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Suspension set up?

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Tabcon

Tabcon

Jedi Warrior
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I've been putting myself through a crash course in suspension technology. I may have just as well enrolled in MIT for rocket science. This is heady stuff!

I was hoping some of the more experienced racing experts here could answer a few basic questions for me.

If you were to take a set of lower control arms (that are angled at both ends) and remove the angled ends with the holes in them, and then replace the angled ends with adjustable rod ends while maintaining the same exact overall length, would this work? Would the movement that the rod end provides eliminate the need for the angles at the end of each arm or would your car dive into the nearest wall?

I've seem this done with the upper A-arms for a TR4, but never the lower arms:

AXL406.jpg
 
I'm not eactly sure what you mean. A nice CAD drawing would help.

Maybe a course at MIT with my pal, Woodie Flowers would be a good idea!

But if you're just asking if a lower control arm can be adjustable where it meets the suspension pick-up points, my best answer is that this is fairly common on formula cars.

So it's not out of the question.

Here's an image that my local guys the Stevens U. SAE team did for their Formula SAE. All the red areas are adjustable rod ends (that's the right front tire on the left side).
As with all suspension design, things need to be strong enough with good geometric principles, double shear attachments, etc.

image004.jpg




There is some TR rod end suspension shown on this page (link below). Maybe you could write the guy and see what he could advise? G'luck!

https://www.tjwakeman.net/TR/Net_TR3suspension.htm
 
What are you trying to accomplish or is this an intellectual exercise? The upper A arms are stamped steel so are relatively easy to rework to gain some negative camber. The lower are cast, not sure they can be modified.
 
At this point, it's really more of an intellectual exercise, and I need all the exercise in this area I can get. I'm trying to understand the basic principles of suspension and how antique suspension systems could benefit from modern technology.

Compared to the after market upgrades now being offered for other antique cars, Mustangs, Corvettes and various other muscle cars, the stuff offered for Triumphs has remained much the same since I last owned one in the 80's. The lowly TR seems to remain the red headed step child of the after market world.

I was considering fabricating a few fairly simple and not too costly after market items for the TR in line with the other stuff that's available for the other marques, and some that is not as it's more applicable for the TR.

I'm sure most everyone here, when searching for certain parts in online catalogs is frustrated by the big "NLS" and "NA" where a price should be, and if a price is given, it just means it's an old catalog that has never been updated. Anglo is the worst. What's with this place? The parts they do have are 10 times more expensive than everyone else and they still list parts that haven't been available in years.

I'd like to make and market just a couple of items to see if there is any interest, and if not, so be it.

I can't be the only person out there searching for custom and stock TR parts that seem to be non-existent, at least I hope not.
 
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