TR2/3/3A Front End Spec for TR3A

Kenny -

TR3's are the ultimate in simplicity. There's really only one adjustment to be made, due to the design of the front end - toe-in. And that is basically zero. Moss Motors and The Roadster Factory sell a nifty device for setting toe-in. It's an aluminum gauge that you place at the front and the rear of the tires and compare the distance between left and right side. You adjust the tie rod ends until you get in tolerance (with the steering wheel straight ahead). I did mine myself and had it checked at an alignment shop (one that had a rack narrow enough!), and it was perfect.

Hope this helps you.

Mickey

Thanks! This probably explains why I never had it adjusted over the years. I will look for the part in the Moss catalogue

Time to align the front end of my 1960 TR3A. Don't believe it has ever been done before but just rebuilt all the front suspension. Anyone know the caster,camber and toe setup?

Aloha Kenny,

A long time member of my car club showed me a quick way to check and adjust toe-in/out. Take a stout string, longer than your car, and attach it to the the rear spring behind the rear wheel. Take it to the front of the car and tie it off to something handy (front sway bar or bumper bracket). Take all slack out of the string and position it so that it runs on the outside of the tires about 8 inches above the ground. Now sight down the string to see that it touches the front and rear of each tire and the string is a continuoius straight line. Adjust it up or down as required if spoke or wheel covers are in the way. Turn the steering wheel as necessary to get the front tire lined up and string straight from rear to front. Now do the same thing with another string on the other side of the car, but do not touch the steering wheel. If the string on this side is not a straight line, see which way the front tire needs to move to make it straight and adjust tie rods as necessary. The description of the process is more complicated than it is to do. I've used this several times with good results.

Safety Fast,
Dave

Good suggestions above...I've used the "string method" and I eventually built a contraption similar to the device sold in the Roadster factory.
One added comment, if you dissasembled your front end.
1. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.
2. Then turn all the way to the right and count the exact number of turns.
3.Then turn exactly half way back to the left (half the number of turns)so that the steering wheel is exactly as it should be for "straight-ahead" driving.....and then adjust your toe in/out....this will insure that you have equal "limits" both left and right (it also insures that the "toe-out on turns" geometry that is built into your car will function correctly). You may wish to clamp the steering wheel or have someone hold it "straight ahead" while you are make the toe adjustment.

Just to add 2 cents, my suggestion is to get it computer aligned, at a shop that can give you a printout of all the angles(SAI, IA, castor, camber
and toe)Granted there is no(easy) way to re-align the castor & camber, but if somehow there is a bent componet in the system(god forbid!!) this will reveal it. I have seen many tr's that have had curb damage that caused neg castor, this is not a good thing, and should be addressed.Camber problems are mostly crash related too, so its better to know than drive on in an unsafe manner.
MD(mad dog)