This is why you shouldn't clean stuff. You find thingslike this. Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks.
OK it looks like an 8BA in an Model A ??? It will already be a tight squeeze, Check your engine mount rubbers to make sure they are in good condition, not collapsed, replace them with a pair of good quality mounts ( the cheap ones dont last). If they are already in good nick you may be able to fit a quarter inch spacer washer under each mount to lift the motor .I don't know your rod, but I do know that an 8BA is a tight fit , so if you are going to raise the front of the motor, make sure you have clearance at the firewall and gearbox tunnel etc. Your clearance between radius rod and tie rod is already fairly tight so no point in bending the steering arms any further.
Thanks, I should have provided a little more detail. The engine is a 1948 59a on a 32 frame. Your right, it’s tight. Any suggestions for good motor mounts? I was going to order some from bob drake but they are out of them. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That's a scary situation there, but it looks like 97 has you headed in the right direction. Can't believe you didn't hear that scraping. May have happened over a long period and particularly when you hit a bump. Check your front spring and shocks just for the peace of mind. Keep us posted.
The Chassis Engineering ones are best. Maybe available from Heidts now. Even with new biscuits I think I'd like to see more clearance. Can you drop the tie rod below the wishbones?
I have lake pipes so I can’t hear anything I think it’s bump/pothole related. I will start with the mounts and work my way up the price scale from there. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Looks like drag link on on top of wish bones. Dropped steering arms and get it below. I'm sure that it is very close to the bottom of the frame rail too which is problematic for suspension travel.
I was going to make some snide,lame joke about your thread title, but you've got a serious, not fun issue. If BD is out of motor mounts, maybe you can find another supplier who carries BD stuff? What about a flathead rebuilder like H&H?
As others have mentioned, drop your steering arms and run your tierod under the wishbones. Check your engine mounts. Add a leaf or two to your leaf pack, or if it's a reverse eye, switch to a normal eye mainspring.
I don't know that I'd want the drag link below the wishbones (depends on how much drop the axle has), but another option is re-arch the spring and raise it what looks like about an inch.
I was going to title it polishing the tie rod but thought better of it. Mac has engine mounts in stock so I ordered a set. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have 3 3/4 dropped arms on there now. I don’t know if they come any longer. I just tried hanging the tie ride off the bottom of the steering arms but it didn’t clear the wishbones. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The real kicker is, it wasn’t doing it last fall when I took it off the road. It’s been up on jacks all winter. Here’s a picture from around November. There seems to be more clearance and no scaring Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app View attachment 3950486
I put a 1 inch spacer between the spring and the crossmember. raised it enough to clear the rod with very little noticeable change in ride height. (the car in my avatar)
I tend to look at things a bit different than most. Maybe just a 1/2" spacer on top of the spring inside the front crossmember. Then look for a clean way to add a bump stop so it can't travel down far enough to make contact? I'll go back in my Cage now. The Wizzard
Looks like there's enough clearance with those deep drop steering arms to be able to get the tie rod under the bones but you'd need to use proper tie rod ends (like the one at the end of your drag link in the pic) instead of those heim joints. Chris
Thanks for all the advice. I will start with the engine mounts when they arrive then move onto the leaf springs. Thanks again. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I suspected they were not right. Since I’m ordering a new tie I might as well get the proper ends. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I seem to be at odds with all the other posts here, but would it be worth bending the tie rod forward (or rearward) a little? Stop worrying about the vertical clearances and just make sure things go past each other without clashing. Make sure the toe in is correct, and kink the rod enough to make a clearance. Ok, you can't turn the tie rod for fine adjustment, but the current situation is a disaster that needs to be addressed. The other consideration might be to convert to truck pumps and a single belt. Do away altogether with the forward pulley. The generator might need changing, but it might be worth thinking about. Mart.
If the steering arms are drilled out to 5/8" for the heims (which it looks like); won't be able to be go back to regular tapered tie rod ends.
Can you get away with moving the axle forward a little so the pulley edge is behind the tie rod some more?
That maybe an option. Do you have a link to those ends? I would like to see if that would work. I have to move the tie rod or the pulley and since the tie rod is already damaged I think replacing it maybe a good place to start. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
