Hi Dennis :
> It seems I am now doing things I should have done during the restoration
> (and would have been a lot easier at that time...shoulda done it right the
> first time!)
Yeah, but if you did that, you still wouldn't be driving the car !
> The rear of the car seems to "skip" a bit when I encounter a bump during
cornering,
> especially at higher speeds.
I believe that's normal (for a TR3) to some extent, it's rear suspension is
really pretty stiff. Disassembling the springs to clean and lubricate them
made a big difference on my car. I tried putting rollers between the leaves
(an old hot rodder's trick), but they fell out in fairly short order. (Rode
nice while they lasted, tho.) In spite of advice to the contrary, I plan to
add Teflon between the leaves next time.
You may also be noticing the axle hitting the frame, which is also normal.
In extreme cases the entire rear end 'ratchets' sideways : each time the
axle hits the frame it unloads the inside tire which overloads the outside
tire so it slides sideways. As soon as it slides a bit, the inner tire sits
back down and the cycle repeats. The cure for that is to add roll stiffness
(which is why I have sway bars front & rear, and plans to upgrade the front
bar).
> Am I just wasting my money installing
> new shocks that "feel" the same as the old ones?
IMO, yes.
> Also, as long I am back there, I thought I'd replace the original rear
> bushings with urethane of some sort. Then, since I'm doing that, I was
> wondering if replacing the silent bloc bushing at the front of the leaf
> spring could be accomplished with the body still attached to the frame?
It can be done, if you're lucky. The pin through the front spring eye and
frame is theoretically removable, and the head is tapped for a puller. I
was able to get mine out using some homemade threaded rod (ran a die up a
grade 3 bolt), which had to be replaced twice to get two pins out. But if I
had to do it again, I'd find some way to use a socket head cap screw (which
is stronger than grade 8) and larger threads to apply the force.
Ken Gillanders once told me that when the dealership mechanics had to remove
that pin, they drilled a hole through the bodywork and used a punch from
outside to drive the pin out. Then just stuck a chrome plug in the hole.
> And, how do you tell if the silent bloc bushings are bad (or
> OK) to begin with?
Generally if they're bad, you can see the deteriorated rubber. You could
also try prying on the spring eye, to see if it moves. Mine are still
original AFAIK, they were good enough that I didn't try replacing them.
> Last question: Didn't someone on the list come up with a Sears part number
> for a thin-wall 1/4" drive 9/16" socket that would fit the
> mounting nuts on
> the rear shocks?
I have one in my hand, it has 43587 stamped on it. Got it as part of a 1/4"
drive set, bought just a few years ago. However, it's OD is actually larger
than my old 3/8" drive 9/16" deep, so I suspect there's no advantage in the
1/4" drive.
Good luck, let me know if you need help
Randall
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