Jump to content

My TR4 is lower on the driver's side


Recommended Posts

My tr4 is lower on the driver's side. If I measure the distance from the ground to the chassis, it is the same height. The chassis is not damaged and has not had an accident. 

If you look at the car you can see it is lower on the driver's side. Almost 1.5 inches I think. In the meantime we have replaced the springs and the buses of the triangles but still standing lower. 

Can someone help me to fix this? The car is driving perfectly but it's a pity of the hight. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

If the chassis-to-ground clearance really is the same on both sides,  it's nothing to do with suspension or wheels/tyres. Surely this can only be due to the dimensions of the body itself or how it is mounted on the chassis?  Perhaps I have misunderstood what you are telling us. 

Edited by RobH
Link to post
Share on other sites
32 minutes ago, RobH said:

If the chassis-to-ground clearance really is the same on both sides,  it's nothing to do with suspension or wheels/tyres. Surely this can only be due to the dimensions of the body itself or how it is mounted on the chassis?  Perhaps I have misunderstood what you are telling us. 

Hi RobH, thanks for your comment. You understood correctly :). One side of the body is indeed lower. I measured the chassis at various points but is is ok. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, Trevor Grant said:

Hi Jo

Someone at a classic meeting some years ago who had a similar problem on a 4A told me that they were going to fit slightly different length springs to the rear which they said should cure it, not sure if it did, just a thought.

Hi Trevor, thanks for the comment and help!! I think the measures of the body are correct. Maybe the body is not properly mounted on the chassis. More rubber on one side?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Perhaps a combination of too high at the rear passenger side and too low at the front driver's side so the whole body is tilted?  1.5 inches sounds an awful lot though. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Jo.

1 1/2 inches seems like a lot to me to be just body mounting, I would be looking at the mechanics.

You say you have changed the springs, did you compare the old ones to each other and to the new ones?

Are there the alumnium spacers on both sides ?

Are the bottom wishbones mounted the correct way up? 

Some detailed photos are going to help here, but I wouldn't go pulling the body apart just yet.

John.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, John Morrison said:

Hi Jo.

1 1/2 inches seems like a lot to me to be just body mounting, I would be looking at the mechanics.

You say you have changed the springs, did you compare the old ones to each other and to the new ones?

Are there the alumnium spacers on both sides ?

Are the bottom wishbones mounted the correct way up? 

Some detailed photos are going to help here, but I wouldn't go pulling the body apart just yet.

John.

 

John - if the chassis sits level as Jo tells us, there's nothing wrong with the suspension.  The suspension holds the chassis off the road, the chassis holds the body. If the chassis height is OK but the body height is wrong.........?

Edited by RobH
Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, John Morrison said:

Hi Jo.

1 1/2 inches seems like a lot to me to be just body mounting, I would be looking at the mechanics.

You say you have changed the springs, did you compare the old ones to each other and to the new ones?

Are there the alumnium spacers on both sides ?

Are the bottom wishbones mounted the correct way up? 

Some detailed photos are going to help here, but I wouldn't go pulling the body apart just yet.

John.

 

Oh sorry, it's 1,5 a 1,8 cm. It's 0,7 inch I think?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah that's more believable. Maybe a combination of things? Slight differences in body panel dimensions plus how it sits on the chassis? Such things do happen.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

As with all the other suspension components, a problem with the shock absorbers would affect chassis height Jo. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Probably Jo unless someone has another suggestion.

15mm doesn't sound much and I think that personally I would just live with it as a quirk of the car.  After all, production methods in the early '60s were not as precise as they are now. 

Looks a 'cracker' in the photo. 

 

Edited by RobH
Link to post
Share on other sites
21 minutes ago, RobH said:

Probably Jo unless someone has another suggestion.

15mm doesn't sound much and I think that personally I would just live with it as a quirk of the car.  After all, production methods in the early '60s were not as precise as they are now. 

Looks a 'cracker' in the photo. 

 

Thanks!! 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I am sure this will only confuse matters. A few years ago, my 3A started to sit lower on the driver's side - clearly visible from the front and by the different gaps between the top of the wheels and bottom of the wheel arches. Put it down to the oft reported driver's side sag. So had new rear springs installed. On doing so me spanner men discovered that someone had put a shorter  hanger on at some time in the past no doubt to compensate for one of the springs sagging. Worth a look.

Miles

Edited by MilesA
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.