Tr 3 front suspension parts question

[ekamm]

I have a question. I purchased a front suspension rebuild kit from BPNW and there is a rubber bushing that I am curious about. I also have a bag of the same bushing from TRF about 20 to 30 years old. The part# on the TRF bag is 102-228. The current TRF catalog shows as "bush rubber, upper wishbones". The original Triumph parts book shows as "Bush rubber lower and upper wishbone to inner fulcrum pin". The Moss catalog shows bushing rubber upper wishbone as 680-130.

To the best I can tell the suppliers have changed the lower rubber bush to a combination of a steel and nylon bush combination, and the upper is available in rubber or nylon. Am I correct in that assumption?

Another question that I have is,
Can you change the rubber inside the lower wishbone arms where they go onto the trunnion? I see no part numbers, I have the steel bushing thrust washers etc. but don't see anything else.

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

The parts book shows the bushing (102228) as being the same for the upper and lower bushes (total of 8 parts). I purchased a complete kit from TRF and the upper and lower were different as you can easily see in the attached picture. Don't confuse the lower inner bushes with the lower outer bushes. The bush at the trunnion needs reamed to fit and is not rubber. There's a lot of parts there, and it took me some time to figure what went where.

 

[TR3driver]

To the best I can tell the suppliers have changed the lower rubber bush to a combination of a steel and nylon bush combination, and the upper is available in rubber or nylon. Am I correct in that assumption?

The change to the lower inner bushings was made by the factory during early TR3 production, and factory-approved as a retrofit to earlier cars. The nylon uppers are an aftermarket thing.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Can you change the rubber inside the lower wishbone arms where they go onto the trunnion? I see no part numbers, I have the steel bushing thrust washers etc. but don't see anything else. [/QUOTE]There is no rubber in the lower arms for a TR3. The outer ends have a brass/steel bushing that has to be pressed in/out. This is the one that has to be reamed, the others don't need reaming (as long as you are using standard parts). And yes, I feel it's a good idea to replace those bushings any time you replace the trunnion.

 

[TR3driver]

The original Triumph parts book shows as "Bush rubber lower and upper wishbone to inner fulcrum pin".

Check the listing for item N52 on page 33.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2H2NJt...list&num=50

 

[ekamm]

Sorry, I looked further at the trunnion bushing and I only assumed that the metal bushing rode on a rubber one. I think that I get it now. Anyone think that there is an advantage to the old rubber bushings that I have, over the newer ones. They are still in a sealed bag and look as good as the new ones, still very pliable? Oh and the part# 101-540 The rubber that looks like a thick rubber band, BPNW included 16 of them double the needed amount. So that's a bonus, although chances of me ever needing them is slim.

 

[ekamm]

Thanks Randall that must be a later copy of the catalog than I have(copied from another site.)
Oh and I should have said that there are actually 4 times the 101-540 than I needed.

 

[TR3driver]

Depends on how old your old bushings are. For many years they were total junk and would fall apart after just a few months of service. If they are from that period, I'd just throw them away without ever opening the bag!

And 16 "rubber bands" is just enough for both sides. They go on both sides of the inner lower pivots (2 per pivot, so 4 total per side) and on the outer lower pivots (again 2 per pivot, 4 total per side). My TR3 actually has 24 of them, because I've got nylon (Nylatron) for the upper bushings as well.

Check the "Front Suspension" section of the TR3 supplement in the back of the TR2/3 workshop manual. Page 433
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2H2NJt...list&num=50

 

[ekamm]

Thanks again, the manual it's a much better copy than I have and my supplements aren't that late in the model. When I removed everything the only seals like that I had were on either side of the trunnion. I see now where they need to be.