2SwissTriumphs Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I work for a company specialising in classic British cars here in NE Switzerland. I´ve been working on this rather lovely Peerless for the last couple of days which, is being prepared for the Swiss equivalent of the MOT having been imported from Arizona in July. The car has wonderful original patina and a rather pokey Weber-fed engine which, judging by how she goes, must have a sporty camshaft in it too ! Something I have been wondering, is where the rear axle and suspension are from. It has a very interesting suspension system with IRS TR style sliding spline shafts and a De-Dion type tube not too far removed from a Rover P6. Does anybody know if this was taken (in whole, or in part) from another vehicle or was it a unique design for the Peerless GT ? Even more exciting is that another Peerless GT (this time in green) is currently being shipped to us from the USA ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 The design was Peerless, although many of the individual mechanical components originated from other vehicles. Nigel Cluley, Peerless & Warwick registrar, could give you chapter and verse. Ian McDonald is also one of the best sources of advice. http://www.peerless-gt.co.uk/ Cheers Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 yep, know the car as its the next commission number to mine! and the owner has just told me about the green one, very nice also..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2SwissTriumphs Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 yep, know the car as its the next commission number to mine! and the owner has just told me about the green one, very nice also..... The owner would be Marcus Tanner, my boss ! We´re really looking forward to the arrival of the green one - looks like a beautiful car. Today, I have refitted the differential output bearings with their axles and the refurbished driveshaft assemblies. I used IRS TR universal joints to rebuild the driveshafts but so far, no other parts have needed replacements so no difficult sourcing has been required (except locally sourced oil seals for the differential output shafts). What can you tell me Nigel about where the parts of the de-Dion rear axle come from ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 they seem to have used as much as they could from Standard Triumph. the outer shaft is "turned-down" TR half shaft (in design anyway), hub/back plate/drum/brakes in general are all Girling. De Dion tube must have been fabricated by them and then they fitted tapered bearings within. this is not the best arrangement as the washer/shims used were of mild steel and so were prone to wear. this then allowed the whole assembly to gain "some play" which slowly gets worse. half shafts are "off the shelf" fork lift truck /industrial applications etc. however I have found a local guy that can make up what you want and coat the splines in Teflon Rear springs seem to be TR but with an added flat plate to stop them inverting with the extra weight of passengers. not a good arrangement by anyone's standards. these can be replaced/up-rated without the use of the plate. so there you go, a very basic rear suspension but very effective at getting power down and keeping the rear end in check! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2SwissTriumphs Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 An interesting mix of parts indeed - Thanks Nigel ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 hey 2swissT can you send me closer pics of the engine bay? just interested in the layout. gt2@peerless-gt.co.uk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2SwissTriumphs Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Sure can Nigel. I just put the new heater matrix back into the car today and sorted out hoses, ducting, controls and so on. I´ve also rebuilt the throttle linkages, sorted the end float (a little excessive!) and should be moving onto the steering box next week sometime. I´m also completing the engine rebuild and installation on a 1938 Delahaye so time is being shared between the two cars. Sometimes in the evening I have spare time and energy to keep tinkering with my TR3a ! Will sort out some better pictures tomorrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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