Vixen steering column clamp

[tomtrout]

As you can see there isn't much left of the supporting collar that clamps my steering column to the bulkhead so I am attempting to make one. Before I weld up the new collar can anyone tell me what is the correct angle I need to aim for( angle of the column to the vertical axis).What's left of the old collar is so mangled it's difficult to measure and seems to be a different angle to the inner clamp which supports the column to the dash. Either one of the clamps is p*ssed or the dash, or the bulkhead isn't supposed to be vertical - not sure which!

I would offer up my column to the body and steering rack and simply tack it, then remove and weld but my body is currently in the paint shop. Can anybody whip out to the garage with their protractor please? Before anybody questions the quality of the piece of steel tube I have found, all I would say is that it matches my chassis and nothing that a splash of Hammerite won't put right

[Astacus]

With you in a mo!

looks like about 75/76 degrees, or 15 degrees from horizontal






Matt

Edited by Astacus on Wednesday 23 November 21:54

Edited by Astacus on Wednesday 23 November 21:57

[tomtrout]

Thanks Matt

[S1Vixen]

IMHO, I'd recommend installing the column in the car with the sleeve from the bulkhead adaptor, bolting up the flat plate to the bulkhead and then tacking the two pieces together. This is especially important if you've done a chassis swap or had the body off. This way you'll get exactly the correct angle.

Cheers

Steve

[Adrian@]

S1Vixen said:

IMHO, I'd recommend installing the column in the car with the sleeve from the bulkhead adaptor, bolting up the flat plate to the bulkhead and then tacking the two pieces together. This is especially important if you've done a chassis swap or had the body off. This way you'll get exactly the correct angle.

Cheers

Steve

Adrian@

[tomtrout]

OK guys, thanks all for sound advice.

[thegamekeeper]

Andy, it may be worth considering using a spherical bearing on the bulkhead instead of the sleeve. None of us are going to have an accident but if you get unlucky the standard arrangement is perfectly designed to direct the steering column straight through your face like a spear with a steering wheel on. At least with a spherical bearing it has a good chance of deflecting it away. I have used this method on a few cars but cant say if it works or not because nobody has had a big enough accident yet but at least in theory it should work. Its got to be better that the column runs in a precision fit bearing than a metal sleeve. As far as the bracket on the rear of the dash is concerned its nothing much more than an exhaust hanger, I,m sure you can devise something better.

[S1Vixen]

Another alternative for the crash protection is to install a collapsible column. I have installed a the telescopic collapsible element inside the orginal outer aluminium sleeve so the car looks standard underhood. All the donor parts came from Triumph Dolomite so easy to find and has the benefit of adding bearings top and bottom of the column to replace the original bushes.

[Astacus]

S1Vixen said:

Another alternative for the crash protection is to install a collapsible column. I have installed a the telescopic collapsible element inside the orginal outer aluminium sleeve so the car looks standard underhood. All the donor parts came from Triumph Dolomite so easy to find and has the benefit of adding bearings top and bottom of the column to replace the original bushes.

Hi Steve!

Welcome to the forum.

That sounds interesting. Have you got any pics? or is it pretty straight forward? I wondered about what to do on my S1, but it will be a while before I get that far, so, useful to plan ahead.

Also, my S1 has no screw holes on the dash where the dash mounting clamp attaches. I have wondered in the past whether the dash board is a replacement item. Has anyone got any pictures showing how the bracket attaches?






And, while I am side tracking Andy's thread.....

Does any one know whether these fittings are supposed to be present on S1s or not?



Cheers

Matt

Edited by Astacus on Saturday 26th November 12:07

[Adrian@]

This allows the steering to collapse in an accident, and sets the the boss and horn slip ring heights on the column....release it any old way.... replace without the grub screw and lock nut, do the minor bolts up by hand as tight as sensible (these are 1/4 UNF and the torque 9lb) and then do the grub screw up (with the column set) and then the lock nut (again sensible by hand torque 20lb).
Adrian@

PS I don't think that these are on the S1

Edited by Adrian@ on Saturday 26th November 13:20

[Astacus]

Thanks Adrian,

I am guessing that cars with this fitting have some other type of internals then, because I cant see how the S1 column is able to colapse, being a one piece (at least, mine is).

[wulmar]

This is how mine is attached on mark 4 1800s,with a jubilee clip

[wulmar]

[Adrian@]

Astacus said:

Thanks Adrian,

I am guessing that cars with this fitting have some other type of internals then, because I cant see how the S1 column is able to colapse, being a one piece (at least, mine is).

I have looked and the S1 is one piece.
Adrian@

[heightswitch]

Their is a better modification that can be pursued using a triumph dolomite column to give a fully collapsable column, rather than just a telescopically collapsing column
N.

[Astacus]

Thanks all,

The photos are really useful. I am pretty sure now that mine has a "new" dash, that had never been fitted.

Re the colapsable column, Rimmers appear to do the whole unit for £50 ish so I will definitely look into this

[S1Vixen]

Ref : using the Dolly column

I used 2 of the bearings in your picture from Rimmers and reamed the Vixen column outer to take them. Then took the Dolly collapsible element and attached the vixen steering wheel spline and lower column via machining, sleeving, pinning and welding. All the donor parts came from Mike Papworth's hoard of Triumph bits to keep the cost down.

[Astacus]

S1Vixen said:

Ref : using the Dolly column

I used 2 of the bearings in your picture from Rimmers and reamed the Vixen column outer to take them. Then took the Dolly collapsible element and attached the vixen steering wheel spline and lower column via machining, sleeving, pinning and welding. All the donor parts came from Mike Papworth's hoard of Triumph bits to keep the cost down.

Just managed to get hold of a new dolly column off ebay, so I am going to look at the possibilities here. Thanks