Reaction Plate Fitting

skiday · Post by **skiday** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:55 pm

I would like to offer my solution for the problem of fitting the reaction plate. The problem being, as anyone who has done it will know, is that the torsion bar turns the two ends inward making it very difficult to insert the bolts that hold the torsion bar and reaction plate. The previous restorer's solution was to weld the torsion bar to the frame! I would like to suggest my solution, which I think is much better than his. I had extensions to the torsion bar welded on to hold the bars in the correct position. Now the two main bolts can slip in with no problem at all.

Whilst posting, I have a stone shield that I can't think where it goes and can't find a picture to help me (even though I took dozens). Can anyone place it?

Cheers

Andrew

Post by **mgcjag** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:19 pm

Hi Andrew Its the shield that fits in front of the air cleaner trumpets. The hole lines up with the upper, rear castle nut for the upper wishbone & the indentation is to clear the steering column.

Post by **1954Etype** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:49 pm

skiday wrote:I would like to offer my solution for the problem of fitting the reaction plate. The problem being, as anyone who has done it will know, is that the torsion bar turns the two ends inward making it very difficult to insert the bolts that hold the torsion bar and reaction plate. The previous restorer's solution was to weld the torsion bar to the frame! I would like to suggest my solution, which I think is much better than his. I had extensions to the torsion bar welded on to hold the bars in the correct position. Now the two main bolts can slip in with no problem at all.

Whilst posting, I have a stone shield that I can't think where it goes and can't find a picture to help me (even though I took dozens). Can anyone place it?

Cheers

Andrew

Andrew, your solution seems a bit extreme! Personally, I always release the lower ball joint and find that I can refit the torsion bar without any issues.

Angus

ChrisC · Post by **ChrisC** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:53 am

Personally I undo the top ball joint on the suspension which then allows the torsion bar quite a lot of movement. Just make sure the flexible brake pipe doesn't come under tension.

Doing this *almost* returns the torsion bar to its unstressed position but its fairly easy to nudge it the last little bit to slide the bolts in.

steve3.8 · Post by **steve3.8** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:03 am

I don?t see there is a problem or solution needed,only to understand how the torsion bar is adjusted so that it fits without use of large hammers etc.
The torsion bar has 24 splines on one end and 25 on the other giving endless vernier adjustment.With the top joint disconnected and the setting link in place then ------ in Skidays 1st picture the torsion bar needed moving towards the rear of the car then rotating 1 spline at a time on the wishbone until the bolt holes on the reaction plate bracket line up with nothing having to be forced, stressed or welded .

Steve3.8

PeterCrespin · Post by **PeterCrespin** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:12 pm

steve3.8 wrote:I don?t see there is a problem or solution needed,only to understand how the torsion bar is adjusted so that it fits without use of large hammers etc.
The torsion bar has 24 splines on one end and 25 on the other giving endless vernier adjustment.With the top joint disconnected and the setting link in place then ------ in Skidays 1st picture the torsion bar needed moving towards the front of the car then rotating 1 spline at a time on the wishbone until the bolt holes on the reaction plate bracket line up with nothing having to be forced, stressed or welded .

Steve3.8

ete

Correct. There is an obvious reason why nobody has ever heard of someone welding / drilling extra tabs/holes to make it 'easy' to fit the torsion bars....

P

skiday · Post by **skiday** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:19 pm

Thanks to Steve (mgcjag). Once in position it's obvious:

As for the torsion bar, I didn't remove the end, nor did I want to try to, so whilst it might not meet with universal approval, it works for me.

The Haynes manual didn?t offer any of the advice offered here, it simply states with regard to fitting the bolts of the torsion bar ?You will have some difficulty, but it is possible!? So I was thinking if Haynes says that, you know it?s going to be tricky, which is why I came up with a sure fire solution before I get the engine in. steve3.8's explanation is beyond my limited understanding. Pretty much, I take stuff apart, renovate it and put it back together.

PeterCrespin · Post by **PeterCrespin** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:56 pm

The air trumpet shield should be black Andrew.

Here's hoping your ride height turns out OK or you'll have to remove the TB anyhow to adjust.

Pete

skiday · Post by **skiday** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:17 pm

PeterCrespin wrote:The air trumpet shield should be black Andrew.

Pete

Not only that, but the aluminium brackets holding it on should be bare. Looks nice though. I don?t have a photo to prove it, but I think I?m sure that when I took it off, it was bare aluminium hence the silver. But this is not a '100 point concourse car' it just needs to look beautiful (to me). Thanks for the info though.

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 4:11 pm

1954Etype wrote:
skiday wrote:I would like to offer my solution for the problem of fitting the reaction plate. The problem being, as anyone who has done it will know, is that the torsion bar turns the two ends inward making it very difficult to insert the bolts that hold the torsion bar and reaction plate. The previous restorer's solution was to weld the torsion bar to the frame! I would like to suggest my solution, which I think is much better than his. I had extensions to the torsion bar welded on to hold the bars in the correct position. Now the two main bolts can slip in with no problem at all.

Whilst posting, I have a stone shield that I can't think where it goes and can't find a picture to help me (even though I took dozens). Can anyone place it?

if I adopt this method to refit the reaction plate now the engine and box are all in, will I need to strap the suspension. I am just wondering whether I can do this without the setting link in place as I have the shocks all fitted up. I have had a cursory look at fitting the plate, and it is a well known not throwing itself in so to speak. It seems sensible to release the tension on the torsion bars but then what problems will this give me at the suspension end? Having been under the car for the best part of the afternoon, I would rather like to move onto something more enjoyable!
Cheers

Andrew
Andrew, your solution seems a bit extreme! Personally, I always release the lower ball joint and find that I can refit the torsion bar without any issues.

Angus

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:35 pm

This is what comes of regarding the Haynes manual as authoritative rather than as absolutely the last resort !

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:45 am

well, the reaction plate is now in but even with the car back on the suspension with the engine and box in I cannot get the top shock absorber to reach up further enough to go back in!! this is a pain of a job. Surely the weight of the engine should be enough to fit a shock absorber? Its not rocket science. The torsion bars are standard ( to my knowledge ) and they were set with the setting link in place, so by rights it should be back down to ride height. No bonnet of course, but you must be able to replace shock absorbers without the weight of the bonnet ?

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:27 pm

I recall that I had a similar difficulty even though my dampers were too long . You need a heavy friend or two to sit/stand on the picture frame area

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:41 pm

Thanks. That worked!

Post by **1954Etype** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:09 pm

The front suspension needs to settle - thats why the US cars didnt have this problem. A quick trip across the Atlantic soon sorted it out!

Durango2k · Post by **Durango2k** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:27 pm

Maybe strap it down using a ratchet belt ?

(I mean what should those poor souls without Friends do.... ) ?

Carsten

andrewh · Post by **andrewh** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:46 pm

Well bizarrely. When I left for lunch the top mount was two cm from the bolt hole. after lunch it had settled and required me sitting on the front top crossmember and in it went. I need to get the car rolling around a bit and get the bonnet on then I can tighten up all the suspension bushes. Getting close now, can't wait. Very exciting. Thx guys

skiday · Post by **skiday** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:14 pm

andrewh wrote:well, the reaction plate is now in but even with the car back on the suspension with the engine and box in I cannot get the top shock absorber to reach up further enough to go back in!! this is a pain of a job. Surely the weight of the engine should be enough to fit a shock absorber? Its not rocket science. The torsion bars are standard ( to my knowledge ) and they were set with the setting link in place, so by rights it should be back down to ride height. No bonnet of course, but you must be able to replace shock absorbers without the weight of the bonnet ?

Those who said my solution was OTT offered solutions that involved releasing either the top or bottom ball joints or releasing the torsion bar from its splinned holders. What was your solution?

I did this job so long ago now I am forgetting all the details, but I did not have the ball joints attached, but I found that there was a maximum amount of downward movement of the lower wishbone and that it wasn't quite enough to align the bolt holes for the torsion bar end / reaction plate holes. I can't now remember what it was that prevented more rotation, but (in the example of this picture) if I had simply been able to turn the brake servo side bar more clockwise, I would have done.

When it came to the shocks, I seem to remember having two blokes standing on my frame to weigh it down, one of whom was hugely obese (I felt a bit bad asking him, but he really was the man for the job).

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