-Brun F1 rear end but it doesn't have a reverse gear, never did, there is simply no facility for a reverse gear.
My understanding was that F1 cars had reverse gear, No?
the requirement for a reverse gear (and a self-starter) was famously introduced in 1961, along with rollover bars etc
but apparently ignored a few years later eg the Hunt-era McLaren 'cleverly' pioneered an air starter (pits-useable-only) to save battery weight
Mike Hawthorn won the 1958 WDC after push-starting his car (downhill) against the flow of traffic
his rival Stirling Moss successfully appealed against MH's disqualification by pointing out MH and car were on the pavement/sidewalk not the track
I've recently purchased a back end, it was sold to me as a Euro-Brun F1 rear end but it doesn't have a reverse gear, never did, there is simply no facility for a reverse gear.
My understanding was that F1 cars had reverse gear, No?
Thanks in advance for any input.
Cheers Roy
a few years back it was not uncommon to see cars try and put the box into reverse only to stall.
current cars seem much easier to get into reverse and they can even start themselves on the electric motors if they do stall.
1) Four wheel drive cars are prohibited
2) All automobiles must have a reverse gear which must be in working order when the car starts the event and which can be operated by the driver when seated normally in the car.
AFAIK reverse would have been required back in 88, I've never heard of the rule being withdrawn/reintroduced since I first started watching F1 in the late 70s.
I've heard of cars without the gear fitted during certain sessions to save weight, esp as reverse was notoriously unreliable. But there'd have always been provision for it in the gear box design. I can't think of a single seater series without reverse in the regs?
I've had a closer look at the breakdown of a Hewland transaxle and can see that indeed the Euro-Brun rear end hasn't the required pair of gears on the lower shaft for reverse. I only have a single gear for 1st and the selector fork has the same form as the other 2 selectors. Some descriptions of the car list it as having a 6 speed box this would correlate with what I'm seeing. Be rid of reverse and fit 6 forward speeds, without having to reengineer to fit a 4th selector rod or lengthen the gearcase.
Fortunately I intend hillclimbing the resultant vehicle and Formula Libre Hillclimbers are not required to have a reverse gear...
I guess if I really wanted to I could continue to spend even more money and convert it back to 5 speed + reverse but not right now.
I've had a closer look at the breakdown of a Hewland transaxle and can see that indeed the Euro-Brun rear end hasn't the required pair of gears on the lower shaft for reverse. I only have a single gear for 1st and the selector fork has the same form as the other 2 selectors. Some descriptions of the car list it as having a 6 speed box this would correlate with what I'm seeing. Be rid of reverse and fit 6 forward speeds, without having to reengineer to fit a 4th selector rod or lengthen the gearcase.
Fortunately I intend hillclimbing the resultant vehicle and Formula Libre Hillclimbers are not required to have a reverse gear...
I guess if I really wanted to I could continue to spend even more money and convert it back to 5 speed + reverse but not right now.
That would explain how they got it past regulations. Then swap it out afterwards unless perhaps it was converted after being in F1 do you know the history of the box where it's been since f1
After further consultation with Hewland, they believe that for the 6 speed boxes. Reverse was often fitted in the selector housing and was a very inappropriate ratio simply to get it to fit. This would correlate to Marmers' comment that the cars tended to stall when reverse was selected. There is a stud in the selector housing with a pr. of grooves around it (such that a detent ball may fit) I'm wondering if this may be evidence of such a reverse gear. I firmly believe this gear was only fitted to conform to the regulations, never to drive the car rearward.
As an aside I provided my local bearing house with ther numbers off the rear wheel bearings and asked if they could give me price and availability?.......
They got back to me ! the same day!! they could source them, they were designed and sold as F1 rear wheel bearings, and their price to me would be AUD$2250 each and they come in matched pairs ! So $9000 to replace all 4 !!!
Fortunately the ones I have are fine......
Oh, Marmer, the rear end was a spare, that was bought along with one of the cars by a guy in Germany. He sold the car but the purchaser didn't want the spare rear end, so it sat around his garage for another 17 yrs prior to me buying it. Strangely there are a couple more Euro-Brun parts for sale on Racecarsdirect at the moment.
