TR2/3/3A Engine Cross Tube Challenges

[PatGalvin]

As I'm slowly getting this car back together, I discovered that the engine cross tube (between the front suspension towers) was so tight - very difficult to install. I needed to install this so that I could fit the radiator and the new Spal electric fan. The fan needs to be installed high above the tube or it fouls the tube.

I pounded on this tube mercilessly but it just would not fit between the shock towers. I didn't want to head down to Harbor Freight and plunk down a hundred bucks on a porta-power hydraulic ram unit so I grabbed some extra pipe and angle iron and welded up an assembly that would allow a helper to separate the towers while I installed the cross tube.

It worked pretty well, although it required my wife and her friend to pull on it to separate the towers. Two hours later, I had the tube installed.

Before you all have a chuckle at my expense, the masking tape was simply to protect the frame paint, not for added strength! hah!

pat

 

[toysrrus]

Pat,

I`d just like to say that is one "Heavy Duty" looking Steering Rack!! How much modification was involved? What was the cost & where did you get it?

Thanx, Russ

 

[TR3driver]

Usually, all that is necessary is to jack up the car in the center of the front cross member. The weight of the engine, etc will spread the suspension towers just enough to slip the cross tube into place with a bit of persuasion.

One of my future plans is to section maybe 1/4" out of the cross tube, to get the camber a bit more negative. Should improve handling, as well as getting my wide tires to wear more evenly.

 

[PatGalvin]

Pat,

I`d just like to say that is one "Heavy Duty" looking Steering Rack!! How much modification was involved? What was the cost & where did you get it?

Thanx, Russ

Hi Russ. This is a bolt on Bastuck steering rack. No mods required so if some time in the future, somebody wanted to go back to stock steering, they could. I hope I'll soon be able to report to all of you how well it works. I selected this (way too expensive) rack because it lets you keep the horn and turn signals functional, with the exception of the self cancel feature.

Pat

 

[PatGalvin]

Usually, all that is necessary is to jack up the car in the center of the front cross member. The weight of the engine, etc will spread the suspension towers just enough to slip the cross tube into place with a bit of persuasion.

One of my future plans is to section maybe 1/4" out of the cross tube, to get the camber a bit more negative. Should improve handling, as well as getting my wide tires to wear more evenly.

Or, if you don't have a floor jack and do have two hours to kill with a MIG welder and a bunch of junk metal, you can build a spreader. Shoot Randall, I should have posted before I spent all that time developing a solution to a what perhaps wasn't a problem at all....

Pat

 

[Foura]

Usually, all that is necessary is to jack up the car in the center of the front cross member. The weight of the engine, etc will spread the suspension towers just enough to slip the cross tube into place with a bit of persuasion.

One of my future plans is to section maybe 1/4" out of the cross tube, to get the camber a bit more negative. Should improve handling, as well as getting my wide tires to wear more evenly.

Floor jack in the middle of the cross member is the go. I learnt that with the 3A way back in '68. Fortunately I remembered it when I was re-assembling the 4A in '02. Helps to have the wheels on to give a bit more weight to the droop.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

Floor jack in the middle of the cross member is the go. I learnt that with the 3A way back in '68. Fortunately I remembered it when I was re-assembling the 4A in '02. Helps to have the wheels on to give a bit more weight to the droop.

Unless the DPO took it off, and you didn't even know that one should have been there for several years. In that case, I had to attach a come-along to the top of one of one side, anchored to my father-in-law's tractor, to spread them a bit.