• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

engine brace on a -6

Share this page

G

Guest

Guest
Guest
Offline
I just spent a frustrating 1/2 hour wrestling with the cross brace on the -6 (need to take off the bolt off the front of the crank and can't get a wrench in otherwise.

I imagine you have to jack the car up to get enough 'slack', right?

I did wonder if anyone gave thought to makeing a slimmer copy out of stronger material. An extra 1/2 inch would be quite useful for me at this juncture...
 
I was at RATCO today, the place that makes the TR frames. Tony is in the process of putting one of his frames under his TR250, and we've (LITA members) have been helping with the project.

He showed us something concerning just what you are talking about. He had four of those cross braces that go between the suspension uprights, and none of them were exactly the same length. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif The difference between the narrowest and widest was about a quarter of an inch.

He makes his frames according to the published distance, but that may result in some of those braces being 'snug'.

If you jack the front of the car up, it just might flex those uprights enough to ease the fitment of the cross brace.
 
Alan, Im getting ready to modify mine, I have had this idea for a few years because of the difficulty with fan belt replacement, Im going to cut out on the pulley side aprox. a 1"x12" section and weld in a flat piece of steel to replace it, so it should end up with a indented narrow area in front of the pulley. I dont think this will compromise the strength enough (if any)to be a concern.
 
There is a guy on the six pack site that is into fabricating things, including the cross brace.

cross brace
 
Not sure why you are having so much trouble easing this brace out. May have to persuade it with a little tapping from behind.

As far as modifying this brace to make removal of the fan belt easier, this isn't necessary if you simply slide the engine back a bit on its mounts. There is enough slack in the slotted front mounts as well as the tranny mount to move the whole shebang back a good 1/4" or so. The belt will slide right out. I Jet Hot coated my brace because of all the abuse it takes. Now it doesn't chip.
 
I know its not necessary but it will make things alot easier instead of having to slide a motor and trans back just to change a fan belt.
 
ALLAN said:
I know its not necessary but it will make things alot easier instead of having to slide a motor and trans back just to change a fan belt.
Click to expand...


Uh, er, ya only do it once, not while you are on the road.
<span style='font-size: 8pt'> A little humor, there.</span>
 
Alan- You did jack the front of the car up didn't you?
Mine just slid out once I read that.
 
Back
Top