• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

TR4/4A rebound stop clearance issue

Dash

Senior Member
Offline
Just put wheels on my TR (frame only with motor, trans and rear end mounted) after front suspension rework and all went together great. However the rebound stop on the right side has clearance from the bracket under the shock but the left side (drivers side) doesn't. The tire contacts the garage floor but to make clearance between the stop and the bracket I have to jack the suspension up a good 1" maybe a little more and in so doing, raises the tire off the ground. I know everything has to settle and driving will accomplish that but it seems odd that both sides don't start out the same. I've thoroughly gone over every inch of the suspension and all is as it's suppose to be so can't figure out how to correct it unless I shave the rubber stop down a bit which I really don't wanna do.
I'm stumped..any thoughts on what's going on?...Thanks

Actually am I thinking backwards and maybe the bracket is suppose to rest on the stop and it's the side with the gap that needs to settle?
 
Last edited:

TomMull

Darth Vader
Silver
Country flag
Offline
I too have some trouble visualizing the problem. If you have a solid rear axle TR4A I can say that those chassis have been known to twist. It's pretty easy to see if you put the chassis on stands on a level floor and usually fairly easy to fix.
Tom
 

sp53

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Perhaps drive it around some and see if the system as whole does not self-align. I see what you mean with the gap on the shock base and the fixed rubber that mounts on the frame. Plus I see what you mean by which side is correct, and I have had those thoughts myself. Somehow I let go about the gap after driving the car. Now when I reflect, I would say the shock really has nowhere to go but up because it is the one that moves. I think the wild card here is the coil spring, but again I bet the spring is fine, and my vote is to drive and feel.
steve
 
OP
D

Dash

Senior Member
Offline
right side rebound stop.JPGleft side reound stop.JPG

Hope these pics help a bit..I measured the frame height just behind the spring plate on both sides and the right side is 7" and the left side (no gap side) is 7 1/4". Don't know that maybe the rebound stop resting on the bracket is affecting that measurement a bit but if it is, I'm guessing that's how much the stop is resting on the bracket.
The rubber stops don't look like the same thickness but they are.
 

Sarastro

Obi Wan
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Since it doesn't have the body on it yet, the suspension will be at or close to the limit of its travel. When you have more weight on it, you'll compress the springs more and can then evaluate it a little better. I don't think you can make conclusions from what you see now.

Have the bushings been tightened? It's best to wait until there is full weight on the suspension before tightening them. That alone might account for part of the difference.
 

Snowkilts

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
When you jack up the frame, do both A-arms end up hitting their stops? If the shock absorber is bottoming out, it will prevent the arm from hitting the stop. I had this problem with shocks that were *supposed* to be correct for the car but in fact were too short.

You definitely do not want the shock to be the first thing that bottoms out.
 
OP
D

Dash

Senior Member
Offline
Yep, when I jack the frame up raising both sides at once the right stop makes contact with the bracket so both sides are then making contact. Are the rubber stops suppose to be in contact with the bracket when the car is at rest or should there be a gap? I'm trying to figure out which way is correct so I know which side I'm actually dealing with.
 

sp53

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
I thought a little more about your suspension settling problem and think the problem is in the adjustment of trunnions or upper and lower A arms. I took a picture of a tr3 that is an all-weather driver and setting on the tires and is often road- hard and hung up wet. There is about an inch or more of openness between the rubber and the fixed point. Your car is a tr4 and uses a different trunnion and upper A arms, but the cars are a lot the same at those points. You might try loosening things up some and bouncing the car by hand if you are concerned about have the correct parts in place. I think the suspension should relax some. The body is not that heavy and should not make a big difference.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN3437.JPGsm.jpg
    DSCN3437.JPGsm.jpg
    76.7 KB · Views: 84
OP
D

Dash

Senior Member
Offline
Thank you for taking the time to take the pic and posting. The nuts on the pivot points are slack, and I verified the shocks are the correct size. I hadn't, however, considered the trunnion(s) as being adjustable but I remember now they are, to a point, depending on how far up they are screwed onto the vertical link. I'm not finding any specific specs on that other than that they move freely and I tried to give both sides the same number of turns to the point of the top seal making good contacts. Gonna be a major pain in the butt to do but I guess it's come down to rechecking them.
I realize everything is going to settle, I get that, but if I don't get some space on the side that's already resting on the bumper the spring pressure will keep that from happening on that side (?) which is why I'm being so anal about this thing.
Does anyone have better trunnion attachment info?


Thanks to all
 

sp53

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
I was not thinking of the vertical link. I was thinking about how they pin across in the front. Doesn’t TR4 use a bolt? Anyways, maybe the weight of the tub, fender, and hood do make a bigger difference than I thought? They are defiantly something. Can you bounce the car up and down by hand? I am not a tr4 guy, so hopefully someone will chime in with more knowledge.
steve
 

Snowkilts

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Are you using the same springs and spacers that you had before? If you are using a late TR4 "long" spring with a spacer, it would certainly cause this.
 
OP
D

Dash

Senior Member
Offline
Both sides seem to have equal amount of movement when I create downward force on the front end in spite of the fact that one side has bumper clearance and the other doesn't. I was thinking if there was something I needed to do to get both sides starting out the same, this would be the time while everything is easy to get to.
Seems to me though, if there was something out of whack with the suspension parts, it would be almost impossible to get back together so I'm fairly confidant there's not much I can do there. The spring certainly would be suspect but it's original along with everything else except for new trunnions, seals, rotors and calipers. Time, I guess to stop being so hard headed, listen to you guys and see what the thing is gonna do on it's own...if anything. So, I think I'll remove the rubber stop in question to give the suspension some freedom and continue to work towards getting the body on.
The frame and drive train was a cake walk compared to what it's gonna take to get that thing fixed up..ouch!

once again, thanks for your input
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
K For Sale TR3 rear rebound brackets Triumph Classifieds 0
G Wanted Packing pieces on rebound rubber engine mount Austin Healey Classifieds 0
G Packing pieces on rebound rubber engine mount Austin Healey 5
Rhodyspit75 Rebound strap Spridgets 5
R Bugeye rebound strap bolt broke Spridgets 2
TulsaFred Rebound Straps Spridgets 10
K TR2/3/3A Leaf Spring "rebound clip" thickness .... Triumph 16
Boggsy64 MGB Rear Rebound straps and shocks MG 5
J Rear axle rebound buffers Austin Healey 9
X Rebound Straps MG 0
Jim_Gruber Spring Rebound Buffers- Big Rubber Things Spridgets 5
D Rebound straps and electronic ignition MG 2
boxfullofyertoys Rebound strap/rear axle problem Spridgets 5
N Rear axle rebound buffer Austin Healey 7
PeterK TR4/4A TR3-TR4 rebound bracket part needed Triumph 2
G Rebound Strap - What is its' purpose? Spridgets 9
martx-5 TR2/3/3A TR3 Rebound Rubber & Bracket Triumph 5
A Rebound Buffer Set MG 6
J Rear Suspension - Rebound Straps Spridgets 27
R rebound strap mounting bolt sheared off by me! MG 2
B Rebound Straps for CBB MG 9
G Rebound strap stud MG 3
K TR2/3/3A The two wires that go to the brake light stop switch junction......... Triumph 1
K TR2/3/3A Clutch and Brake Master Cylinder push rod stop bolts? Triumph 15
Basil Drop Stop Restoration & Tools 3
edkap2002 TR6 stop light [brake light] swith Triumph 9
B Stop/Tail light wiring Austin Healey 23
O Hesitation on pulling away from stop Jaguar 25
D extra stop/brake light Austin Healey 33
steveg Wanted - easy install tool or technique for directional/stop light lenses Austin Healey 9
warwick-steve Bump stop box query Austin Healey 19
Scotsman TR4/4A Steering Stop Lock on trunnion Triumph 9
KVH TR4/4A I Can't Stop Burning Oil; Engine Missing at Take Off Triumph 5
HealeyRick Wipers Won't Stop Spridgets 6
T TR4/4A Rear Bump Stop Spacer Triumph 1
M Stop the EPA Racing 7
bugedd Rear axle bump stop Spridgets 7
K TR2/3/3A Clutch Master Cylinder "Stop" Bolt.... Triumph 4
C Bump Stop Box Color??? Austin Healey 4
maxwedge5281 braking circuit through the stop light switch Austin Healey 7
J How to put a stop on the end of a choke cable? Restoration & Tools 2
B LED bulbs as side lights/stop light/flashers Austin Healey 29
tomshobby lower window stop? Spridgets 7
Mickey Richaud MGB Rear Bump Stop - MGB MG 2
PatGalvin The fun just won't stop [engine rebuild questions] Triumph 53
drooartz Off Topic It really needs to stop snowing... MG 19
Tim Tucker TR4/4A TR4 STOP BRACKET for WINDOW REGULATOR Triumph 5
Superwrench Horns won't stop beeping ! Help ! Austin Healey 4
N Running and stop bulbs??? Spridgets 4
J POR-15 where to stop??? Spridgets 30

Similar threads

Top