MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

TR parts and Triumph parts, TR bits, Triumph Car Spares and accessories are available for TR2, TR3, TR3A, TR4, TR4A, TR5, TR6, TR7, TR8, Spitfire and Stag and other TR models are available from British car spares and parts company LBCarCo.

Triumph TR6 - Adco rear sway bar

Anyone add one of these? Results? Easy to install? I just switched out my tube shock conversion back to a set of rebuilt apple levers and I'm not happy with the switch....I'm wondering if adding the sway bar will help with what I call the "squirmy" feeling I get with the levers which wasn't present with the tube shocks.
JT White

The Addco bars (front and rear) are pretty much a copy of the bars from the Kastner book on TR-250/TR-6. Not knowing the springs or which specific Apple dampers are on your car, it's pretty much a shot in dark to say how fitting their rear bar only would impact the car. So what is "squirmy" in this case? A slight side to side wiggle at low speeds, odd handling in corners different from side to side, etc.

Nominally, I would not recommend adding a rear bar only to these cars without going to a larger diameter front bar as it will increase the propensity to go into oversteer and I just don't think a "tail happy" car is a good choice for most drivers on the street. The larger front bar would increase the understeer potential and balance out the fitment of the rear bar.

I have had Addco bars on these cars before and offer the following observations:

1) Installation isn't bad at all, a couple of holes have to be drilled in the front pan, not a big deal.

2) Don't bother with their "adjustable" front links.

3) The front suspension arm mounts and hardware from Addco leave something to be desired. I wound up modifying stock front mounts and replaced them every couple of years as they would start to crack out in fatigue and replaced the stock end links at the same time. Not exactly plug and play, but it beat hell out of the Addco front suspension arm mounts and hardware.

4) The hardest thing about mounting the rear bar is worming the square U bolt through the existing holes in the frame.

5) I would recommend grinding away at the washers that get stacked on the trailing arm and welding them together for more positive locating and better load transfer.

6) You lose some rear ground clearance and you may foul the exhaust system depending on what you are running.

If you considering anti-roll bars, I would suggest that you give Richard Good's bars a look, You can get them directly from Richard or from TRF. Again, with this you do lose some rear ground clearance.

Another alternative is the Revington TR set up with the high mount adjustable rear bar. The front is relatively straight forward, but the rear is a bit more involved. It also requires use of the Revington TR rear tube damper conversion kit.

That kit requires that you modify the rear trailing arm for fitment of tube damper mount plates, weld in a couple of stiffeners to the upper rear spring pan and a upper damper mount plate to the large round hole in the upper spring pan. The bar is then mounted along the top of the upper spring pan spanning from side to side and a couple of adjustable links run down from the bar to the holes in the trailing arm where the lever damper link would normally fit. See attached image of the Revington set up.


SteveP1

Great write up, Steve!
Brent B

Went back to the tube shock conversion today....night and day. The car feels like it's on rails with the tube shocks and doesn't "squat" on acceleration or during gear changes. I felt paranoid after hearing all the horror stories of tube shock conversions ripping/cracking frames/brackets....the biggest problem I can see is there is no downward travel stop so you want to avoid pot holes at all cost. I plan on modifying my brackets with additional frame brackets up to the top of the towers. Got a real nice set of rebuilt levers sitting on the shelf. Maybe the levers with the HD valves and heavier oil would do the trick but the differance between the stock levers and the tubes is very, noticable. Of course YMMV!
JT White

JT,

I have the tube shocks and the Addco front and rear sway bars. I am thinking about taking off the sway bars. With the gas tube shocks I dont find a need for the sway bars. But that may just be a difference in how I drive the car now.

Derek
DL Harding

Yeah, I agree, the tubes make all the differance when compared to the stock levers. I drove my car with the stock levers then with in 30 minuets drove it with the tube shocks...almost a side by side comparison...night and day differance in handleing/ride.
JT White

JT
Here are some pics of my conversion and the added support bracket. I used the existing hole in the frame and welded a sleeve in it, too keep the metal from collapsing when you torque the bolt.
Joe


Joe S

#2


Joe S

#3


Joe S

Though I'd send a pic of the car too :)



Joe S

Thanks Joe...I've seen two different looks now at a bracket mod. I'm going to put this on my short list since I bought the levers over fear of the frame/shock brackets. Your TR looks very nice too!

JT White

Very nice.....are those 280ZX turbo wheels?
Rod Nichols

That they are Rod. Same bolt pattern as the 6. Since they are lugcentric, you have to change the stud to metric and use the 280 lugs or use standard tread lugs
which have the same diameter as the lug holes in the rim. I did find some made by Weld Racing but I don't think they are in busness now.
Thanks for the comps.

Joe S

This thread was discussed between 05/03/2011 and 10/03/2011

Triumph TR6 index