At 10:01 PM 6/27/98 -0700, Bryce Mack wrote:
>
>Well as have told some of you I have taken the next 4 wks off to get the
>bodywork and frame finished on the '57 TR-3 Smallmouth finished!!!
>
snip
>
>The suspension looks lopsided, the left side is on the rebound rubber but
>the right is not, the right has a MOOG spacer in the coil which I anticipate
>means problems anyway!
>
>If I am taking apart the suspension to do a MOSS major suspension kit anyway
>should I replace the trunions and balljoints and COILS or what????
>
snip
Bryce,
Jumping in with my $.02 worth.
I got my TR3B on the road last summer. The car was sitting for 18 years.
The front end was tight, and I did no work to it in the 4 months it took to
get the car roadworthy. The infamous Connecticut DMV employee shook the
heck out of the right front wheel, detected no movement in the components
and the car passed their saftey check with flying colors.
I proceeded to drive almost 1000 miles before doing a complete rebush of
the front end and replacing the trunnions. I thought the car handled well
before I did the work! The difference was night and day. I am still running
on the old upper ball joints and tie rod ends. They are tight, and I check
them regularly.
This spring I replaced the front shocks with a pair of Spax, and the once
again, the difference in handling was amazing. Now I feel almost _too_
comfortable tossing the car into turns at speed. ;-)
In retrospect, I should have rebushed the front end before I started
driving the car. The old bushes were shot, even though they did pass the
"jack the front end up and shake the wheel" test. The new shocks added lots
smile factor to driving the car, and a margin of safety, I suppose.
***Opinion mode ON***
If you feel comfortable with your ability to access the condition of the
metal on metal front end parts, (ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.) and the
parts are good, I see no reason to replace them.
The front end parts that will deteriorate over time and use, rubber,
plastic, and to a lesser extent, brass, all will need attention now.
YMMV, but I see no reason to toss a perfectly good ball joint because it
came on a car I am rebuilding.
***Opinion mode OFF***
I am expecting many fellow listers adamently disagree with this. If cash
were no object, I would replace everything as well. But, most of us who
enjoy keeping our Triumphs running are on a budget. I feel confident in my
ability to determine if a used part is serviceable. If you are not
confident in your ability to determine if the part is good, you can either
replace everything or find someone you REALLY, REALLY trust to make the
determination for you.
Nomex on...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _
Henry Frye - thefryes@iconn.net - Connecticut, USA
TR3B TCF1927 L Driver
TR250 CD690 L Soon to be Driver
TR250 CD8096 L Someday Driver
TR250 CD1074 L Some Brave Soul Other Than Me
Will Make This A Driver!
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