Hi all,
I spent most of this Saturday making the repairs to the dreaded
differential mounts on my 75 TR6. As many owners have said in their
posts , the passenger front mount was the culprit. The metal arch
cracked in the middle where the stud goes through. Luckily the stud
itself was still welded solid in to the upper spring pan.
I was fortunate to have a local welder with a lift that was kind enough
to let me do the wrench work & he stepped in to do his magic. This
particular shop is run by people who do business the old fashioned way
with incredible talent that has been passed down from farther to son.
His Dad repaired my TR's 30 years ago & at the ripe old age of 86 he
still has a welder in his hands.
After removing the rear I gave him the reinforcing plates I made from
the TRF template, which I am forever grateful to the lister who made me
aware this was available. This made the job so much easier, faster &
stronger. Even the welder was impressed, they fit perfect. Even with the
rear out getting to the outboard side of the mount is very tight but
this guy is so good it's a work of art. I have twin exhaust pipes and
mufflers and you can remove the rear without dropping the exhaust,
loosen the mounting brackets & manipulate the pipes to either side to
create room. While up in the air & the Differential out, I scrapped &
painted stuff never visible to the human eye. All new rubber bushings
installed & I was good to go.
The total repair time was about four hours & $125.00. With the repair
done, I drove away and still had a clunk & a new metal rubbing noise
that made me cringe. After tying his lift up for most of the morning I
drove home , put the car on jack stands and discovered a blown drivers
side in board U-joint.
These are the moments I cherish most about the odds of coincidence. I
had never heard so much as a squeak from the rear before the mount cracked.
I replaced the joint and the car is rock solid. This is definitely a
weak design & I would recommend the reinforcing plates if any service to
this area is done.
Thanks for all the help from the list , especially the person who
forwarded the template.
--
Mitch Seff
Oceanside, N.Y.
75 TR6
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/triumph5/
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