Too late for that, m'dear...
< http://flic.kr/p/8X7iav >

Is that for the water cooled 2CV engine you're experimenting with?

Shite! I'll take 40+ degrees centigrade any day.
And thanks for that link too - lots of interesting and educational stuff to be seen beyond that image - and a bit of humour, for example;
"...If the bonnet 'escapes' at speed, forward visibility is somewhat hampered..."

re. Knife edges and shackles, perhaps if someone (Russ is probably going to tell me to read the thread now!) could post a picture of a worn out pair, it'll be easier to see how they're supposed to work?

Not "worn-out", but genuine 50k miles from new, from the 400...
(Not a pair - these are just the clearest photos)

I think I'm slowly getting there... I hope!
The "pointy" edge acts against the inside face of the tie rod end, and the itsy-bitsy outer parts of the "wide" (rounded) edge/face of the KE bear against the chassis (call it that, anyway..). So it's a fulcrum, or rocker/pivot thingy action.
Now there are still a couple of things I'd love to have responses to while you folk are all inside sheltering from sub-zero weather and road grit (global warming? What global warming!).
►The tie rod ends: the internal diameters of the holes (in my case it's one of the hexagon welded type) - are they the same front and back? Or are they larger/smaller to suit the two different KE sizes?
►And for that matter why - why - do the knife edges need to be different sizes front and rear anyway?

In the face of all that, I'm very pleased to report that after turning the cans 180 degrees and having applied a little lubricant* I think the suspension is beginning to quieten down a little. Thanks to all who have contributed so far. Please stay with me - have patience!

*Ken, my wife tells me the most appropriate veg. oil for Aussie conditions should be Rice Bran Oil, as it has a higher burn point temperature.

Geoff,
knife edge 'shackles' are all the same size, but the knife edges themselves are 12mm at the front and 14mm at the back end.

Not quite sure of the reason for that difference, as the rated axle loads aren't that much greater for the back end, but perhaps it's to cater for higher dynamic loads on the rear when the interlinked suspension is in 'full swing'...

*Fwiw, on Raid and race car preparation, I've modified the arms so that 14mm knife edges are used all round.

ken

p.s. Re climate change, not global warming, readings from a weather station near here.

Linton on Ouse recorded its coldest November night too with minus 11.2C.
Remarkably on November 4th the same station recorded its highest daytime November temperature with 17.6C.
( That's T shirt weather for Yorkshire )
Linton on Ouse also recorded this morning, November 30th, at 9am the deepest November lying snow on record at 15cm.

There's easily double the snow depth this morning, I reckon...
Got to go and dig a path out to the road now.

Some interesting suspension photos here - and it'll be even more illuminating if you habla espanol (it's from Argentina...)

http://citroentuc.com.ar/foro/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=841#p6886

here is a poor picture of an eye with a crack in it which on a car is hard to spot unless you pull the knife edge out to inspect it . scary

I can only imagine that if something like that were to let go, it'd do it with a helluva bang!
I've seen somewhere a suggestion that the hex-type* aren't as satisfactory (strong?) as the non-welded (round) type. Any comments?

*they do look a bit agricultural in concept and execution, I feel..