Control head / trafficator questions

[trotti]

I have what I hope are a couple of simple questions. I have a non-adjustable steering wheel in a '59 100-6. The control head is a bit beat up, but appears to be in working condition. That said, as I'm new to the car, beyond the turn signals working (which they do), I'm not sure how it is supposed to function. Mine spins freely when turned, but not when I turn the steering wheel.

Also, how do you remove the control head - do you just pull up? I have a non-adjustable so I don't see any screws around the boss. I don't want to damage any of the wires or pieces in the control head so I don't want to strong arm it and find out I should have gone about it differently.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I have what I hope are a couple of simple questions. I have a non-adjustable steering wheel in a '59 100-6. The control head is a bit beat up, but appears to be in working condition. That said, as I'm new to the car, beyond the turn signals working (which they do), I'm not sure how it is supposed to function. Mine spins freely when turned, but not when I turn the steering wheel.

Also, how do you remove the control head - do you just pull up? I have a non-adjustable so I don't see any screws around the boss. I don't want to damage any of the wires or pieces in the control head so I don't want to strong arm it and find out I should have gone about it differently.

Thanks in advance!

Have you checked the compression nut on the end of the steering box where the wires come out of for tightness?

 

[andrewss]

There is an 'olive' nut on the end of the steering box (where your wires come out and are attached behind the radiator) that keeps the trafficator from turning on the steering wheel. Best to have someone to help you. Position the trafficator in the correct position and then tighten the olive nut (not too tight) until the trafficator does not turn when you turn the wheel. To remove the trafficator you have two options. Both require the olive nut be to unscrewed and left off the steering wheel shaft. There should be small hex screws on the steering wheel that need to be undone. Gently pull the trafficator whilst at the same time (someone else) feed the wires on the other end (where the olive nut is) to allow you to extract the trafficator about 10cm (dependant on the amount of wire you have at the olive nut end). At this point you either unscrew each individual wire from the trafficator (look for links on this site to see how to do it) or cut and then resolder... Unless you want to remove the steering wheel I suggest (if everthing is working horn, indicators) then simply tighten the olive as described.

 

[steveg]

....I suggest (if everthing is working horn, indicators) then simply tighten the olive as described.

Strongly agree. Trafficator can be a can of worms for the unwary.
Good article by Lin Rose on rebuilding the adjustable version - switch itself seems to be the same or quite similar on the non-adjustable version:
https://www.healey6.com/Technical/Trafficator Repairs.pdf

 

[trotti]

Unless you want to remove the steering wheel I suggest (if everthing is working horn, indicators) then simply tighten the olive as described.

Thanks for the detailed description - very helpful. I was hoping to change out the steering wheel - being 6'3" the massive wheel (original) makes it a tight fit. I have an MGA where I simply went down to a 15" wheel that made a huge difference. I think I'll stay out of the trafficator itself for now - perhaps something to tackle on some winter day when I have patience and nothing else going on. I've also thought of replacing the trafficator altogether because it looks as if an incorrect one was installed (looks like I have a 3000 version on my 100-6). At least that was a thought until I saw how expensive the non-adjustable versions are . . .

 

[andrewss]

Keep the steering wheel as is and adjust the seat pan to give you more leg room.. You will need to drill six additional holes in the seat pan but you can an additional 2-3 inches of leg space... I have family in Murfreesboro which I guess is not far from you..

 

[trotti]

Keep the steering wheel as is and adjust the seat pan to give you more leg room.. You will need to drill six additional holes in the seat pan but you can an additional 2-3 inches of leg space... I have family in Murfreesboro which I guess is not far from you..

Thanks - I'll look into that adjustment. Might do the trick. And yes, Murfreesboro is an outer suburb of Nashville; not far at all. Ever visit?

 

[healeyblue]

Also you can check the mounting holes for the steering column under the dash. There is a series of I think 4 holes that the upper support could be mounted through. When I did the BN4 it was originally in the second hole but when I finished the resto I used the top holes. It will gain some more leg room if you are able to move them higher.

 

[trotti]

Thanks all! For right now, I simply snugged up the "olive" nut on the end of the steering box and that fixed the issue! I think I still want to replace the steering wheel, I like the look of the wood, but I'm going to look into the seat pan and steering column mounting options as well. The more room the merrier.

 

[trotti]

So last week I got a bit brave and decided to pull the trafficator in order to install a Moto Lita steering wheel. It actually wasn't that hard.

1) unscrew the olive nut at the steering box
2) snip the bullet connector ends at the end of the wiring harness coming out of the steering box
3) tie a string to the wires to pull through as the stator tube comes out
4) take a deep breath
5) pull said stator tube out (all six or so feet of it)
6) say a silent prayer that you can get it back in later on
7) loosen the nut on the steering wheel which is 1 1/2 inch (on non-adjustable wheel there are no screws at the base of the steering boss behind the wheel and there's a huge nut instead)
8) mark existing steering wheel center position on column (this didn't work for me as the existing wheel was installed off center - more on that below)
9) install new wheel at center (assuming you've attached new wheel to the boss)
10) reinstall turn signal cancellation arm and nut and tighten nut
11) reinsert stator tube with wiring harness, pulling gently on the string from front of car to ensure the wires snake through as well (having a wife/girlfriend/buddy here is indispensible)
12) rewire,
13) position trafficator at just before center as tightening the olive nut snug (but not too snug) tends to move the trafficator assembly, an extra pair of hands helps out here to keep it centered as you tighten
14) all done

Some variations for me: as noted above, the steering wheel installed was not centered. So I took it on a drive with the stator tube and trafficator left out. Went down the road, got a sense of center, pulled over, adjusted, tried again, and again and again. There are a lot of splines and second guessing, but you get a knack for it.

Also, I decided to tackle redoing my bakelite and lubing the trafficator since I was already in there. Took it completely apart and had it back together according to the instructions found here: https://www.healey6.com/Technical/Trafficator Repairs.pdf

Far easier than I feared and so far it looks amazing (still need to shine up the bakelite after the coats of ink). Well worth the time and effort. I'll post some final pictures after all is said and done.

 

[John Turney]

Congratulations!!

 

[pan]

G'day Trotti,
I agree with item 13. I also put a card between the trafficator head & the wheel boss. This allows a little clearance so that the trafficator does not bind on the wheel as you steer. I have learnt how to repair a 100 type trafficator which is basically similar to the later cars. When I did this I found out why the self cancelling function is unreliable.

 

[Lin]

Congrats Trotti,
pleased to hear that the control head/trafficator article helped.
All the best,
Lin

 

[trotti]

G'day Trotti,
I agree with item 13. I also put a card between the trafficator head & the wheel boss. This allows a little clearance so that the trafficator does not bind on the wheel as you steer. I have learnt how to repair a 100 type trafficator which is basically similar to the later cars. When I did this I found out why the self cancelling function is unreliable.

G'day to you as well (side note - I have a close friend that lives in North Rocks just outside of Sydney and will be visiting her, Hunter Valley, the Blue Mountains and hopefully other places in April - I'm quite jealous of you Aussies--gorgeous country).

I agree with the note about the self-cancelling function and a small part of me wishes I could go to my MGA-style turn signal - it's easy to use, easy to maintain and works without all the complexity of snipping wires, dealing with stator tubes, etc. That said, the car was built and designed this way and for me, part of the fun of the hobby is keeping the car as-is (to an extent). Despite the difficulty, it is a fairly amazing piece of engineering when you pry it apart and see all of the springs, plates, screw head electrical contacts and other complexities.

After the polish and shine the thing looks amazing so I'm pretty excited to have this project in the books.

 

[trotti]

Congrats Trotti,
pleased to hear that the control head/trafficator article helped.
All the best,
Lin

It was a huge help - glad to have had this and all the other resources of this forum and the other wonderful owners out there that contribute to the knowledge on this car.