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Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 12:58 pm
by wallis
I have just changed the lower bump stops on my 1936/37 Rover 10. Chassis No 701179. That,s when I noticed the rear axle is resting on the bump stops. Meteor Spares advise this is correct but opinions seem to differ. I would have thought the axle needs to be able to move away from the chassis when a wheel drops into a pot hole . I have seen another P2 where there is a 2 inch gap between the axle & the bump stops, allowing the axle to move both up & down. Should there be a gap, and if so how much?

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:03 pm
by TonyG
Hi,

I know it makes sense that the spring should allow upward and downward for a smooth ride. This is more the case with coil springs and even more so with a hydro-pneumatic set up that used to be fitted on some Citroens. However, leaf springs are far more basic which is why few, if any, luxury car makers fit them now.

When I restored my Tourer it had new rear springs and they pressed hard onto the new bump stops. With the body on and a tank of fuel, the springs were still resting on the bumps. However, over time the tension in the springs has reduced slightly and there is a small -half inch- gap. It drives fine. Have you renewed the springs and is the tension correct for your model?


Tony.

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:42 am
by wallis
Hi Tony

I phoned Tony Atkins recently as he restored the car in the 1980,s & he recalled buying new rear springs from the local Rover garage. He was aware that there was a difference between the springs on 1936 cars and 1937 models ( mine was reg,d 3/9/36 but is 1937 model year) so presumably bought the right ones. In view of your comments perhaps I should stop worrying.
You may be interested to know that Tony,s grandfather bought the car new in 1936 & used it in his building business for many years. By the end of the war it had done some 200,000 miles & was in a sorry state until Tony restored it. In 2011 Awdrey (AWD546) as she was known, was passed on to Peter Chester who sold her on to Hamish Orr-Ewing in January 2015. Sadly he passed away ten months later and I became the present owner.

John Wallis

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2021 5:53 pm
by TonyG
John,

Great to have the history of a car and how impressive that it covered 200k miles!

Given no recent changes have been made to the springs, the ride and operation of the suspension should not be impacted by the figment of new lower bump stops other than the loss of metallic banging that could have occurred if the old rubber stops had perished badly!

Basically, if it drives and rides ok and looks right, don’t worry about it.

Sounds like a great little car though.

Tony.

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 2:45 pm
by David2021
Tony, can you advise!
My chassis bump stops are "caramelised" and there is significant banging & crashing (not helped by a -now sorted- loose lever arm Shock absorber!)
I have replacements on order, but to fit then I am concerned that there will be insufficient clearance (with the axle on stands & the body "hanging") to fit them...in particular getting the split pins in place looks like being a challenge. Or is there another way to get space? It is surprising to me that the axle sits so close to the chassis when the distance to the top rubber buffer is so great.
D

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:37 pm
by luli
Since I have 3 post war P2's I could compare. In the 2 10's there is a gap. The ride over bumps is exceptionally smooth and comfortable. That was not the case with the tourer. The rear axle was "glued" to the bottom bumper and the ride was clearly inferior. To investigate further I loaded the trunk with 100kg wight. Gap was observed and the ride was remarkably improved. Therefore I made some modification which are all described here:
https://wp.me/pXLKy-472
https://wp.me/pXLKy-47c

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:10 am
by David2021
Thank you Luli for your experience with this matter. Very helpful. I am not minded to strip my springs down...my body is still firmly (! hope) attached to the chassis and staying there! I may have to take the rear wings off to repaint them, but that will be another saga I expect. I think you reduced the height of the lower rubber block, if so by how much?
The idea of a "reverse lowering block" 1.5cm thick to raise the axle height sounds a (relatively!) simple idea, but as it goes above the axle means the U bolts have to come off...more fun lying under a Rover! Do the rubber inserts in te spribf clams have much effect on the ride height I wonder?
Maybe a 100kg in the boot is the answer (despite the effect on the performance and fuel consumption!
My theory is that these Export cars were designed to carry a substantially built (fat!) District Commissioner around his territory, so that is why they have such solid springs!
David

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 4:13 pm
by TonyG
Hi David,

I found that the new springs I had made by Jones Springs were a job to fit to the chassis of my Tourer before the body went on and, once installed pushed hard into the lower bump stops. This improved slightly once the body was fitted and there was some weight on it. However, the Tourer is lighter than the Saloon and I feel certain that the springs had been set up to standard Saloon tension. I’m not sure who told me - possibly Mike Evans but my apologies if it wasn’t him - that there was a different part number for Tourer springs, suggesting a different tension but I’ve never found the specification for them. As such, I ended up modifying my springs by shortening each leaf slightly to make them the same length as the original items. By doing this the tension was slightly reduced and the car sat better.

Over time, the tension has reduced in the springs so the car sits slightly lower. I suspect that the quality of the new springs wasn’t up to the originals and, hence, causing this rather than having shortened the springs slightly. I say this because the front springs on my Saloon also lost their tension and were returned to Jones to be re set. They always gave great service though and didn’t charge for the re set, even though the springs must have been five years old and purchased by the previous owner of the car!

I’ve written at length on this forum about changing rear leaf springs, so worth looking that up if you decide to work on them. However, for reasons of safety, please take care as the power within the springs could be dangerous if unwittingly released by, say, removing the U bolts, as you mentioned, without first substituting the bolts one at a time with extra long U bolts made from threaded rod so that the tension can be unwound gradually and way beyond the extent of the standard bolts. Also it is necessary to chock the axle above within the upper bump stop hoop or the spring on the other side will force it upwards. When working on the springs do it from the side and not underneath.

Refitting is the reverse. Not a difficult job at all but one where care must be taken! A couple of bags of cement in the boot is easier but not a long term solution if you want to carry any luggage.

Tony.

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 4:20 pm
by luli
I had to get longer U bolts, they are readily available from Land Rover stores, and they are not expensive. I removed 1 cm from the lower bump stop. And yes, it is a difficult job - but you don't need to remove the wings.

Re: Rover 10 rear suspension

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:30 pm
by David2021
Thanks Luli...the wings will come off during the winter for repainting...The rears appear to need access from inside the car, so I imagine the trim will have to be disturbed. Lots of fun upsetting the spiders!
D