TR4/4A TR4A front frame reinforcement / parts don't fit

[Popeye]

I hope all are enjoying a fabulous 4th of July!

I am rebuilding my TR4A, and am working on the frame and front suspension.

I bought the front suspension frame reinforcement kit, and welded the bits on. (TRF p/n RFK158 - not endorsing TRF, just identifying exactly what I've done.) Then I had my frame blasted and primed while I replaced all the bushings in my front suspension with the TRF magic kit.

And now... things don't fit anymore. The front-most reinforcement bracket that I welded in place interferes with the bolt head from the front lower wishbone. See photos for details. The photos are all passenger side, and the interference is the front-most bracket. The rear wishbone will fit, no problem.

1. Did I install the frame reinforcement kit correctly? One bracket was on the original TR4A frame, and I welded on three more. Should the front-most bracket not have been installed?

2. How do I fix this... should I just cut a diagonal to allow the bolt head clearance, or should I remove the entire reinforcement?

 

[Darrell_Walker]

When I installed the kit (quite some time ago), there were two different sized reinforcements. Are yours both the same size? I'll see if I can get pictures, not sure now visible it will be with everything in place.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

OK, hopefully you can see something in these. This is the drivers's side, looking down from inside the engine compartment. On the rear mount, hopefully you can see the shorter reinforcement toward the front. On the front attachment, the reinforcement is only on the rear of the bracket.

 

[Popeye]

When I installed the kit (quite some time ago), there were two different sized reinforcements. Are yours both the same size? I'll see if I can get pictures, not sure now visible it will be with everything in place.

The kit had one short and two tall brackets (per side). The short one I put on the rear (and that works well), and the two tall ones I put on the front. Which is where the problem is... did I put the wrong one in the wrong location?

 

[Popeye]

OK, hopefully you can see something in these. This is the drivers's side, looking down from inside the engine compartment. On the rear mount, hopefully you can see the shorter reinforcement toward the front. On the front attachment, the reinforcement is only on the rear of the bracket.

Thank you! I really appreciate the photos! I did the same - almost - as I put two on the front and I think that is the mistake. I guess ill make a cut to allow room for the bolt.

 

[BL50]

I used the same kit from TRF and had to cut them down to make them fit. I was going to complain to TRF but never got around to it. I'd post a few pics but I'm away from my TR project for a couple weeks.

 

[Popeye]

Cut and done! Thanks for the feedback and advice from the community, as always!

(Note - BL50, the kit TRF sells is the same as the others. I presume it is a "generic" kit for all frames, thus perhaps for the 4A there are some extra bits, or bits that need trimming.)

I present you, a one-legged Triumph: