Rick, the suspension rebuild is fairly straightforward. The rear comes apart
easily with no special tools although a two pronged puller (used to push) will
extract the old bushes from the trailing arms better than any other method I
have seen (Thanks Vance for that tip). If you plan to use the old brackets and
shims take careful note of which brackets go where, which way up and with how
many shims. Richard Good's adjustable brackets are a good alternative to the
stock brackets.
While it may technically be possible to do the rear without removing the
trailing arms the chances are that you will need to remove the hubs with drive
shafts and use this opportunity to inspect UJ's, hubs, trailing arm studs and
possibly pull the diff out to check for cracks in the brackets, replace diff
mounts, fix leaks etc.
The fronts are more involved as there are more parts and you do need a proper
spring compressor (borrow one, don't buy it) to safely remove the springs. You
just need to make sure you label everything as you take it apart so that you
don't mix up the left and right hand parts as they look very similar.
You will spend more time cleaning and de-rusting and painting than you will
with the disassembly and reassembly.
I think it is worth switching to Nylatron bushes, preferably the impregnated
ones that are self lubricating. I did not do that personally and used TRF
urethane bushes, well lubed with anti-seize, and a year later they squeak like
a family of field mice. They are coming off this winter, soon after the
Lobstah tour... try not to get too close to me, it's a long day J
Compared with other tasks I can think of, the suspension refurb is not a bad
project although as usual it may get you into other areas (frame, brakes,
hubs, diff etc) as you take things apart and uncover hidden problems.
Stan
From: owner-net@lists.mv.net [mailto:owner-net@lists.mv.net] On Behalf Of
Richard and Tracy Lambour
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 8:39 PM
To: net@lists.mv.net
Cc: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: [net] Suspension rebuild
Hi fellow NET members,
I'm in the process of a body off restoration of my 1970 TR-6 (the floor pans
had rotted out), and I'm planning to start a suspension rebuild soon while the
body is still off the frame.
The car sat for 10 years in Texas, so I'm replacing all of the rubber. The
rear springs were shot when the car last ran so they need to be replaced too.
I was thinking of using urethane bushings to improve handling of the car. In
addition to the rear springs, I thought I'd swap out the front ones too. The
front end is a bit banged up from a collision, and I'm having that repaired
and squared before I start with the suspension.
I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations, web links, or wisdom for a
neophyte like me regarding rebuilding the suspension. I'm reading through a
few resources but thought I'd throw the question out to others here too.
Thanks very much for reading. I was glad to hear some of you made it out to
Kimball Farm Cruise night, which is very near where I live. I missed the show
that night, but went the next week and spotted a wonderful looking red TR-4A
and a few other British cars as well. Nice to see them there!
Best regards,
Rick Lambour
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