Dan,
I think I finally have my leaf spring problem diagnosed, but not
solved. Although TRF was out of the TR4A leaf springs, Vicky Brit
said they had them in stock. I immediately ordered a pair. Imagine
my disgust to find that they were just like the ones I bought three
years ago.
I measured both the new springs and the three year old ones, and found
that they were 39 inches from eye center to eye center, and approx. 9
3/8 inches from the floor to the bottom of the arch when turned upside
down (they all varied by 1/4 inch).
At this point, I started questioning wether I was just assembling the
suspension incorrectly, so I consulted every manual and book I had. I
found in Bill Piggot's TR restorer's guide, p. 58, that the rear
springs were changed during TR4 production at CT23383 to a 'deep
dished' type that necessitated an aluminum spacer. The light bulb
begins to glimmer.
The pictures in the spare parts catalogs show a spring that has almost
no curvature for the TR4A, while the springs that I received have a
very deep curvature. I think I've been sold the springs for the TR4
with aluminum spacers. BTW, the latest springs from Vicky Brit had the
TR4A part number on them, so it looks like they are marked wrong in
inventory. This oughta be fun to explain.
Meanwhile, if anyone out there has a rigid axle TR4A with springs that
they can sell, I'm ready to trade major organs for them.
Dave Rupert
1967 springless TR4A
1980 TR7
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