Front spring installation

[nick]

I got the old front springs off and replaced with new. But after installing the strut I find that the ball joint is held too high by the stabilizer bar by about two to three inches. I need to compress the strut but can't come up with a good way. The workshop manual says to attach the ball joint as though it should just fall in. I've done this job 4 times previous but I think I always removed the stabilizer bar. However, that is a huge pain I don't want to endure.

I tried jacking the sub axle but since the strut angle is not straight the jack just pushes out from under the car. I tried a spring compressors but I don't have enough room to make them fit.

So what's the conventional wisdom say?

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

[darrellw]

So do you have the track control arm connected to the car, and the sway bar connected to the TCA? And you are trying to get the lower ball joint in the TCA into the strut?



Darrell Walker
66 TR4A IRS-SC CTC67956L
81 TR8 SATPZ458XBA406206
Vancouver, WA, USA

[Last TR]

I've used a long bar to lever the sway bar down far enough to accept the ball joint. It's a bit of a trick, and probably a bit hazardous...

Ken Morton
Anchorage, Alaska

1980 TR8, 1973 TR6, 1965 Volvo PV544, 1958 MGA, Jeep Cherokees

[nick]

I finally came up with a solution but it was not elegant. I used a cable ratchet attached to the lower link at the anti roll bar attachment. With that I was able to pull down the anti roll bar. But when the ball joint went in, it when in at an angle and jammed. So I put the ratchet cable on the strut and pulled the strut inward toward the center of the car and then it popped up through the hole. Because of the jam the threads on the ball joint were damaged. That lead to a series of fixes that took the better part of the afternoon. I've got the other side to do today. Ughh.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

[Ianftr8]

I have "Special tool" No 1 for that job - i.e. an 2m steel bar that I wedge under the chassis rail and then on top of the anti roll / sway bar

Does the job with the minimum of fuss![:D]

Cheers

Ian

Ian Freeman
1979 TR8 DHC KDU 315V Poseidon Green
Triumph Courier
Triumph owner for 32 years

[dursleyman]

Ian, I have that special tool too but mine is the thick walled aluminium tube version. We always carried it in the rally service barge and its seen active service all over the UK and Europe. Worth its weight (not much) in gold.

Russ

1980 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK

http://tr7russ.blogspot.co.uk/

[FI Spyder]

Seems backwards to me if I'm envisioning what's talked about here. I always put the anti sway bar on last.

- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[Last TR]

But Merv, we're all removing the strut/spring assembly without taking off the sway bar. It needs a little persuasion. The 4 to 6 foot lever allows that at some risk to fingers.

Ken Morton
Anchorage, Alaska

1980 TR8, 1973 TR6, 1965 Volvo PV544, 1958 MGA, Jeep Cherokees

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

You can use the Dave Massey system. Put the front end together without the sway bar. Jack the front of the car up under the "K" member to a good working height for you. Now, jack up each front wheel into the normal running position. The sway bar will now slip right into the holes in the lower control arm.

Clay

[url="http://www.jclay.me/"]My Triumph Site[/url], [url="http://www.triumphtechnical.me"]Technical Stuff[/url], [url="https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B8MWEvqOpX3udEF4SmFQUW9RS09hbU5uNW5Wd0xrUQ/edit"]My Public Folder[/url],

[saabfast]

I always find it easier to undo the inner bolt holding one LCA to the chassis. The ARB/sway bar can be fitted to the LCA then it can be fixed back to the chassis without any major effort.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1 (now passed to son for his family car)
Saab 9000 2.3 FPT Auto (now gone that others might live)
Saab 9000 2.3 LPT Auto (sold on, wish I had it back)
Saab 9-5 2.3 Vector Auto Estate
'81 TR7 DHC

[busheytrader]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jclay</i>

You can use the Dave Massey system. Put the front end together without the sway bar. Jack the front of the car up under the "K" member to a good working height for you. Now, jack up each front wheel into the normal running position. The sway bar will now slip right into the holes in the lower control arm.
Clay<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Curiously I've always known this as the Bushey System. [:)]

Adam

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jclay</i>

You can use the Dave Massey system. Put the front end together without the sway bar. Jack the front of the car up under the "K" member to a good working height for you. Now, jack up each front wheel into the normal running position. The sway bar will now slip right into the holes in the lower control arm<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Curiously I've always known this as the Beans System [:D]



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