Necessity is the mother of invention!

[rs20004wd]

Some say that necessity is the mother of invention. In fact it was coined by the Greek Philosopher and author, Plato, implying that dire situations inspire ingenious solutions by humans. The problem for me was that being over six foot tall and working on Sinclair C5's tends to give me a few aches and pains! The solution was to make an axle stand, a self balancing device that makes my life that bit easier, whilst still being safe and practical, believe it or not I had another C5 on this device for a whole week over Christmas, even the wind didn't manage to blow it over! So by orientating a complete C5 in an upright position it's now possible to access and work on the complete underside without the need to remove any body parts or components in doing so. Neither is it necessary to use bits of wood, rope or wires. As the C5 is lightly resting on it's boot, no running parts are in contact with the ground, so working on the wheels is also that bit easier too.
Although the axle still rotates, I went onto develop a 'rolling road' option incase I needed to run the C5 upto full speed on battery power alone. This first image shows the axle stand in it's basic form and a complete C5 in the vertical position.
The last image shows the 'rolling road' option.

[Ray]

Looks like 1st class idea and workmanship, well done.

[rs20004wd]

 Thanks Ray, a simple idea that took a while to get the right balance point on the uprights. The most difficult part was getting the 24mm holes machined out as the stainless box section destroyed everything I threw at it, so I had to use the services of a local engineering company, then I simply cut the excess metal above to create the 'half moon' to locate the axle. The frame was then ready for welding and next the aluminium base had the cut outs done to be able to lower onto the frame and give the stand a more professional look- rust proof and strong.

[kamztrad]

Wow, really impressed - also really impressed with your mint looking c5's, very envious!!

[rs20004wd]

Thanks kamztrad, these C5's seem to take up a lot of- no most of my spare time at the moment.

[kamztrad]

Know the feeling, can sympathize with that RS !!

[littlefairyc5er]

I like the fifth picture....looks like a droid

[C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER]

Hi there it looks great Will it be ok if I make one or two for myself ..??/   any chance of the measurements ....bye Chas

[rs20004wd]

Hello Chas, Glad you like the axle stand and even more so that you want to make your own. I don't have any finished plans that I can present to you but it's made from quality materials and is very sturdy in use. It has a box section frame (750mm x 500mm) and uprights (275mm high) with an 2mm thick aluminium base plate to give it a more finished and hopefully professional finish. In the end I over engineered it by using eight bearings instead of the original four for the rolling road option which is great for running the C5 whilst working on it or for testing purposes. The frame is made from 20 x 40mm stainless steel box section.  The most difficult part was getting the 24mm holes machined out as the stainless box section destroyed everything I threw at it, so I had to use the services of a local engineering company, then I simply cut the excess metal above to create the 'half moon' to locate the axle. If you need anymore information, please ask. Thanks.

[C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER]

Hi thanks for info will start building one asap Bye and thanks Chas

[Edward Green]

They look super, I could do with a couple of those.

[rs20004wd]

I just wish I could make them ...................... as fast I can post them on here!

[KarlG]

Hi rs20004wd,

I must admit they look very professional, just wish I could produce such master pieces.   You quoted the uprights are 275 high, is this measured from ground level or from the top of the plate?

Cheers.

KarlG.

[rs20004wd]

 Karl, From memory, the upright measures 275mm plus the 20mm box section makes 295mm, the boot when in the upright position then sits on 3mm aluminium. So the distance from the centre of the axle to the aluminium base is 280mm, this gives the optimum balance point for an upright C5 even in windy conditions.

Hope this helps.

[KarlG]

Hi Mark,

many thanks for the input. Will start work as soon as the material arrives.

Regards.  Karl.