Bob, Alpiners and Tigers,
Unknowingly I bought a set of original Traction Masters from the son of
an old dealer back east, still wrapped in the 1965-66 L.A. Times
newspaper inside the original unopened box.
Turned out NOT to be either the clamp-on, or the weld-on unit. The
front mount had holes that the front spring eye bolt was to be
inserted, transferring all loads to the frame.
It was originally made for the Alpine, but the components were the same
design, material and thickness as the Tiger.
The only problem, according to some, was that the Tiger torque would
make quick work of the original chassis spring perch eyes, not the
Traction Master, as these were the typical "lets not make it too thick,
or put full welds on anything, when a "stitch" will suffice" that
prevailed on mass production Rootes lines (as we all can testify).
I believe that the same cure, full welding of the structure, with maybe
some "Tom Hall" type reinforcing plates, would make this perfect for the
Tiger.
Still available, NOS in original box, for a ridiculously high offer.
Steve
Bob Palmer wrote:
>Chris,
>
>Good question Chris. The weld-on type has one end on the spring and the
>other on the chassis. If not correctly installed, I know from experience
>that it can stress the spring hanger area to the point of failure. A system
>like the bolt-on or Caltrac types have both ends mounted on the spring, so
>they are incapable of producing stress between the spring and chassis. Of
>course, there is a lot of stress created when launching and braking, which
>is reason enough to reinforce ala the STOA tech tip. Of course, they were
>only designed to handle the Alpine's horsepower and skinny little tires.
>
>Bob
>
>
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Steve Laifman
Editor
http://www.TigersUnited.com
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