• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Bugeye steering column grommet?

Share this page

I see it on the web catalog, and I have one, but either they sent me the wrong part or the earliest bugeyes are different.
 
Boy do I feel stupid. I think I had it backwards. I was thinking that the accordion thing was supposed to seal tight around the column, and then fit into the toe board panel. However, now when I turn it around it sits tight in the toeboard panel and I will only need to use a clamp of some sort to make is air tight on the column.
 
Let's make sure we're singing off the same sheet of music.

There is the inner piece (the steering shaft itself) "Tube-steering column(inner)" p/n 2A6136. Then there is the shaft surround "Column-steering (outer)" p/n 2A6140. Inside the upper end of the steering column there is a felt bearing p/n ACA5297. Inside the lower end of the steering shaft there is another felt bearing p/n ACA5398. Each bearing is formed into a cylinder about two inches long. The 'accordian thing' is a dust seal "Excluder-draught-outer tube to footwell" p/n AHA5435. That piece goes over the bottom of the steering column and around the steering shaft as it comes out of the column near the steering rack.

https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=1185
 
Dust excluder! Great, but it will not fit as that picture shows. Two felt bearings are in place. I have a part that looks like AHA5435 but it does not fit as a the description picture implies (where the outer column reaches the toeboard).

What do you mean that it fits at the bottom of the column near the rack? That is nowhere near the toeboard.
 
There is another one of those down near the rack to cover the joint from the steering column to the rack. But not on Bugeyes. We just use a felt washer and to heck with it.

Ahh, no clamp Trevor. Just a snug fit.
 
Nope nope nope.

Thanks to Ray and everyone else, but I think I have this figured out and bottom line: the Moss part is wrong (at least for my car).
 
Yep, yep, yep.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]<span style="font-style: italic">There is another one of those down near the rack to cover the joint from the steering column to the rack. But not on Bugeyes. We just use a felt washer and to heck with it.</span>[/QUOTE]

The Sprite Service Parts list says that AHA5435 (the one at the bottom) was used on Bugeyes begining with AN5 7433.
 
Sooo... what was used before then to seal the steering column to the toeboard?
 
Thanks,
You've been a big help.

I guess I'll enlarge the hole in the toeboard so that in the future a replacement part will be easier to find.
 
And... making the hole larger would allow me to remove the entire column out from the dash side (as opposed to having to remove the inner shaft from the engine compartment).

BTW, this is just another reason why I'm building this car in its entirety before doing the body/paint.
 
Trevor

The 58 had a smaller hole than the rest of the Bugeyes for the steering column. The column also used a ball bearing in place of the oiled felt inner bushing.
And it only goes in from the engine bay unlike the rest which will go either way.
I enlarged the hole on my 58 for the grommet and to get it in since it's a whole lot easier from inside the car thru the plinth and dash than from the outside.
 
OK, I enlarged the hole, but my steering column has the felt bushings (must have been swapped at some point).

Thanks.
 
Bob

Nice catalog. The Sprite Service Parts list says that AHA5435 (the bellows type) was used on Bugeyes begining with AN5 7433. 2A6141 (the non-bellows type) was used up until then.
 
Ok, here ya go Moss Euorpe, Dust Excluder Footwell # AHA5435.
 
Ray,
Thanks for the info, I added that to the catalog page! I guess my Sprite factory manual I am using must have been put out before that chassis number as there is no mention of a break point. All this cross referencing is tough to do as BMC updated the parts manuals on what seems was a daily basis!

It's input like yours that will help bring this project to full strength and then maybe we can get more folks involved in restoring these old cars. You gotta know there's still a few in back yards with people wondering where to find parts! Makes me want to start on those Hillman catalogs.....

Bob
 
Glad to be of help. My Service Parts List is the third edition dated June 1960.
 
Ah, mine was the Second dated Dec '58. I guess I should dig up a newer one!

Thanks again for your help and the compliment, I've been working full time on this since last July. Whew, too much work! What was I thinking!

Bob
 
Back
Top