Farid Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hello folks: I posted a topic a few weeks ago regarding my passenger side in front being lower than the driver side. Upon a carful inspection, I found the following object stock in between the front passenger-side spring coils. Does anyone know what this thing is? Regards, Farid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 It's not some item that came with your TR when it left the factory in Coventry some 50 years ago. To me, it looks like somone has wedged this into the front spring between adjacent coils to try to level the front end to be the same height on both sides. Some shops used to sell hard "cushions" moulded from rubber that owners would hammer in between 2 coils to lift a sagging spring. Maybe they still do. About 3 years ago, my 1958 TR3A was looking low on the drivers side. I noticed that the front bumper was no longer horizontal. So a few winters ago, I took apart both sides and checked the compresion strength (pounds force to compress each spring a distance of 1 inch) and found the one was slightly weaker than the other and both were slightly below the specification (325 lbs per inch - I seem to remember) - so I asked my neighbour to TIG weld a round piece of another aluminium spacer that I had received from another TR friend. I think we added about 3/4" in height to the "lower" side of the TR and this also raised the other side about 1 inch. This spacer on the low side also lifted the height of the other (higher) side by about 3/8". So now the front is level again. I can now pass my fingers around the top curve of both tyres and the knuckles on my hand can now pass freely, whereas before, I couldn't do this on the lower side. This is how it looked before I levelled the front end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farid Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Dear Don: Thanks very much for your response. When one side of your TR was lower, did it affect your steering? As per one of your threads, I adjusted the tie rod length to 7.68" (as recommended in the red cover book); the steering improved markedly after the adjustment. I still think it is a bit too hard (of course I had done all the adjustments to the adjusting nut and bolt to the worm and shims). I am wondering the lower front end (probably due to weaker spring in this case) is contributing to the stiffness of the steering. Any comments? Regards, Farid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Often, stiff or heavy steering can be caused by the tapered peg that is found inside the steering gearbox. The tapered end sits down in the helical groove of the steering box worm. If it's worn on the sides, the owner will often screw down on the adjustment nut on the top of the gearbox, but just a bit off the centerline all the way to the extreme right or left, the steering will get tighter and tighter. Mine was like this and I put in an adjustalbe spring loaded top adjuster. I bought mine from Protex in Oxen, UK but they are also available from Neil REevington in Somerset. It helped but I still had the leave it loose at the center position so it wouldn't bind up near the extreme right or left. This condition left a sloppy steering condition while driving down a straight road. So I took it out and took it apart. I needed a special tool to take out the Pitman arm to change the peg. If you want to borrow mine, let me know. My neighbour pressed out the worn tapered peg. We turned the peg 90 degrees where there was no wear, re-assembled it and it has resolved the issue. The photo is from Menno and looks just like mine did. The tool is shown also. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 FWIW The peg is available new but you will also need a lower oil seal and a top cover gasket all of which are available new. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Difficult to tell without a scale but it looks a bit like the top off the screw type coil spring compressor, usually with a pin through it and through the threaded bar. Butwhatever it is, it has been there for a very long time judging by the polishing effect of the spring coils. I would look very carefully at the spring and check the coils closely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Stuart - I knew that the tapered peg is available for $20.00 (about £12), but I wouldn't have any way (Rockwell Hardness Tester) to verify if the new peg would have been heat-treated or not. So I went for the trick of turning the worn tapered peg 90 degrees. It lasted 170,000 miles the first time till I turned it. So if it lasts another 50 or so years, I'll be about 125 years old then. Here's hoping. Keeping and re-using that old worn peg also means that my TR3A is still "original". Cheers - Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 I knew you knew that Don As far as I know (and based on information from someone who knows) the new ones are of the same as original spec, the ones I have fitted have not shown any wear in service so far and one is in a very well used car like yours. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farid Posted November 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 Dear Don: As I stated in my earlier message, I completely refurbished my steering box inner (short of the worm). I then realized that I had wasted my time, and the hard steering had nothing to do with the shims, peg, etc). This became obvious to me of course after I adjusted the front tie rods to the 7.68” specs! After the adjustment, the steering really improved. However, since the front end of my car, one side is 2-3” lower than the other side (the lower side is on the side where the gizmo was lodged into the coil spring), and since you had unbalanced front end issue, I enquired whether you experienced any hard steering before correcting the front end height of your TR. FYI, when the weight of the car is off of the front wheels, the steering moves with no effort or binding. After the weight is on the wheels the steering becomes little bit hard. Now, whether it is supposed to be this hard or not, I have no datum to compare it with. I had a TR4, which had much softer steering; but then, it was rack and pinion steering. I would values your comment on whether you saw any difference after you adjusted your TR’s front end. Regards, Farid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) Farid - No I did not notice any change in the stiffness of the steering between the time the TR3A was low on one side compared to it being level after I did the modification. But I did notice that the steering was a lot more predictable. All the sloppiness in the steering wheel had gone after the time I rotated the tapered peg 90 degrees. It had been about 3/8" back and forth across the top of the steering wheel with no effect on the car changing direction. After fixing the tapered peg, it steers where I aim it. Edited November 11, 2011 by Don Elliott Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farid Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Don: Thanks very much for the reply. Cheers, Farid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris59 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Hello folks: I posted a topic a few weeks ago regarding my passenger side in front being lower than the driver side. Upon a carful inspection, I found the following object stock in between the front passenger-side spring coils. Does anyone know what this thing is? Regards, Farid Hi Farid, 2 years ago, I found also this "screwed" on both rear springs of a TR6, think it was 3 per spring. Chris. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RandallD Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Farid- I have a few of those screw adjusters sitting the parts bin as well - I can't confirm it directly, but I think they were a common US item from places like Warshawky's or JC Whitney's as an inexpensive fix to sagging coil springs. Regards, Randy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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