3 Series Suspension

[Guest shane-wilkins]

Eh ??

New Three was the last monocoque .. and the only one designed to pass the SVA unmodified .. which mine did.

hi guys,ive got a series 3a inboard shock stainless mon,ive been reading posts and my heads spinning?just playing putting the rear sub frame on,located the the two mounting bolts in the floor of the car but when i looked at the diff the tunnel is out of line about an inch and half?got the tape out and when i measured inside the car the drivers side is 540mm where the seat goes and the passengers side is 500 so when you think about it by the time it gets to the diff thats the inch and half i was talking about.problem is i have no build manual or videos so basically blind so the question is can anyone help please any info on the car at all would be great cheers guys!

[thespannerman]

Don't worry about the trans tunnel not being centred, they were built like that. The diff doesn't mount centre and the drive shafts are different lengths. Spannerman

[Guest shane-wilkins]

cheers,have you done any strenghtening to anything else on your 3a,i was thinking of putting 12mm plyboard on the floor inside to stiffen it up and give me abit more meat to bolt the seats in,i also read that the series3a didnt need strengthing for the iva,thanks for the reply anyway regards shane.

[thespannerman]

A Robin Hood is not a bolt together car. Every job needs thought and re-engineering. To get you started on the rear sub frame, the strengthening plate (3mm plate with an up turned drilled ear) sits inside the car with the ear bolted by the outer trailing arm pivot bolt. The original rubber donut fixing goes through the plate (centre rubber tube needs cutting down so it bolts up tight when locate through hole). An extra 12mm bolt needs to go through near to the rubber donut into the empty void inthe sub frame (cut a hole in subframe from underneath to clear the bolt head and drill through sub frame, body floor and strengthening plate), this solidly mounts the usually knacked rubber donuts. As for extra strengthening from the front of the car: Beef up the front lower shock mounting points with angle bolted through the floor, top suspension rocking pivot needs plating and the spindle jamming so it doesn't twist with the suspension, if fitting tie bars make up mounts from box section welded to 3mm plate going under the car to bolt through engine mount turrets. You can't get replacement early engine mounts (old ones rock the engine wich smacked my alternator on the steering shaft , use short v-belt ie. classic mini) Get some thick engine mount bobbins bolted to a piece of 3mm plate onto the engine mount turrets. If you fit a 5 speed box you need to cut alot of metal out underneath to get gearbox mount rubber in (Had a H shape welded up from angle to strengthen the area sanwiching the floor with more angle inside). Make sure you have your engine sump cut and shut. Seat belt mounts need alot of thought. I used eyelet mounts bolted through the lower seat backs into angle under the car with captive nuts. Passed my belts over the rollbar cross member onto back panel (triangulate mounts with extra tubing to rear suspension top mounts. As for the back end make your roll over bar the main rear stressed member. Had m12 nuts and plate welded into bottom of maintubes so i could bolt it down through the floor with more 3mm plate. Bolted the rear suspension pickup angle through boot sides with m10 bolts. I packed out the gap between the roll bar and boot sides so Icould U bolt the bar through the boot side into the suspension angle. Thus all the suspension stresses are put into the roll over bar. PM me whenever Spanner.

[Guest youngsterS3]

Wilky,

 

PM me your address etc if you want a copy of the build videos on DVD..

 

regards,

 

Chris

[Guest youngsterS3]

I've popped 3 discs in the post today.. help out someone else with a copy if it comes up again is all I ask, or donate a couple of quid to Hoody the Bear if you like.

 

note that the 3rd disc has a sections revisited part, where they go over bits that they got wrong, or better ways to do things etc.. so once watching the bit you are interested in, check the end of the third disc for revisions!

 

don't laugh too much when you watch them! and be wary of turning up the volume too loud to hear them, as when you do that a spanner will be dropped in the tub and you will be deafened!

 

let me know when they turn up

 

cheers

 

Chris

[Knock-on]

So, whats the consensus on a 2b then. I was thinking using 300lb springs (I'm not exactly anorexic) but haven't decided on length.

 

I think I have a couple of new 12" Gaz knocking around with 100lb springs. I suppose I could make those fit by extending the sleve mounting that goes into the roll bar but need some springs.

 

Anyone got some 250lbis 12" ones knocking about I can borrow / buy?

[Guest shane-wilkins]

Wilky,

 

PM me your address etc if you want a copy of the build videos on DVD..

 

regards,

 

Chris

cheers chris will do thanks very much its much appreciated