Steering Bulkhead Bearing
Discussion
D'oh.
I just bought a recon steering rack and track ends for my 280i, only to find out that all my problems are down to the steering shaft bulkhead bearing.
Help!
Now I called Richard at Wedge, and he can manufacture a replacement Nylon bush, and then fibrglass it in. This makes sense since the steering shaft is never going to be exactly square to the bulkhead. Trouble is my car is in Cambridge, and he is in Sheffield.
Now I looked at the parts list, and I noticed the Rover SD1 steering equipped Wedges have a different bulkhead bearing (Rover? I would guess). Does anyone know what the ID of this bearing is? Mine has a measured shaft of 19.10- mm (3/4 inch). Ideally I want to put a sperical bearing on the shaft, and attach it to the bulkhead. Now I've spent ages finding the spherical bearing, but no body seems to make one with a mounting flange. Arggghhh. and I can't weld it as it has Teflon inside which will be ruined.
Any help or suggestions greatly apprecited. (That don't involve NC machining a slab of ally as a mounting plate!)
-jim, Cambridge
I just bought a recon steering rack and track ends for my 280i, only to find out that all my problems are down to the steering shaft bulkhead bearing.
Help!
Now I called Richard at Wedge, and he can manufacture a replacement Nylon bush, and then fibrglass it in. This makes sense since the steering shaft is never going to be exactly square to the bulkhead. Trouble is my car is in Cambridge, and he is in Sheffield.
Now I looked at the parts list, and I noticed the Rover SD1 steering equipped Wedges have a different bulkhead bearing (Rover? I would guess). Does anyone know what the ID of this bearing is? Mine has a measured shaft of 19.10- mm (3/4 inch). Ideally I want to put a sperical bearing on the shaft, and attach it to the bulkhead. Now I've spent ages finding the spherical bearing, but no body seems to make one with a mounting flange. Arggghhh. and I can't weld it as it has Teflon inside which will be ruined.
Any help or suggestions greatly apprecited. (That don't involve NC machining a slab of ally as a mounting plate!)
-jim, Cambridge
I saw this on the web, for an 'S' series
www.tvrcc-westyorks.co.uk/infopages/how_to/change_the_steering_column_bearing_on_an_s_series/doc.htm
I wonder if anyone knows the dimensions ?
www.tvrcc-westyorks.co.uk/infopages/how_to/change_the_steering_column_bearing_on_an_s_series/doc.htm
I wonder if anyone knows the dimensions ?
I'm a bit concerned about using the Nylon bearing, it seems like a bit of a poor idea, given the fact the bearing is in the wheel arch, and Nylon absorbs 5% water by mass, it can't last long down there, not with all that swelling and shrinking (oo-er).
(my similar thread on the S forum got the reply that Tower View sell them for £21 - one of the S guys put a superb website together last november showing how to replace the bearing - see the S Forum for the Link.)
I'm also worried because my Tasmin shaft (oo-er #2) is at 80 degrees or so to the bulkhead, so if I stick in a straight bearing, and screw it to the firewall (00-er #3) there may be gentle sounds of fibre glass breaking. What I want, what I really, really want is a 3/4 inch ID spherical bearing fixed to a flange plate. But I can't find one anyplace.
Steve, do you know if the Rover SD1 steering bearing is spherical? The column moves up and down right? so it should be, in theory...
-Jim
(my similar thread on the S forum got the reply that Tower View sell them for £21 - one of the S guys put a superb website together last november showing how to replace the bearing - see the S Forum for the Link.)
I'm also worried because my Tasmin shaft (oo-er #2) is at 80 degrees or so to the bulkhead, so if I stick in a straight bearing, and screw it to the firewall (00-er #3) there may be gentle sounds of fibre glass breaking. What I want, what I really, really want is a 3/4 inch ID spherical bearing fixed to a flange plate. But I can't find one anyplace.
Steve, do you know if the Rover SD1 steering bearing is spherical? The column moves up and down right? so it should be, in theory...
-Jim
Jim - I got it from Gene Bird (here in the States) www.cmw-tvr.com , about $20 including shipping. Also, I'll try to find the receipt with a part number tonight.
I don't think it was made of nylon but rather was made out of some other type of plastic. Made a world of difference once it was replaced!
Grady
Ps/ It would be one of life's little ironies if you had to get TVR parts from this side of the pond.
>> Edited by grady on Tuesday 13th January 21:06
I don't think it was made of nylon but rather was made out of some other type of plastic. Made a world of difference once it was replaced!
Grady
Ps/ It would be one of life's little ironies if you had to get TVR parts from this side of the pond.
>> Edited by grady on Tuesday 13th January 21:06
Hi Steve et al,
Well, Looks like I am going to buy a spherical bearing, and make a little fibreglass flange for it, the bearing is gonna cost £40 ! ouch, but it is more for a challenge than anything else. The bearing is stainless with PTFE inner, so should in theory be water tight, and last a long time. I'd like to take some pictures with my camera, and put the mod on a site someplace if anyone has some space for it. In theory this procedure should work for any car, just change the bearing appropriately.
- Jim
Well, Looks like I am going to buy a spherical bearing, and make a little fibreglass flange for it, the bearing is gonna cost £40 ! ouch, but it is more for a challenge than anything else. The bearing is stainless with PTFE inner, so should in theory be water tight, and last a long time. I'd like to take some pictures with my camera, and put the mod on a site someplace if anyone has some space for it. In theory this procedure should work for any car, just change the bearing appropriately.
- Jim
Thought you 280i wedge guys might like this, looks just like the one on my TVR, and I'm sure the TR8 is similar.
www.tr8.com/members062131/TR7TR8OC/Visitor/pdf/SteeringBush.pdf
Looks like the TR8 guys are using acetal co-polymer bushings.
-Jim
www.tr8.com/members062131/TR7TR8OC/Visitor/pdf/SteeringBush.pdf
Looks like the TR8 guys are using acetal co-polymer bushings.
-Jim
Good article.
However, the one I sourced wasn’t made of rubber so the soaking wouldn’t help. And with as much play as there was with a bad bushing, I’m not sure rubber is firm enough.
Looking at the picture again, it looks like the original wasn’t rubber either so it might be better to go with rubber after all. The bushing must take all the shock transmitted up from the front tires bumping anything.
Jim, BTW – I looked up my receipt and found I bought mine from a different seller in the US and don’t have a useful part number on the receipt. Email me if you want that info. Grady
However, the one I sourced wasn’t made of rubber so the soaking wouldn’t help. And with as much play as there was with a bad bushing, I’m not sure rubber is firm enough.
Looking at the picture again, it looks like the original wasn’t rubber either so it might be better to go with rubber after all. The bushing must take all the shock transmitted up from the front tires bumping anything.
Jim, BTW – I looked up my receipt and found I bought mine from a different seller in the US and don’t have a useful part number on the receipt. Email me if you want that info. Grady
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