• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

TR6 Steering Column Loose

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
I know this issue has been addressed before but I was unable to find the previous posts. To make a long story short, I had a progressive vertical movement in my steering column. This has been one of those issues, I kept putting off for awhile. Sometime ago, I had ordered two new bushings thinking that was the problem. Yesterday I finally decided to tackle the job. I am now into day two and have just removed the column from the car after damaging the poorly designed locking collar that holds the ignition switch. I don't know who the Einstein in England was that designed those headless bolts but he did not do us any favors. After removing everything today, I found the problem in the excessive play. The forward part of the column is bolted to a thin piece of sheet metal which is part of the car. Apparently over the many years, this metal fatigued and cracked. This was the problem with the vertical play and not the suspect bushings. I have read where this sheet metal failure is quite common with the TR4-TR6 models. It will be impossible to weld in this tight area. I am now considering an epoxy like JB Weld. I don't know if there is a better product on the market.

Does anyone have a different alternative to this problem? Knowing the failure rate of this metal, I would recommend to any Triumph owner never to put any weight on the steering column such as getting into or out of your car. Sooner or later, this support structure will fail and your steering column will be excessively loose.
 

bobhustead

Senior Member
Gold
Country flag
Offline
Since you have had no responses, I'll take a whack. Photo might help. You need to find room to weld back the original or bolt in an overlapping patch. Adhesives are not going to do.
We had a recall on steering column locks when I was a BMC mech. The shear head bolts are not really hard. Take a small sharp short chisel, dig it into the perimeter of the remaining bolt, and drift it out with light to moderate hammer taps. You can even put them back that way.
Bob
 
OP
SherpaPilot

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Hi Bob, Thanks for your response. Yes, I agree, I did not think any sort of epoxy would be strong enough unless I used something NASA used in the space station. I found a possible non-welding solution on another Triumph forum where a guy supported the front of the steering column with a piece of metal stock bolted to the platform where the windshield wiper motor sits. The metal was drilled to hold a basic pipe clamp. I wish I could recall where I saw this but if done properly didn't look too primitive. Everyone told me how easy it was to remove those shear bolts with a chisel. I tried that, soaked it in WD40 and tried it again without success. I ended up drilling and attempting an "easy-out". That did not work either. The only solution was to drill out both shear bolts. Due to the soft metal they were supporting, I did enough damage to require purchasing a new ignition assembly. I didn't find the design of this lock assembly very easy to work with. Thanks again Bob, I'm now into the reassembly stage of this project.
 

dklawson

Yoda
Offline
For future reference removing the tamper-proof ignition lock bolts....

Mount a 3" diameter, 1/16" thick cut off wheel in a die grinder. Cut into the diecast housing and the tops of the bolts to make screwdriver slots. Then use a large square shank screwdriver and Crescent Wrench or impact driver to loosen the screws. Do not replace with the tamper proof screws. Instead use standard coarse thread socket head cap screws (Allen head).

As stated above, no epoxy is going to work. However, what about making a sheet metal plate of whatever configuration is required and pop riveting the plate the the firewall? Do you have room for that?

EDIT: Is the thread linked below one of the sources you looked at for temporary/permanent repairs?
https://www.triumphexp.com/forum/tr6-tech-forum.2/steering-column-support-crack.1572724/

and/or the Moss article below?
http://www.mossmotoring.com/tr4-6-steering-column-wobble/
 
OP
SherpaPilot

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Hi Andy. Thanks for the reply. I could not see how my TR6 steering column could be removed through the dash with the ignition assembly and brackets attached. Once removed, the column was extracted through the panel. Everyone kept telling me how easy this job was, but for me, it remains frustrating and time consuming.
 
OP
SherpaPilot

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Doug, I wish I would have talked to you before I grabbed my drill. I'm beyond that chapter now and still working on installing the bushings. As far as the modified forward bracket goes, I like the information you posted from Moss. I had looked through their video help library but did not anything on the steering column. The bracket discussed seems like the perfect fix for this metal failure. Thanks Doug, that info was helpful.
 

Andrew Mace

Moderator
Staff member
Country flag
Offline
Hi Andy. Thanks for the reply. I could not see how my TR6 steering column could be removed through the dash with the ignition assembly and brackets attached. Once removed, the column was extracted through the panel. Everyone kept telling me how easy this job was, but for me, it remains frustrating and time consuming.
Ok, that makes sense! I readily admit to being far more familiar with the "Small Triumphs" than with the later TRs such as the TR6. I know the wood facia is "slotted" at the bottom; would removing the lower crash bad along the bottom of the dash enable removal of the column by dropping it, or is there still some structure in the way?
 
OP
SherpaPilot

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Good Morning Andy, My TR6 has a teak-wood dash panel. It provides a hole for the column to pass through. The entire panel would require removal to follow your suggestion. Since this car is 47 years old, I don't think I will be doing this little project again; at least under my ownership.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
G 6 steering column loose Triumph 3
olarson TR2/3/3A Steering Column Bracket Triumph 2
M Midget steering column Spridgets 3
B Steering Column Wiring/Sealing Austin Healey 1
Walter74 Steering Column Felt Bushing Austin Healey 3
D Steering Column Adjustment Collet Austin Healey 8
Retired2020 TR250 steering column bushing Triumph 2
ActionJackson Spitfire Steering Column Lock Triumph 3
A Early 1967 AH Sprite - installing steering column and new directional switch? Spridgets 0
R TR2/3/3A Replace wiring harness in steering column Triumph 61
R TR2/3/3A Install new wiring harness in steering column Triumph 16
R TR2/3/3A Steering Column Wiring Triumph 18
M TR6 EZ EPAS Steering Column Fitment to TR4-6. Triumph 0
R TR2/3/3A Wiring from the steering column Triumph 7
M TR6 EZ Power Assisted Steering Column Fitment Triumph 3
Got_All_4 TR5/TR250 Need guidance for replacing steering column bushings Triumph 11
D TR6 Replacing Horn insert in steering column Triumph 11
L TR2/3/3A Upper steering column bushing Triumph 8
BoyRacer Steering Wheel Location with non-adjusable column Austin Healey 6
BoyRacer Wanted Steering Wheel Hub Adaptor for non adjustable column Austin Healey Classifieds 1
steveg Steering column steady brace and scuttle shake? Austin Healey 2
T TR2/3/3A Is there a Delrin bush available for the top of TR3 steering column instead of felt? Triumph 8
T TR2/3/3A Requesting help on removing TR3A steering column and box Triumph 21
T Steering Column Installation Spridgets 6
C Non-Adjustable steering column questions Austin Healey 14
BoyRacer Steering Column Height Adjustment on BN2 Austin Healey 1
John_Mc TR6 Steering column rubbler coupler Triumph 8
R TR2/3/3A Installing wiring harness in steering column Triumph 59
B Steering Column Bushing Austin Healey 2
S TR2/3/3A steering column through the body tub Triumph 5
S TR2/3/3A steering bracket that fits under the dash for the end of the column Triumph 2
KVH General TR Steering Shaft/Column Short Circuit?--Electrical Issue with Light Switch Triumph 3
G Steering Column Mounting Austin Healey 1
60BN7 Adjustable Steering Column Won't Lock Austin Healey 9
B Outer steering column connection to the steering box Austin Healey 6
D TR2/3/3A steering column bushings Triumph 8
M TR4/4A Triumph TR4/4A Steering Column spline size Triumph 1
D BT7 adjustable steering column / steering wheel Austin Healey 1
G TR2/3/3A Steering Column Support for One-Piece Steering Column Triumph 3
adcronin For Sale MGB New Turn Signal Switches: 62-67 and 68-70 Also 70-73 MBB Steering column cover MG Classifieds 0
rjc157 TR6 steering column Triumph 0
S TR6 steering column bushings Triumph 5
Marvin Gruber BJ8 steering column blanking plate seal Austin Healey 1
J TR2/3/3A Split steering column rubber bushing installation. Triumph 4
C Mounting ignition switch to XKE series 2 steering column? Jaguar 4
T TR2/3/3A Steering Column Grommet Triumph 4
D Ajustable Steering Column Escutcheon Austin Healey 2
6 Steering Column Spridgets 6
B Lower Steering Column Bush - Where does it go and how? Austin Healey 14
S TR2/3/3A 37XXX and 27XXX the steering column was split Triumph 6

Similar threads

Top