This is a copy of a somewhat lengthy letter that I just sent off to The
Raodster Factory. I'm getting desperate, so I thought I'd send a copy
here, too -- any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
The Roadster Factory
P.O. Box 332
Armagh, PA 15920
Gentlemen:
I have a research question for you. My 1967 TR-4A, CTC73951L, is
off the road, at a frame shop, trying to get the alignment set
properly. It's a rather long saga. The condensed version is that
I recently rebuilt the front suspension. I merely wanted to
replace the bushings (I purchased the car last August and it
appeared that no one had done so for many years, if ever). While
doing so, I found the remains of an accident; the right front
lower A-arm members and attachment brackets were rather bent. I
replaced these. The left vertical link was also bent, so I
replaced it, too, and the lower A-arm attachment brackets. All
well and good. Off to get a proper alignment.
The first alignment shop I took her to told me that the frame
must be bent, because they couldn't get rid of the positive
caster in the front. He recommended a frame shop, Precision Frame
and Axle in San Jose. I took her there.
The next day I got a call saying that the frame was perfectly
straight, but the alignment was terrible, and the rear track was
off. They would correct the rear track and get the alignment set
properly. Fine, I went away for a few days.
Upon my return yesterday, I received another call: try as they
might, they can't get rid of the positive caster, both front and
rear. For the rear, they were going to try putting three-notch
attachment brackets in. For the front, they wanted to remove half
a coil from the springs. These are new stock springs, just
purchased from you. This made me uncomfortable, so I told him to
leave the springs alone, and do what he could.
At this point, I'm looking for ideas. The front caster is
somewhere around 1 to 1.5 degrees positive, where it should be
0.5 degrees negative. The one thought I've had is that when I
took the front cross-tube out to paint it, I had a devil of a
time getting it in and out, even when supporting the frame at the
center so that the weight of the car would cause the wheels to
"droop". Is it possible that this is the wrong part, or bent? The
mounting ears have only two holes, which is consistent with the
drawings in the spare parts catalog. Another reason that I'm
wonderng this is that when I replaced the front engine mounts, I
had to put shims in place to raise the engine enough to have the
fan extension clear the steering rack. If the shock towers were
too far apart, the V shape between them would be too wide,
causing the engine to sit too low.
The main question I'd like answered is whether it is possible
that an incorrect part has been installed for the front
cross-tube; perhaps that from a TR-4, which had positive camber
(but, I realize, a different frame). Any suggestions for
correcting the problems I'm having would also be appreciated. If
you can reply by TeleFax at the above number, that would be very
helpful, as the car is off the road and I'll be talking to the
frame shop again today.
Sincerely,
Christopher A. Kent
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