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Leon
30-05-2004, 18:26
DAF 55 Coupe (1971). This is a very rare classic car. DAF cars were built in Eindhoven, Holland between 1958 and 1976 when they were bought out and became part of Volvo. DAFs feature a revolutionary "variomatic" transmission which uses 2 rubber belts to drive the rear wheels - this may sound unlikely, but this is the fore-runner of the modern CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission) that is available on some new cars today
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Did they REALLY run on elastic bands???
grinder
30-05-2004, 18:34
They run on a belt of sorts, i drove one years ago. The further you push the stick forward the higher the gearing (forwards ad backwards iirc)
mickstreet
30-05-2004, 18:41
Yep they did. I'm sure this was discussed a while ago too. They used variable diameter pullies (of sorts) which altered the gearing.
JB
30-05-2004, 19:44
The earlier versions could go as fast in reverse as they could forwards :cool: :cool:
























although that's not really very fast at all :(
SteA
30-05-2004, 22:25
Oh oh oooh, me, I had one as one of my first cars :nod:

Had 2 gears, forwards and reverse (and that really was it), and was driven by a big rubber band :eek:

Also only weighed about 100 kg so really was a funny car to drive :rolleyes:

If there was any wind I had to fill the car with weights or leave it on the drive....

Kinda of odd, especially at motorway speeds, cos rpm's just increased from standstill with no gearing whatsoever, so always felt the car needed to change gear....

Won some bets driving the fooker backwards :wack: went just as fast in forward or reverse..................
2 Black Lines
31-05-2004, 07:52
Oh oh oooh, me, I had one as one of my first cars :nod:

Had 2 gears, forwards and reverse (and that really was it), and was driven by a big rubber band :eek:

Also only weighed about 100 kg so really was a funny car to drive :rolleyes:

If there was any wind I had to fill the car with weights or leave it on the drive....

Kinda of odd, especially at motorway speeds, cos rpm's just increased from standstill with no gearing whatsoever, so always felt the car needed to change gear....

Won some bets driving the fooker backwards :wack: went just as fast in forward or reverse..................

Then it turned into a Volvo :wack:

Productin line now produces IIRc S40.
Yak
31-05-2004, 09:02
Then it turned into a Volvo :wack:

Productin line now produces IIRc S40.


Presumably the same plant built the 440/460/480 volvos as well?
Leon
31-05-2004, 09:29
could someone please explain this lever thing?
I've got images of a steam train's lever....
grinder
31-05-2004, 09:36
Its in place of the normal gear lever only it only goes forwards and backwards. I dont know if it was just the one i drove but it was a pain to find the neutral spot (i had to shift from forwad/reverse constantly in trafic)
2 Black Lines
31-05-2004, 09:41
Presumably the same plant built the 440/460/480 volvos as well?

Yip, tho the plant has been demolished IIRC and a lot of money invested.


Do I sound like a Volvo Anorak?

Perish the thought.
Leon
31-05-2004, 09:45
Its in place of the normal gear lever only it only goes forwards and backwards. I dont know if it was just the one i drove but it was a pain to find the neutral spot (i had to shift from forwad/reverse constantly in trafic)

is it clutched or not then? I'm assuming not...
JB
31-05-2004, 11:11
Do I sound like a Volvo Anorak?

:nod:
DeSaint
31-05-2004, 12:30
the belts were fun to change :confused:

if one snapped the other one would still move the car but i would put my money on a weighed down snail winning any races. :wack:

i only changed a set once .. in the early days of my apprentiship as a nut strangler but iirc you tensioned the belts very much like a motorbike chain except you wound the entire axle backwards and forwards. untill you got a 3mm gap between the flywheels.... i remmember using a bit of welding rod for that i thing!

i'll stop now... or i will feel the urge to change a suspention displacer on a princess or do a set of void bushes on a mk4 cortina :wack:
2 Black Lines
31-05-2004, 12:35
:nod:Why do I know so much about Variomatics? :rolleyes:

The first cars used rubber bands with IIRC steel inserts, the later ones used a Stainless steel belts, And have a patented construction against them, why any one would want to copy it defies me, but the patents there.

IIRC DAf 33 then Volvo 66, the Volvo was available with a conventional transmission, using IIRc a Renault engine. Stopped making them in 1980(IIRC)

The production line aslo made the Volvo 343/345.
2 Black Lines
31-05-2004, 12:37
the belts were fun to change :confused:


i'll stop now... or i will feel the urge to change a suspention displacer on a princess or do a set of void bushes on a mk4 cortina :wack:LOL :D