Triumph Repair: Tie rod connection to steering rack, inner tie rod, undue stress

Question

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Followup To

Question -
Hi. I am doing a complete restore of a 72 TR6. I was in the process of putting the front suspension back together. The final piece was connecting the steering rack to new tie rod ends (several components replaced in the suspension area). The tie rods do not seem to have enough movement to match up with the angle of the steering rack. I have checked and rechecked the proper fitting of the pieces and all is fine. I am working on the frame only, no body or engine, so no weight on the springs - fully extended. It seems as if there should be some sort of stop to keep the pressure off of the steering components. I would have to compress the springs to get the tie rod ends to mate up.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Bob

Answer -
Bob,

Are you saying that even with the wheels angled in towards each other you can't get the tie rod ends to meet the inner tie rod?

Do you have the original pieces to compare to the new parts?  It's possible that you were given parts that aren't correct for the TR6.

Cheers,

Jim

Response:
Jim,

I checked the new parts against the old ones for size - what I didn't check was the range of motion on the ball socket of the tie rod end. It just doesn't pivot enough to mate up when the suspension is fully extended.

I found that if I loosened the joint where the tie rod connects to the vertical link and raised the tie rod about 1/2 inch, it does connect.

I am concerned about torqueing the bolt down as it seems to me this will put undue stress on the steering rack components as the tie rod joint will not pivot more. If the engine were in the car, this wouldn't be an issue as the rack would be much lower in relation to the tie rod due to the road springs being compressed. The tie rod joint would not have to make such a large angle to mate up.

It just seems like there should be something other than the steering rack that limits the downward suspension travel. Prior to connecting the tie rod ends, the upper wishbone arms hitting the upper spring mount housing is what stopped the downward travel of the suspension.

Cheers,
Bob

Answer
Bob,

Are you installing the shock absorber also?  On the Spitfire the shock absorber limits the maximum extension of the spring, I was under the impression that the TR6 was set up in the same fashion.

Failing that, the best I can suggest is to leave the steering rack/tie rods disconnected (or loosely connected) until you have some more weight on the frame.  As it is, you won't be in a position to set the alignment until the body and drivetrain are installed.


Cheers,

Jim