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Rear Bump Box

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G

gsable

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Hi Folks,
I just pulled the rear wheels on my BJ8 for the first time and examined the bump boxes. They appear to be crooked in that the bottom of the box is not horizontal, but is tilted upward towards the front of the car. It is exactly the same on both sides of the car. Can anyone tell me whether this is the way it's supposed to be, or did the car run over a telephone pole in its past life?
Gary
 
Hey Gary

How much tilt have you got? I have replaced mine recently and can not say that they are tilted. They were identical so they would fit any side, the rear seats are fairly flat ( BJ7) at the top fixing position.

Bob
 
Bob,
The easiest way to describe it is that the bottom of the box is not parallel to the ground. The interesting thing is that both inside fender wells above where the box is attached have a bulge, and the bulge is exact on both sides. It looks as if the bulge was stamped into the fender well. Also, the bump box is cocked but is not bent or creased. Very wierd. I'm not where the car is right now or I would send you a picture.

Thanks for you response. Does this help or confuse?
Gary
 
Hello Gary, what you're describing is a common problem for later BJ8 Healeys. The factory changed the rear springs to ones that basically were softer to allow the rear end to move up and down more easliy.
This was because they had lowered the chassis frame under the axle to give more room for the axle to move.
Because of the softer springs the rear end bottoms out more often and it's the bump boxes that "take the hit" so as to speak.
When this happens the inner fender and supporting structure is distorted which is why you're seeing the bulging.
The easiest solution is to remove the boxes altogether, they won't stop your Healey from being useable.
With the holes that are left you can either put the fasteners back in or a small amount of silicone over the hole will stop any water/dirt getting in.
The bulges can be gently hammered back to make it look right but remember the word here is gently. Too much will distort the metal that has already been distorted and you can end up with a bigger problem than you have now.
The current bulging you have will not create any structural issues with your car so if you want to leave the bulges alone it will not hurt anything.
Regards, bundyrum
 
Sorry for the delayed response to your explanation (holiday time has distracted me).
Thanks for the clear explanation. I now understand and will save this work for whenever there is nothing left for me to do on this car, which is probably never.

Happy New Year.
Gary
 
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