TR2/3/3A Urethane bushings for TR3 lower inner contol arms?

[JohnDS]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of rebuilding the front suspension on my ’59 TR3A and after replacing the lower inner wishbone bushings with the nylon/steel combo provided by Moss, I noticed the steel bushings are very loose on the inner fulcrum pivot. This allows for a lot of racking of the wishbone, even when the retaining plate and nuts are installed. So I have two questions: How tight should the wishbones be on the lower fulcrum, and, how about using the same urethane bushings (Prothane) that I used on the top inner control arm/fulcrum pin? They appear to fit the lower quite well, and the very original bushings were also rubber, just like the upper. Any opinions?

Thanks!

-John S.

 

[tdskip]

First of all - welcome to the forum John.

I'm not sure those bushings will work, a quick search of the Moss site suggests that they are a different part.

I'd wait to hear from one of the more experienced TR3 folks.

 

[TR3driver]

Something wrong with that picture. The steel bushings aren't exactly snug on the pins, but they should get clamped into place by the retaining plate.

If your urethane bushings are as firm as the nylon, they would probably be OK. But the rubber was changed fairly promptly because it was too soft and deflected when cornering.

 

[TR4nut]

John-

Welcome to the forum!

I've not pulled my 59 apart yet to compare, but I think the lower inner pivots are identical to what I have on my TR4. I agree with Randall, something is amiss. I'd check the cause of this rocking first to make sure you don't have a component worn excessively. The inner steel bush is a pretty close fit on the pivot pin- its typically a pain to remove when refurbishing. Likewise the nylon bush has pretty close tolerances to the inner steel bush and the wishbone arm. You shouldn't have any wobble.

Other than that, the urethane may be a workable solution, since the TR2 and very early TR3s relied on rubber bushes anyway.

Randy

 

[JohnDS]

Thanks everyone for the quick response! I agree that something may be amiss, probably excessive wear of the inner fulcrum pin. The welds are solid. I was surprised by how loose the steel bushings were. I imagine fixing this would involve removal of the old pivots and replacement (a lot of welding that I would have to have done by someone who knows what they are doing!). Moss lists the same rubber bushings for both upper and lower control arms (680-130) so I would imagine that the Prothane bushings would fit and that would be a lot cheaper than the welding route. If I go that route I will post my reults.

Thanks again!

-John

 

[SteveTR]

John,

I too welcome you aboard the best forum on the internet.

You seem to be on the right track.

Let us know how the Prothane bushings work for you.

Cheers.

 

[TR3driver]

so I would imagine that the Prothane bushings would fit

Only problem is that the urethane bushings also use an inner sleeve, just like the nylon ones do. If the stock sleeve is loose, the sleeve supplied with the urethane bushings probably will be too.

Plus of course those pivot pins see a significant portion of the weight of the car, plus bumps etc. If they are badly worn/corroded, they may be about to break ...

 

[bondo100b]

I have one front suspension totally apart and one still intact. Its been 17 years since I took it apart. Body is off the frame. I think I used the outside of the spring compressor to take off the one I have off. Is there any other way to take off the one that I still have on? Cant get internal compressor in side since spring is still there and cant jack up wheel since no weight is on the car. Can anyone direct me to a post somewhere on this. Thanks
steve in arkansas

 

[bondo100b]

my car is a 59 tr3a steve in arkansas

 

[Don Elliott]

I know a TR3A owner named Graham in Scotland and he was doing his front suspension with the engine out. He had to load about 400 pounds of concrete patio tiles onto the frame where his engine would normally be.

 

[TR3driver]

Steve, it's usually better to start a new topic for a new question, rather than tack onto a similar topic. You'll get more replies that way, IMO.

Sorry I can't help with your question; I've never attempted what you need to do. I would probably do something foolish, like wrap a ratcheting tie down strap
( Eg, https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47764 )
under the outboard end of the lower arms and around the inner end of the upper arms, then tighten it just enough to be able to remove the rebound stop & shock to install the normal internal spring compressor. But you could easily lose a finger if the strap lets go while you are working, so I wouldn't want to recommend that to anyone else

 

[Adrio]

Rather then use heavy things for weight when faced with the same problem, I used plastic trash bins and filled them with water. I could not find enough weight otherwise and in the end I did not have to lift anything heavier then a rubbish bin and a garden hose.