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TR2/3/3A rear suspension / towing...

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doc50

doc50

Jedi Trainee
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I have two questions:

1) I think my TR3's rear suspension is horrible....and unfortunately it may be working correctly.
I went over a rather hard bump the other day and made two nice upward divots in the trunk lid from the stuff stored in the trunk.

Anyone have a similar experience?

2) I welded up a tow bracket arrangement to tow the car with our motorhome...but after trying it out, I'm concerned because the car's front wheels don't turn left or right. I know TR3's have stiff steering and are burdened with older automotive technology (this my 5th) ....but is this a common problem?

Thanks...I will not tow this car until I hear back from someone...and I am holding my breath...

Thom
1959 TR3
#34909L(O)
 
It unfortunately does not take much to make the rear suspension hit the limits of travel. But it is certainly worth checking that your ride height is about right (around 2" of space showing between the axle stops and the frame, with the car sitting on the suspension). Apparently pretty much all of the replacement springs available are not made correctly, and originals may be pretty badly sagged. Check the shock operation while you're there, as they help limit the excursions of the rear axle (making it less likely to hit the stops). And of course the bump stops themselves. I discovered just the other day that one of mine is MIA.

I found that adding something between the spring leaves to reduce friction helped with the ordinary ride (ie when not hitting the stops), but of course makes it more likely to hit the stops. Always a trade-off. But I would suggest at least disassembling the springs and cleaning out the years of crud and corruption that accumulates in there. For my latest go-round, I've been using .005" thick UHMW tape as friction reducer (thanks, TeriAnn) which seems to work well. I've heard that Teflon has a tendency to squeeze out over time.

Of course you oil the leaves every 6000 miles :smile:

The steering should be able to follow a tow bar, but it takes a lot of side force. Probably the majority of TRs are too stiff and won't follow at all. But I will definitely not try it again as it is just too hard on the car, IMO. For sure, your tow bar needs to connect to the frame; not the bumper extensions as they break fairly easily.

I assume you realize that the gearbox does not lubricate properly while flat towing (or on a tow dolly), so distance and speed must be severely limited unless you disconnect the driveshaft. That's true of almost any rear wheel drive car, not just TR3s. (The exception being a very few automatic transmissions that have rear pumps. Might not apply to a J-type OD either, but I'm not sure about that offhand.)
 
The problem with the self-steering is that it has no, as in "0" castor. Castor is the forward angle of the pivot axis of the wheels. It's what allows you to take your hands off you bicycle handle bars and lean to steer your bike...and it's what turns the wheels when you are towing a car behind your RV. TR4 suspensions have castor...maybe someone knows if they are adaptable to the TR3 chassis to allow it to self-steer??
 
Thom, I had a couple of brackets welded to my frame on the front end of my TR3A and attached a tow bar to it; big mistake, not only will the wheels not follow, but they actually turned in one direction and i was dragging the front wheels sideways. A lesson learned!
 
Thanx, guys.
Terry, that's just what I rigged up....and came to the same end as your experience.
I WAS going to tow it about 400 miles, then decided that the loss of the front tires would be incidental to the breakage of the front suspension bits!
(I am now looking for a two wheel dolly..)
Thom
 
Randall, are you sure about the trans not being lubed well enough when being towed??
I thought that was only with automatic transmissions.
Thom
 
Thom, the two wheel dolly was my next purchase and it worked real well. The only thing was, behind my truck which had a topper on the bed I couldn't see the car at all, nor could I even tell I was pulling it. I could see the the wheels of the dolly in my side mirrors but that was it. If something had gone wrong with the car; I wouldn't have known it until it was too late.
 
doc50 said:
Randall, are you sure about the trans not being lubed well enough when being towed??
I thought that was only with automatic transmissions.
Thom
Click to expand...

That's what I have also heard. The problem is that the main shaft turns inside the gears, but the gears themselves and countershaft do not. The countershaft and gears are what sling the oil to lube everything well. The mainshaft sits well above the oil level in the case, so it gets no lube at all without the countershaft turning. I've always heard you are good for 40 miles, but beyond that the drive shaft should be disconnected.
 
TR3TR6 said:
Thom, I had a couple of brackets welded to my frame on the front end of my TR3A and attached a tow bar to it; big mistake, not only will the wheels not follow, but they actually turned in one direction and i was dragging the front wheels sideways. A lesson learned!
Click to expand...
FWIW, that sometimes happens even with "modern" cars. I used to tow a 80 Chevy behind my motorhome and it happened to me more than once. Usually while making a turn through a big dip, like turning out of a gas station driveway.

But I flat-towed my previous TR3A for about 15 miles and it did track. I just bolted a tow bar on in place of the front bumper; and when I got home I could see where the frame extensions had deflected and the front apron was crumpled around the holes. Not a good idea.

They say good judgement comes from experience, while experience comes from bad judgment.

I once bought a wrecked TR3A that had been towed "bout a hunerd miles" after the wreck apparently with the rear wheels on the ground. The tip of the mainshaft was badly discolored (blue) from having gotten so hot. Although I've never tested it, I'm pretty sure the temper is gone and the shaft is ruined along with the bearing and input shaft.
 
Well, I will never tow this car! I may as well take off the neat brackets that I spent hours on....and it will only help the front look.
Thanx for the info.
Thom
1959 TR3
#34909L(O)
 
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