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Re: steering column bearing replacement

To: Jeff Boatright <jboatri@emory.edu>
Subject: Re: steering column bearing replacement
From: Ulix Goettsch <ulix@u.washington.edu>
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 15:18:55 -0800 (PST)
Cc: spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
In-reply-to: <l03101e05b0d1c9e8b9eb@[170.140.244.186]>
Reply-to: Ulix Goettsch <ulix@u.washington.edu>
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
Jeff,
> Thanks for the reply. Along these lines, I read somewhere that the felt
> should be soaked in oil. If so, what weight and for how long? This also

Yeah, that was in the post by Bill Eastman that I once forwarded to you.
I THINK the oil soaking is more for ease of assembly.  My original felt
that was in the column didn't look like it had ever been in contact with
oil.

> begs the question, how does one lube them for regular maintenance, or do
> they just get replaced. What holds the flet in place from slipping up and
> down the colmun -- just the squeeze fit between the columns?

There are some lips and shoulders that hold the felt in place, I don't
remember all the details.  It will be clear when you take it apart.

> Would you need a lathe to make nylon bushings? Could you use two hole saws,
> one the ID of the outer column, the other the OD of the inner column, on a
> drill press, of course.

A bushing like that would have to be correct to tenths of milimeters to
avoid slop in the steering.  You would have te be extremely lucky to get
the ID and OD just right with hole saws.

I just realized that the design of the shaft and tube might not allow for
rigid bushing to be installed, e.g. you can't slide a bushing onto the
shaft from the lower end because of the clamp part on that end.
We might just have to make the best of these felt bushings (or a split
solid bushing :-)

Ulix

> 
> >On Thu, 1 Jan 1998 mayfam@sprynet.com wrote:
> >
> >> Anyone know what these felt bearings do?
> >>
> >> Daryl
> >
> >Daryl, they do what any bearing does, just not as well :-)
> >It was cheap for the manufacturer to use felt instead of say a brass
> >bushing or a ball bearing.
> >If I had access to a lathe, I would probably try to make bushings out of
> >nylon or something like that.
> >
> >    Ulix                                                    __/__,__
> >.......................................................... (_o____o_)....
> >                                                           '67 Sprite
> 
> 
> ______________________________________
> Jeff Boatright
> Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Vision
> http://www.emory.edu/molvis
> "Seeing the Future in a Very Tiny Way"
> 
> 

    Ulix                                                    __/__,__        
.......................................................... (_o____o_)....
                                                           '67 Sprite


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