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Triumph TR6 - Elongated hole in trailing arm

I'm changing the bushings and shock on the rear suspension of my 74 TR6. When I disconnected the shock link assemble from the trailing arm (right side) , I noticed the hole was elongated a quite a bit.

Anyone know if and how this can be fixed?
Regardless, what is causing this and how do I fix that?
Gene Fluder

Gene,
The shock link was probably loose enough to slip back and forth and allow the steel shaft on the link to slip, and wear into the aluminum trailing arm. How much bigger is the hole? Too big to repair?
You might (If you haven't already) look at Richard Goods adjustable brackets and nylatron bushings, I highly recommend....they make the suspension work right!
Rod
Rod Nichols

1 Word
BIG WASHERS
DON KELLY

Rod,
Actually, the elongation is more like an intersecting hole about the size of a dime, just as you would expect from the loose link you mentioned. Thanks for the tip about the adjustable brackets. I'll check them out.

Don,
I like it, although that was two words...but you knew that :-)

Last night a buddy (no, not Jim Beam) and I came up with an idea of filling the hole with a couple of small washers clamped together with a bolt.

Thanks both for the ideas.

Gene
Gene Fluder

Had a little more time to browse the net this morning. I came across this product called HTS-2000 that repairs aluminum "stronger than the original". Some sort of low temperature alloy brazing rod that works with propane or mapp gas vice welding.

Anybody have any experience with this product?
Gene Fluder

Gene

Where in NJ are you? I am in Somerset county and have a spare set of trailing arms if you are interested.

Cheers
Alistair
A Hewitt

I think your best bet is is go with Alistairs offer of new trailing arms. Second best bet is to drill the hole out and then make up a flanged steel bushing with an I.D. the same size as your shock link. Never heard of the HTS-2000 stuff, but if you go that route, let us know how it works out.


good luck

Mitch

Mitch Smith

Alistair,

I'm down in Mercer by 7A.

I think I might give the brazing rods a shot. Figure it can't be worse than what I've got now. Also, the guy I take the family cars to has a MIG welder. Maybe he knows how to weld aluminum...If those ideas fail, I'll be back.

Gene
Gene Fluder

Gene,
It's been a while, but I think the alloy brazing rods are heavy in zinc, so the melting point is quite a bit lower than aluminum. That's a really good thing since aluminum won't give a lot of notice before it turns into a puddle!

You'll want to make sure that the aluminum is ABSOLUTELY clean - both physically and chemically. Follow the instructions carefully and it should work ok. Don't be surprised if you need a stainless steel brush for use just for aluminum. If you use it on anything else, well, go out and get another one!

While MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding can be done on aluminum, it needs to be specifically set up for it. It generally is used for thin sheet, not castings. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is what's usually used for welding aluminum. You may know of it by its' old name: Heli-arc.

I've not done any aluminum welding in a long time (30 years) so I'm not up to date on the latest. Although I do have a "light weight" TIG welder that can weld thin alloy. Hopefully someone else can chime in with more current info.

Opening up the hole and fitting a bushing to take up the extra room is a good idea. If you go with poly bushings even epoxy will work ok, you're just trying to stop the relative motion between the parts.

Tom
Tom Sotomayor

Tom,

Thanks for the tips and comments. There's a YouTube movie of someone demonstrating the technique. Probably the DVD they say they send you with the kit. Looks like a little care and patience will do the trick.

Gene
Gene Fluder

This thread was discussed between 21/03/2008 and 23/03/2008

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