Hi, Bill. I just did the suspension this summer.
To get the bushing out of the eye in the front of the springs, I used a
bench vise with an appropriate fitted socket to press the bushing, and a
larger socket to provide the gap to push it into. Line things up, and crank
on the vice. I forget if I used propane heat as an encourgement.
The silent blocks, I took to the machine shop to have removed and the new
ones replaced.
I didn't see the need to dismantle/clean the rear leaf springs. Nobody sees
them. I did, though, wash them in powerful detergent, soak them in Metal
Ready (any phosphoric acid will do), and then painted them with POR 15.
We'll see how it drives.
If I remember, I replaced both links for the rear shocks because the rubber
in the middle ball joint had deteriorated over the 44 years since it came
out of the factory.
What people told me about the "feel" of the rear shocks wasn't so much the
amount of force to move them, but rather whether they were consistent in
their resistance from end to end. Buy Harley Davidson fork oil for about
$8.00, drain and replace the oil in the shocks before you test them. There
are people who can tell you how to adjust the shocks to be stiffer, if you
choose. Randall may know of that link.
Have fun!
Terry Smith
'59 TR3A (Off the frame and in pieces, but engine rebuild is a couple of
weeks away! Whoo Hoo!)
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> Spring has arrived at my garage. Two of them, in fact. I just dropped
the
> rear leaf springs to replace the bushings in my TR3A, and questions arise:
>
> 1. What's a neat way to force the single bushing out of the eye on the
> front of each spring? Can you push/hammer/press on the inner metal sleeve
of the
> silent bloc bushing, or must all the force be placed on the outer metal
> sleeve? Will this require 20 tons of presure if rusted? Is heat an
option?
>
> 2. What are the pros and cons of dismantling the leaf springs to clean
and
> grease them? Bad idea? Great way to avoid or relieve squeaks? Why
bother?
>
> 3. What are the tell-tale signs indicating replacement of the link
> connecting the shock lever to the spring plate? The upper "ball joint" on
mine seems
> kind of loose.
>
> 4. What kind of "feel" should the lever shocks provide to determine if
> they are serviceable? Should it require considerable effort to move them
up and
> down, or just moderate effort? What kind of oil provides the best balance
of
> shock action?
>
> Thanks for any tips.
>
> Bill Stagg
> 1960 TR3A, TS64947L
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