Re: [DML] Re: TOBY-TAB update

["Bruce Benson" <delornut@xxxx>]

Lowering the car will reduce the amount of multi axis rotation simply
because the suspension travel is reduced. My car has been lowered most of
it's life and when I installed the Toby bolts last summer the original TAB's
with over 60,000 miles on them, including some spirited driving in places
like Road America, looked as new. I do check and retorque the TABs once a
year. These cars aren't forgiving to being ignored but with proper
maintenance they can be as trouble free as any other car. Many of the
problems showing on the list are the result of poor or no maintenance,
prolonged storage, and at times the jury rigging of components vs using
proper parts. I can't understand the lengths some people will go to trying
to circumvent using original components. Many times they end up paying as
much or more than the DeLorean shops charge and when you figure in the leg
work trying to track these items down it looks like they may have cost a lot
more. Certainly there were compromises made in the cars design to reduce
manufacturing costs making areas of the car benefit from upgrades but the
basic design of the trailing arms isn't as horrendous as some would say.
It's simply a part of the suspension that requires routine checks. It's also
an area that gives plenty of warning before a catastrophy. If you're driving
around with a wandering suspension or hearing loud clunks emanating from
the rear suspension you should be checking things out. If you continue
driving until something fails you can't blame it on the design.

Bruce Benson



> It's
> appallingly badly done, and has virtually no chance of >not suffering
> some kind of damage during normal use. If the
> joint were meant to rotate in more than one axis, it >should have been
> a ball joint. A bolt subjected to bending and shear >stress at the
> same time, that's just bad form.
>
> Rick.