203 Ute torque tube rear end help please.

tok403

tok403

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Fellow Frogger
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Oct 26, 2017
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Grivillia
I’ve just put the rear end of my ute in place. It has 403 diff and axle housings, 203 springs. (The 403 springs won’t fit) I connected torque tube but as you can see in pictures it is a long way from body of the car. What’s wrong? What stupid thing have I done? Thanks in advance for any tips.
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Do you mean long way fore-and-aft or up and down? If it is on its side not with weight on it ... maybe with spring in compression you’ll have a better idea of the geometry (are 403s wider in spring / bush ?)
 
Up and down, I was wondering weather it’s a weight issue but seems a long way off
 
I Wonder if the axle tubes have been bolted to diff housing a hole out ? Assuming they are positive located on springs, and not able to be rotated there. Not familiar with 203 utes though.
 
Learn from my mistakes!

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/restoration-projects/115151-peugeot-404-utility-project-7.html

The leaf springs are the "culprit." They can move forward or back & the whole shebang is actually located by the gear box.

I put the GB in without the TT (Hey! Make sure you do up the top mount bolt FIRST when it goes in because the GB moves & you can't get the bolt in the hole) & then found the TT was WAY too "short".

I had to put the GB, TT and the rear axle & springs in as one unit.

Look at posts 150,155 & 156 in the link
 
Hmmm. I was a bit sleep deprived last night.

This may be a different problem!

The attachment points and the profile of the springs hasn't changed so I can only assume the 403 axle's spring mounting platforms are much lower than the 203's and therefore the 403's TT pokes out a lower point compared to the 203. OR, as you think, it's a weight thing & the springs will compress when the car is on its wheels. Have you completely loosened the shackles? If they can be pivoted away from perpendicular, the axle will move up towards the body but the springs will then move forward or back.

I suspect you will still have to lift the whole lot in as one piece. It wasn't hard with the simple gear I made & lining up splines etc. on the floor was a breeze. Maybe you can get an old solid door and put castors on it? Scissor lift jacks are cheap at the wreckers.

There's a uni-joint at the back of the GB. Are you sure it won't accommodate that drop?

If it's due to the 203/403 mismatch, another alternative is to get the leaf springs re-set to a flatter profile. Leaf springs are still used a lot in trucks so it's a common procedure at an auto springs place.
 
All solved thanks for your all your input. She just needed to go on her wheels again, I tipped it back over weight on the springs and voila!!!! It was good to to have ever over again it been encouraging finally putting things back on rather then removing and repairing. On wards and upwards....
 
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