N/S Front wheel starting to catch corner of spoiler

[mrzigazaga]

Hi

As the title says, this was only noticed after replacing the old original set up with a good hardly used second hand set of front and rear springs and struts..Gaz Gold, the front springs were it seemed around 2" shorter than the original but the wire gauge was a lot thicker, my sus mounts are a tad bent and recently i adjusted up the rears by jacking up, removing wheel and tightening the spring up to the mount, so the adjusters are around 3" up from bottom i then re-fitted the wheel and lowered back down, my thoughts are:

1. The shorter spring has made the front sit lower?
2. the rears are too high and causing a see-saw effect pushing the front down?
3. Both of these?

Not sure of the Wedge settings for this set-up, the bushes on the drop-links, ARB, leading link to chassis/tie bar all look a bit naff so have new...any advice please

Thanks

Edited by mrzigazaga on Monday 24th November 17:26

[SEvans]

On mine I can just get my hand between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch. Not very scientific I know, but ! would say if it's less then this then you are probably going to have clearance issues. Do you have any pics of how the car was sitting before you changed the front springs? Something to compare with how it sits now.
Otherwise you are looking at putting the old springs back on... probably the worst most dangerous job on a Wedge. That alone is making me think if converting to coilovers. Well that and being able to adjust the ride height.

Cheers Steve

[sixor8]

Is it when the wheel is turned, and touching the front low spoiler?

I once had a Chimaera with 225/50 x 15 on the front and in reverse on lock, the tyre would just touch the front corner of the outrigger. If it is, a tyre with a slightly small diameter would work.

[mrzigazaga]

sixor8 said:

Is it when the wheel is turned, and touching the front low spoiler?

I once had a Chimaera with 225/50 x 15 on the front and in reverse on lock, the tyre would just touch the front corner of the outrigger. If it is, a tyre with a slightly small diameter would work.

Yes just hitting the corner when turning, however it has only just started doing it since the suspension was replaced, going to inspect and possibly change the tie bar to chassis bushes and maybe pull the wheel back a bit and then get the 4 wheel alignment done.


Thanks

[mrzigazaga]

SEvans said:

On mine I can just get my hand between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch. Not very scientific I know, but ! would say if it's less then this then you are probably going to have clearance issues. Do you have any pics of how the car was sitting before you changed the front springs? Something to compare with how it sits now.
Otherwise you are looking at putting the old springs back on... probably the worst most dangerous job on a Wedge. That alone is making me think if converting to coilovers. Well that and being able to adjust the ride height.

Cheers Steve

Thanks Steve..i have thought of maybe just putting the slightly longer spring back on that side, i think the drop-link ARB and leading link bushes are shot, these are the only pre & post pics..does not seem to be much difference..

Pre-suspension upgrade



Post suspension upgrade


I have made sure that the hub was jacked up when doing up the top mount bolts for the strut and had to make some nitrile bushes


Fitted


Thanks

[mrzigazaga]

Question please:
Can the tie bar/leading link to chassis have the bushes changed by un-bolting the front nut pulling out and then replacing the bushes?...i may need to wind the rear nut in more to take up the rubbing on the N/S...does this make sense?...picture procured from a very well presented Wedge site: Wedgeneering...well worth a visit

Cheers

[Wedg1e]

mrzigazaga said:

You might need to watch out for the shock moving off-centre and the mounting stud fouling on the chassis; the original bushes were stepped so they dropped into the chassis plate hole. I think some years ago someone on here showed damage where the bushes had perished and the shock started wearing the hole oversize.

[Wedg1e]

mrzigazaga said:

Question please:
Can the tie bar/leading link to chassis have the bushes changed by un-bolting the front nut pulling out and then replacing the bushes?...i may need to wind the rear nut in more to take up the rubbing on the N/S...does this make sense?

Yes, effectively that's how you'd change the bushes, though you'll need the tie-rod unbolting from the lower arm (as in the pic above) to allow it to pull out of the chassis.
As I pointed out elsewhere, the original bushes were two different densities of rubber and should be assembled to the correct sides of the chassis plate - one for compression and the other rebound, but I forget which was which colour now. (not that you can tell from the manky old ones). Also the dished washers go on a specific way around too.
The length of the tie-rod affects various parameters of the suspension setup so you may find if you lengthen it to push the wheel further back, the tracking will need resetting. I imagine there was something about it in the Haynes manual for the Cortina (in the days when they actually told you how to repair your car and not just which air freshener to use)...

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

Yes, effectively that's how you'd change the bushes, though you'll need the tie-rod unbolting from the lower arm (as in the pic above) to allow it to pull out of the chassis.
As I pointed out elsewhere, the original bushes were two different densities of rubber and should be assembled to the correct sides of the chassis plate - one for compression and the other rebound, but I forget which was which colour now. (not that you can tell from the manky old ones). Also the dished washers go on a specific way around too.
The length of the tie-rod affects various parameters of the suspension setup so you may find if you lengthen it to push the wheel further back, the tracking will need resetting. I imagine there was something about it in the Haynes manual for the Cortina (in the days when they actually told you how to repair your car and not just which air freshener to use)...

Thanks Ian...very informative...
The new bushes looks the same as each other so not sure how to differentiate between them...

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

You might need to watch out for the shock moving off-centre and the mounting stud fouling on the chassis; the original bushes were stepped so they dropped into the chassis plate hole. I think some years ago someone on here showed damage where the bushes had perished and the shock started wearing the hole oversize.

Yeah that makes a lot of sense...iirc there were some bushes with a little collar that would have gone into the hole, i will look out for something and replace at some point..not too bad a job...

[jon haines]

Hi Mark, I had this on mine many years ago. I replaced the tie bar bushes and anti roll bar bushes and it went away. If doing yourself its a cheap job.

[mrzigazaga]

jon haines said:

Hi Mark, I had this on mine many years ago. I replaced the tie bar bushes and anti roll bar bushes and it went away. If doing yourself its a cheap job.

Thanks mate...going to have a go tomorrow...i have new ARB...Drop-link and tie bar to drop-link bushes and the old tie bar bushes that came with the suspension look pretty new...this was pre-clean....so will use them for now.

[mrzigazaga]

Well no correct spanners meant we had to take a different approach to the wheel rubbing...adjusted the rear O/S suspension adusters to the same adjustment as the N/S as that one was out...and it seems to have sorted it...the clutch is still a bit of an issue as the new cable is already fraying, hyraulic conversion time me thinks...just wondering in regards to the GEO, when set up properly the N/S pulls to the curb...Toe's out and has be be corrected, also there is a fair amount of bodywork and spoiler worn over the years from the wheel rubbing...need to measure the wheelbase?

Fully depressed and the adjuster on the outer on bellhousing is taught with no slack

[Wedg1e]

I wonder if the fraying is down to how the end of the outer sheath has been cut... maybe a raggy edge that's chafing.

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

I wonder if the fraying is down to how the end of the outer sheath has been cut... maybe a raggy edge that's chafing.

Could be...i am hoping that it might be some of the nylon on the cable rather than the other way round...i may have located a slave cylinder bracket for the bellhousing that the S uses, someone has a broken one and i should be able to get some made from that...then it is a cost of £150 for the M/C & S/C...the M/C has a rose joint that goes into the fixing where the tube is...the M/C comes with a fixing bulkhead bracket...sounds expensive but going by what is happening at the moment i have nearly gone through 2 cables...i was lucky to get the 2nd last one FOC but the latest cost £62...do that 3 times a year soon adds up...just want peace of mind...i know that is a lot to expect from any TVR

Cheers

[Wedg1e]

mrzigazaga said:

Could be...i am hoping that it might be some of the nylon on the cable rather than the other way round..

You'll soon find out if you run your fingers along the inner and find the end of a snapped strand

What's the broken bracket made from, cast alloy or fabricated steel? Might be repairable.

[mrzigazaga]

Wedg1e said:

What's the broken bracket made from, cast alloy or fabricated steel? Might be repairable.

Not too sure mate...I think steel..i know two people who can fabricate so just need the one offered to me...Taz Turbo Chris modified the radius on his cable clutch and has not snapped a cable since...i cannot work out what is needed so am going the hydraulic route which should be a simple upgrade providing the bellhousing doesnt crack when being drilled...