avivalasvegas Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 I was under the impression that the genuine Metalastik Rotoflex couplings were no longer available and that the aftermarket options were not as good. Came as a surprise to me when I saw this seller selling genuine Rotoflex couplings made by Metalastik. Is this a known product that I have somehow missed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 Trelleborg bought out Metalastic many years ago and still manufacture batches of genuine Rotoflex couplings. They are available from Bailey Morris as well as Demon Tweaks - and boy oh boy are they expensive now. The current priced from Demon Tweaks is £167 each. I've no idea how much they are from Bailey Morris, but about 10 years ago they were "only" about £75 each. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 https://www.robush.com/products/rotoflex-coupling/ ive not used Robush but they have supplied engine mounts for some Commer TS3 trucks to a high standard and to correct specifications they may well resale telleborg units Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 £75 isn’t too unreasonable..... the real ones last 10+ years. Unlike most of the repro ones.... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 4 hours ago, Nick Jones said: £75 isn’t too unreasonable..... the real ones last 10+ years. Unlike most of the repro ones.... Nick Nick, They were £75 more than 10 years ago (I bought several sets). The current Demon Tweeks price is £167 each, which starts to make the CV conversion attractive price wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 13 minutes ago, KevinR said: Nick, They were £75 more than 10 years ago (I bought several sets). The current Demon Tweeks price is £167 each, which starts to make the CV conversion attractive price wise. Out of interest how much is the CV conversion nowadays . Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 £600 - £700 if you buy the kit, maybe cheaper if you source alternative parts yourself. From the Pistonheads website: To do this you need1. An adaptor plate from diff output flange2. Volvo 340, 94mm Lobro type inner CV joint3. Metro/Rover 100 short (LH) driveshafts and outer joint4. MGF/Elise/Maestro bearing pack6. MGF rear hub7. A modified rotoflex upright https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1428943 Some essential reading: http://www.shadetreegarage.co.uk/Vitds1.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 You need to be careful there. My Shadetree conversion used different parts (Escort Mk3) and the Triumph wheel bearing arrangement with a simple mod. Josh’s development of this used the R100 parts. Both of these conversion variants suffer from the donor vehicles being virtually extinct, so the parts are really hard to find. If there is someone out there selling CV shaft for £600-700, that’s decent value. It’s quite possible that there is another combination of parts out there that will do the job, but could take some finding. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted March 28, 2021 Report Share Posted March 28, 2021 I fitted a pair of genuine Metalistik couplings to my GT6 nearly 10 years ago. After about 8 years service, they were starting to crack on the surface, still serviceable I would judge but definitely ageing, so the 10 year life expectancy quoted above sounds right to me. As I will keep this car, it made sense to pay the price for an off-the-shelf CV driveshaft conversion from Classic Driving Development. At about £600 per pair, the cost of the CV shafts is slightly less than two sets of Metalastik Rotoflexes at Demon Tweaks price, and it should be a 'fit and forget' conversion. After about 5,000 miles in 2 years service, the CVs are fine and I fully expect them to outlast the driver! Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted March 28, 2021 Report Share Posted March 28, 2021 13 minutes ago, Nigel Clark said: After about 5,000 miles in 2 years service, the CVs are fine and I fully expect them to outlast the driver! Mine have done about 50k since 2004, starting with (well) used parts and are still hanging on in there bravely in spite of some fairly hard use at times. It was the failure of a pattern rotoflex in a rather dramatic fashion after less than 12 months service, following on from one that had failed in under two years that got me going on the conversion in the first place. The genuine Metalastik ones lasted about 12 years before that (perfectly acceptable IMO), but were already difficult to get and expensive if you could find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted March 29, 2021 Report Share Posted March 29, 2021 Look on the bright side, you could own a GT40, you could get a complete GT6 conversion for the price of 1 coupling, and have change, almost enough for a GT6 coupling in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 How can you tell if your rotoflex couplings are metalastik or not? I have about 9 I bought late last century and have been stored in a dark place since but I do not know what brand they are? Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 5 hours ago, ahebron said: How can you tell if your rotoflex couplings are metalastik or not? I have about 9 I bought late last century and have been stored in a dark place since but I do not know what brand they are? Adrian If you look at them carefully, the make should be moulded into the rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 8 minutes ago, KevinR said: If you look at them carefully, the make should be moulded into the rubber. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Horner Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 Just thought I'd add my experiences to this. I've had to replace the radius arm brackets on my GT6 which necessitated removing the driveshaft and vertical link from the car so decided to go the whole hog and replace the slightly cracked donuts and rebush everything plus new timken bearings (rimmers). Decided to stay original so sourced some proper metalastik units. Demon Tweeks have them at £167.20 each (incl VAT)!! However, looked online and a firm called Robush Ltd https://www.robush.com/products/rotoflex-coupling/ do them. They were very helpful - cost £89.25 plus vat each (£107.10 incl VAT) plus £12.50 for next day delivery (in stock whereas Demon Tweeks say will get stock in within 7 days). just like to let people know if they are looking. You need to call or email as they don't sell online. You need to quote the part number which is 21/979/1 (there is a link to the original catalogue. Saves you £120 over the Demon Tweeks items (and probably only costs you £100 over the repro rubbish!) Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 ive suggested Robush in the past used them for Commer TS3 engine mounts easy to deal with so yes its a good call they know their stuff so +1 from me Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Horner Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 I wonder if the club ought to stock them - I bet they could get a better deal if buying in quantity? There's a lot of people swapped to CV joints but also an awful lot of people who presumably still have the old rotoflex system. One triumph specialist I know believes that the CV joints cause other issues re diffs etc because the rotoflex has a cushioning effect. Don't know if there is any truth in that. Any one any thoughts on that? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 i will fire the link of the Bern at HQ Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Horner Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 Pete - just read your comment above re Robush - I googled them before reading this thread- should have read your post first!! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 it wa sometime back I have emailed HQ shop cant remember everything i need a new sd card inserted somewhere Ha Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Horner Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 Thanks Pete. I suppose a lot of club members may buy from the usual suspects and get non original parts unwittingly and then end up it costing a fortune replacing them again in short order. Especially painful (financially at least!) if paying someone else to do it! Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 9, 2021 Report Share Posted July 9, 2021 you got it a bit of basic simple homework can pay dividends if you knew what some suppliers paid for the crap they sell at a high mark up it wouldnt be printable Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avivalasvegas Posted November 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 On 09/07/2021 at 14:36, Bob Horner said: Just thought I'd add my experiences to this. I've had to replace the radius arm brackets on my GT6 which necessitated removing the driveshaft and vertical link from the car so decided to go the whole hog and replace the slightly cracked donuts and rebush everything plus new timken bearings (rimmers). Decided to stay original so sourced some proper metalastik units. Demon Tweeks have them at £167.20 each (incl VAT)!! However, looked online and a firm called Robush Ltd https://www.robush.com/products/rotoflex-coupling/ do them. They were very helpful - cost £89.25 plus vat each (£107.10 incl VAT) plus £12.50 for next day delivery (in stock whereas Demon Tweeks say will get stock in within 7 days). just like to let people know if they are looking. You need to call or email as they don't sell online. You need to quote the part number which is 21/979/1 (there is a link to the original catalogue. Saves you £120 over the Demon Tweeks items (and probably only costs you £100 over the repro rubbish!) Bob Just wanted thank you for this post - I have ordered a pair of 21/979/1 couplings from Robush (They didn't know which couplings in their catalogue fit the GT6 MK 2) so I relied on the information you shared here to get the right ones. At < £200 for a pair of genuine Metalastik couplings, I question the sense in CV conversions or Chinese copies for anyone who owns these cars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 10 hours ago, avivalasvegas said: Just wanted thank you for this post - I have ordered a pair of 21/979/1 couplings from Robush (They didn't know which couplings in their catalogue fit the GT6 MK 2) so I relied on the information you shared here to get the right ones. At < £200 for a pair of genuine Metalastik couplings, I question the sense in CV conversions or Chinese copies for anyone who owns these cars I think the decision really comes down to how many miles the car is likely to cover and how long the owner plans on keeping it. Another factor may be how strongly addicted the owner is to fancy upgrades! For modest mileages replacement genuine Rotoflexes will make sense, though they would need replacement occasionally. However, for a car that's used frequently and clocks up high mileages, the more expensive CV joint drive shafts are a 'fit and forget option', so would be cost effective over a prolonged period of ownership. Nigel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 its Plus one for Robush good helpful Co Ive used them for some very obscure Commer TS3 engine mounts and they are easy Co to deal with bit like CO Baines for door and glass extrusions they seem to hide but supply everyone and can deal with small orders pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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