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Re: Trailing Arm Differences

To: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: Re: Trailing Arm Differences
From: Tom Tweed <ak627@dayton.wright.edu>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 17:31:31 -0500
Hello Ken B., Adam T,

Joe iv gave a good description of the trailing arms & bump stops :

 > The way my TR 250 is set up is as follows.  Use TRF's red TR 250
 >catalouge for help.  On the highest section of the trailing arm (which
 >is the topmost of the rounded area that the axle passes through), the
 >compression rubber is scewed in (screwed into the swingarm itself),
 >with the rubber tip facing up.
 >  There is a cooresponding bracket on the inner fender well, just below
 >the seat belt (three point system) threaded hole/nut, which ends (going
 >downward)  above the threaded hole in the swingarm (even though it is
 >welded to the body, and not attached to the swingarm). Upon hard comp-
 >ression of the spring, the rubber hits the bracket.
 >   For rebound cushion, there is a bracket, welded to the frame, which
 >has a threaded hole on top.  Into this threaded hole/nut the rebound
 >rubber is threaded, rubber tip up.
 >  Just above this bracket, the arm of the shock absorber passes over,
 >on its way to connect to the vertical link (which, in turn, connects
 >to the swingarm. Upon extreme rebound ,aka jounce, the shock arm rests
 >upon the rubber cushion.
 >  All four (both left and right sides of the car) rubbers are the same,
 >TRF/Triumph part number 136758.
 > If you need more guidance,write me,
 >
 >                                   JOE IV
 >                                   TR 250
 >                              WALLINGFORD, CT. USA
 >

Over time, and rough roads, and as the springs sagged, these little
rubber cones were often beaten to death, leaving only their steel base
behind...and when your car bottoms onto the bump stop without the
rubber cone, you'll wish Triumph had put a hockey puck there instead.

Replacements are available, BUT getting the mounting studs of the
original ones out of the aluminum swing-arm, after all these years
of galling and corrosion, can be a test of your swearing abilities.

I went after one with WD-40, then heat-wrench, then pipe wrench, and
would like to have tried a chatter-gun (air wrench), but gave up be-
cause I thought I might break something instead of have the stud back
out (sorry Steve in B.G. KY).   Replacing the sagged springs really
helped, car never bottomed after that anyway; however, the car was
not driven hard & fast over bad roads & RR tracks, either.

Good luck,
Tom Tweed
SW Ohio


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