TR2/3/3A TR3 Ball joints & front end

[BillyB62]

Unfortunately, on the way home last week from work in which I had taken the Triumph, the front end began to shake badly over 50MPH. I read a bunch of posts on several forums and bought tie rods and wheel bearings in hopes to resolve the shake enough to take the car to the Day of Triumph this weekend. In the interest of time (which I have little), I brought the car to the mechanic I use for the family daily drivers because I knew I wouldn't be able to get to the car before Sundays event. After he put the car up on the lift, he called with bad news.

To make a long story short, in addition to the tie rods and bearings, the front end has deteriorated bushings and the ball joints also will need to be replaced. I am planning on getting the ARE silentbloc steering pin and TRF poly bush kit (wish I had bought the magic kit now!) - based on comments from the folks on this forum. Also, there seems to be a large range of costs for ball joints (I've seen them as low as $10 to TRF's being nearly $50 - although on sale this week at $34.94). Are any ball joints better than others?

Since I will not be taking my car to DoT, there isn't an emergency to order the parts - but in the interest getting her back on the road, I would appreciate any comments on my choice of parts.

Thanks,

 

[TR3driver]

I wonder if there has been a miscommunication somewhere. In my experience the upper ball joints last pretty much forever (if kept greased occasionally), much longer than the bottom trunnion assembly. However, some mechanics call the lower trunnion a ball joint (since that is what most cars use there). I'm just suggesting that you should double-check whether it's upper, lower, or both that need to be replaced. If the upper joints are OK, they might still need new rubbers (which are available separately for original style joints).

Practically everyone has been burned at one time or another by poor quality parts. IMO, TRF works hard at offering the best quality possible; while some of the others are more interested in low price. As my Dad used to say, hay is cheaper after it's been through the horse. But I don't have any direct experience to offer.

 

[BillyB62]

Thanks Randall,

As always, I appreciate your comments and insight. Since I've only owned the car for a relatively short time, I don't know the history behind the maintenance. My car only has 35K miles (at least on the odometer, I realize it could be 135K but the PO told me that it was 35K) so it sat somewhere for a long time. The mechanic recommended I replace the ball joints, only because he was replacing almost everything else. He definitely showed me the wobble/movement in the upper ball joint, not the trunnion assembly. I've used him exclusively for many years and there is a trust factor that he wouldn't try to hose me (heck, I've been bringing our 5 cars there so long I've practically bought his boat for him ). Now that I think of it, I may have even inquired whether it was a good idea or not.

I've bought 90% of my parts from TRF since owning the car because of their quality and customer service (and proximity to Connecticut). It just struck me odd that their ball joints were more than twice others and reading through other posts I heard they are sourced from Taiwan, not England. I've never had a bad experience with TRF yet, I'll probably just stick with them.

Thanks again,

 

[PeterK]

Taiwan mfg is better than mainland China, with India finishing at the back of the quality pack, both in quality and raw materials IMO. TRF, Moss, and Victoria British all sell just as much junk as any so it pays to shop around. They all source out parts for mfg bids and often use the same suppliers, but $$ is $$ and no one is in the business not to make money (no matter what they want you to believe.) I personally would not put anything critical on my TRs that mfg'd in China or India, especially engine parts, suspension parts, and rubber. Taiwan too even though their ISO mfg standards are higher FWIW. Most modern replacement rubber That I have seen is pure crap and crumbles in a short time. My 2 cents.

 

[BillyB62]

Thanks for your "two cents" Peter. Any opinion on the polyethylene parts out there?

 

[PeterK]

Same same. I like Prothane poly bushings. The generic stuff is not consistant, sometimes soft, sometimes hard. (I always have an opinion ymmv