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E38 Backstay Chainplate Cracked

Captainpeter

Member II
My 1984 E38's backstay chainplate cracked inexplicably last weekend. I'm perplexed because I wouldn't expect there it ever to be under that significant a load. I cruise in the Santa Barbara channel.

My rigger is going to have a new one fabricated, but in order to do so I'll need the dimensions of an intact chainplate. Can anyone help?

Thank you all in advance.
 

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rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Wouldn't it make more sense to just remove yours and give it to the fabricator? That way you know it will fit..... If there were any variations in the design over the years any specs "we" might give you could be incorrect. The rig will stay up with the backstay released. Just tie it off to keep it from bouncing around. RT
 

Captainpeter

Member II
Wouldn't it make more sense to just remove yours and give it to the fabricator? That way you know it will fit..... If there were any variations in the design over the years any specs "we" might give you could be incorrect. The rig will stay up with the backstay released. Just tie it off to keep it from bouncing around. RT

I'm worried that it may be deformed. You can see the left to right bend in it in the photos.

Does anyone have the name of the company that did Ericson's chainplate fabrication? Or has anyone had a chainplate fabricated lately?
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
They were not originally made to nuclear specifications, and even a bit distorted, that one will certainly be close enough to make a replacement. You have plenty of adjustment in your backstay to make up for a few thousandths of inaccuracy in the "prototype."
 

Guy Stevens

Moderator
Moderator
Crevice Corrosion, a great example!!!

This is a great example of Crevice corrosion at work. I would also make it a little wider when you have it remade. The meat on each side of the bolts looks a little light to me. It should be at least equal to 1.5 times the thickness of the bolt that penetrates the chainplate. This looks less than 1x the bolts that penetrate. Take the old one off for the bolt patterns, and the bend location, but have it made wider than this one is.

Significant load! YES all the standing rigging is always under significant load.

If you get a handheld microscope at Radio Shack for $20.00 you will be able to see the effects of crevice corrosion in the area where the fracture is. There was no metal left to support the load, so the chainplate fractured.

Generally where one of the chainplates is this badly corroded the others are not that far behind. This is a GOOD time pull and look at all the chainplates! If you had a cap shroud part it would have been more exciting than this in a bad way.

Guy
:)
 
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