> Does any one have experiance with replacing the the bushing and
> oil seal for
> the rocker shaft assembly?
I did mine a few years back. Makes a huge difference in both how well and
how easy the car steers. I wish I'd done it sooner.
> I realize that I may need to remove the nose to do this, however,
> if at all
> possible I would rather not have to remove the entire steering
> box just to
> repair the oil leak.
Sorry, IMO the box has got to come out. You're going to need one whale of a
Pitman arm puller to get the arm off, and there just isn't room to work with
the box in the car (I tried !). However the 'split' column box can be
removed without pulling the apron. I posted some detailed directions a few
weeks back, but basically the trick is to take the LH motor mount loose, and
jack the motor to the right, to get room between the frame bracket and the
engine front plate to pivot the steering box tube out and up. I was able to
get my arm off using a big 2-arm gear puller, but I had to make some side
braces to hold the arms in place, otherwise they would slip off of the tabs.
Lots of torque and BFH. There was a loud BANG and it flew several feet when
it finally came loose, I was sure the puller had broken.
> The manuals mention that the rocker shaft may be adjusted while in situ,
> however they do not address replacing the seal/bushing.
The box can be adjusted in place, but I'm now convinced it's not such a good
idea. If you get it too tight, you'll damage the worm. New worms are
available now (for a price), but AFAIK the shaft still is not.
As an experiment, I adjusted the bearings as I normally do, then checked
with a dial indicator. I had left almost .005" of end play, even though
they felt snug to me. Removing another .005" shim improved the feel. Note,
although the book fails to mention this, it's important to loosen the
setscrew in the top cover while making the bearing adjustment, otherwise you
may get a false reading. Also, do not torque down the end plate bolts until
you're sure the adjustment is right. Torquing them just once with all the
shims out will ruin the worm.
Like Dan, I used a assortment of flat washers, sockets and threaded rod to
R&R the bushing. Others have had to ream the bushing, but mine (from TRF)
fit perfectly as installed. It's permissible for the shaft to be very snug
in the bushing (although mine wasn't). Be sure to clean up the seal surface
on the rocker shaft, even a groove too small to catch a fingernail can cause
a leak. BTW, I switched to full synthetic GL5 gear oil.
> While I'm at it I
> would probably replace the "silentbloc" bushings connected to the
> idler lever
> and drop arm.
Most likely you'll ruin them getting them apart anyway <g> Being somewhat
frustrated with how long the silentblocs last for me, I replaced them with a
brass and stainless steel assembly from BFE. Took some work to get them to
fit, and I added grease zerks to them so I've now two more places to grease,
but so far I'm very happy with the result. Consider replacing the idler arm
and tie rod ends while you have everything apart.
Randall
59 TR3A daily driver TS39781LO
63 Sports 6 project HB7826LCV
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