TR4/4A Tr4 front end help.

[Burrell22]

Alright i have a 1963 TR4 that my dad did a frame off restoration on in around 94-96. Recently my dad and I have had to tear the rear end down and replace couple things because the pre-load was set way wrong (only about 2 degrees total play in the shaft itself) and it burnt the bearings out at 7 thousand miles. We have known for awhile that the front ends' camber was off pretty bad. My grandfather put an average 200 miles on the car a year from 1996 to this time last year (Then we got it to do some carb tune up and engine work). My dad and I put a total of over 3 thousand miles on it in 6 months. Then the outsides of the front tires were getting severely worn. So while doing the rear end work I tore the front end down and notices the fulcrum pin was pretty rusted up below the paint, the bushings were shot and crumbling to pieces, and the bushing/seal for the trunion was completely missing. This was the case on both sides. Also the trunion was not going up completely, it had atleast 1.5 turns left until it was seated properly. A little grinding fixed that. We have got a new fulcrum pin on both sides, however were not sure it has fixed the problem. We are hoping to have it finished by late tonight, or put back together atleast.
Anybody had similar problems, i can post pics if that will help.

 

[gubba]

Pictures would be nice for everyone...and welcome aboard

 

[trrdster2000]

Burrell22, when installing the fulcrum pin bushing, use a small amount of silicone grease on all parts. Polish the end washer and the inter wall with a fine wire brush or sand paper. Do not bolt it up until you take the suspension up like it was on the ground, the new rubbers tend to rip apart and the small amount of grease helps prevent this.

Wayne

PS Sounds like you know what you are doing, good luck.

 

[Burrell22]

We are using urethane bushings on the top now so they dont rip as you said they have a tendency to do. The old bushings were dry rotted and ripped as well. We are putting thr driver side together today( American left hand drive model ). I Will take pictures of evereything and upload them i guess.

And wayne im only 15 but i grew up around this car my whole life, always something to do on it haha.

 

[trrdster2000]

Well done and keep it going so your kids can learn how it all comes together. Your dad must be very proud as I was with mine when he wanted a GT6 for his 16th Birthday. He's 49 now and teaching his on a Spitfire and a GT Neon and has 2 Mini's. I think I might have destroyed him, haha.

Wayne

 

[KVH]

Welcome aboard. I was 16 when I got my '63 TR4 and I'd know nothing about cars or mechanics today if it hadn't been for that car.

When a TR4 is your transportation to school and college, you learn things.

Pictures would in fact help. You likely have all the standard front end setup for a '63 but it would be good for us to verify things haven't been changed out, and to follow what you are saying a bit more closely. I haven't heard of needing to grind to fit the fulcrum pins.

 

[Burrell22]

I am uploading pictures now of what we did to assemble the entire driver side. Did the same thing on the other side as well. And we didn't have top grind the fulcrum pin, my bad if that's what i said, we had to grind the trunion over steer stop down so it would seat on the bushing properly. The pics should provide a lot of detail.

 

[Burrell22]

Grinding down the over steer stop so it will seal correctly.

You can see that the seal is seated

Ball joint is level and seated, and fulcrum is greased and attached to upper A-arm

Reads 90 degrees on both sides so its not the shock mount causing the camber to be off this bad.

lower a-arms went on no problem.

a- arms snugged up

everything seemsto have lined up right so far.

Bearings re-packed and inside cleaned out and re-packed, and seal cut in half and oiled.

Everything seems to have worked, wont know if camber issue if fixed until we set it down and drive it and check tire wear.

paint used to paint most of the stuff and touch ups

 

[trrdster2000]

OK Guys, Do we set this kid up in business or are we going to let this kind of talent go to the computer cars????

Wayne

 

[Burrell22]

Actually I live near a college called Blue Ridge Community and they have partnered with the local high schools and have the best automotive program on the east side of the Mississippi. So next year I am taking the automotive classes there while doing my high school classes. But all of what ive learned has been from my dad and watching, not to mention chewing on a greasy wrench when i was 2 haha. But computer cars im guessing you mean the new vehicles. Those are my weakness. To many thins being controlled by a subsystem then a susb system being controlled by a sub sub system or whatever it is.But thats why im taking automotive classes.


P.S.- we found the problem we think, The toe is way out of align anout 3/4 of an inch and with that puling the tires in plus the positive 2 camber stock on the car thats pulling the tired infrom the bottom somewhat and putting the wear on the outside, so we are taking it to my dads friends shop where he can have it on a stand and set it in what i think he called parallel alignment to the rear tired or something??

 

[bgbassplyr]

I'm impressed! Well done.