Anti Tramp Bars

[hirot]

I have used Moss re-tempered springs to lower my rubber bumper shell to the height of a chrome bumper car and am about to fit a new set of springs.

I have a set of Moss anti tramp bars which I had intended to fit untill I saw how much ground clearance I would end up with, about 3.5 inches by the wheels and 4.5 inches under the drivers seat. Which to me doesn't seem allot for UK road use.

I have looked at many pictures on the web and all B's seem to have the same problem if you attach the bars beneath the spring.

So, I was wondering if firstly they are worth fitting (I have a 3.9 Rover engine with less than 200BHP) and secondly is there any other way of preventing spring twist on acceleration. A friend had suggested that maybe an A frame from the bulkhead to the top of the axle/diff.

The rubber bumper shell has extended/lowered spring mounts which I could maybe re drill to match the chrome bumper mounts, ie up an inch, and maybe use these for the springs which would at least raise the anti tramp bar mount.

Any help would be appreciated before I either return the anti tramp bars or fit them and bottom out on the first speed bump or pothole.

Ian

[mstemp]

Ian,

Simple answer is:

http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/MGB-4-Link-Rear-Suspension.htm

No leaf springs hence no tramp.

[britcars]

Here's an article from the archives by Bill Guzman of Classic Conversions, the maker of the 4-link linked by Mike above.

http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Easy-Traction.htm
http://www.classicconversionseng.com/

[Moderator]

I think you should drive your car with your new springs and assess its behavior. If you don't perceive a specific problem, there may be better places to spend your money.  Not everyone fits those bars for the same reason. They can reduce spring wind-up (which results in "tramp") but they also alter the rear suspension's roll steer characteristic. Spring wind-up seems to be a bigger issue for people with lowering blocks. Lighter duty springs (e.g. roadster springs vs GT springs) might have more tendency to wind-up. Shock valving may affect wind-up too. Many MGB vintage racers install those bars for the roll steer reasons, and for them the angle the bars are mounted at is critical to how they function. I think you'll find an A to the top of the axle VERY difficult to package. An A-frame to the bottom (Lotus 7 style) might work well on a track day car,  but obviously won't help with ground clearance.

[MGBV8]

If you are not going to rev it up & dump the clutch, you don't need them.

[hirot]

Again many thanks for the response and whilst the conversion route looks brilliant I suspect it is way more than I need and I would probably have to change the front as well inorder to maintain balance. Plus I may have to go back to work to pay for it all.

I will take the advice of Curtis and try the new springs and hope I had had a bad set originally. As the car handles nothing like any of my previous Bs, that is it goes round corners as opposed to across them and doesn't bounce all over the place, I will stick with what I have and not fix something that isn't broke....well not yet.

Carl, I take your point and will behave like the grown up I my wife expects me to be or at least would like me to be. Its just occasionally that the boy racer needs to hear my exhaust comming from in front of him.

[DiDueColpi]

Ian,
A pinion snubber may be all that you need.
It's easily built and does not affect the normal ride of the vehicle.
Properly engineered, axle wind up is limited and traction is improved.
Another route that you can take.
That is real old school and cheap.
Is to utilize spring clamps.
These clamps bind the front leaves of the spring into one solid unit.
That won't deform as much as a free leaf.
It essentially turns the spring into a traction or tramp bar.
Straight line traction is improved.
But the down sides are many.
For instance.
The ride becomes much more harsh as the spring rate is basically doubled.
Lateral traction is greatly affected causing the rear of the car to become very loose in a corner.
As the rear axle is basically turned into a very large anti sway bar.
Spring life is shortened and adjustments to the clamps are frequent.
But for a down and dirty traction aid that can be added and removed in a few minutes it's hard to beat.
Cheers
Fred