"Allen, Warren" wrote:
>
> Fellow Cognoscenti:
>
> I am currently rebuilding my 1960 TR3A steering box, and have some questions
> for you:
>
> Should I replace the idler bracket and arm (the thing that hold the steering
> arm on the right side of the car)? When I grab the idler arm and try to
> move it side-to-side, I get no perceptible movement, but when I try to rock
> it up and down(90 degrees from the normal side-to-side movement), I feel a
> little bit of play. I suspect the answer is to replace it, but first I'd
> like to know: is that slight up-and-down play normal?
I'm told the answer is Yes, the play is normal. My new bracket and arm
exhibits about 3/16" vertical movement at the tip of the arm.
> There are shims between the bottom of the steering box and the bottom-end
> cover. There's also a paper gasket to prevent leaks. That means that the
> gasket fits between the last gasket and the cover. Why do we not get leaks
> between the shims, or between the first shim and the steering box, since
> this is all metal-to-metal contact? Or is there some trick to make these
> areas leak-proof? (I know, I'm playing straight man using phrases like
> "leak-proof" . . .)
The shims are relatively flexible, and will conform to irregularities in
the surface of the steering box. The gasket takes up any irregularities
in the cover plate. This is one of the few areas that has always sealed
on my TR3s (Having said that, I'll probably find a puddle tomorrow
<g>). OTOH, the gland nut always seems to want to leak.
BTW, IMO replacing the bushing in the bottom of the steering box is very
worthwhile, and is quite easy once you have the box out of the car.
Since my vise wasn't big enough to press it in, I used some 3/8"
threaded rod and an assortment of flat washers and sockets, etc. to pull
it into place.
Be careful to not get the adjusting screw too tight, even temporarily.
Having it too tight "feels good" (at least to me), but will quickly
destroy the cam in operation.
> How about torque settings? I assume the bolts holding the two covers onto
> the steering box should be torqued at 15-20 foot-lbs. Is that right? How
> about the big nut on the bottom holding the steering arm onto the big
> thingie sticking out of the box (sorry - can't remember the name).I'm
> guessing 80-100 ft-lbs. Any ideas?
Don't know, but your values sound reasonable. Don't forget to turn the
tabs on the locking plate under the nut on the pitman arm (drop arm).
> There's a filler plug on the top cover for filling the box with fluid
> (fluif??). There's also a rubber plug located several inches up the outer
> column. Why are there two? Is the bottom one for ease of filling the box,
> and the rubber plug for filling the column? Anything tricky here?
AFAIK the bottom plug is just another place to leak. It's almost
impossible to get to, with the car assembled, so I always fill through
the upper one. The oil in the column runs into the box fairly quickly.
> Finally, I bought a new fan fitting kit from TRF. I need it because my old
> rubber grommets were in very bad shape. Is there anything to know about how
> the metal parts go on? I have put them on just like the old ones were
> installed, but I can't figure out their purpose, and can't be sure that they
> were installed correctly before.
If you are talking about the flat semi-circular tabs, they are balance
weights. The factory manual calls for a "balancing jig" to be used,
which I assume is similar to the tool for balancing bicycle wheels.
Randall
59 TR3A
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