Ian,
I would think that with a good repair, your suspension mounts should hold up.
My '74 TR6 has heavy front and rear sway bars (7/8" front, 3/4" rear), racing
springs, nylatron bushings and 225/50 14 Toyo R compound road race tires on it.
I've autocrossed the car for three years like this with no suspension problems
(though I did pull all of the axles studs out of one of the semi-trailing arms.
If you decide to replace the frame, you could probably find a good used one for
a lot less than the price of a new one. I don't know where you are located,
but I've got one hanging in my barn that has been sand blasted and painted that
I would sell for $950. I had been planning to use it to restore the 32,000
mile '76 TR6, which had been hit in the front, that is also sitting in the
barn; but it doesn't look like I am ever going to get to it.
Kevin Brown '74 TR6 '76 TR6 '64 MGB '71 MGB
Odessa, MO
Ian Macky wrote:
> hi all. my '69 TR6 has been up on blocks in the garage for years while
> i ponder what to do, but i've come to no conclusion on my own so now i
> seek advice.
>
> the car had a broken and badly repaired (misaligned) diff mount in
> the rear (as usual), and after I got it, it snapped off an A-arm mount
> (at the specially engineered "break here" notch). i had it repaired
> and gussets added to all mounts to prevent that particular failure,
> but then another mount failed in a different mode, with the face pulling
> right out. ow!
>
> i think this was partially my fault. wide low-profile tires, heavy
> anti-sway bar, and especially a rigit anti-sway linkage made of ball-ends
> and such with no rubber or urethane. it all adds up to greater forces on
> the suspension components, and we all know they were weak to begin with.
> but it cornered *so nice*...
>
> so my problem is: what to do???
>
> give up on the original frame completely, buy a new one ($2500 or so?),
> and try to do the swap in the 2-car garage (somehow hoisting the body etc),
> fixes all problems. fresh steel, properly boxed and gusseted.
>
> or repair the broken bracket and hope the others won't fail, but they
> probably will. go back to a soft linkage too. live with the misaligned
> diff.
>
> it's a stinking pain removing the remains of these brackets and welding
> on new ones. i worry about the frame having been welding on so many
> times in the same area.
>
> any suggestions?
>
> i miss my TR! i'm driving around in a damn 240 volvo mechanics special
> (free w/an overheated seized head)...
>
> --ian
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