Front steering swivel with ears

[Ian Vincent]

I need to replace one of the swivel's on my TR3a and looking through my box of spare bits I have found this item (see photo).

 

I looks identical to the ones that were on the car apart from the ears.

 

Can anyone out there identify what vehicle it would have come off and does it matter if I fit it instead of forking out £100 plus on a new one? The threads look to be in pretty good nick should clean up a treat.

 

Thks Ian

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Ian,

 

I don't have one to hand to compare, but isn't that a sidescreen vertical link in the picture ? As in with 'ears', as opposed to the TR4 item which doesn't have them ?

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[BrianC]

I'll second that Alec. However, they presumably need to be the same type on each side, regardless of which versions are fitted.

[Rodbr]

Hi There,

What you appear to have is an early TR 2 upright that did indeed have the Ears from a previous Standard car. I think very early ones even had tappings for the steering arms. They were later deleted to save material.

Doesn't interfere with anything and will serve fine. I understand that they need to be checked for straightness at the threaded area and trunnion may end up tight if it is bent.

[Ian Vincent]

Hi There,

What you appear to have is an early TR 2 upright that did indeed have the Ears from a previous Standard car. I think very early ones even had tappings for the steering arms. They were later deleted to save material.

Doesn't interfere with anything and will serve fine. I understand that they need to be checked for straightness at the threaded area and trunnion may end up tight if it is bent.

 

 

Thanks for this, (and all the other contributions), yes this one is straight, the one that needs replacing has been bent in the threaded area along with the trunnion being knackered.

 

Rgds Ian

[Rodbr]

Hi Ian,

If you clean up the upright there should be some stamping or cast in info. I will compare with mine as they are off the car at present.

Isn't obvious but will the stub axle clean up Ok.

Only a suggestion but I would be tempted to leave it in the upright and clean up in situ. The reason for this is that during it's working life it will have been stressed in one general direction. If you do not get it back in the same position you could get problems in the future due to different stresses imposed to the stubaxle. By all means renew split pin and take the nuty off and clean threads but leave the stub axle in the upright.

 

Will be interested in what way you go with replacement trunnions, but I can imagine if one is worn then the other may well be also. On suggestion i am looking at the Revington oilite ones.

Rgds

Rod.

[Ian Vincent]

Hi Ian,

If you clean up the upright there should be some stamping or cast in info. I will compare with mine as they are off the car at present.

Isn't obvious but will the stub axle clean up Ok.

Only a suggestion but I would be tempted to leave it in the upright and clean up in situ. The reason for this is that during it's working life it will have been stressed in one general direction. If you do not get it back in the same position you could get problems in the future due to different stresses imposed to the stubaxle. By all means renew split pin and take the nuty off and clean threads but leave the stub axle in the upright.

 

Will be interested in what way you go with replacement trunnions, but I can imagine if one is worn then the other may well be also. On suggestion i am looking at the Revington oilite ones.

Rgds

Rod.

 

 

I bought new trunnions a couple of years ago when I was also planning to fit Moss negative camber vertical links. For a long time Moss had problems with delivery on these links and in the end I got fed up with waiting and on looking around discovered the Revington adjustable top swivel solution which is what I am now going to fit.

 

I am aware of the possible issues with fitting the trunnions and the need to make sure that they fit properly

 

As far as the stub axle is concerned, the one that is fitted to this particular vertical link is too rusty to clean up and I was going to check out using the ones that came off my original link and which appears to be in good condition. Unfortunately, I didn't note which way round it was when I removed it from the other link because I hadn't even thought about it - I assumed (probably wrongly) that it wouldn't matter. Are TR's prone to breaking their stub axles?

 

Rgds Ian

[Alec Pringle]

" Are TR's prone to breaking their stub axles?"

 

Not in my experience, if that's any guide.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Rodbr]

Hi Ian,

Under normal circumstances they are not prone to breaking so far as I know.

I didn't say they were just that there is always a potential risk if say the pins has done 50K miles with the pin in one orientation taking all the stresses in one general direction and you remove the pin and reposition it in another orientation.

 

Hopefully when you removed the other axle pin you did not distort the thread due to the split pin hole, it tends to compress if you aren't careful. Bitter experience!!!

 

If you need me to check any casting names and numbers let me know as I am rebuilding the suspension with these uprights at this moment.Before you fit the wrong part but I am certain it is an early TR 2 upright.

 

Rgds

Rod

Edited March 15, 2010 by Rodbr

[Ian Vincent]

Hi Ian,

Under normal circumstances they are not prone to breaking so far as I know.

I didn't say they were just that there is always a potential risk if say the pins has done 50K miles with the pin in one orientation taking all the stresses in one general direction and you remove the pin and reposition it in another orientation.

 

Hopefully when you removed the other axle pin you did not distort the thread due to the split pin hole, it tends to compress if you aren't careful. Bitter experience!!!

 

If you need me to check any casting names and numbers let me know as I am rebuilding the suspension with these uprights at this moment.Before you fit the wrong part but I am certain it is an early TR 2 upright.

 

Rgds

Rod

 

 

Thanks for the offer Rod and I will take you up on it but unfortunately not for a few days - I have some other jobs to complete for SWMBO before I can get back to this issue. And, yes I did manage to get the stub axle out without damaging it - lots of soaking in paraffin, careful application of a torch to the old swivel (mindful of the need not to destroy the temper of the stub axle) and a couple of thumps with a large hammer with the nut loosened.

 

Rgds Ian

[vivdownunder]

Those eared vertical links were just taken from the Vanguard parts bin for the first TR2's.

 

Please don't fit a used one without getting it crack tested. They can fail at the top of the trunnion thread, or in the curve at the top near the ball joint.

 

It's suspected that failed vertical links have been whacked at some time, and likewise when axles break.

 

Most have hit a kerb or two hard, or been in a prang, during 50 odd years of service

 

I've seen the results of one failure of each.......cars written off. Lucky drivers with just a big scare.

 

If a vertical link fails, it tears out the brake hose, so no brakes when you need them most. Most wouldn't think of the handbrake when the front has dropped to the road in a shower of sparks, and the car is careering madly to the right or left, depending on which side failed.

 

The thought of this happening at highway speed, partner or child aboard, should be enough incentive to get a crack test.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

[NickKerfoot]

Hi All!

I've got one of these "eared" vetical links doing service under my'4. Its been there for at least 25 years! From my recollections, the part came from the Mayflower, where the ears were used to attach a steering arm.

 

Regards

Nick

[Ian Vincent]

Hi All,

 

This is embarrassing post number two for the evening.

 

When I cleaned up the vertical link and examined it closely I found it was damaged - the bottom threaded portion was slightly bent - not as much as the other one that I was planning to replace it with but enough to make it unserviceable.

 

So problem solved in that I have had to get a replacement, and that is of the conventional type without the ears.

 

Rgds Ian