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Suspension Questions

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chappy444

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I posted this on another board as well but i figured i would post here as well.

winter is approcning and I am planning my projects and getting ready to purchase parts.
I remember seeing a thread aobut suspension kits on here at some point but i coudn't find it again.

I plan on buying the parts from VB

For Phase 1; (now to x-mas)
Major front suspension kit ($110)
Shock kit front and rear ($80)
Front sway bar bushings and hardware (+/- $20)
Coil Spring set ($60)

For Phase 2; (x-mas to spring)
Rear Leaf spring ($150)
Rear spring bushing set ($10)
Rear bushing set ($20)
Diferential mount bushing set ($20)

my questions are these.

has anyone used the above parts from VB? how was quality, etc....they have to be better than the worn out units i have on there now.
should i do the steering rack mount bushings while i have the front end apart?
should i replace the front spring plates? the ones on it now look ok.
should i buy the regular hieght coil springs or the lowered springs?
should i go ahead and do the wheel bearings while i have it all apart? (current bearings seem fine)

any special tools needed(triumph spicific)?
any parts i have missed?

thanks for the advice.
 
Somewhat random thoughts here:

What is your goal (on, I'm assuming from a check of your profile, the Spitfire)? "Restore" to stock performance, or somewhere beyond? If the former, I'd seriously consider assessing all parts before just replacing everything. Sure, it's likely that 35-year-old original rubber or nylon bushings are bad (or at least worn enough to warrant replacement), but that doesn't necessarily mean that, for example, the springs themselves are bad, or the trunnions. It's quite possible that the rear spring is bad, but it's also possible that it only needs new buttons between the leaves and possibly new "spring eye" bushings.

If you want something beyond "stock" performance, I'd honestly try to find someone else local who has made modifications to a Spitfire, ask them if they'd let you drive it, and see if it's what you really want. (Slot-car-like handling is always nice, but if you find that 1% of enjoyment doesn't justify the 99% of the time the car rides harshly down to the local hamburger stand, then maybe that's NOT the route you want to go!)

Yes, you probably should replace the steering rack mount bushings...IF you have any movement of the rack. If not, you're ok. Same with something like diff. mount bushings; personally, I've never had any go bad. In fact, I just recently came across a box full of bits I'd stripped off a dead Herald decades ago. In the box were some diff. mount bushings that still looked and felt like new!

Wheel bearings? If worn, replace. Otherwise, clean, repack and reinstall.

Shock absorbers? I'm not sure what "Shock kit front and rear ($80)" refers to, but I hope it's not four shock absorbers. I've not heard much good about currently available "stock" replacement shocks. Yes, Koni shocks are amazingly expensive, but your grandchildren will thank you years from now when the Konis on the car they inherited are still performing virtually as new! :laugh:

Special tools? Nothing I can think of beyond needing some sort of spring compressor for the front spring/shock combo. There are a lot of bad spring compressors out there. Personally, unless I already owned one, I'd go to any shop that does modern springs/MacPherson struts and have them to the R&R on the front shock assembly for you.
 
I'd strongly suggest thinking hard about using poly bushings. They'll tighten up the handling and should last longer. Not sure about the Spitfire bits but on the TR6 the quality and longevity of the rubber bushings is not good.

Don't forget SpitBits, very-very knowledgeable about your car and you'll get good coaching from them.
 
Thanks Andrew and TD,
I guess I should have been more clear...
Yes it is a Spit 1975
it apprears that all of the parts are original factory bits. all the rubber parts are dry/cracked/smashed.

my goals;
to make it better/safer than it is today
give myself something to work on
getting the most upgrade for the dollar (as few dollars as possible)


things i don't care too much about:
having to do it again in 5 or 10 years
upgrading the handling "performance". i don't want a racecar...that is a slippery slope that i want to stay off with this car. i am trying to keep it worth more than i have invested in it.

i figure if i get the kit and repalce all the parts in the kit while i am in there, then the front end will be done and i can move on to the next project like the rear end suspension. then i can move on to the next project...

just replace and recondition as i go along.
as long as i am making it better than it was when i started i am happy.

i am not even sure how long i will have this car, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years???

i only drive this car about 1000 miles a year...maybe more once i am more comfortable with its reliability and safety.

as i have only had this car since around May of this year... all items are suspect. driving it this summer has showed it is in desperate need of rubber parts...
 
Your call, but the poly bit will be like $50+/- total more, won't turn it into a race car but will tighten up the handling noticeably and probably make you more confident in her driving responses. Take it for what it is worth, get other opinions from the Spit owners here (although I had a 1973 and did this on my car at the time).
 
I second the poly bushings suggestion. I went poly on my TR4A and GT6 and the difference in night and day. I had a bad experience with VB when it came to the trunions on the TR. They wouldn't thread on more than two turns. This happened on the drivers side and the passenger side. Sent them back and the new ones had the same problem. Ordered a set from Moss and they worked fine. Other than that all my dealings with VB have been fine. Good luck.
 
just did poly on my tr4a. worth the extra few bucks.
 
I don't even know what's available in poly but, I you had a choice what places would you use poly and where would you go with rubber?
 
i have considered the poly option and had myself talked out of it...except for maybe the sway bar bushings. now i guess i will have to revisit the internal argument over this.

my thoughts had been this.
Pros:
1.the "stock" kit is on sale at VB.
2.i have a limited budget for this phase of upgrades so i want as many new/needed parts as possible.
3.the +/-$50 savings for regular over poly plus the $20+ savings on the sale price of the kit pays for the lowered front springs (to hopefully fix the rear camber issue)
4.savings on shipping not having to buy parts from multiple companies.
5.it will hopefully be as good or better than stock if i use the regular rubber...and it will definatly be better than it is now.

Cons:
1.it will not handle as good as it possibly could...degree of improvement between rubber and poly is really an unknown for me.
2.may decide that i want the poly later and have to redo this job.
3.quality of parts is an unknown

so...do the pros out weigh the cons???

thanks again for the input.
 
Lewis,
I am sure i will need a spring compressor..as the only one i have is for full size (early model) US cars and trucks...i think that my compressor is actually bigger than the entire triumph spring assembly.

i work in columbia, MD so i could come pick it up when the time comes if your willing to loan it to me for a weekend.

you can email me at chappy444@hotmail.com

thank you.
Bill
 
Quality of the parts is unknown? Not sure why you list that as a con, in my experience the quality of the poly bushings is far superior to the rubber bits (many of which are manufactured in India to variable quality).

But you car, whatever you think is best, and how great another Spit is getting some love and will be driving around soon.
 
TDSkip - I tried to PM you this question, but your mailbox is full!

Where did you source your poly bushings for your 4A? I am thinking that would be a good winter project for me, and would raher buy the good parts the first time around...

Thanks!
 
tdskip,
i said unknown because i am not sure of the quality of the rubber units from VB that come in the "major kit"

not knowing is a con... i konw the poly units will probably be fine...i just don't know about the rubber bits.
 
Chappy, purchase your rubber bushes from Spit Bits, then you won't have to worry about the quality.

Nigel Cosh, the owner of SpitBits, will guarantee the quality.

No worries.

FYI. :thumbsup:
 
Lewis_McDorman said:
Will you need a spring compressor? I have one made for the TR6. I'm in Bowie.
Click to expand...
The Spitfire's spring/shock assembly has more similarities to a McPherson strut. One suitable for the TR6 isn't going to work. Andy's suggestion of unbolting and taking them to a shop is a good one - That's what I did with the GT6's.
 
TR4A_IRS said:
TDSkip - I tried to PM you this question, but your mailbox is full!

Where did you source your poly bushings for your 4A? I am thinking that would be a good winter project for me, and would rather buy the good parts the first time around...

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey! Sorry about that, I cleaned out my inbox some.

I used Richard Goods TA bushings and adjustable camber kit on the TR6, and his kit with BPNorthwest poly bushings on the TR4A IRS.

I have BPNorthwest poly bushings on the front end on both. I find them nice to work with and well priced.

be aware that she'll sit high, scary high, until she's been moved a lot. Bouncing her around in place won't do it, she'll need to be driven.

Having done some hard driving on this set up (including lowered and firmed springs from Richard Good) it really makes we drive like a different car. On stock springs I don't think you'll have an ride comfort issues.

Was that what you were looking for?
 
I am new here but I have spent a lot of time with the front suspension on my Mk III Spitfire, and I wanted to offer one small piece of advice.

Be wary of replacing "stock with stock" shock absorbers and springs in the front. I am not convinced that the spring seats for the single shock absorber sold as stock across the whole run of Spitfires are in the right place for all Spitfires to sit right with the stock spring. A quick measurement (old vs. new) will tell you if you are headed for wheel gap and / or camber problems.

I struggled with this through several iterations before I ended up with shorter, stiffer springs and shocks with adjustable spring seats.

Also I'd second the notion to get a "proper" spring compressor. The ones that I picked up at local parts stores were far too big to be of much use on the Spitfire assemblies. I ended up talking an English friend into bringing me back one of Rimmer Bros' compressors when he was visiting London. Now I don't feel like I'm taking my life into my hands when I mess around with that particular part of the car.

Brad
69 Spitfire
 
Thanks Tom!

Were you able to buy all the parts from BPNW as a single kit? It looks to me like I need to order several different "kits" to have all the bushings covered.
 
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