[Saloon-lovers] Vibration saga and final elimination - 1960 Mark 2 Auto

Hello All,

For the last few years I�ve had my 1960 Mark 2 Auto back on
the road and have been shaking out a number of issues mostly
minor � I�ve often asked for help on these forums.

The main issue has always been a road speed related
vibration issue that seemed to get worse at around 55 mph
and become quite a problem after that � I couldn�t sustain
that speed too long for fear of something breaking in the
rear end (the car not mine!).

The bottom line is that today I finally got rid of the
vibration � I can now drive at 70 mph + without any dramas
except maybe the police nabbing me!

I�d been trying to find the cause for a few years and
thought it would be useful to chronicle what I went through
and what worked (and didn’t) � this is the culmination of a
lot of time, thinking and reading discussions on this forum�
Here what worked for me:

  1. I completed the major restoration � all bearings,
    rubbers, universals, shock absorbers renewed. I kept the
    front and rear springs though.

  2. I proved it wasn�t engine speed related � it revved
    in neutral with no vibrations. When doing 60mph putting into
    neutral, rpm dropped vibration didn�t.

  3. Checked driveshaft alignment � a bit out but nothing
    major (maybe � inch at the center - I now know this is a
    significant)

  4. I had the driveshaft balanced and the universals
    shimmed. No impact.

  5. At this stage I changed over the wheels from solid
    to spokes. New hubs to go with them. I did this for looks
    and not to solve the problem but it was a good chance to see
    if it helped. It didn�t. All of the �runouts� were good. At
    that stage I got the rear discs machined. No change.

  6. I bought 2 new � axles & bearings and installed them
    � thinking one might not be straight. This did help a bit
    but nothing significant

  7. Upgraded to Koni Shock absorbers . This helped
    vibration problem i.e. a bit better (lower level).

  8. The front springs were �sagging a bit� . New
    springs made the car sit upright, a bit too high on
    passenger side. Vibration marginally improved, handling
    dramatically better.

  9. I then thought the rear springs might be suspect
    (front sitting high on one side), I changed with new ones.
    This was the big fix, vibration dropped almost completely.
    The rear bounce was considerably reduced � another dramatic
    improvement in the drive handling as well. New springs had a
    big impact on overall alignment and stiffer response
    resulted in far less movement.

  10. Center driveshaft bracket (an auto) was on backwards
    this meant a slight mis-alignment with the center support
    bearing. Also aligned the drive shaft properly down to
    millimeter accuracy. With new springs I could actually do
    this properly now, before it was all over the place.

  11. This was the last piece of the puzzle � I took it
    out for a spin � got it up to 70mph + with no sign of
    vibration except normal stuff from the engine. Happy to
    claim success now.

I hope this helps someone!

Regards

Glenn–
GlennLogan
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In reply to a message from GlennLogan sent Sun 15 Dec 2013:

Glenn,
Well done and not inexpensive by the chronology! Very
happy for you. I have tackled this constant search for
answers with a Burman P/S box. So rewarding when you get
THE fix.
Best,
ILOB–
The original message included these comments:

For the last few years I�ve had my 1960 Mark 2 Auto back on
the road and have been shaking out a number of issues mostly
minor � I�ve often asked for help on these forums.
9. I then thought the rear springs might be suspect
(front sitting high on one side), I changed with new ones.
This was the big fix, vibration dropped almost completely.
The rear bounce was considerably reduced � another dramatic
improvement in the drive handling as well. New springs had a
big impact on overall alignment and stiffer response


Iain Buxton, Reno, NV 66 3.8 S-Type 61 Mark IX 2000 S-Type
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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So what was wrong with the old springs that would cause vibration?

Mike Eck
New Jersey, USA

'51 XK120 OTS, '62 3.8 MK2 MOD, '72 SIII E-Type 2+2

  1. I then thought the rear springs might be suspect
    (front sitting high on one side), I changed with new ones.
    This was the big fix, vibration dropped almost completely.
    The rear bounce was considerably reduced - another dramatic
    improvement in the drive handling as well. New springs had a
    big impact on overall alignment and stiffer response


Iain Buxton, Reno, NV 66 3.8 S-Type 61 Mark IX 2000 S-Type

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Hi Mike, did you ever get a reply to your question about the springs ?
Peter

I have vibration issues on a 420G. To read the front licence plate of a car behind, I need to hold the mirror with thumb and index finger.
Your conclusion about tthe 4 rear springs intrigues me….
Also the position of the bracket of the prop/drive shaft……