That was a year that was..

[Bfg]

Thanks Stuart, excellent timing.. just as I sat down to search the internet for how to resolve this issue. 

I'll make a few phone calls and pop into town and see if one of the better motor factors has some before I tackle the driver's side footwell.

cheers, Pete

[Bfg]

Friday 23rd :

another little job tackled today was the exhaust rattling, but first I unpacked my new trolley-jack . . .

^ crumpled box but otherwise looking good.  I was surprised to see absolutely no brand or business name nor address, so perhaps this product is specifically sold to other companies who slap their own branding on it. Anyway I'm glad I bought from a reputable company ..just in case I have issues.

Nice tool, and yes at 35kg it's reasonably heavy to carry but once you have a grip and straighten up it's tolerable .. after all I'm not planning on dancing with it.   

^ my friend Rich kindly lent me a pair of brand new axle stands too, so after a block was placed under the front tyre and I'd found some packing pieces of softwood timber from a broken pallet - I was good to go.  The photo doesn't really show it but this apartment block's car park is both uneven and it has a fair slope to it.  

The cause of the rattle was clear, with the pipe having self adjusted (possibly initiated when the engine was jacked up to have the gearbox removed) and was then just touching the chassis' T-shirt plate.   Its rectification was equally as simple insomuch as I loosened the clamps to the rear cross-box silencer and lifted it clear (slight twist) and redid the clamps back up again.  So., another case of a simple five minute job having a more noticeable effect than spending hundreds of pounds and many frustrating hours of work..  Weird how that sometimes happens ..but I'm glad it does because it sorta helps balance things out.

That done I refitted the indicator relay, I'd moved out of the way when painting yesterday, and went shopping.  

12 hours ago, stuart said:

The only way to get rid of silicone properly is a real silicone killer as acetone wont do anything, this is what I use Silicon cleaner

Stuart.

Again thank you Stuart, your recommendation worked out well for me today ..  because I phoned my nearest / usual motor factors and they didn't have silicon cleaner in aerosol.  One company wanted £8 for 100ml pot of the stuff and another £11 of 200ml pot ..so I persevered looking for an aerosol and in doing so found a Wurth trade outlet here in Ipswich ..but they didn't answer the phone.  I needed to go out to a cash-point machine anyways so took the TR out for a run.  Got half the cash I needed, got some groceries, got some petrol and then went off to find this trade counter.. to see if they have a tin of the silicon cleaner, and whether they would sell to a private individual.

They would sell to me, but they didn't have an aerosol in stock.  However they did have a 1 litre tin of the same stuff, and the very kind man let me have it for the same price as the aerosol would have cost ..just £6.  I think I got a bargain there so also bought a can of carb cleaner which I frequently use. 

From there I went around to a car-paint supplier and had them colour-match Katie's signal red as a 1k to fill an aerosol can for me and to provide a small pot of touch up paint.  At £12.95 + VAT for 400ml., that was more expensive than I expected, but I guess nowadays aerosol paints are no longer cheap n' cheerful ..and this is specifically matched to the car and hand blended.

So that's it for today, a nice little run around in the sunshine, one less rattle (although that cross-box silencer really ought to have a bracket on both ends because otherwise it will only twist around again) ..and I heard the indicator relay for the first time today !  Also materials in before the weekend so I can carry on with painting the footwells / floors at my leisure.   Progress

So I bid you a good weekend., and happy travels for anyone participating in the 'Drive It Day' tomorrow.  I'll not be, but only because I have to go up the coast to collect some other bits and I need a bigger vehicle for those. 

Pete.

Edit :  'Drive It Day' is NOT tomorrow, but is on Sunday. Sorry my error.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Bfg

[Bfg]

24th April :  6 hours before the Californian presidential primaries .. no wait.,  that's the wrong channel.  .. oh here we are ..budget TR exploits in Ipswich, Suffolk. . .

 

No work today, gorgeous weather.. I need to pack to move house tomorrow / Monday and I needed to get to the cash-point machine and at the same time be an hour up the coastline to GO SHOPPING !  

Fortunate timing on my part, sometime during this past mid-week.. I was the first to message a former TR owner about his classified advert on that register's website.  A very pleasant gentleman, John, was offering a TR4 - TR5 Surrey top and back-light ..offering the style and combination of open-top motoring with practicality I was hoping for.

The one advertised was a repro item in fibreglass, but also lined inside and with a glass wrap-around window.  The fabric top was with it, together with the bows which fit between the back-light and the windscreen's header rail.  The soft-top hood on my 4A is off a TR6 with its header rail having different fastenings, but the seller was also including the front bar of a TR6 hood frame so that the top might be adapted..  Revington TR offer the same < here >.

All that said . . .

    

^  here it is, bought and paid for, and collected in my mobile garden shed.   Its surround, I'm told, is finished in primrose yellow.  Not ideal., whereas off-white would probably have worked on a signal red car. The glass is presently loose in the surround, and so it wouldn't be the end of the world to remove it altogether and to spray the fibreglass surround with an aerosol.  The black vinyl resting on bedding just behind it., is the Surrey top.  

I couldn't resist having a quick look-see ..with it resting loosely on the car, but not sitting down properly because of the lift-a-dot fastenings from the soft-top. Unfortunately I'd accidentally switched camera's auto-focus off.   Oops !  Never-the-less I'm sure you get the idea, below . . .

^ a TR4A (IRS model) with overdrive and Surrey top is just what I wanted ...So I'm well chuffed.  

Still so much to get sorted and recommissioned - but I'm enjoying it

Pete.

[Bfg]

May 5th :

I moved the weekend before last from one side of the car park to the other (..in the apartment block complex), primarily because the studio apartment was too small for all my unsorted 'stuff' and equally because I wanted needed a designated place to work on the car..  The new residence is a one-bed apartment but with patio large enough to land the car on. . .

^ Although south facing, the first job I did was to jet-wash the patio of most of its dingy green algae.  And then with the new low entry / high lift trolley jack ..and borrowed ramps - the car is now safely elevated enough for me to slide under and investigate various issues which I raised here < reducing-rear-chassis-flex-twist-with-tub-on > ..essentially regarding Katie's  very poor passenger-door-gap and how much chassis / car flex might I expect when jacking the car up.? 

These questions were prompted by my acquiring the Surrey top and back-light a couple of weeks ago, and then also a Surrey lid (in steel) ..thanks to the kind generosity of Roger.. whom I had the great pleasure to meet when I collected it on Thursday. .

My thinking was ; It might be OK with a fabric Surrey top and adjustable bows, but with the windscreen posts moveable and the rear wings not necessarily being symmetrical on this car, then how would a steel lid fit.?  Naturally things have to be fixed to within a few mm.. but the passenger door gap tapers from 14mm opening at the top to 3mm in its bottom rear corner.   Bottom line is that I needed to investigate what, if anything was happening with the door gap. before I struggle to fit the backlight and lid.

I slipped under the jacked up car to have a look at the chassis when I bought her  ..just two months ago now, and then again when the car was jacked up briefly while removing / refitting the gearbox / clutch.  In general it appeared to have been locally patched but in good shape.  Before I jacked the car up this time I measured the top of the door gaps, then lifted the car under the rear swing arm and measured the door gap again.  I was pleasantly surprised that there was just 1.5mm difference on one side and 2mm on the other.  A kind gent dropped me a PM to share that his car was much the same.  

Pleased that the main backbone wasn't moving too much, and now with the car on stands I investigated further. The rear chassis leg on the LHS is cracked as is the rear bridge between the two rear chassis legs, onto which the dampers are bolted.  This also supports the rear diff mounts. . . 

     

^ LHS rear chassis leg (which goes to the rear bumper bracket).  This would not be difficult to clean up re-weld and to add a doubler plate.  It has been welded before but I don't know if that was from new or a repair.  The question I must ask is ; whether there is some issue to have caused it to crack (some time ago by the looks of things) or is it just the result of fatigue over many years ?

^ photo of across the car with the arrow left indicating where the crack is on the LHS.  Immediately above this is the bridge from one side of the chassis to the other, onto which the lever-arm dampers are bolted and the rear diff mounts.  That is also cracked on both sides. . .

^ LHS -  looking into the corner of the rear chassis leg with the bridge

^ LHS looking back to the bridge with the lever-arm damper in light grey. The crack appears to go right the way across.

On the RHS its probably worse . . .

RHS bottom of the rear leg has a little rusty orange stain, so looks to be just starting to crack in the same place as has happened on the LHS rear leg.  The crack between that chassis member and the bridge is obvious.

RHS looking forward to that bridge.   Again I wonder - why has it cracked through ?

So., all in all a bit of welding needed.  Whether it is necessary / much better to replace that bridge for a box section tubular one I don't know.  I don't want to lift the body off but I can't see getting above it to weld a replacement bridge in is going to be possible even if the exhaust + lever arm dampers + diff + possibly fuel tank (for safety reasons) are removed.  

Surely someone has experience of doing this with body on ? 

Out of interest I eased the LHS rear chassis leg up with the jack, just by the exhaust silencer cross-box, and although the chassis leg's crack hardly opened up (perhaps just 1/2mm) the top of that side's door gap closed by 4mm.   That x2 would be nice.!   However I'm naturally concerned about twisting the chassis rear legs and rear-end of the body so the car would look even lower still on the driver's side.

Why the car has a list to the RHS is not yet apparent.  I'm sure that I've read somewhere that the swinging arm brackets are adjustable and may even be fitted upside.  Possibly this is the same at for the front suspension.  Perhaps someone might point me to the thread which reveals all.?

In the meantime these are the photos I took today of those mountings. Perhaps someone can see something amiss which would cause the car to sit lower on the RHS  . . .

^ Looking forward, so Left and Right hand side

^ Left and Right hand side of the swing arm mounts. 

Many thanks in anticipation,

Pete

 

[Bfg]

Thinking about why these cracks have occurred, and prompted by a conversation with a friend and suggestions on the TSSC forum.

I wonder if uprated lever arms have been fitted  ..good place to start perhaps is to pull one off &/or otherwise identify it.  Or possibly a prior owner had filled them with heavy oil. 

I also need to look to see if I can see any evidence of a tow bar having been fitted at some time.

Looking through my photos again.. it appears as if the rear of the car has been jacked up under the tubular cross beam, under the spare wheel well. 

^  From photos I've seen of other chassis, I think this round tube would have been straight but for a local dip under the middle of the spare wheel well (light blue dotted line) and that has been push up to where it now is (solid darker blue line).   Such loading would lift the rear legs and in turn put those bottom plate welds in tension, which have then failed (red arrows to the left and right). 

This may account for the cracks in the bottom plate of those rear chassis legs but perhaps not of those in the cross bridge.  Although..., and I'm just thinking out loud as I type.. with the rear legs cracked - the tail of the car might be bouncing up and down with every road bump ..and the focus of that flexing (the cracked chassis legs) just happens to be where the bridge is welded on. So the flexing of the back of the car might have been transferred to and perhaps limited by those thin flange plates of the rear damper mount bridge, which in turn have failed. 

"fatigue over a long period" as a result of the chassis legs having been broken ..by lifting the car by its rear legs rather than under the suspension arms.

Things may be beginning to make sense

re. Welding.  I'm not yet sorted.  I was given the number of a Mr Barry Atkins who is (or was, as he may have retired now) a mobile welder in this area, but I tried yesterday to call but it seems as if that number cannot now be connected.  Local VW specialists was likely to be my next call, but I'd welcome suggestions.

Thanks, Pete.

 

[stuart]

TBH The fact its been jacked up under the cross tube isnt anything to do with the cracked chassis, they prettymuch all do that in long service and some of those cracks look to be next to previous poor welds Thats just a typical IRS chassis thats at the end of its current life, I would also be having a very good look at the main diff mounts as I suspect theyre on their way out as well, does it have a current MOT as thats a serious fail.

Stuart.

[ntc]

I hope the car is not used on the road? 

[Bfg]

Work In progress. .

^ as was, albeit cleaned up quite a bit of rusty water stains and I had also replaced the fan for that off a TR6.  The card radiator ducting's back edge was falling apart and unfastened / just dangling a third of the way down the radiator ..so its uneven edge was poking into and chafing against the radiator core.  Subsequently, it was a sod to get out ..because the radiator's bottom hose connection and drain tap wouldn't lift out passed the fan.  And then also because the screws holding the ducting across the front were cross-head set-screws without the room to get a screwdriver in below the bonnet ..and with no access to get a spanner onto the loose-turning nuts they screwed into.  Even when unfastened it didn't want to come out of the gap between the radiator and inner wheel-arch ..not helped by the wires being taped to the grille stays.  In the end though it did succumb to my efforts. although then ..as a frisby, it likewise failed miserably to fly far down the garden !

^ the radiator was removed for easier access to replace ; the engine mounts + the steering rack brackets + the water pipes + fan belt +radiator mounting rubbers.  I also removed the fan to check the fan-extension's bolt was tight (my torque wrench only goes up to 110ft-lb ..and as it happens it was tight, but I think still worth checking - Thanks Mickey).  With the radiator & ducting out of the way, the car's was previously painted colour (more crimson) was apparent.   Above shows after I cleaned out more of the rusty radiator water stains.  

^ tidying up is always encouraging.   At a later date I'll also clean, check connections and re-route the wiring. 

^ reassembly in progress..  I'm getting the car back together for now, as I clearly have more major issues to focus on.

Pete.

[stuart]

The wiring is supposed to run across the top of the front panel just behind the top lip.

Stuart.

[Z320]

sorry, wrong thread

Edited May 16, 2021 by Z320

[Bfg]

The radiator is sprouting cardboard wings ! ?   ..but not of the duck / duct variety

^ close enough for the car industry ?

 

^ The theory is that ; at higher speeds, the angle of a conic shape of radiator ducting results in back pressure, which lessens the amount of air coming in through the front grille.  Whereas the very much larger volume behind the grille allows the air in which then tends to swirl around and back towards the radiator. 

Don't know if in fact it makes much difference at all.  Personally I disliked the original cardboard ducting, or its fit,  or its chafing away at the radiator core,  and I disliked even more trying to get the ducting out so that the radiator might then be carefully removed.  The side baffles I've made ought to be much easier in that respect and I think, once finished with a splash of colour (or black) and edge trimming.. will look neater too. 

^ I know.,  blow the expense ..1/8" plywood  (..yeah Ok.,  I reclaimed from the skip) 

^ I'm pleased with how it shaped up OK with just a few hours "work".   I'll find some edge trim for around the grille aperture and, very likely, I'll cut a hole in the RHS panel to duct fresh air to the carburettors.

Across the top / under the bonnet I'm leaving a gap to allow fresh air flow to spill over the top of the dam. The tendency then will be for that air to pass by the engine as it exits under the car. 

Pete 

 

[Mk2 Chopper]

I've finally caught up with this thread, enjoyable read, the trials and tribulations of TR ownership. 

Good luck with the chassis repairs. I'm sure I'll read about it here some time. 

Gareth

[Bfg]

Update :

Last Wednesday I took TR Katie  across to M&T Classics, Wolverhampton, to leave the car there for a chassis swap.  Sorry no piccies from there, but with my friend Andrew accompanying me in a modern (..just in case), the TR had no issues en-route, save a little oil weep seemingly burning on the exhaust ..and our GPS navigating us through a housing estate until we came to a dead-end.  Considering the cooling, clutch and other issues already experienced, and that I've only driven the car during its collection and then once for a 80 miles Sunday afternoon jaunt through quiet country lanes (that is aside from mostly back n' forth to the dust bowl / storage container).. undertaking such a journey, with a car partly dismantled and other iffy states of affair was not taken lightly.  Safety was not a concern but for the prospect of breaking down on a motorway, so I specifically took out national breakdown cover.  

From here M & T are 170 miles up n' across the A14, and then across n' up the M6 to junction 10.  The TR's wire wheels are out of true or out of balance, or both, and so I needed to hold the steering wheel, with both hands all the way, to prevent it shaking too much*.  As always I drove with the top down, and so was very glad to have no more than a few spits of rain the whole way.  Unfortunately there was a headwind against us all ..and so wind buffeting and wind noise were., less than relaxing.  However the thing I'd forgotten about driving a sports car (..it's been many years since) and especially an open top - is that other vehicle's tyres are up there with the top of the side-window glass.  That's quite intimidating and, from six foot away, flipping noisy.  Never-the-less the trip was an uneventful Success.

* I've been advised recently that another possibility causing wheel wobble is that some of the wheel's studs might not have been cut short enough, when the wire wheels were fitted. And if too long, or the wrong nuts are used, then the wheel is held away from sitting snugly against the cones of the wire wheel splined-adapter.    

Aside from doing the chassis swap and to hopefully sort out some body tub structural issues (passenger side sill in particular) and the odd panel fit, I'm also asking Mark's team to do some chassis mods for me. This is because I feel the back end of the IRS chassis is weak and vulnerable to fatigue, and also because I want to tow a camping trailer with the car.   In exchange for the labour of they doing those chassis mods., I agreed to remove all carpets, the trim panels (inc those on the doors), the passenger seat, and dashboard support (H-frame) and the gearbox tunnel (to be fitted with just a few fastenings for the trip). The radiator ducting was removed, and I was also asked to remove all of the body-mounting bolts into the chassis, and to refit them with Coppaslip.  Likewise with all the wing fastenings. The bumpers and their irons were removed all together. 

With having to finish my task of replacing all the coolant hoses.., this dismantling, their rusty bolts and wrong fastenings (..I hate cross head screws in awkward places !) accounted for a week of my time ..inbetween rain showers.  Equally though, it will save M & T hours in preparation for lifting the body off and to protect them from any welding.  And then they also won't have the labour in refitting everything again.

Of course, with no sound deadening inside the car, trim panels off and some of the stays and body mounts (bumper irons for example help clamp the wings in place) just added to noise levels and the number of shakes n' rattles .. all together rather reminiscent of a farmer's old trailer bouncing down a dirt track.

Still the jobs were done to my deadline and the car was delivered as pre-arranged. 

 

For those who might be interested here are a few illustrations to explain what chassis mods I'm asking for (these being on top of the 'usual' stiffening mods carried out on these chassis such as boxing in open channels of the diff mounts, reinforcing around their pins, and doubling up on the the front suspension's wishbone brackets) . . .

   

^  07 refers to a flat plate welded inbetween the flanges of the chassis rear legs.  The one shown above  was done by Malbaby in Australia (thanks Malcolm ) and follows the principle that a braced plate on edge is difficult to bend (in the vertical plane).  He used 8 or 9mm thick plate and did this with body on from under the car.  Whereas I'm asking for 5 or 6mm plate ..but for that to be extended right the way to the back, so that I have something secure to bolt a towing hitch bracket onto. 

^ Red numbers refer to various more-major mods (addendum to the standard TR4A chassis) being proposed, whereas the yellow arrows indicate additional gusset plates.  Perhaps you can visualise the load paths I'm attempting to smooth-out diagonally across the car (01, 02, & 08), and then how the rear diff mounts being tied together at their tops (05 & 06) and gusseted at the bottom help create a longitudinal support bridge forward to the main chassis rails.  The TR6 body also mounts to the chassis via brackets (04). These were not fitted to the TR4A chassis but I feel are useful to link the body structure together with the chassis.  It looks a lot of work, but when the body is off - it's not such a big job.  IMO the chassis design is a sad compromise without them, with one side of the car barely attached to the other.

Below  shows the standard chassis - which as you can see is not otherwise (structurally) joined between the front chassis cross-member and the (1.25mm ?) thin pressed t-shirt plate just forward of the diff  ..ie., for half the length of the car.!   And after that the chassis legs splay out and mostly rely on open channel-section bridges to join one side of the car to the other.  Bolted onto these bridges are not only the differential, with its torsional loading from the drive-shaft, but also the suspension springs and dampers.  The torsional load, just from the diff, is enough to tear the metal around its mounting studs (a very common failure).., so imagine if you might the chassis twist induced by one wheel going over a bump and the kinetic force through one corner's suspension spring and damper.  The early / sidescreen TR's and TR4 chassis are clearly a more coherent design with much shorter span lengths.

In addition..,

 ^ shown in green ; proposed 5 or 6mm thick jacking plates to be added, just where the car is usually lifted on a two poster or trolley jack.  I'll paint these to highlight them to garage mechanics and tyre fitters.!

Pete.  

[Mk2 Chopper]

This is great news, most certainly not what you wanted to happen when you bought it, but it'll be done right and made a lot more future proof with the mod's.

I admire the amount of work you've done to make their job easier and ultimately cheaper, hope it all goes well. 

Gareth

[Hamish]

1 hour ago, Mk2 Chopper said:

I admire the amount of work you've done to make their job easier and ultimately cheaper, hope it all goes well. 

Gareth

I am pleased that there are businesses out there that recognise and can work in partnership with a clients budget. Also understanding that an owner can bet part of the “easier” work to keep the time/budget down. 
 

not everyone can spend twice the valve of a finished product on a full resto.

I have found someone like that to do a fast(er) road engine for me.

good luck with it Pete. 
and don’t forget to tell M and T classics you are blogging about it here. 

[Z320]

Hi Pete,

sorry me, you know I don't love to read much text and I mainly be focused yon photos,

so perhaps I explain somethink you already exlained in your post.

 

I think with #8 you could cause yourself problems because there is the propshaft (to bolt on the gearbox),

the front U joint and the slindig sleeve to graese, also the exhaust pipe going through the frame.

Your own photo..

On the other hand there is the gearbox crossmenber and the H frame bolted between the frame which might makes #8 overdo.

Have a very close look on the part of the frame where the brackets for the trailing arms are bolted on, they are often totaly rotten.

 

And inside, between the squared profile, there are "distancers" (I've been told, never had my focus on that)

to avoid to press the profile flat when tighten up the bolts. I found that on the internet:

 

Have a close look on them and the steel around / both ends of them.

If the car shell it off the frame I would also box the front bolts of the diff, it not already done (not done on Malcoms TR, and not done on my TR).

With all this modifications I would also weld in the front lower wishbones strenghten sets if you don't have this alreeady,

a bit tricky to fit them and let enough space for the nuts, fit them to test before you weld!

Have much success!

Marco

Edited June 3, 2021 by Z320

[Bfg]

Thanks Marco, I'll read through your post and see what's what   cheers.

 

And now for something completely different . .

Because my forlorn TR is part dismantled, in prep to taking it across for a chassis swap..  the floor of my one-bed apartment's lounge is overflowing with tools and bits n' bobs, from doing all this.  I picked up a rack of my old garage plastic shelves, from the storage container, and that's now in the corner of the room, together with tyres, the passenger seat, and a work-mate folding bench on the floor next to it.  I have things like the bumpers and interior trim In the entrance hall.  Yep I'm single ! as inside my home is rather reminiscent of a garage.  Fortunately (hopefully) most of this clutter is only temporary ..until I refit those parts to the car.  Similarly, the apartment's patio area was likewise getting more and more cluttered.   My answer to that was to delve under my old boat to see what pieces of ply I had pulled out of the skip over the past few years.  Those then determined the size of a storage bench for the patio  . . .

   

^ screwed and fibreglass glued, then moved onto the grass to be painted (using up old gloss white paint that I had in storage for a little too long). Note the bottom of this box is stepped because i want to store stuff under, as well as in, the box.

^ outside faces of the storage box were painted with masonry paint, the 4 x 2's were left over from when I fitted out the storage container.  Similarly all the screws used were left overs (from many years !).

^ hidden out of sight underneath.  That can be chained in place.

^ My place looking civilised again.  The planks were formerly dvd shelves before I moved home, and before that were a king size double bed base which I bought for the latex the mattress was made from. That cost me a £1 and the latex is now the mattress in my boat. The brand new plastic cover seen here was given to me by a neighbour ..on route to the dumpster to throw it away. In time that will be changed for timber ..made into an open trellis, so honeysuckle and other plants can grow over it.  I'll be watching the skip down at the boatyard for more scrap timber to make that from. 

Time ;  Mostly over the bank holiday weekend, but with having to make things to the size of the timber I happened to have, things took a little longer than I hoped. About 2-1/2 days in all. 

Outlay cost ;  Zilch

Usefulness ;   excellent storage for bits I don't want in the apartment  +  a comfortable six-foot long bench seat, just the right height for the table and chairs ..left here by a previous tenant.  The canopy providing shade when the sun is too hot and the size is good for sitting across, legs up, to read a book.

That'll do at the price

Pete.

[Charlie D]

10 minutes ago, Bfg said:

the size is good for sitting across, legs up, to read a book

Pete,

Don't you realise that now you have become a TR owner you will never have time to "Read a book" ?

Charlie.

[Hamish]

not quite timely but very topical and useful.

from Cheftush who is also a forum member here.

H

[stillp]

1 hour ago, Charlie D said:

Pete,

Don't you realise that now you have become a TR owner you will never have time to "Read a book" ?

Charlie.

Of course he will! Moss catalogue, workshop manual, etc...

Pete

[Lebro]

Very impressive woodwork there Pete, & once under the seat who would know

Bob.

[Z320]

Now I see why I get the propshaft out to the rear on my TR4A and others don't!

The TR4A frame has only one "T-shirt" from below on the frame, the TR6 has a second one from above!

[Bfg]

Further updates from M&T Classics, Wolverhampton. . .

Sent to me on Saturday, which was followed up by a very positive phone conversation to say what he'd seen and reflections on the general condition

. . .  Body off

^ chassis and mechanicals now accessible for inspection and further dismantling

^ This is the area of rear outrigger / diff & damper mounting bridge, I clean off to more clearly shows the cracks I found (..though not apparent when I bought the car because its on top of the chassis and of course the wheel filled the arch)  There may be something obscure about my spraying zinc/cold galvanising paint on this, but even for a short while I couldn't leave bare metal showing.

^ Body mounting washers &/or rubbers were missing and the body tub was chafing against the chassis in several places. Most would have just caused annoying rattles and squeaks, but this is the rear suspension spring turret.  In the bottom-right of the photo you can see a groove worn mostly through that spring cup by the rear inner-wing's flange.  Before very long that spring-cup would have cracked through. 

^ This is one of the differential's mounting studs pulling out of the bridge (which also serves as the rear suspension spring turret).   I had seen evidence of this from under the car but, with restricted access, all I could see was weld splatter over weld splatter ..which I just knew would not have penetrated the metal to hold the pin secure.   My Tr4 engine has just 105bhp and 128 ft.lb of torque (..on a good day ) which is considerably less than a tuned Tr5 or Tr6, but still.. just it torque through the drive-train, pulling and twisting at these pins, has caused their mountings to crack and rip out (.. I should write to complain to Standard-Triumph they they've only lasted 54 years. Does anyone have a current address ? ).

The cracks around the chassis rear legs would have (imo) been repairable in-situ with the body on, particularly if i replaced that bridge, but seeing this attempt at welding from the underside of the car - led to the decision to have the body lifted off and to do the job properly.  

^ Outriggers and rear-end-of-the sill body mounts in surprisingly excellent condition and the suspension was (subsequent to the original restoration) fitted with poly-bushes.   Body to chassis contact is evident in various places ...more clanking / vibration noises !   And unfortunately, the trailing arm poly-bushes were assembled dry (no silicon grease ?) and their bolts without Coppaslip ..so are seized.  Together these may account for the distinctive creaking noises from the car's suspension.   The bolts will have to be cut out and the poly-bushes replaced.  more cost !

  

^ the gearbox is out to reveal the new clutch I'd fitted.  The gearbox has been dropped off to the same gearbox specialist (Classic Transmissions if I recall)  who rebuild my old Jaguar gearbox some years back.  A very nice gentleman / old-boy will do a quick rebuild for us, as I'm aware of noises which point to the lay-shaft bearings being on their way out.  It's opportune to do this now, while the engine is out rather than to go through the hassles and to pay the labour cost later.  Hopefully by catching it early, it will have avoided damage to the gears themselves.  Mark is being very helpful and aware of my financial limitations, and is not charging to deliver the gearbox to the specialist (..on his way home).  It was booked in advance and because M&T use the same gentleman all the time, the task ought to fit-in with our chassis-swap schedule. 

The front half of the chassis is again in good shape but the (again usual) reinforcements to the suspension mounts hadn't been done.  They have, of course, been done on the replacement chassis. 

^ the diff., Mark says appears to have been rebuilt not long ago. I would like to know what ratio it is as I prefer taller overall gearing for touring. Its front seal is weeping, so he'll swap that out.  Likewise half-shafts, their UJ's and gaiters all appear to be in good order, as is the prop-shaft.  While dismantled, Mark will be swapping-out each suspension spring, so the car will then sit level.  He's advised that one packer was in the rear springs was missing on side.  With new poly-bushes for the diff mounts these components ought all be good to go.

All in all then, steady progress and a positive report. 

Pete.

[Nigel Triumph]

That all seems encouraging. I'm sure you won't regret having a thorough job done.

Nigel

[BRENDA1]

Pete This is all good news and hopefully all goes to plan, then you can get her home so you can complete the jobs and get some Miles on the clock, keep us all posted with progress.

Mike redrose group