Differential Torque Settings on Triumph Spitfire 1500

[Black Cat]

Hi,

I’m in the process of now rebuilding my Triumph Spitfire 1500, the chassis has been blasted and painted and I’m about to fit the differential now it has been refurbished and painted. I have looked everywhere but can’t find the torque setting for the long bolt which holds the diff. at the rear, ‘B’ on the attached photo. Can anybody enlighten me on this please?

Secondly, the book says the two front bolts which hold the differential that the nuts should be torqued up to 26 to 34lbf and it should be possible to rotate the lower rubbers with the finger. I would be grateful for confirmation of this.

Also, what is the function of the item I have marked ‘A’ on the attached photo. The reason I ask is I have painted over it and the nipple part seems to be flexible and I’m not sure what function this does and maybe I need to clean the paint from it.

 

[Pete Lewis]

The through bolt if its 7/16 dia 38 to 42 lbft

The nipple is a split pin fitted in the breather to stop it from getting blocked it should wiggle freely 

Yes the base washer should allow rotation by hand , , the bolt is shoulder  hence the torque is just a firm nip the shoulder stops the washer from crushing the rubber 

Pete

[Black Cat]

Many thanks Pete, I was hopping you would reply.

[Pete Lewis]

The weight of the diff will make rotation difficult , just fit a tighten and forget

Pete

[Black Cat]

Got cracking with the rebuild, started off with refitting the engine suspension turrets, little bit tricky getting all the fixings to line up but eventually got those all bolted up. Next I fitted the bushes in the lower and upper wishbones, fitted the upper ball joints and connected them to the turrets using my new Christmas present from the wife, a torque wrench. How she knew I needed one of those  I’ll never know.

Before I finished up for the day decided to fit the differential, thought this was going to be a straightforward job. The first thing I needed to do was to remove the old rubber bushes from the rear mounting, tried a pulley first but could hardly move the dame things, then tried a bolt with a socket again with no luck, finally drilled the rubber out of one of the bushes but this has left me with rubber welded onto the side of the hole where the new bushes are supposed to go.

My question is, did the old bushes have metal sleeves on the outside as well as a bolt sleeve on the inside as that is what it looks like I have and if so how are you supposed to get them out?

[Colin Lindsay]

13 hours ago, Black Cat said:

My question is, did the old bushes have metal sleeves on the outside as well as a bolt sleeve on the inside as that is what it looks like I have and if so how are you supposed to get them out?

Yes they do - see top photo - so all you can do, if they don't draw or press out, is remove the rubber then cut the sleeve with a long thin hacksaw blade. If fitting original replacements one edge should be chamfered to allow it to slide back in, but it takes a lot of force and plenty of grease.

I've tried blue polybushes recently; easy to fit and no outer sleeve.

[NonMember]

13 hours ago, Black Cat said:

My question is, did the old bushes have metal sleeves on the outside as well as a bolt sleeve on the inside as that is what it looks like I have and if so how are you supposed to get them out?

Yes, the original rear bushes have metal sleeves inside and out. When new and clean they might press out but as you've already had to destroy the old ones I suspect they won't. Your best bet is to carefully saw through the sleeve with a hacksaw. I've also done similar jobs with an air die grinder (small, tungsten-carbide bit, spins really fast) working until the metal blues to know when you're about to break through. Once you've cut through, the sleeve will shrink enough to be tapped out. Carefully clean up the inside of the casting so the new one fits snugly (although, since you asked the question, I'm guessing you're going to fit polybushes without the outer sleeve, so it's less critical).

[Black Cat]

Thanks gents and yes I have new polybushes to fit.