Reassembling Front Suspension

[Ian Vincent]

I have started the task of reassembling the front suspension on my TR3a - it is something that I have been looking forward to, not too technical and all the parts are nice and clean and freshly painted plus I have all new bushes to fit.

 

It seems that nothing is ever that straightforward on a TR.

 

I have a variety of bushes available:

 

• 
   
  
• A full set of regular front supsension bushes
  
• A set of black nylatron bottom wishbone inner bushes
  

 

 

The problem is that although either the regular white nylon or the black nylatron bushes are a good sliding fit onto the steel lower wishbone inner fulcrum bushes (with the nylatron being the slightly tighter of the two) before they are pressed into the end of the wishbone, that is no longer the case once they have been pressed into the wishbone.

 

The nylon/nylatron bushes are slightly compressed as they are pressed into the wishbone arm which consequently reduces their inner diameters and they stop being a sliding fit onto the steel inner. In fact they become bl**dy tight!

 

My concerns are that if I go ahead and reassemble everything like this the bushes (nylon or nylatron it doesn't matter which) will be destroyed once the supension starts to move in anger. I can't even get any lubrication between the steel and nylon or nylatron because they are such a tight fit that any grease that I try and apply to the steel inner is wiped clean by the bush immediately I fit it.

 

Am I the first person to experience this problem or am I just being unnecessarily fussy and should I just go ahead and bolt it all up tight and stop worrying? Are they all like this?

 

Advice please

 

Thks Ian

[TR 2100]

Long time since I've done this but I suspect the story is the same -

you have to ream out the lower inner bottom wishbone bushes.

Original metal bushes were the same.

 

AlanR

[vivdownunder]

Hi Ian,

 

It's better tight, not loose, so just bung it back together, and make sure the large nyloc end nuts on the inner lower fulcrum pins are really tight.

 

White nylon is the usual material you see for the inner lower bushes. These are designed to run dry, or use PTFE spray beneath the rubber weather seals to help prevent squeaks.

 

Incidently these rubber seals have been of poor quality lately and failing prematurely.

 

You can make better seals from a bicycle inner tube, which is high grade rubber.

 

The bushes that have to be reamed (to suit the trunnions) after pressing into the arms, are the bronze outers.

 

Black 2 piece tapered poly bushes work well on the inner upper fulcrum pins. Assemble with white lube on the pins, which is usually supplied in the poly bush kits. Don't lube the tapered surfaces as they need to grip the suspension arm.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

[Ian Vincent]

Long time since I've done this but I suspect the story is the same -

you have to ream out the lower inner bottom wishbone bushes.

Original metal bushes were the same.

 

AlanR

 

 

Hi Alan,

 

On a TR3a, you have to ream out the bronze outer lower wishbone bushes (unless you use the Revington Oilite version) but according to my manual there is no reaming of the nylon bushes on the inner end of the wishbone.

 

Rgds Ian

[alanh]

i thought they had to be reamed too, at least i had to on mine.

 

the original lower arms were so worn, the nylon bushes just fell straight through! on the replacement ones i found, the bushes fitted tightly, but would never have fitted over the steel pivot without reaming. i suppose it will depend on how worn your lower, inner holes are? and if they've rusted unevenly, i imagine the nylon bush would be deformed too?

 

alan

[stuart]

Ian have you tried it all together on the car less the spring and lower pan. As long as it all goes up and down with a moderate amount of pressure (Not Desperate Dan style) then it will bed in fine. Just remember to put plenty of copperslip on the inner upper and lower pins before fitting the arms. Makes dis-assembly at any time in the future a lot easier.

Stuart.

[Ian Vincent]

Thanks to all for the various replies and yes, in my particular case the inner nylon seals do need to be reamed - so my apologies to Alan for doubting him. I tried reassembling everything without the spring and yes it did move but it was definitely in Desperate Dan territory. It was very stiff.

 

BTW Stuart, I take the point about the copperease, I had to cut the old bushes off. Not a job you want to do twice.

 

Rgds Ian