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TC Rear Tower To Spring

Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 1:47 pm
by BCBryan
Now that I'm doing serious work on the TC rear end I noticed an old repair to the based of the left side tower which connects to the spring. I knew the right side tower was damaged and had planned to use Steve Simmons repair method of welding in extra steel plates on the upper side the tower base. However on closer inspection the left side, I see that a plate has been welded to the bottom of the tower where it meets the spring. The added change is 0.24".
So the question is, is the change in height significant? I'm open to advice. If needed I can grind the additional plate off the left side and strengthen both sides as per the Simmons recommendation. If not, I'll add another similar plate to the right side.

Here are the photos:

Re: TC Rear Tower To Spring

Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 3:21 pm
by Rob Reilly
Some long ago PO of my TA repaired the towers the same way. It would have the effect of moving the chassis down 1/4" at the rear. He apparently did not think the change in spring height was all that significant, or failed to notice it, or thought that the improvement in strength outweighed the appearance of an angle on the chassis rails. I chose to leave it as repaired.
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Re: TC Rear Tower To Spring

Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 6:29 pm
by Steve Simmons
The 1/4" change in ride height probably won't hurt anything, but personally I would prefer the plate not be there. Increasing the height of the tower puts even more stress on it when accelerating and braking. Probably not a notable amount, and the plate would certainly strengthen things, but it wont' add any strength to the corners of the tower, which are also a potential failure point. Without thinking too hard about it, I feel like the two U-shaped pieces on top are a much better solution regardless of ride height issues. Just my opinion of course.