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Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 28 May 2020 23:11
by tr7dan
1980 TR7 DHC

I am just repairing the rusted sides of the front suspension turrets - do I need to renew the two (per side) small angle brackets that join the suspension turret to the inner wing - I've removed them to do the repair but they are such a rust trap ?

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 29 May 2020 18:35
by Beans
As far as I know they were only used to ease locating/aligning the inner wings to the body prior to welding.
They are only found on the later Canley and Solihull built cars. Early cars (like this '76 car) didn't have them ...

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Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 29 May 2020 20:56
by busheytrader
As if there weren't enough rust traps in the original TR7 design, they added some extra ones? :D

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 29 May 2020 22:36
by Beans
busheytrader wrote:As if there weren't enough rust traps in the original TR7 design, they added some extra ones? :D

British engineering at its best :mrgreen:

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 30 May 2020 15:37
by FI Spyder
It was meant to be driven on sunny days, top down, in the desert, in summer where only the occasional shower that popped up would you have to put the top up in a hurry. Of course the hot dry desert sun would quickly dry everything out. The rest of the time it was in the garage. That's were my car spent its first half of its life and there is no rust to prove it. 8)

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 30 May 2020 18:56
by busheytrader
I have to raise the top under a bridge to avoid getting soaked if caught out in the rain. It takes forever. Stay above 30mph and the rain goes straight over the top. :D
My manual MX5 hood in comparison can be raised in 5 seconds from the driver's seat.

I recently saw a dry state TR8 being restored in the UK. The restorer searched for rust with an endoscope but found none, even though the sills were barely covered in primer inside.

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 31 May 2020 15:25
by dursleyman
I have those on one side of my DHC but not on the other!

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:38
by Cobber
They don't look like they'd do much!
If your at all worried about loosing structural integrity by deleting them, I suggest a strut brace to join the 2 strut towers together would more that compensate.

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 08 Jun 2020 12:38
by tr7dan
Ok, thanks for the replies - I've done the repair without refitting them but just got to thinking afterwards if I should have made up some new ones but looks like I don't need to....

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Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 08 Jun 2020 18:46
by Beans
That first picture clearly shows what a rust trap these brackets are :roll:

Re: Suspension turret strengtheners ?

Posted: 09 Jun 2020 10:34
by busheytrader
Yes - at 19 years old mine required new metal in the turrets because of them.