ride height for tr4

[lynchpin]

Hi

My tr4 is about 1/2" low at the wheel arch on the offside, all bushes spacers etc are in order so I believe this to be a spring problem. A local company to me (ML Welding), refurbish springs and reset the height, They do not advise new springs as some have been too high. Does anybody now the correct measurements to a reference point on the body/chassis?

Cheers.

[BrianC]

I can't help with spring to body/chassis measurements (all cars vary anyway). However, it's important that the ground clearance is reasonably similar on both sides. Measure from bottom of main chassis rails, both sides at various points including in-line with A-post and B-post.

 

The specs of the springs are in section 4.103 of the TR4 & TR4A workshop manual. This is available from the TR Register office/shop/website if you don't have one. If you need the spring specs in a hurry, let me know and I will scan the relevant pages and email them to you.

[stuart]

Hi

My tr4 is about 1/2" low at the wheel arch on the offside, all bushes spacers etc are in order so I believe this to be a spring problem. A local company to me (ML Welding), refurbish springs and reset the height, They do not advise new springs as some have been too high. Does anybody now the correct measurements to a reference point on the body/chassis?

Cheers.

Is your car an original right hand drive car or a converted import? The springs are different to allow for driver only weights and often arent swopped when converting from L/H steer. There is a shortage of new springs at the moment so retempering is probably favorite at the moment, or have a new pair of Revington uprated.

Stuart.

[Richard Crawley]

Even though the bushes, spacers & brackets may be in order it may not be the springs. Most common cause is due to the trailing arm members being replaced; many threads on this, one very recently.

 

Is your car an original right hand drive car or a converted import? The springs are different to allow for driver only weights and often arent swopped when converting from L/H steer. There is a shortage of new springs at the moment so retempering is probably favorite at the moment, or have a new pair of Revington uprated.

Stuart.

That's interesting, I didn’t know that; was it only done for the American market

[stuart]

Even though the bushes, spacers & brackets may be in order it may not be the springs. Most common cause is due to the trailing arm members being replaced; many threads on this, one very recently.

 

 

That's interesting, I didn’t know that; was it only done for the American market

Richard its only relevent to leaf spring cars but Im not sure if it was US market only or rest of the world L/H steer. Subject hasnt come up so often these days as there are less original cars coming over and then being converted without a full rebuild of everything else. Though it may happen more often now as the supply of standard springs has dried up.

Stuart.

[lynchpin]

I can't help with spring to body/chassis measurements (all cars vary anyway). However, it's important that the ground clearance is reasonably similar on both sides. Measure from bottom of main chassis rails, both sides at various points including in-line with A-post and B-post.

 

The specs of the springs are in section 4.103 of the TR4 & TR4A workshop manual. This is available from the TR Register office/shop/website if you don't have one. If you need the spring specs in a hurry, let me know and I will scan the relevant pages and email them to you.

Cheers looked in manuel but could not find it will look again thanks

[lynchpin]

Is your car an original right hand drive car or a converted import? The springs are different to allow for driver only weights and often arent swopped when converting from L/H steer. There is a shortage of new springs at the moment so retempering is probably favorite at the moment, or have a new pair of Revington uprated.

Stuart.

 

Not sure car was rebuilt from chassis up about 7yrs ago last owner has passed away and his widow didn"t have much info, it is registered as original uk car but who knows what parts were used?

Cheers for help..

[vivdownunder]

Hi Lynchpin,

 

Check your rear springs for two short lengths of 7/32" thickness main leaf spring on the top of one spring only. The spring with these spacers was fitted to the passenger's side, whether RHD or LHD, and had the effect of lowering the car 7/16" (2 x 7/32") on that side. The theory apparently was that most cars travelled one up, and thus the driver's weight would drop his/her side to level.

 

This odd feature was deleted somewhere during TR4 production, probably at car CT23382, so your car may or may not have the two different rear springs. All TR4 rear springs on both sides of the car are identical in spring rate of 128 in/lb.

 

If you can measure this, the distance (static laden) from the centre of the front eye, to the centre of the centre bolt hole, should be 18.63" +/- 063".

 

The eye to eye measurement for a TR3A is 40.5", and TR4's were the same up to car CT23382. I don't have specs for later TR4's with the aluminium lowering blocks, but I believe the later spring was 1" shorter eye to eye.

 

Resetting leaf springs is a bit of a lottery, given their age, and the inevitable wear and tear over the millions of cycles they have been through. When I couldn't get new springs, I've had pairs reset, but on both ocassions one side has dropped, and I have had to return it for resetting. I wasn't charged for this, which probably indicates that resetting is not a precise science. In fact there was a suggestion that it occurred due to the kerb side spring being more worn than the road side spring because it travelled over rougher ground, but who knows.

 

I've also had just the main leaf remade and fitted, to recover a pair of spent springs.

 

If the packers are on the correct side of the car, then just return the dropped spring and tell the spring works by how much you want to raise the car, plus say add 1/4 inch for after sag.

 

Good luck with it,

 

Viv.

[Smokey]

All left hand drive TR4s originally had spacers (about 1/2") between the right hand rear spring and the axle. This is mentioned in the shop manual, and when I rebuilt my rear suspension recently, the spacers were there. At first I couldn't figure out why they would be on the right hand side, but since the axle is over the spring, the spacers lower the car on that side. My guess is that they were used only on left hand drive cars because North American drivers tended to be of ample girth .

 

I had heard that the newer springs can be of variable quality and would probably need to be reshaped at a spring shop anyway, so I stayed with my originals - just had them bead blasted and painted with POR 15. When converted to right hand drive, the spacers should be moved to the left hand side. My suggestion would be to have a spring shop adjust the original springs, and check whether the spacers are there. You should be able to see them between the u-bolts.

[Smokey]

Just one more thought: if the car has the spacers on the left hand side, it will sit 1/2" lower on that side when unladen. The left hand drive cars left the factory 1/2" lower on the right side, and if the spacers were moved to the left hand side, the car would sit 1/2" lower on that side. So in fact the car may be correct in its current state.

[Richard Crawley]

Richard its only relevent to leaf spring cars but Im not sure if it was US market only or rest of the world L/H steer.

Must take more notice what car the OP has next time; Sorry lynchpin, disregard what I said.