TR66pack@aol.com wrote:
> Winter is arriving in Wisconsin soon and I'm going to be doing my first
> complete suspension rebuild on the '74 TR6.
Kerry,
My suspension info:
My TR6 has poly bushings in the front and rear suspension and I like the
difference. I bought them individually from Moss. Doing it again, I'd order
from
British Parts Northwest. They package them as sets for the whole car at a
significant savings. I also have front and rear Addco sway bars (TRF). I like
way the rear keeps the car flat in turns. The front took some effort to install
and u-bolts obtained locally. If you get the rear, weld the little and big
washers together. Anyone who's seen the kit will know what I mean. I'm told
poly
bushings will squeak, but it hasn't started yet after 1 1/2 years and 7,000
miles.
I put TRF's handling kit springs (RFK777) in the car and removed them a year
later. They raised the car an inch and produced a harsh ride. I put the old
springs back in and like the ride and look much better. The front are the
original stock springs, the back are about a decade old with a yellow stripe
(anyone know what the yellow [or a blue] stripe indicates?). For a car driven
on
the street, I recommend the stock springs. For the tires to work, they need to
be
in contact with the ground, not skipping over bumps. Springs that are too firm
also transmit more energy to the frame and body. The 6 year old paint job also
developed cracks where the fenders join the rear deck during the time the RFK777
springs were installed.. I attribute this to the abuse of the too firm springs.
I have a rear tube shock conversion, similar to the one in the VB catalog. Mine
is redesigned with more metal in the bracket, the top shock mount moved
forward, a
cross brace between the brackets, and a diagonal brace to the frame. The
redesign
was a result of cracks in the crossmenber supporting the shocks and rear
differential mounts. The shocks are $12.95 each from PepBoys. For anyone
doing a
tube shock conversion, put it on without the rear spring. Move the trailing arm
through it's full range of motion. Pay particular attention to the upper
limit/bump stop. The bump stop should limit the travel, not the shock. You are
probably going to be limited to 205 series tires max. Whatever size tires,
check
for rubbing of the sidewall against the shock/bracket. That being said, I've
heard lots of good things on the list about Apple's heavy duty rebuilds and
would
give that some consideration.
Replace all the nuts at a minimum. Consider replacing the bolts also. The 3/8"
bolts only cost about 30 cents each. Buy a box of 3/8" nyloc nuts. I've used
about 70 so far. All parts are fine thread. Also make sure you buy the correct
grade bolts AND NUTS.
The result of the above work is a car that drives nice and performs well. The
car
took awards in the autocross at the Moss festival in Buelton (sp?) (no swaybars)
and Triumphest (both swaybars) and made a 3,500 mile trip from Los Angeles to
British Columbia in comfort.
Brian Kemp
72 TR6
The the car at http://home.earthlink.net/~bk13/brian.htm
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