Ukmax Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Hello again, I’m about to put the body back on my TR4 after remedying the numerous serious errors by the PO who had restored this car to a very low standard! The parts book lists 4 metal plates, one on each of the body mounting outriggers but there were no such plates fitted when I removed the body, the PO had actually used blocks of 18mm MDF. Are these plates simply shims of some sort to fit as required or should they be present at all times? Also how thick are these plates?, David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malbaby Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) Spacers are essential, certainly not MDF.. Personally, I would make them out of high grade alloy. Edited March 13, 2022 by Malbaby Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rcreweread Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 David - the plates are steel about 2mm thick and punched with the same hole spacings as the mounting - they should be used as a sandwich with the rubber mountings - start off with rubber spacer, steel plate, rubber spacer and add more as necessary. The original spacers were like a rubberised canvas and much more substantial than the modern thinner rubber versions, so the metal plate helps to strengthen the mounting against "squidging " out when the floor mounting bolts are tightened down - they need to be impervious to damp so they don't swell or fall to bits. They are readily available form the usual suppliers Hope this helps Cheers Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Have a look here item #38 chassis pads Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bfg Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 (edited) 18mm thick plates of any material is excessive. Maybe this suggests the road springs were shot and so the body was lifted higher relative to the chassis as a cheap way to restore wheel arch clearance.? As Rich says, the plates need to be impervious to damp so they don't swell or fall to bits, aside from that I'd have no issues with using a structural plastic instead of metal, as long as it's thick enough not to crack. And the rubber pads do need to be fibre reinforced to prevent them from squidging and cracking - this is worth checking with the supplier before you buy, as those recently fitted to my car were not reinforced ..and had already started to fail just 6-months later. Pete Edited March 18, 2022 by Bfg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 MDF isn't ideal where there will be exposure to the elements! Worse still will retain water and contibute to corrosion. I would check carefull for other bodges and rectify accordingly. Things like these need to be tough and able to withstand exposure, not hold water and as Pete says can be made of non-standard material if otherwise suitable. Nylon reinforced conveyer belt material is quite good for this purpose as an example of something that is very similar to the original material. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ukmax Posted March 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Many thanks gents for most helpful replies (as usual). Pete, I think your are absolutely correct about the reason for the 18mm spacers and of course, the use of MDF is insane! This whole job started because the left front wheel was too close to the arch which turned out to be caused by badly damaged front suspension parts on both sides, including the turrets, albeit worse on the left. Andy, you are correct. As soon as I saw the MDF, I did indeed check for and find, several other bodges all of which have been rectified. David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harrytr5 Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 I made my steel sandwich plates out of stainless sheet and if I remember around an 1/8" thickness (= 4mm). Regards Harry TR5 Nutter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bfg Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 On 3/14/2022 at 11:43 AM, Ukmax said: Many thanks gents for most helpful replies (as usual). Pete, I think your are absolutely correct about the reason for the 18mm spacers and of course, the use of MDF is insane! This whole job started because the left front wheel was too close to the arch which turned out to be caused by badly damaged front suspension parts on both sides, including the turrets, albeit worse on the left. Andy, you are correct. As soon as I saw the MDF, I did indeed check for and find, several other bodges all of which have been rectified. David Sorry to hear that you car was subject to such a bodge as thicker body pads. An issue then is that ; they are likely to have done an uneven job of the bodge, because removing each and every body mount would've been to much bother. Very likely they packed up the main body mounts and pulled (distorted) the ends of the car to the chassis.! How were your door gaps ? Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ukmax Posted April 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2022 Hello Pete, I'm sorry for not replying sooner , I completely forgot to finish my reply and then I wasn't on the forum for a while. As I said the "bodge" was perpetrated because the front suspension was all over the place, once I corrected the suspension the body could be remounted as per factory; however, I'd like to think it was better than factory! In fact there were the same thick pads more-or-less everywhere, even the thick aluminium slot washers had been replaced with 18mm MDF ones. The door gaps were okay insofar as the doors opened and closed okay. I have to say I am not overly fussy about the accuracy of the door gaps because it is a car to use for classic regulatory rallying so I'm not really interested in producing a concourse example. David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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