FRONT ANTI-ROLL BAR

[T Robinson]

I am currently restoring a TR3 and have a TR6 Anti-Roll bar with the end linkages that i would like to use.

I will fabricate the chassis brackets but because the 6 has wider track than a 3 I am at a loss as to the wishbone bracketry.

Has anyone used a 6 bar? If so, what brackets are used on the wishbones?

Any info would be more than welcome.

 

Thanks,

Tony

[M. Pied Lourd]

Tony,

 

I have recently purchased a TR3A that has a huge sway bar mounted on the front of the car. I am not sure of its origins, it may be a TR6 bar. If you would like me to take some pictures and post, I would be more than happy to do so.

 

Cheers,

M. Pied Lourd

[T Robinson]

Tony,

 

I have recently purchased a TR3A that has a huge sway bar mounted on the front of the car. I am not sure of its origins, it may be a TR6 bar. If you would like me to take some pictures and post, I would be more than happy to do so.

 

Cheers,

M. Pied Lourd

[T Robinson]

Hi,

Yes that would be very helpfull,

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[M. Pied Lourd]

Hi Tony,

 

Here are some photos as promised. Hope that they help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

M. Pied Lourd

[pfenlon]

unless you are going racing, the TR3 does not need a roll bar.

 

Triumph didnt fit them.

 

Dont be fooled into spending your hard earned on something you dont need, because some nerd says it "improves" performance.

 

he only wants your money in His pocket.

[BrianC]

I think Peter is right in most case, although it does depend on how brave you are on the road!

My TR3A has been rebuilt with uprated springs, dampers and mixture of rubber and poly bushes as the only suspension/steering upgrades, in an attempt to create something akin to the way the car would have handled when new or at least as it may have been mildly uprated by an early owner.

 

So far, I've no complaints, although my driving style is now somewhat pedestrian compared with my younger self , largely inhibited by the sheer cost already incurred and the wrath of the domestic financial director and co-owner if anything should happen to the car.

 

However, I do already have an SAH anti-roll bar bought shortly after buying the car in 1977 but never fitted, and if I were to use the car even for mild exercise such as at Prescott earlier this year, I would certainly fit it. I've also found the car does roll a little on certain long fast motorway exit and entry slip roads and the SAH ARB would help. This bar is not as thick as the modern TriumphTune or TR6 bars, which I suspect would be OTT for anything other than outright competition.

But then again, there are some drivers who still drive as I once did and no doubt would get greater benefit from one of these.

 

My advice would be to get the car running and handling 'as new' and only add the extras if you find you need them. The uprated springs and dampers are a low cost upgrade and save you the expense and effort of doing the job twice, and poly-bushes get over the problems of dodgy modern self-destructing rubber bushes, although the perceived wisdom is to not use polys throughout.

Edited November 15, 2008 by BrianC

[Alec Pringle]

An anti-roll bar certainly isn't needed for general TR touring, it's only relevant to press-on motoring.

 

Where it really comes in handy is the slippery rural B-road, 4-wheel drifts are much more controlled if the outer front wheel isn't digging in so much, and the inner going light on you . . .

 

The old favourite used to be the arb from a Series Humber Super Snipe (as opposed to the earlier Mark Humbers), which did the job beautifully.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[T Robinson]

An anti-roll bar certainly isn't needed for general TR touring, it's only relevant to press-on motoring.

 

Where it really comes in handy is the slippery rural B-road, 4-wheel drifts are much more controlled if the outer front wheel isn't digging in so much, and the inner going light on you . . .

 

The old favourite used to be the arb from a Series Humber Super Snipe (as opposed to the earlier Mark Humbers), which did the job beautifully.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

 

 

Thanks Guys,

Most informative.

I have new springs on the rear, polybushes on the shackles and the Revington spring locators on the front pins.

I have polybushes on the front. Any benefit from Spax adjustable shockers or the like?

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[Kiwifrog]

Hi Tony,

 

Here are some photos as promised. Hope that they help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

M. Pied Lourd

 

 

Just a quick question the ARB in the pics appears to be bolted to the bumper support Irons is that normal practice ? as I have never looked closely before.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

[Drewmotty]

Hi Tony

I have a TR6 anti-roll bar fitted to my 3a with standard springs and Koni adjustable front shocks. It was fitted 20 years ago and I remember it being a huge improvement on the previous smaller diameter SAH which I had fitted.

I made my own brackets which I have just taken some pics of......I haven't looked at them in detail for many years and it now looks like my 'non-impirical intuitive stressing' of the brackets was a bit over the top and they could have been made a lot lighter. In mitigation suspect that some of the design was driven by the materials available at the time.

The links and rubber mounts are all TR6 as far as I remember.

 

I will upload the pics as soon as I can find out how!....if the technology beats me I will send them by email to anyone who is interested.

 

Andrew

[Menno van Rij]

A year ago I bought this one. A fellow TR3A owner with a machine shop made a couple of these. The crossmember / radiator protector on my car was missing when I bought the car. So I had to buy a new one. Or... install this one. The price was about the same. Note the two holes in this 'skid plate', these are in line with the bolts securing the radiator to the chassis! You know what I mean, the long bolts you can hardly reach with the standard crossmember in place.

 

Perhaps the ride with the ARB is too harsh when I start driving the car (Peter F. warned me for that last year already). If os, I will remove the bar and keep the skid plate!

 

Menno

[Drewmotty]

 

Sussed it

 

I didn't realise that it had all gone that rusty under there.........that's another job to add to the winter list.

[Kiwifrog]

Just a quick question the ARB in the pics appears to be bolted to the bumper support Irons is that normal practice ? as I have never looked closely before.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

 

Can anyone answer if it is normal to bolt the anti roll bar to the bumper brackets as in Mr Heavy foots photos ?? (white 3A) I would have thought they would not be strong enough and they already look deformed, however If someone could enlighten me

 

Cheers

 

Alan

[pfenlon]

Now thats a proper install from Motty.

 

should be proud of that one.

 

Just a tad over the top with the drip tray though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited November 16, 2008 by pfenlon

[ianc]

Fitting an anti-roll bar to my TR2 in the 1960s certainly improved its handling and cornering - but I do tend to "press on".

Ian Cornish

[rudi]

to my experience an investment in a front AR Bar is a good one you will not regret (provided you first invested in good springs and shockers). The handling will benefit dramatically. It does not mean that if Triumph did not install one originally, there is no benefit in having one. All later TR's had one installed. The attachement on the bumper irons is typicall for a sidescreen installation (and with this particular ARBar). For other bars you need to install extra irons to fit it (E.g. Revington's). Ideally the drop linkages to the spring pan should be in a 90 degr angle to the bar. This is easily adjusted by turning the fixing plates on the pan.

[Nick Webster]

Now thats a proper install from Motty.

 

should be proud of that one.

 

Yes I second that. I was just reading down the thread and had already decided to call attention to M. Pied Lourd's installation at the wishbone end which looks decidedly under engineered and flexible. Interesting to note how much wider the TR6 bar is, which places it out towards the end of the wishbone. I suppose this might help spot where a bar had it's origins.

 

I prefer to run a TR with an anti-roll bar. The standard set up has too much oversteer for my liking which can get you out of trouble at low speed but on the other hand, when pressing on, contributes to the back end passing the front. Fitting an arb is much less trouble than modifying all the camber geometry for a similar effect.

 

Nick Webster

[Drewmotty]

Interesting to note how much wider the TR6 bar is, which places it out towards the end of the wishbone.

 

The TR6 anti-roll bar as Nick points out mounts closer to the wheel than it would on a 6 essentially uprating the roll stiffness relative to that of a standard TR6.

 

Some points to consider when making your own hardware:

It important to ensure that everything is lined up properly and under no load when the vehicle is at rest on level ground. The links should be vertical and perpendicular to the eyes in the bar, the bar is best mounted on a horizontal plane and the bar mounts need to be as far appart as possible close to the end of the straight section without encroaching on the bent section of the bar. Note that the lug on the wishbone mount is welded vertically rather than at 90 to the wishbone which is at an angle when the car is at rest.

Attention to these points will ensure that the installation is not only mechanically efficient but will be quiet and smooth in operation and the rubber mounts will give a good service life before requiring replacement.

 

Thanks for your positive comments..........I'm still embarassed by the rusty bits though

[T Robinson]

The TR6 anti-roll bar as Nick points out mounts closer to the wheel than it would on a 6 essentially uprating the roll stiffness relative to that of a standard TR6.

 

Some points to consider when making your own hardware:

It important to ensure that everything is lined up properly and under no load when the vehicle is at rest on level ground. The links should be vertical and perpendicular to the eyes in the bar, the bar is best mounted on a horizontal plane and the bar mounts need to be as far appart as possible close to the end of the straight section without encroaching on the bent section of the bar. Note that the lug on the wishbone mount is welded vertically rather than at 90 to the wishbone which is at an angle when the car is at rest.

Attention to these points will ensure that the installation is not only mechanically efficient but will be quiet and smooth in operation and the rubber mounts will give a good service life before requiring replacement.

 

Thanks for your positive comments..........I'm still embarassed by the rusty bits though

 

 

Many Thanks Guys,

 

Plenty of info to go forward......... I'll post my finished result on completion

Tony

[Menno van Rij]

A year ago I bought this one. A fellow TR3A owner with a machine shop made a couple of these. The crossmember / radiator protector on my car was missing when I bought the car. So I had to buy a new one. Or... install this one. The price was about the same. Note the two holes in this 'skid plate', these are in line with the bolts securing the radiator to the chassis! You know what I mean, the long bolts you can hardly reach with the standard crossmember in place.

 

And here are two pics with the arb in place.

 

Menno

[Drewmotty]

Nice one Menno........that's what mine looked like 20 years ago